Star Trek is Science Fiction and depicts an Utopian future. Not everything it presents will be achievable.
People however that point at the bad thnigs in our current world and say it would be impossible however forget one thing: Star Trek's history also tells us that there is also a very, very dark future, much bleaker and more destructive then anything we have going on now, before they turn around and finally achieve their Utopia. There were Eugenic Wars and/or a 3rd World War, Ghettos for the poor and unemployed, before we get to the good stuff of interstellar exploration and Paradise on Earth.
Human history contains a lot of dark passages and setbacks, but there is still an overall trend to improve the situation of people. We might still have hunger in the world, but we manage to have 6 Billion humans now.
There will always be a tendency of the "elites" to maintain their status at the expense of everyone else - we'll have to keep working against that, and that will be an eternal struggle. But that doesn't mean it's hopeless or useless - most of us the people on these boards now probably have a quality of life that exceeds what a king 500 years ago could have had, it probably even exceeds what he could imagine.
Now, some "technical" details of Star Trek might prove impossible. Maybe we will remain constrained to Earth or the Solar system forever, which would feel sad and humiliating considernig the incredibly, ridicilous vastness of the universe, and the expiration date that means for us. But even in this worst case scenario, we might still be in the beginning of our development, no need to give up now.
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
Come on. Most of the things it presents are unachievable. Lets start slow: if there's no money why don't I have a Galaxy class star ship? One for everyone? Oh, because resources and production ability are finite and somehow those resources are apportioned. It may be the most massive, socialist, top-down government dictated system in the history of mankind, but SOMEBODY gets to choose how those resources are allocated, and in every way that matters that person or persons is richer than most. And if there's humans in the system, there's graft, there's influence pedaling, and there's outright corruption. Because that's us.
And honestly I find the almost complete lack of disciplinary action on the show laughable. 500+ humans and not one of them is a slacker? No. Chance. 500+ whatever the heck it is that calls itself 'human' in the series with no slackers? Sure, if an entirely different group than we thought won the eugenics wars...
No. Star Trek is science fiction. It's something to believe in, something to aspire to. But it's not achievable. There are too many divisions in society. There are too many problems humanity faces that simply can't realistically to resolved within an hour like in Star Trek.
We talk about sending people to Mars while there are children starving in Africa, without access to clean drinking water. We talk about a bright, hopeful future where we go out and colonize the stars while there are people in India who still defecate out in the open, without access to working toilets.
We talk about these wonderful new clean technologies that we're developing, while other countries continue to spew pollutants into the environment because of government corruption and the all-powerful 'bottom line'.
Gene Roddenberry had some great ideas, but these were moral ideas, moral questions to be asking ourselves.
Unfortunately, in asking ourselves these moral questions proposed in Star Trek, sometimes the answer isn't pre-determined by what the script calls for. Sometimes the answer is very, very ugly.
It should be noted that while it is very easy to point the finger at space budgets and say "what a waste of money", it's also true that many of the inventions and discoveries by NASA do have positive implications... indeed, even in some of the very examples you cited.
The question then becomes not about how money is being used in research... but how humanity applies that technology once it has been discovered. Does it do so for the mutual benefit of humankind, or does it box it up... stick an inflated price tag on it and treat it as a commodity out of avarice? That's where the problem lies... and you only have to look at the amorality demonstrated by Martin Shkreli, inflating antimalarial drug prices by 5,000%, to see it at work.
This. More science is always good (as long as you can still eat ), but the trick is in figuring out how to apply that science.
Infinite possibilities have implications that could not be completely understood if you turned this entire universe into a giant supercomputer.
Come on. Most of the things it presents are unachievable. Lets start slow: if there's no money why don't I have a Galaxy class star ship? One for everyone? Oh, because resources and production ability are finite and somehow those resources are apportioned. It may be the most massive, socialist, top-down government dictated system in the history of mankind, but SOMEBODY gets to choose how those resources are allocated, and in every way that matters that person or persons is richer than most. And if there's humans in the system, there's graft, there's influence pedaling, and there's outright corruption. Because that's us.
And honestly I find the almost complete lack of disciplinary action on the show laughable. 500+ humans and not one of them is a slacker? No. Chance. 500+ whatever the heck it is that calls itself 'human' in the series with no slackers? Sure, if an entirely different group than we thought won the eugenics wars...
o It's not just Utopian, it's outright ALIEN.
Of course it's alien... the humanity of the future is very different to the humanity of today. Why do you think that there would be slackers? Different society, different motivations... Also, don't forget, we're not being shown 'life on Earth', but organized professionals, so it stands to reason that they'd be dedicated to their fields
Yes we will. eventually. It'll take longer than it did in ST, but it will happen
Before or after you lot extinct yourself?
I always say that it amazes me that you humans made it into the 21st century. I lost $10 thanks to you lot.
Just as soon as your kind is extinct.
Norway and Yeager dammit... I still want my Typhoon and Jupiter though. JJ Trek The Kelvin Timeline is just Trek and it's fully canon... get over it. But I still prefer TAR.
#TASforSTO
'...I can tell you that we're not in the military and that we intend no harm to the whales.' Kirk: The Voyage Home
'Starfleet is not a military organisation. Its purpose is exploration.' Picard: Peak Performance
'This is clearly a military operation. Is that what we are now? Because I thought we were explorers!' Scotty: Into Darkness
'...The Federation. Starfleet. We're not a military agency.' Scotty: Beyond
'I'm not a soldier anymore. I'm an engineer.' Miles O'Brien: Empok Nor
'...Starfleet could use you... It's a peacekeeping and humanitarian armada...' Admiral Pike: Star Trek
Of course it's alien... the humanity of the future is very different to the humanity of today. Why do you think that there would be slackers? Different society, different motivations... Also, don't forget, we're not being shown 'life on Earth', but organized professionals, so it stands to reason that they'd be dedicated to their fields
This is a good point. I'm a paramedic at a hospital, and, while of course it CAN happen (we're still human after all), it's rare to see an employee who doesn't jump at the chance to help with a patient, assist another employee with something, help cover shifts, etc. In an emergency, the staff is well trained and everyone has a job and a purpose, performing it faithfully. When an employee happens to come along who IS a slacker, it's not long before he or she is gone.
And if you think about it, in Trek the same thing is depicted...We never see slackers because they're most likely scrubbing plasma conduits
Don't let them promote you. Don't let them transfer you. Don't let them do anything that takes you off the bridge of that ship, because while you're there... you can make a difference.
-Captain James T. Kirk
Of course it's alien... the humanity of the future is very different to the humanity of today. Why do you think that there would be slackers? Different society, different motivations... Also, don't forget, we're not being shown 'life on Earth', but organized professionals, so it stands to reason that they'd be dedicated to their fields
This is a good point. I'm a paramedic at a hospital, and, while of course it CAN happen (we're still human after all), it's rare to see an employee who doesn't jump at the chance to help with a patient, assist another employee with something, help cover shifts, etc. In an emergency, the staff is well trained and everyone has a job and a purpose, performing it faithfully. When an employee happens to come along who IS a slacker, it's not long before he or she is gone.
And if you think about it, in Trek the same thing is depicted...We never see slackers because they're most likely scrubbing plasma conduits
Exactly... I have a friend who's a nurse at a hospital, so I know that there will be a certain degree of camaraderie and the occasional shenanigans, 99.9% of the time, will be spent focussing on the Job At Hand, and that's how it would be on a starship... Professionals, doing a job professionally. And of course, as that's what the story is focussing on, that's what will be shown
From solving societal problems like war, hunger, or greed, to achieving technological advancements and expansion like traveling to distant star systems, to medical advancements like being able to cure advanced cancers, do you believe we'll ever get there, even partly?
I think we're closer to achieving a peaceful planet than we've ever been, but we still have a LONG way to go. I have high hopes we'll eventually break the light barrier and get to other stars. I have the most faith in our ability to achieve greater medical advancements.
What do you think about these or any other issues we see Humanity having mostly resolved in the shows?
Stop fighting over god and money, stop using oil and coal, stop destroying the planet, stop the illegal and immoral wars, stop putting profits over people, and put a leash on government, military and corporate entities. Also, stop laughing and ridiculing those who think outside the box and offers alternatives to the conventional/mainstream mentality. And have open mindedness.
Other big issue is the Media. They are actually creating and making it a mess. Used to on the news they told facts. And many cases said we will tell more once they get information. Now they spend hours talking about thoughts, opinions, and "talk show" over it. By the time the real information comes out. Its been already been smeared in mud and most people don't care. Cause the got fed by the Media Feeding Machine.
The problem with the media is that we, the viewers, are not the customers. We are the PRODUCT. And we are being SOLD to the real customers--the advertisers. Thus, the media is well aware that the only purpose of unpaid content is to ensure that we keep watching through the paid content. Anything goes, as long as it ensures that we DO NOT TOUCH THAT DIAL. They don't need to give us real news or deep stories or useful information--all they need to do is to convince us not to take our eyes off the screen.
Not exactly like in Sci-Fi, but I believe so, yes.
But I don't see it happen for many, many years. Thousands of thousands.
And I also don't believe it will be exactly by choice or enlightenment. What I believe it will happen is that we will be faced with a near extinction scenario. It is in catastrophe that our better qualities usually shine, in which people give what they have and share, and actually recognize that the other person is like them. People who have less are usually the ones who give more. People who face hardship are usually the most forgiving of other people's mistakes, and so on. Being through stuff makes us much better beings.
Well, for starters, most of them already had the money prior to running for office. Secondly, 1M / 180K = 5.55 years. Since a Senator's term lasts for 6 years, this isn't exactly difficult to pull off. Even if you blow half the money, it'll only take you TWO terms instead of one...and that doesn't cover what happens if you just invest the money you didn't blow.
They're all overpaid and way under worked IMO.
2 words:
SPECIAL INTEREST.
What do you think those lobbyists bring to the politicians?
Kickbacks, briefcases of money, promises, etc. The folks who got the government in their back pockets are where the politicians gets their money.....big corporations, the big banking cartels, contractors, etc.
Even if politicians salaries were reduced to minimum wage, they'd STILL be multimillionaires. They appease the special interests, they get taken care of.
Comments
People however that point at the bad thnigs in our current world and say it would be impossible however forget one thing: Star Trek's history also tells us that there is also a very, very dark future, much bleaker and more destructive then anything we have going on now, before they turn around and finally achieve their Utopia. There were Eugenic Wars and/or a 3rd World War, Ghettos for the poor and unemployed, before we get to the good stuff of interstellar exploration and Paradise on Earth.
Human history contains a lot of dark passages and setbacks, but there is still an overall trend to improve the situation of people. We might still have hunger in the world, but we manage to have 6 Billion humans now.
There will always be a tendency of the "elites" to maintain their status at the expense of everyone else - we'll have to keep working against that, and that will be an eternal struggle. But that doesn't mean it's hopeless or useless - most of us the people on these boards now probably have a quality of life that exceeds what a king 500 years ago could have had, it probably even exceeds what he could imagine.
Now, some "technical" details of Star Trek might prove impossible. Maybe we will remain constrained to Earth or the Solar system forever, which would feel sad and humiliating considernig the incredibly, ridicilous vastness of the universe, and the expiration date that means for us. But even in this worst case scenario, we might still be in the beginning of our development, no need to give up now.
And honestly I find the almost complete lack of disciplinary action on the show laughable. 500+ humans and not one of them is a slacker? No. Chance. 500+ whatever the heck it is that calls itself 'human' in the series with no slackers? Sure, if an entirely different group than we thought won the eugenics wars...
It's not just Utopian, it's outright ALIEN.
This. More science is always good (as long as you can still eat
Infinite possibilities have implications that could not be completely understood if you turned this entire universe into a giant supercomputer.
Just as soon as your kind is extinct.
Norway and Yeager dammit... I still want my Typhoon and Jupiter though.
JJ Trek The Kelvin Timeline is just Trek and it's fully canon... get over it. But I still prefer TAR.
#TASforSTO
'...I can tell you that we're not in the military and that we intend no harm to the whales.' Kirk: The Voyage Home
'Starfleet is not a military organisation. Its purpose is exploration.' Picard: Peak Performance
'This is clearly a military operation. Is that what we are now? Because I thought we were explorers!' Scotty: Into Darkness
'...The Federation. Starfleet. We're not a military agency.' Scotty: Beyond
'I'm not a soldier anymore. I'm an engineer.' Miles O'Brien: Empok Nor
'...Starfleet could use you... It's a peacekeeping and humanitarian armada...' Admiral Pike: Star Trek
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And if you think about it, in Trek the same thing is depicted...We never see slackers because they're most likely scrubbing plasma conduits
Don't let them promote you. Don't let them transfer you. Don't let them do anything that takes you off the bridge of that ship, because while you're there... you can make a difference.
-Captain James T. Kirk
Stop fighting over god and money, stop using oil and coal, stop destroying the planet, stop the illegal and immoral wars, stop putting profits over people, and put a leash on government, military and corporate entities. Also, stop laughing and ridiculing those who think outside the box and offers alternatives to the conventional/mainstream mentality. And have open mindedness.
Then it can happen.
The problem with the media is that we, the viewers, are not the customers. We are the PRODUCT. And we are being SOLD to the real customers--the advertisers. Thus, the media is well aware that the only purpose of unpaid content is to ensure that we keep watching through the paid content. Anything goes, as long as it ensures that we DO NOT TOUCH THAT DIAL. They don't need to give us real news or deep stories or useful information--all they need to do is to convince us not to take our eyes off the screen.
But I don't see it happen for many, many years. Thousands of thousands.
And I also don't believe it will be exactly by choice or enlightenment. What I believe it will happen is that we will be faced with a near extinction scenario. It is in catastrophe that our better qualities usually shine, in which people give what they have and share, and actually recognize that the other person is like them. People who have less are usually the ones who give more. People who face hardship are usually the most forgiving of other people's mistakes, and so on. Being through stuff makes us much better beings.
2 words:
SPECIAL INTEREST.
What do you think those lobbyists bring to the politicians?
Kickbacks, briefcases of money, promises, etc. The folks who got the government in their back pockets are where the politicians gets their money.....big corporations, the big banking cartels, contractors, etc.
Even if politicians salaries were reduced to minimum wage, they'd STILL be multimillionaires. They appease the special interests, they get taken care of.