CONSIDERED A DIRTY WORD. ONE PIECE HAS BEEN EXPLORING
IDEAS LIKE THIS FOR DECADES,
STAR TREK.
STAR TREK. >> WE’VE SEEN THE GADGETS BECOME
REAL, THE TABLETS, THE FORE
FATHER TO THE iPAD.
AND, OF COURSE.
>> COMPUTER IDENTIFY MALFUNCTION
IMMEDIATELY.
IMMEDIATELY. >> ALEXA, GIVE ME THE NEWS.
>> CAN YOU SAY THE TECH WAS
INSPIRED BY STAR TREK.
BUT HERE’S THE THING, IT WASN’T
JUST ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, IT WAS
ABOUT US AS WE, AND SOCIETY,
EVOLVE.
EVOLVE. >> WHEN WE ONE DAY CAN HAVE A
REPLY KAY OR THE THAT CAN MAKE
ANYTHING WE WANT, NEED, POVERTY
BECOMES A THING OF THE PAST.
>> 50 YEARS AGO THERE WAS NOT A
LOT OF DIVERSITY ON TELEVISION
IN THE PAST.
>> STAR TREK IS A WAY TO
APPROACH AND UNDERSTAND THE
SMALLNESS OF HUMANS AND HUMAN
CIVILIZATIONS AGAINST THE
BACKDROP OF THE I MENTY OF THE
HEAVEN.
HEAVEN. >> WHAT SET STAR TRACK APART,
WAS OPTIMISM, INCOME INEQUALITY
AND DISCRIMINATION, HISTORY.
BUT HERE HALF A CENTURY AFTER
THE SHOW AIRED, WE’RE DEBATING
RACISM, BIGOTRY AND CLIMATE
CHANGE.
CHANGE. IF STAR TREK COULD LAY DOWN THE
FUTURE FOR TECH, DOES IT HAVE
ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT OUR
POLITICS?
POLITICS? >> TO SOME DEGREE A MIRROR OF
WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW, IT’S
EASIER TO TALK ABOUT ALIENS THAN
OUR NEIGHBORS.
OUR NEIGHBORS. >> OVER THE YEARS, AMERICA HAS
COME A LONG WAY FROM KIRK AND
SPOCK.
SPOCK. >> AT THE TIME THE ORIGINAL STAR
TREK CAME OUT LIKE TODAY THERE’S
A LOT TO BE WORRIED ABOUT.
WE FEEL DIVIDED FROM ONE
ANOTHER.
ANOTHER. AND STAR TREK, THEY GO OUT AND
ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTIES IN
SPECIES AND ALL OF THAT.
BUT ALWAYS WE CAN OVERCOME AND
ACHIEVE AND MAKE THAT WORLD A
BETTER PLACE.
BETTER PLACE. >> OKAY.
>> OKAY. BACK TO OUR WORLD.
TO 2016 WHEN AMERICA SAW TWO
VERY DIFFERENT POLITICAL
IDEOLOGIES SKYROCKET, SOCIALISM.
PRESIDENT TRUMP TOOK THE WHITE
HOUSE AND TWO YEARS LATER THE
DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST PARTY SENT
ITS FIRST TWO MEMBERS TO
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. CLEARLY THE COUNTRY WAS DIVIDED.
A 2018 GALLUP POLL FOUND YOUNG
VOTERS HAD A MORE POSITIVE VIEW
OF SOCIALISM THAN CAPITALISM
WHILE THE PRESIDENT’S RATING
STAYED SOLID WITH HIS BASE.
WITH THESE TWO PHILOSOPHIES ON
THE RISE, I WONDER HOW TREKKIES
SEE IT SHAPING OUT.
>> I THINK THOSE THAT GREW UP IN
THE ’80s AND ’90s, IT HAS AN
IMPACT ON THE WORLD.
>> YOU HAVE SOCIALISTS, PEOPLE
DON’T NEED MONEY ANYMORE.
>> PEOPLE USE THE S WORD ALL THE
TIME.
TIME. BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THE
CHARACTERS IN THE SHOW, IN THE
UNIVERSE THEY DON’T USE THAT
WORD.
WORD. >> HE WROTE THE BOOK ON STAR
TREK ECONOMICS, LITERALLY.
HE DIVES INTO THE STAR FLEET
IMPLICATIONS OF MASTERING ALMOST
ANY MATTER AT THE ATOMIC LEVEL,
DETAILING WHAT HAPPENS IF
REPLICATORS CAN DO WHATEVER WE
NEED.
NEED. >> EVERYTHING IS AVAILABLE IN
REPLICATORS AND THEY’RE FREE.
HOLDING ONTO WEALTH AND THE
PIECE OF THE PIE NO LONGER MAKES
SENSE.
SENSE. >> IN THAT FUTURE, WHAT IS
VIABLE?
VIABLE? IF I CAN HAVE A -- WELL,
EVERYONE WITHCAN HAVE A FERRARI,
DON’T KNOW IF I WANT ONE ANYMORE
BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS ONE.
I DON’T KNOW HOW YOU GO TO
INDIVIDUALITY, THOUGHTS.
INDIVIDUALITY, THOUGHTS. THAT CAN’T BE REPLICATED.
>> WE HAVE THE COMMUNICATEOR,
THAT BECAME THE FLIP PHONE.
DO YOU THINK WE’VE SEEN
POLITICAL ASPECTS OF STAR TREK
COME TO FRUITION?
>> IT’S A WORK IN PROGRESS.
IT’S MUCH EASIER TO BUILD GIZMOS
THAN TO CHANGE BEHAVIOR ON
SOCIETY SCALES.
SOCIETY SCALES. >> POLITICIANS TODAY THEY SAY
THEY’RE INSPIRED BY STAR TREK.
>> YES.
>> YES. THEY GREW UP WATCHING THE NEXT
GENERATION, SPACE 9, THESE TV
SHOWS ARE ALL ABOUT TRYING TO
FIND A WAY TO ACT IN A JUST WAY
IN THE UNIVERSE.
>> AND STACEY ABRAMS ISN’T AN
ANOMALY.
ANOMALY. AOC SAID SHE WAS INSPIRED BY
CAPTAIN JANE, IT WAS THE FIRST
TIME THEY SAW A WOMAN IN CHARGE.
EVEN IN THE ’60s, THEY SAID TO
LOOK IN A DIFFERENT WAY, IT
SHOWS PEOPLE ALL WORKING
TOGETHER TO GO WHERE NO MAN HAS
GONE BEFORE.
GONE BEFORE. BUT TODAY STAR TREK IS TAKING IT
A STEP BEYOND.
A WOMAN NAMED MICHAEL.
>> TELL ME ABOUT HOW STAR TREK
SEES GENDER ROLES.
>> I THINK IT SEES GENDER THE
SAME WAY IT SEES RACE, WHICH IS
IT SHOULDN’T AND DOESN’T MATTER.
IT DOESN’T MATTER IF P SOMEONE
IS ALIEN OR HUMAN OR MALE OR
FEMALE.
FEMALE. IT MATTERS ARE YOU CAPABLE.
>> IT’S NICE TO SEE THIS
REPRESENTED.
REPRESENTED. >> YES.
>> YES. >> SOME WOULD ARGUE STAR TREK
PAVED THE WAY.
>> YES.
>> YES. LOOK AT THE DIVERSITY OF THE
CAST, A WOMAN ON THE BRIDGE
RUNNING THINGS AT A TIME WHEN
THAT WASN’T REALLY WHAT PEOPLE
SAW A LOT OF ON TELEVISION.
>> JEAN WAS THE ORIGINAL CREATOR
OF STAR TREK IN 1966, HIS SON
SAID LOOKING BACK NOW YOU CAN
SEE HOW HIS POLITICS MAY HAVE
SHAPED OUR SOCIETY TODAY.
>> DO YOU THINK IT HELPED MOVE
THE NEEDLE WHEN IT CAME TO HUMAN
RIGHTS?
RIGHTS? >> I DO.
>> I DO. I CAN’T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES
I’VE BEEN AT A CONVENTION OR
TRAVELING AROUND THE WORLD AND I
GET A STORY ABOUT HOW STAR TREK
CHANGED SOMEONE’S LIFE, IT
INSPIRED THEM TO GET OUT OF AN
ABUFA
ABUFA ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP OR THEY
WERE NEVER TOLD THEY COULD BE
SOMETHING AND NOW THEY’RE A
DOCTOR.
DOCTOR. STAR TREK CHANGED THE WORLD.
IT HAS TO DO IT NOW MORE THAN
EVER.
EVER. >> ANOTHER HALLMARK ASTRO FISE
SICS AND SCIENCE.
>> WE LEARNED TO APPRECIATE OUR
DIFFERENCES, AND CRAVE OUR
DIFFERENCES BECAUSE WE KNEW
THAT’S HOW WE GREW AND EVOLVED
AS A SPECIES.
>> IT’S ALWAYS BEEN AN
INSPIRATION FOR SCIENCE, STAR
TREK.
TREK. >> YES.
>> YES. >> NOW WE SEE PEOPLE SAYING
SPACE ISN’T REAL OR THE EARTH IS
FLAT.
FLAT. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> WHAT’S THAT LIKE?
>> I KIND OF DON’T KNOW WHAT TO
DO WITH THAT.
WE’RE FACING GLOBAL THREATS AT
THE MOMENT THAT SCIENCE IS
RAISING A RED FLAG TO.
THINGS LIKE GLOBAL WARMING,
SPECIES LOSS.
SPECIES LOSS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I TRULY
LOVE ABOUT STAR TREK IS THAT
STAR TREK TAKES THOSE
INSURMOUNTABLE THINGS AND
EMBRACES THEM.
EMBRACES THEM. THE WORLD MAY NOT BE WHAT WE