My husband and I are not too keen on holidays, especially Valentine's Day, so we don't do the typical fancy dinner or flowers and candy gift exchange. But I would argue we still had a delightfully romantic day. We went to Home Depot to buy him a new tool in order to finish demolishing our kitchen floor. (I'm sure he thinks that's the best Valentine's Day gift ever). I picked up take out from the Azorean, one of our favorite local restaurants (mmm I delight in their delicious cod cakes), and we watched Star Trek: First Contact, one of my favorite Star Trek movies. After we finished the movie, I clicked around through some of the special features and found a "text commentary." I started it, and it turned out to be the whole movie again but in a Pop-Up Video style. (I used to watch Pop-Up Video on VH1 as a kid, which showed music videos annotated via "pop-up" bubbles.) I re-watched about a quarter of the movie again just to see the pop-up commentary, and it was all delightful. Next time we watch the movie, we will definitely watch it with all the pop-ups. (There are apparently also two audio commentaries that I very much look forward to experience some day!) Some of the best pop-ups were self-referential, poking fun at continuity errors and fanciful science ("we don't really know what quantum torpedoes are" hahaha) and trying to explain how and why certain characters and ships could possibly be in this movie (since characters like Worf had left the Enterprise to serve on Deep Space Nine, and his ship, the defiant, had to still be functional after being fired on because it was needed in the next season of DS9).
One of the things I really like about this movie is that it shows something close to our current reality, the year 2063, 10 years after World War III, which last 27 years, decimated the world, destroyed most major cities and governments, and killed 600 million people. In 2063, a scientist transforms an old nuclear missile into a ship with warp drive, which attracts the attention of an alien ship (the Vulcans), who initially had no interest in Earth because it was too primitive, but after detecting the warp signature from the ship, they decide to alter their course and make first contact with Earth. The Borg (an awful evil enemy "cyborg" race) traveled back in time from the 24th century to stop this pivotal moment in history from happening, because it changes "everything". Once humanity starts to build starships and to explore the galaxy in 2063, "it unites humanity in a way no one ever thought possible when they realize they're not alone in the universe. Poverty, disease, war. They'll all be gone within the next fifty years." The Enterprise, with Picard and his crew, follow the Borg via time travel to prevent the Borg from accomplishing their goal.
I really like the idea of the possibility of a more utopian future. Can we possibly evolve from our primitive society? Can something unite us so that we work together instead of tearing each other apart? Star Trek gives me hope in that future. I decided to google "Star Trek" and "Utopia" and found a delightful article on space.com. Marc Pilisuk, a psychologist at Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center in San Francisco writes that "If there is a common enemy around which humanity can unite, it is the institutions that protect privilege for an elite network with extraordinary power and minimal accountability. At present, hopes for peace look most promising in the decentralized myriad of creative local actions of people wanting leaders to respond to their true needs." Richard Koenigsberg, a former professor of psychology at Queens College in New York City, argues that "Warfare is linked to the human attachment to 'nations.' As long as people believe that countries are the most significant thing in the world and that 'nations have the right to kill,' then warfare will persist. If humans come to see ourselves as residents of a single planet, rather than citizens of individual nations with specific interests, war will be unnecessary."
I delight in the possibility of a utopian future for our society. Hearing the way these psychologists discuss it, it makes it seem like it could actually happen. I am excited to see some of the Star Trekian universe infiltrate our reality. In fact, on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me (NPR game show that I delight in) this weekend, one of the limericks was "Since technology makes a good fake, my old butcher I now will forsake. I didn't use paper but bio-meat shapers. Now I have just printed a.... steak." Peter Sagal explains that you can now get a 3D-printed rib-eye steak made from actual cow cells. Tom Bodett replies, "Well, this - we're getting very close to the 'Star Trek' replicator here. As soon as they can print Earl Grey hot, you know, I'm in. I'm buying one." (PS: I have ALWAYS thought that 3D printers reminder me of replicators!)
If we are indeed one step closer to the Star Trek replicator, maybe we can also get one step closer to its utopian, egalitarian, peaceful society.
May we all "live long and prosper".
With delight,
♥Jamie
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