1.
Star Trek And the New Myth of the Machine
(Main Essay)The original Star Trek depicted the essence of contemporary society, which is
based on our growing ability to control the natural world and worlds of illusion. It
similarly captured our essential ethical dilemma -- as we gain these new abilities, our
wisdom will have to keep pace with our power and we will have to resist the
temptation to escape into false paradises and seek after shortcuts to
power before we are ready. All of the Star Trek series convey this theme to one degree or
another, but it is the original Star Trek that introduced it and conveyed it most
effectively.
2.
Star
Trek's The Cage: Simulation as
a Symbol of Dreams and Regression
The pilot episode for the original Star Trek, titled "The
Cage", and the novel The Futurological Congress both depict characters who are
trapped in realms of simulation that immerse them in lifelike fantasies. And both
the original Star
Trek and The Futurological Congress depict these realms of simulation as something that
can tempt us to to regress into a world of imagination in which dreams seem to come true.
These two works of fiction have the same message: we have to resist the allure of
simulation and maintain a correct perception of the world. But we also have to
conquer the illusions in ourselves, and see ourselves and our regressive desires as they
are, Star Trek tells us, so we will not fall prey to these temptations.
3.
Star Trek, Simulation and
Postmodern Society
This essay describes how
the original Star Trek was the inspiration for a
theory of simulation. The essay, which is the
preface to a collection of excerpts on Postmodern
Society, goes considerably beyond Star Trek.
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