The most recent issue of Star Trek Communicator includes a very interesting article on the role of war and conflict in the Star Trek universe. We would like to share some thoughts on the article and its subject in this installment of Science Fiction and Society.
The Dreamer and the Dream
One of the things that I have always found attractive about Star Trek is that, in the midst of all the horrible news and events that surround us daily, there is this glimpse into a better future and a message that things can change. We can achieve the harmonious society that most of us want. On the flip side, Star Trek makes it look all too easy-as if humans suddenly decide that it's not worth all of this fighting after all. It wasn't until the 1996 film First Contact that we really got to see a little of what humans went through (World War III) and even then it was only a passing thought to set up the fact that, in a weakened state, Earth was very vulnerable to the Borg.
The Communicator article, authored by Kevin Dilmore and Dayton Ward, includes a great quote from Deep Space Nine story editor Robert Hewitt Wolfe, in which he explains that "We loved Gene Roddenberry's universe and the Federation....but what we really wanted to say to the viewer out there was that if you want this wonderful future where everyone gets along and all is well and there's no racism and no poverty and no hunger and no war unless it's forced on you, you've got to work for it-and work for it really hard. You've got to do difficult things and keep at it even when things don't go your way."
Wolfe has a great point, and the work of the DS9 writing team really marks the point at which Star Trek came into reality. The fact that they were able to do it without destroying the original vision of Star Trek is truly amazing. But before we delve further into DS9's contributions, let's take a quick walk down memory lane.
