NOT using the
panel discussions of the most recent World Science Fiction Convention in San Jose,
CA in August 2018 (to which I be unable to go (until I retire from education)),
I would jump off, jump on, rail against, and shamelessly agree with the BRIEF
DESCRIPTION given in the pdf copy of the Program Guide. But not today. This explanation
is reserved for when I dash “off topic”, sometimes reviewing movies, sometimes
reviewing books, and other times taking up the spirit of a blog an old friend of
mine used to keep called THE RANTING ROOM…
Question:
Why do so many people who DON’T read science fiction widely, make the
assumption that any Aliens we come into contact with who have starships, no
war, unlimited wealth, with a unified, single party government, be ecologically-pre-civilization-static,
single-class, benevolent, democratically elected, and all-inclusive civilization?
Do
they have evidence that “U-SPG-EPCS-SC-B-DE-AI civilization” is the only
way to govern well? (WE are evidence to the contrary. Our governments have
always been fractured (check history books); but we use nuclear power, genetic engineering,
and we travel in space – all of these achievements are limited and the majority
of “doom-sayers” assume that we will destroy ourselves…but despite dire
predictions, we haven’t as of this moment. We absolutely have wars, threats,
and cruelty…yet seven billion of us persist at this time. Countless others have
tantrums about how dumb the “others” are and that unless the entire world
embraces their ideal of government, we will continue to be hanging by a thread?
Maybe a spider silk thread…)
How
did Gene Roddenberry’s dream up the idea of a United Earth and a United Federation
of Planets? Except for hippies who were dreaming of yellow submarines and
Woodstock, the rest of the world was in shell-shocked horror discovering that
the SECOND War To End All Wars hadn’t performed as promised. Things were
growing worse. How did Roddenberry get to Star Trek?
That’s easy enough to summarize from the
article referenced below: “I really don’t consider myself a science-fiction
writer, but I’m interested in what’s happening on this planet and what may
happen…Intolerance in the 23rd century? Improbable!...If man survives that
long, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences
between men and between cultures…we couldn’t do a space show without at least
one person on board who constantly reminded you that you are out in space and
in a world of the future…A science-fiction buff since junior high school, he
had the idea for a series that would mix…The Twilight Zone..The Outer
Limits with a cast of continuing characters…[a]…space-adventure series
[like] “Wagon Train to the Stars,” a nod to the westerns that were still the
gold standard in popular TV drama in the 1960s…born in the midst of the turbulent
1960s…it…often reflected and commented on the issues of that divisive decade:
the Vietnam War, civil rights, Cold War politics, the budding environmental
movement. The show had an idealistic, ’60s counterculture mind-set, imagining a
23rd-century world in which humans had outgrown war and prejudice…[STAR TREK] proved
that an outer-space action show could appeal to our intelligence, tackle
serious issues—and, in a troubled time, offer some hope for the future.” He
certainly didn’t base his enthusiastic hope for humanity on any kind of reality,
making the assumption that we would reach a point of evenly distributed wealth
and overcome all forms of prejudice to reach the
But…
In
the STAR WARS Universe, an Evil Empire has overthrown by an UNQUESTIONABLY Good
Republic (it’s “goodness” is an unargued given). But shortly after that
happens, the New Republic was once again overthrown by an Imperial copycat of
Darth Vader called the First Order which launches its takeover in THE FORCE
AWAKENS (2015 – ironically, (hmmm or was it political commentary?) the same
year Trump declared his presidential bid). On what basis is the Republic
declared “good” and the Empire “bad”?
In
Frank Herbert’s DUNE novels, his assumption is that humanity can only avoid the
extinction of Humanity by creating an Omniscient God-Emperor to derail a
religious High Priesthood of Bene Gesserit and capitalistic Traders. “ We've a
three-point civilization: the Imperial Household balanced against the Federated
Great Houses of the Landsraad through [CHOAM, the Directors of all wealth], and
between them; the Spacers Guild with its damnable monopoly on interstellar
transport. Reverend Mother Mohiam.” (Note she omits the hidden rule of the Bene
Gesserit.” Paul Atreides (aka Paul Muad’dib institutes “…his Golden Path, [Frank
Herbert’s]…argument of how to create a healthy society, avoiding despotism and
hero worship, a trap in which social groups can be caught: ‘To make a world
where human kind can make its own future from moment to moment, free from one
man's vision. Free from the perversion of the [any?] prophet’s words. And free
of future pre-determined...’” From universal foundation does Frank Herbert’s declaration
of what humanity needs depend? On what foundation of human understanding does
he make his postulation?
In TV’s extremely
popular series, THE EXPANSE, the UN has seized power from most of the world’s
governments because of nearly uncontrollable Climate Change – which they stop.
They continue to rule Earth as well as colonies on the Moon, Mars, and in the
asteroid belt as well as several other Jovian moons and a very few interstellar
colonies until rogue Martian marines form their own government, conquer
everyone, and call them all the Laconian Empire…[This is all from the resource
below. I read the second book, CALIBAN’S WAR thinking it was the first and
while I thought it was a great deal of fun, never went back to read the others.
I also read A GAME OF THRONES and while it was also fun, (nowhere near as fun
as his Haviland Tuf science fiction stories); I didn’t return to that series,
either and never watched a single episode of the TV show…]
There are many futures
for Humanity portrayed in science fiction literature. These four are currently best
known because they were either visual presentations or MADE into visual
presentations. Others await production and the passing of time to test their
precepts.
Until then, we’re
left with what we have here and now, and what we hope in the future – and our own
hands to make it – though there are some who believe that we do not labor alone
working for the better future or Humanity on Earth, now. [No, I DON’T mean Aliens
Among Us!]
Sources: https://time.com/4406710/star-trek-history-excerpt/,
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Galactic_Empire,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizations_of_the_Dune_universe,
https://expanse.fandom.com/wiki/Laconia_system,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muad%27Dib
Image: http://www.blam1.com/StarTrek/images/StarTrekLDMenu.jpg,
http://trekcore.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/tc-all-titles.jpg
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