Guide to star trek
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There is a similar invasion of a person's mind in the episode Inner Light (TNG) where a probe from a dead planet takes over Picard's mind and forces him to experience the life of Kamin. In spite of the fact that subsequently Picard has pleasant feelings about this experience, it is nevertheless an invasion of his autonomy. Similarly, the invasion of Barclay's mind in The Nth Degree (TNG) is morally objectionable.
167 Roddenberry consistently portrays the view that humanity is evolving morally and that eventually we will develop into the kind of people that higher entities would like to interact with. However, in spite of this view, it still appears that 24th century people have not yet evolved to the point where homosexuality is fully accepted. I suspect that Roddenberry would have maintained that they would have evolved to this superior understanding by then. But he is also painfully aware that he must present these ideas to a late-20th century audience and they are not yet so tolerant. 168 Our sexual mores are also questioned in the episode Up the Long Ladder (TNG). In this episode the Mariposians are required to accept sexual reproduction which they find repugnant. And the Bringloidi must accept both polygamy and polyandry. 169 It is worth remembering at this point that Mary Anne Warren's fourth criterion was the capacity to communicate. This feature is seen in the episode Skin of Evil (TNG). In this episode, the members of the away team encounter the oil-slick (later named Armus). When it mirrors their movement, Data suspects that it is intelligent. But when it speaks, then there is no question about it. Similarly, when the nanites attack the ship in the episode Evolution (TNG), they are only treated with respect after they begin to communicate with the crew. Finally, in the episode Silicon Avatar (TNG), in spite of the death and destruction that crystalline entity has caused, it too is treated with respect once it shows that it can communicate with us. 170 A clear exception to this claim is found in the episode Devil in the Dark (TOS). In this episode Kirk and Spock are tracking the horta in underground tunnels. When Kirk finds it, Spock yells over the communicator, "Kill it Captain!!". But Kirk, here being much more like Picard than himself, decides to take a chance on communication. I have always found this scene to be most incredible. Spock is clearly out of character with this line. And Kirk's open mindedness is also a bit surprising. 171 Plato The Republic, Book II (Public Domain Text) 172 This is a paraphrase of a saying by Dostoyevsky. 173 This is a paraphrase. 174 Compare this with Plato's comments in the Euthyphro 10a-e. 175 See in this regard the literature on the just war tradition. Over the years, Star Trek has had a lot to say on the topic of war. For example, in the episode A Private Little War (TOS) Roddenberry is explicitly making a comment about the Vietnam war. He also makes comments on war in at least the following list of episodes: Errand of Mercy (TOS), A Taste of Armageddon (TOS), Arena (TOS), Day of the Dove (TOS), The Doomsday Machine (TOS), The Arsenal of Freedom (TNG), The Hunted (TNG), and I, Borg (TNG). 176 It has been suggested that Roddenberry is a sexist because of the scanty outfits that women wear and because of the way that Kirk's love interests are portrayed. This charge does not stand up to scrutiny. Roddenberry's initial description of the original series had a female second in command of a military vessel. See for example, Number One, in the original pilot entitled The Cage (TOS). Furthermore, Roddenberry specified that the crew should be 50% female. The "brains" at NBC required that Number One be replaced by Spock as the first officer and that the percentage of women be reduced to no more than 30%. 177 Similar implications apply to Kirk's decision to leave the Nexus with Captain Picard. If it is true that the Nexus has everything one could want, then it seems that whatever motivation there might be to leave will have to be found within the domain of reason and not within the domain of passion or desire. 178 This episode also raises some interesting questions relating to the legal and moral notion of privacy. A parallel situation is created by Geordi in Booby Trap (TNG) when he recreates the image of Dr. Leah Brahms. Later in the episode, Galaxy's Child (TNG) when she discovers this program, she is outraged. Is it immoral to appropriate someone's image and to play with it in your day dreams? If so, can you say exactly why this is so? 179 Robert Nozick Anarchy, State, and Utopia (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press, 1976), p. 42-23. 180 Similarly, having sex with a prostitute might be condemned in part because it satisfies one's sexual urges without the associated intimacy being developed. The same might be said about casual sex. 181 Imagine, if you will, someone who is so unconcerned with acquiring sex that they completely disregard the features that might make them attractive to the opposite sex. 182 This story line is revisited in the episode Galaxy's Child (TNG). In this episode, the biological Leah Brahms visits the Enterprise and discovers Geordi's program. She expresses outrage at this violation of her personal privacy. 183 Our culture sometimes seems to presume that mankind is a primary focal point of God's plan. It is suggested that humans are the apex of God's creation. Not only are we his children, but that we are his ONLY children. I suspect that relative to non-theists, Christians are much less likely to believe that there are intelligent life forms in the universe other than man. 184 Since a literal reading of the Garden of Eden story is not at all plausible, I will not include it as part of the present account. This leaves open many questions. For example: What is the meaning of the story when it is taken non-literally? What are we to make of the story of the Fall? 185 For further details, see the immensely complex history of the doctrine of the Trinity. 186 It could be suggested that the resurection was simply a "beaming up" of Christ's body and that Christ was simply an alien visitor. 187 "Gene Roddenberry: Writer, Producer, Philosopher, Humanist" by David Alexander. The Humanist March/April 1991. pp. 5-38. 188 This Side of Paradise 3/2/67. 189 The garden of Eden is also referred to in several other episodes, including: The Way to Eden (TOS), The Apple (TOS) and This Side of Paradise (TOS). 190 This Side of Paradise 3/2/67. 191 The Apple (TOS) 10/13/67. 192 The Apple (TOS) 10/13/67. 193 He seems to act in accordance with what might be called a "human dignity imperative". 194 This changed somewhat in October of 1991 with the showing of Ensign Ro (TNG). This is the episode in which we first meet the people of Bajor. The space station in Deep Space Nine is in orbit above Bajor and as a result the Bajoran religion is a common element in Deep Space Nine plots. 195 The negative portrayal becomes somewhat more balanced in both Deep Space Nine and Voyager. 196 My former professor, Omar Anderson, points out that the title of this episode--Who mourns for Adonais?--does not fit the story. The title refers to the Greek god Adonais. But the episode deals with Apollo, a different Greek god. Professor Anderson suggests that the answer to the title question is the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822). Shelley wrote Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats, comparing Keats to the god Adonais. It is significant to note that Shelley was later expelled from Oxford for publishing an atheistic tract, The Necessity for Atheism (1811). This leads Anderson to suggest that this episode contains a hidden atheistic message. 197 Who Mourns for Adonais? 9/22/67. 198 "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth" in Star Trek Log Six by Alan Dean Foster (New York: Del Rey Book) 1976, p. 193. 199 It should be noted that there are branches, sects, or orders within Christianity against which this charge does not apply. 200 This eventually happened anyway, of course. 201 The reference is to George Orwell's novel 1984. 202 My thanks to Dr. Robert Anderson for most of this interpretation. 203 For a more detailed discussion of Plato's allegory, see the discussion in the chapter entitled Platonic Idealism. 204 Again, these allegorical connections were first drawn to my attention by Professor Anderson. Dr. Anderson also suggests that Roddenberry intend the character "Reger" to stand for Martin Luther, and the character "Marplon" to stand for Melancthon, Luther's friend and collaborator. Luther and Melancthon revolted against the rule of the Catholic Church; but they remained firm Christians, believers in Christ and the Gospels. 205 This point might be put more sharply by suggesting that Christians would accept that humans are the only creatures in the universe that are capable of having a soul. (With the exception of the devil and angles, etc.) The thinking might go something like this. If we are created in God's image and if this is required of any creature that is going to strive to earn eternal bliss, and if there are others, then we would be only one among many who are playing at God's game. They too would have been created in God's image. They would have souls too. God would love them equally to us. His loving them somehow would interfere with his ability to really love us. And since God really loves us, it follows that there can be no others. Christianity seems too jealous of God's love to admit the possibility of other souls like us. 206 Krola attempted to stage a scene in which it would appear that Commander Riker had killed him. Krola realized that news that an alien had killed a minister of the government would surely propel the reactionary movement into political leadership. His efforts were unsuccessful and Chancellor Durken is here referring to Krola's plan. 207 Although Q clearly lacks many of the qualities that we think of in a God, it is equally clear that he has some of them. He can move through space and time at will. He can manipulate matter--bring it into or out of existence at will. He can be anywhere he wants at any time that he wants, and that makes him the equivalent of being omni-present. He is also exceedingly knowledgeable and powerful. 208 Kevin Uxbridge is a character in The Survivors (TNG). Kevin tells us that he is a Douwd. A Douwd is an immortal creature with immense mental and physical powers. He can create powerful illusions, manipulate matter and kill an entire species with just a thought. 209 Carl Sagan in his novel Contact has a character say, "As a philosopher in our part of the world once said, 'The artifacts of a sufficiently advanced extraterrestrial civilization would be indistinguishable from magic.'" (p. 191) I don't know which philosopher is being referred to. But Roddenberry uses this notion in quite a few episodes. 210 If one or more of the Iconians traveled to Earth, they could have been taken to be gods by primitive people. This would be consistent with the idea discussed above in connection with the episode Who Mourns for Adonais? (TOS). 211 For those who want to pursue these matters further, I suggest that you look into the problem, What features must a story have in order for it to count as an explanation (for us)? 212 My former professor, Omar Anderson, points out that the title of this episode--Who mourns for Adonais?--does not fit the story. The title refers to the Greek god Adonais. But the episode deals with Apollo, a different Greek god. Professor Anderson suggests that the answer to the title question is the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822). Shelley wrote Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats, comparing Keats to the god Adonais. It is significant to note that Shelley was later expelled from Oxford for publishing an atheistic tract, The Necessity for Atheism (1811). This leads Anderson to suggest that this episode contains a hidden atheistic message. 213 Who Mourns for Adonais? 9/22/67. 214 'Thanatologist' means one who studies death. 215 I must admit that when I was a child, I too gained the impression that when I died, I would know everything and that all of my questions would be answered. This idea is clearly present in the our Christian culture, but it is far from clear that it is an official part of Christian doctrine. On reflection, it is a very strange idea. To begin with, it would takes an omniscient mind to know everything. I clearly do not have an omniscient mind. If subsequent to my death I acquire an omniscient mind, then there is a very strong case to be made for the claim that it is not me that has survived my death. After all, I am the guy with the quite limited mind. The idea that "all of my questions will be answered" is also somewhat implausible. It assumes: (1) that every possible question has a distinct, clear, and correct answer, (2) that I am capable of understanding the answer, and (3) that I am capable of recognizing and accepting the answer as adequate. There are problems with all three points. 216 God does not make an appearance in the nexus. 217 Contraposed this statement becomes, "If this aspect of the Christian story is true, then Christianity is false." 218 This issue becomes more complex when we are dealing with actions that have negative value. Thus, for example, one might say that Hitler led a terrible life. For example, acts of wanton cruelty are, in one sense, meaningless. However, there are at least two other senses in which it is not. It is not meaningless to the victim and it is also not likely not be meaningless to the perpetrator. This is probably just an equivocation over the relevant value or rationality framework of reference. The claim that it is meaningless is implicitly appealing to the framework of ideal goodness and rationality. The other statements are more perspectival. 219 Albert Camus discusses his view of the meaning of life by drawing our attention to the myth of Sisyphus. He says, The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight. He had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor. . . . I leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain! One always finds one's burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He too concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy. Download 0.85 Mb. Share with your friends:
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