Comments on: Star Trek Climate Reform

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:21:31 +0000

For some reason beyond my comprehension, this comment thread has been infested with spammers. I'm closing it to see if it solves the problem.

By: Cddfryms

Cddfryms — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:18:32 +0000

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By: Kvxatiqd

Kvxatiqd — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:07:59 +0000

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By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:24:28 +0000

If we’re going to come up with clean energy sources and drastically reduce our CO2 emissions, I’d bet that the solution will be much more like dilithium crystals than anything currently being debated on the Hill.

The problem isn't creating the tech, it's implementing it. If I came up with a green-energy powered car that performed like a BMW at a tenth of the price, but required a specialized road surface, it'd go nowhere without Capital Hill.

By: PD Shaw

PD Shaw — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:38:20 +0000

The original series, of the five year mission, was more like Lewis & Clark's voyage of discovery -- government sponsored, but reliant upon the wits and skills of the crew. It was only the later versions that became increasingly martial and bureaucratized.

By: anjin-san

anjin-san — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:57:31 +0000

Can you imagine what Roddenberry would have to say about Rush/Palin/Bush and the war on science and intelligence crowd?

Roddenberry was sometimes referred to by Trek insiders as "The Great Bird of the Galaxy". I doubt he would have had much use for the parakeets of ignorance.

By: anjin-san

anjin-san — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:49:47 +0000

If Gene Roddenberry taught us anything, it’s that smart, determined people like the fictional Commander Scott are far more likely to effectively respond to emergencies than government agencies

As one commentator has already pointed out, Scotty worked for the government. As far as I know, the story of how dilithum crystals came into use is not told in any story line Roddenberry was involved with.

Pretty poor read on Trek, but aren't you move from the Star Wars era anyway? And there was a TNG story where if I recall correctly, the Enterprise was trying to assist a planet that had destroyed its environment, but failed because the problem was simply to great for their resources to deal with. I think a hot babe from the Q continuim bailed the afflicted planet out.

By: PD Shaw

PD Shaw — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:43:54 +0000

Matt watches one of the few good Star Trek movies (Wrath of Khan), which is an adventure epic with some philosohical overtones, and Matt pines for preachy, non-violent tedium like saving the snail darter.

By: steve

steve — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:42:15 +0000

The dilithium crystals will probably all be in some U.S. friendly place like Iran or Venezuela with our luck.

Steve

By: Steve Plunk

Steve Plunk — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:29:36 +0000

Maybe they could go back to the 1970's and help us out with global cooling. Maybe the early 1990's and solve the menace of radon gas in our basements. Or maybe keep us from poisoning our kids with Alar.

The best thing they could do is go back in time and re-establish the scientific method as preferable over politics.

By: odograph

odograph — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:19:24 +0000

For some reason I'm reminded of the '70s jokes about sex as a alternative energy source. That's a little Original Star Trek (miniskirts) and Matrix (human batteries). I guess it could be done pg-13.

By: Matthew Stinson

Matthew Stinson — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:18:54 +0000

Sounds like a recipe for a preachy and boring Trek, where would the action be? If you want a Trek grounded in real life, how about one where the Enterprise stops ethnic cleansing in Darfur instead? "Captain, I have a lock on the janjaweed." "Fire phasers!"

By: JKB

JKB — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:49:01 +0000

So true, the recurring theme in Star Trek is the senior staff's emotional turmoil over letting civilizations and junior crew suffer and die because the Prime Directive dictates how things should be. That is until one of the senior staff or a friend is threatened when the Prime Directive becomes more of a guideline than a law, at least just this one time.

Oh wait, they are going for that method. Hard, inflexible rules that will cause millions of extras to suffer and die. Rules involute right up to the point that Obama or Al Gore have to turn down their thermostats then they'll be some loophole, just this one time.

By: sam

sam — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:45:29 +0000

If Gene Roddenberry taught us anything, it’s that smart, determined people like the fictional Commander Scott are far more likely to effectively respond to emergencies than government agencies.

But, but, but Scotty works for Star Fleet, a government agency...albeit with the time dilation thingy, he will have (had will have? did will have?) gone rogue, so to speak (spoke?).