Star Trek + Social Commentary (context in the captions)
THIS is what the original Star Trek TV series and films were about. Not just about blowing up things in space and snazzy lens flares with a side order of casual sexism -.-‘.
dude do you know how many people I have pissed off by saying the exact same thing?
So I got into a debate(?) on Facebook with someone who was talking about Star Trek and they were griping a little about the lack of religion in it (to be fair this person is a minister) (also I’d like to point out that religion does actually happen in Star Trek, it’s just not the object of a lot of fixation), and I’d like to reiterate the reasons I love Star Fleet.
They are space nerds. Nerds in space. They just want to understand the science and be in awe of the universe, let them live.
They are aggressive about equal opportunities. The Original Series was fucking groundbreaking guys, Uhura is the forever queen of my space nerd heart.
They want to make friends. With everyone. If you’re not actively trying to murder them, humans want to be friends with you. Hell, they might still want to be friends with you after you actively try to murder them (Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians, and the Borg on SEVERAL occasions).
They protect those who can’t protect themselves, help those without food or shelter, welcome strangers and aliens to their homes, reach out with everything they have in them.
This is the crux of it, guys.
Star Fleet is an armada, yes. They’re a military when they need to be, yes, because space is a dangerous place and not everyone wants to be your friend back and you are part of a crew, you are part of a Federation, you are part of a vast and system-spanning family that you have to protect. And sometimes that means violence, because you have people to protect.
But that’s not what Star Fleet is for.
Star Fleet is for connecting. For finding new planets with new civilizations and reaching out and saying “We’re not alone because you’re here, and that means you’re not alone either, come be not-alone with us.” For looking ever outward. For boldly going, not alone.
So let’s boldly go, motherfuckers, we have a galaxy to explore.
Okay, 1) LOLZ, and 2) Can you IMAGINE being those people going about your normal day? And suddenly there’s a motherfucking Starfleet Officer sprinting his ass down the street, with a phaser, who happens to be a VULCAN, so you know if his ass is running, shit is about to get really real. I would be like, “Well, fuck, better call my mom, looks like we’re under attack again. Man, I knew I shouldn’t have moved to Earth. Nothing like this ever happened on Beta Aquilae II.”
When you see a Vulcan running like that, HAUL ASS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, HOW ARE YOU PEOPLE SO FREAKING CALM?
i mean… a vulcan running full tilt in earth gravity would be hauling ass. and he’s chasing a super human who is also super fast, so i imagine for the people he’s running past it would be like “what’s tha-*WHOOOOMMM BLUE BLUR* - WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?” .
Humans quickly get a reputation among the interplanetry alliance and the reputation is this: when going somewhere dangerous, take a human.
Humans are tough. Humans can last days without food. Humans heal so fast they pierce holes in themselves or inject ink for fun. Humans will walk for days on broken bones in order to make it to safety. Humans will literally cut off bits of themselves if trapped by a disaster.
You would be amazed what humans will do to survive. Or to ensure the survival of others they feel responsible for.
That’s the other thing. Humans pack-bond, and they spill their pack-bonding instincts everywhere. Sure it’s weird when they talk sympathetically to broken spaceships or try to pet every lifeform that scans as non-toxic. It’s even a little weird that just existing in the same place as them for long enough seems to make them care about you. But if you’re hurt, if you’re trapped, if you need someone to fetch help?
okay but like can we talk about star trek just for one second.
because.
like.
so much tv and so many movies and so many books are all about how the future is a disaster because technology ends the world and aliens attack and humanity is awful.
and then there’s star trek. motherfucking star trek. where, yeah, shit goes wrong all the time, but technology lets us reach and grow and learn, and humanity builds itself starships and warp cores and makes contact with aliens and builds this interstellar family out of all these disparate cultures and it names its flagship Enterprise because that’s what it is, it’s this enterprise of hope and discovery, and no matter how often they all risk their necks and get in fights and end up shooting it out with the Borg or the Klingons or the Romulans or whatever, humanity still looks up at the stars and says “you know what, let’s boldly go, motherfuckers,” and that’s the kind of future I wanna see.
NASA scientists have reported that they’ve successfully tested an engine called the electromagnetic propulsion drive, or the EM Drive, in a vacuum that replicates space. The EM Drive experimental system could take humans to Mars in just 70 days without the need for rocket fuel, and it’s no exaggeration to say that this could change everything.
But before we get too excited (who are we kidding, we’re already freaking out), it’s important to note that these results haven’t been replicated or verified by peer review, so there’s a chance there’s been some kind of error. But so far, despite a thorough attempt to poke holes in the results, the engine seems to hold up.
“Be waiting out front of the HAB, Watney, we’re not fucking waiting for you to get dressed. Places to be.”
Guys. Guys. I’ve been following this story for a while now and you don’t get it. Some guy made this and was like “well hi I made a thing and it shouldn’t go but it goes.”
And the science community was like okay that… there’s no way that works.
Then they tested it theoretically and it worked.
Then NASA was like okay but technically this breaks one of Newton’s laws so even if it theoretically goes it won’t like, actually go. So they built it and tested it more and it works.
So what we have now is the scientific community slowly cautiously freaking out because this GODDAMN EM DRIVE breaks the RULES OF PHYSICS but every time we test it, it FUCKING WORKS.
How cool is this????
Every time we’ve found something “broken” that functions, it means something is wrong with our understanding of reality. The next step is to figure out what, figure out what’s true, and open up a plethora of new scientific discoveries.
Ohhhhh I LOVE it when there is something wrong with our understanding of reality shit gets donnnnne!
I have lived to see the Prime Directive implemented on Mars, a warp drive break the laws of physics, and a legal battle with Klingon insults in the briefings.
because my brain decided now would be a great time to contemplate the twin litanies of The Wrath of Khan and The Search for Spock, and how The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one is brave and selfless and good and loving and feels like an implacable truth, the gentle inevitability of duty and death and how achingly perfectly it expresses that marrow-deep star trek promise to always always always do what you can to help, and how Because the needs of the few outweighed the needs of the many could SO EASILY have cheapened that first beautiful thesis statement, only it DOESN’T, it COMPLICATES IT and ANSWERS IT WITHOUT REVISING IT, and if it is selfish it is also self-sacrificing, it says we, the Many, bravely and lovingly offer up our ships/careers/homes/lives souls for the sake of the One, because everyone gets to decide what is worth sacrificing everything for, even when the balance isn’t even or logical, and that is ALSO BRAVE AND GOOD AND LOVING AND AN IMPLACABLE TRUTH AT THE HEART OF THE STORY, AT THE HEART OF THE GENTLE FUTURE THAT DOESN’T PROMISE THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY BUT DOES PROMISE THAT WE WILL ALL TRY OUR BEST, THAT WE ARE ALL CAPABLE OF BEING OUR VERY BEST.
NASA scientists have reported that they’ve successfully tested an engine called the electromagnetic propulsion drive, or the EM Drive, in a vacuum that replicates space. The EM Drive experimental system could take humans to Mars in just 70 days without the need for rocket fuel, and it’s no exaggeration to say that this could change everything.
But before we get too excited (who are we kidding, we’re already freaking out), it’s important to note that these results haven’t been replicated or verified by peer review, so there’s a chance there’s been some kind of error. But so far, despite a thorough attempt to poke holes in the results, the engine seems to hold up.
“Be waiting out front of the HAB, Watney, we’re not fucking waiting for you to get dressed. Places to be.”
Guys. Guys. I’ve been following this story for a while now and you don’t get it. Some guy made this and was like “well hi I made a thing and it shouldn’t go but it goes.”
And the science community was like okay that… there’s no way that works.
Then they tested it theoretically and it worked.
Then NASA was like okay but technically this breaks one of Newton’s laws so even if it theoretically goes it won’t like, actually go. So they built it and tested it more and it works.
So what we have now is the scientific community slowly cautiously freaking out because this GODDAMN EM DRIVE breaks the RULES OF PHYSICS but every time we test it, it FUCKING WORKS.
How cool is this????
Every time we’ve found something “broken” that functions, it means something is wrong with our understanding of reality. The next step is to figure out what, figure out what’s true, and open up a plethora of new scientific discoveries.
my favorite part of the “are you giving me attitude, spock” scene is that i imagine the starfleet brass was like “kirk has spock as first officer? good, maybe spock will rub off on him” and their simultaneous and dawning horror that the exact opposite has happened
