Post by Dimitris on Mar 4, 2004 3:14:27 GMT -5
Planet Killers
The phrase "weapons of mass destruction" has gotten a lot of play in the news lately, and in the world of Star Trek, it brings to mind the horrific devices of war used on a planetary or even galactic scale. We don't wish to make light of the current international climate, but Star Trek has always served as social commentary on contemporary issues, and by revisiting some of the classic stories we can remind ourselves of the lessons they teach ... and perhaps see them in a new light as times change. On this topic in particular, at the very least they can help us grasp the sheer devastation that these devices of mass destruction — whether mechanical, biological or chemical — can achieve. For now, thankfully, they don't reach beyond our own planet. But while we're all still sharing one world, maybe one thing that Star Trek can help us remember is that almost any situation can and should be resolved peacefully, at least where humanly possible.
The Planet Killer
They say there's no devil... but there is. So saith Commodore Matt Decker as he attempted in vain to capture in words a terrifying piece of ancient machinery whose sole purpose was to gobble up planets. No one ever learned exactly where this thing came from or why it was made, but the only conclusion that could be reached was that it was an extragalactic "doomsday machine," built as a bluff during some war countless years ago and never really meant to be used — much like the nuclear weapons of 20th-century (and 21st-century) Earth. But once these things are built, they become much more than a negotiation point — they become a force unto themselves which can overtake their creators and spread their destructive influence far beyond their original intention. Norman Spinrad's script for this haunting episode was written in the midst of the Cold War when fears of nuclear holocaust were at their height. But the message of this story is no less poignant or relevant today: there is no constructive purpose for a weapon of mass destruction ... except maybe to destroy another weapon of mass destruction.
Genesis Device
"According to myth, the Earth was created in six days. Now watch out — here comes Genesis, we'll do it for you in six minutes!" Dr. McCoy knew instinctively what dangers are inherent when Man tries to play God ... even when the intentions are good. The power of creation equals the power of destruction, and indisputably it should never fall into the wrong hands. But pray tell, whose are the right hands? Are we evolved enough to be entitled to such judgments? The drama of "Wrath of Khan" plays out as simple good vs. evil, but the themes run much deeper, as this story reminds us not only that a madman in possession of a device of immense force should be dealt with appropriately, but also that part of the onus belongs to those who invented the device in the first place.
Tox Uthat
What exactly were the Vorgons going to do with the Tox Uthat once they got their hands on it? And for that matter, why did Kal Dano create it? To refresh your memory, the Tox Uthat was a quantum phase inhibitor capable of halting all nuclear reactions within a star. Picard immediately branded it a weapon, because after all, what other use could it have than to destroy entire systems? Even more startling was that an object of such enormous potential was no bigger than a Palm Pilot. Kal Dano attempted to protect it from 27th-century criminals (namely the Vorgons) by hiding it in the 22nd century. Since Captain Archer & company failed to stumble upon it during their jaunt to Risa, it stayed there another 200 years until archaeological assistant Vash tracked it down, and maneuvered Jean-Luc Picard into the middle. Thank God, because Picard did what no one else would — blow it to smithereens. Why couldn't the inventor do that in the first place? Ego? A perverse love of his creation? One can only guess. "Captain's Holiday" was a fun little romp, but when you stop to think about the story's implications, it could turn you paler than Picard's legs.
Metagenic Weapon
Some so-called "weapons of mass destruction" are biological in nature. In Captain Picard's day, metagenic and other biological weapons were considered so insidious, so frightful, that they were banned by multilateral treaties which even the Romulans adhered to. So when intelligence came down that the Cardassians were developing metagenic toxins which could be delivered on a subspace carrier wave, the Federation scrambled to respond — for one such weapon could destroy a planet's entire ecosystem within days, and once it's activated it can't be stopped. Since "weapons inspectors" were not part of the political landscape of the time, a covert team was dispatched to address the situation. It turns out the whole thing was a Cardassian disinformation campaign designed to entrap Picard in order to extract strategic information out of him. And that, in turn, was part of a whole climate of two governments posturing for war, which in no small measure involved the hard-line rhetoric of antagonists Captain Jellico and Gul Lemec. Wow, what a striking resemblance "Chain of Command" has to events of today. Any lesson to be learned? Perhaps. In this story, a way was found to resolve the crisis in an isolated manner, before entire fleets of ships were committed. With enough cleverness and open-mindedness, a relatively peaceful solution can almost always be found.
Harvesters
Another biological weapon of mass destruction was deployed by both sides of a centuries-long war between the T'Lani and the Kellerun. It was a biomechanical gene disrupter that took the form of a bright orange gel held in clear cylinders, and it was called by the interesting name "the Harvesters." The Harvesters decimated the populations of entire planets, and both sides finally stopped killing each other long enough to unite against their common enemy: their own weapons. With the Federation's help, a form of subatomic radiation was found to neutralize the gel's nanobiogenic properties, and the two governments immediately saw to the 100% destruction of their stockpiles, and also wiped out every bit of scientific data concerning the Harvesters to prevent any possible re-emergence of the gruesome stuff. Unfortunately, they also attempted to kill off every scientist with any knowledge of how to recreate the Harvesters, including our own Dr. Julian Bashir and Miles O'Brien. That may seem extreme from our point of view, but we don't know what horrors may have led these people to such desperate measures. The message? Unconscionable acts lead to more unconscionable acts, so nip the insanity in the bud now before everyone loses their humanity.
The phrase "weapons of mass destruction" has gotten a lot of play in the news lately, and in the world of Star Trek, it brings to mind the horrific devices of war used on a planetary or even galactic scale. We don't wish to make light of the current international climate, but Star Trek has always served as social commentary on contemporary issues, and by revisiting some of the classic stories we can remind ourselves of the lessons they teach ... and perhaps see them in a new light as times change. On this topic in particular, at the very least they can help us grasp the sheer devastation that these devices of mass destruction — whether mechanical, biological or chemical — can achieve. For now, thankfully, they don't reach beyond our own planet. But while we're all still sharing one world, maybe one thing that Star Trek can help us remember is that almost any situation can and should be resolved peacefully, at least where humanly possible.
The Planet Killer
They say there's no devil... but there is. So saith Commodore Matt Decker as he attempted in vain to capture in words a terrifying piece of ancient machinery whose sole purpose was to gobble up planets. No one ever learned exactly where this thing came from or why it was made, but the only conclusion that could be reached was that it was an extragalactic "doomsday machine," built as a bluff during some war countless years ago and never really meant to be used — much like the nuclear weapons of 20th-century (and 21st-century) Earth. But once these things are built, they become much more than a negotiation point — they become a force unto themselves which can overtake their creators and spread their destructive influence far beyond their original intention. Norman Spinrad's script for this haunting episode was written in the midst of the Cold War when fears of nuclear holocaust were at their height. But the message of this story is no less poignant or relevant today: there is no constructive purpose for a weapon of mass destruction ... except maybe to destroy another weapon of mass destruction.
Genesis Device
"According to myth, the Earth was created in six days. Now watch out — here comes Genesis, we'll do it for you in six minutes!" Dr. McCoy knew instinctively what dangers are inherent when Man tries to play God ... even when the intentions are good. The power of creation equals the power of destruction, and indisputably it should never fall into the wrong hands. But pray tell, whose are the right hands? Are we evolved enough to be entitled to such judgments? The drama of "Wrath of Khan" plays out as simple good vs. evil, but the themes run much deeper, as this story reminds us not only that a madman in possession of a device of immense force should be dealt with appropriately, but also that part of the onus belongs to those who invented the device in the first place.
Tox Uthat
What exactly were the Vorgons going to do with the Tox Uthat once they got their hands on it? And for that matter, why did Kal Dano create it? To refresh your memory, the Tox Uthat was a quantum phase inhibitor capable of halting all nuclear reactions within a star. Picard immediately branded it a weapon, because after all, what other use could it have than to destroy entire systems? Even more startling was that an object of such enormous potential was no bigger than a Palm Pilot. Kal Dano attempted to protect it from 27th-century criminals (namely the Vorgons) by hiding it in the 22nd century. Since Captain Archer & company failed to stumble upon it during their jaunt to Risa, it stayed there another 200 years until archaeological assistant Vash tracked it down, and maneuvered Jean-Luc Picard into the middle. Thank God, because Picard did what no one else would — blow it to smithereens. Why couldn't the inventor do that in the first place? Ego? A perverse love of his creation? One can only guess. "Captain's Holiday" was a fun little romp, but when you stop to think about the story's implications, it could turn you paler than Picard's legs.
Metagenic Weapon
Some so-called "weapons of mass destruction" are biological in nature. In Captain Picard's day, metagenic and other biological weapons were considered so insidious, so frightful, that they were banned by multilateral treaties which even the Romulans adhered to. So when intelligence came down that the Cardassians were developing metagenic toxins which could be delivered on a subspace carrier wave, the Federation scrambled to respond — for one such weapon could destroy a planet's entire ecosystem within days, and once it's activated it can't be stopped. Since "weapons inspectors" were not part of the political landscape of the time, a covert team was dispatched to address the situation. It turns out the whole thing was a Cardassian disinformation campaign designed to entrap Picard in order to extract strategic information out of him. And that, in turn, was part of a whole climate of two governments posturing for war, which in no small measure involved the hard-line rhetoric of antagonists Captain Jellico and Gul Lemec. Wow, what a striking resemblance "Chain of Command" has to events of today. Any lesson to be learned? Perhaps. In this story, a way was found to resolve the crisis in an isolated manner, before entire fleets of ships were committed. With enough cleverness and open-mindedness, a relatively peaceful solution can almost always be found.
Harvesters
Another biological weapon of mass destruction was deployed by both sides of a centuries-long war between the T'Lani and the Kellerun. It was a biomechanical gene disrupter that took the form of a bright orange gel held in clear cylinders, and it was called by the interesting name "the Harvesters." The Harvesters decimated the populations of entire planets, and both sides finally stopped killing each other long enough to unite against their common enemy: their own weapons. With the Federation's help, a form of subatomic radiation was found to neutralize the gel's nanobiogenic properties, and the two governments immediately saw to the 100% destruction of their stockpiles, and also wiped out every bit of scientific data concerning the Harvesters to prevent any possible re-emergence of the gruesome stuff. Unfortunately, they also attempted to kill off every scientist with any knowledge of how to recreate the Harvesters, including our own Dr. Julian Bashir and Miles O'Brien. That may seem extreme from our point of view, but we don't know what horrors may have led these people to such desperate measures. The message? Unconscionable acts lead to more unconscionable acts, so nip the insanity in the bud now before everyone loses their humanity.