Star Trek and WW3

W

Wes R

Legendary Member
I've been thinking on how hard it is to get humans even in a single town to band together for the greater good and I was curious who thinks that Gene thought about this and that's why he had WW3 take place in the Trek universe so that humans would be more likely to band together once first contact happened. Either that or he just thought it would make an interesting foot note.
 
I think at that time of the cold war, it may have been something he viewed as inevitable. Having been a bomber pilot in WWII he surely would have given great thought to what leads up to a world war.
Are we sure it was something Roddenberry insisted on or was it something that one of the writers slipped in?
 
I'm not sure. I know Shatner mentions it in one of his trek novels as his uncle, at least in the book universe, had a shelter that the family way back during the war had used. I thought it was part of the Eugenics war against khan.
 
I think it might be that universal adage that "Things have to get worse before they get better."

Change is difficult. Viewers can identify with the idea that in order for there to have been change on a global scale, things must have hit rock bottom first.

Star Trek (TOS) is a nearly utopian ("better") society compared to the World of the 60s. And a Third World War that kills millions, easily fuflills the "worse" requirement.


Kevin
 
True. If he was doing it in this day and age it would be a pandemic or something space based. The sad thing is he's probably right and it would take things getting worse before they get better.
 
Most of what humans fight over is pretty petty. I think finding out that we are not alone in the universe will make mankind unify in a Roddenbury manner. Like the scenario in ST:First Contact.
 
It won't ever get better -- check history -- check nature itself. ST universe is total fantasy. There can be no utopia period. We (humans) can come together to fight a common danger, but when the smoke clears we are back to screwing each other over.

I don't think Gene ever thought about how ST society came about, at least at first. Once he began to believe in his impact on social culture, after the fan phenomenon, he may have. It seems to me he must have at least touched upon this (past cataclysm that changed human society) during his helm with Next Gen, but I didn't follow it close enough to catch if he did. Maybe he just assumed society evolved (another fantasy) -- who knows.



Doug
 
wannab said:
It won't ever get better -- check history -- check nature itself. ST universe is total fantasy. There can be no utopia period. We (humans) can come together to fight a common danger, but when the smoke clears we are back to screwing each other over.

I don't think Gene ever thought about how ST society came about, at least at first. Once he began to believe in his impact on social culture, after the fan phenomenon, he may have. It seems to me he must have at least touched upon this (past cataclysm that changed human society) during his helm with Next Gen, but I didn't follow it close enough to catch if he did. Maybe he just assumed society evolved (another fantasy) -- who knows.
Click to expand...

I both agree and disagree.

Yes, mankind will always find something to fight over, but the level of that can be mitigated. History is full of both violent and relatively peaceful societies. The key to the peaceful ones is widespread wealth, ie: something to lose.

Will it ever go away completely? No way.
 
wannab said:
It seems to me he must have at least touched upon this (past cataclysm that changed human society) during his helm with Next Gen, but I didn't follow it close enough to catch if he did. Maybe he just assumed society evolved (another fantasy) -- who knows.
Click to expand...

In the TOS episode "Bread and Circuses, there is mention of a 3rd World War that killed 37 million (this number was raised to 600 million for ST:First Contact).

TNG's Encounter at Farpoint shows a post apocalyptic society on Earth in 2079.


Kevin
 
The only thing I find unrealistic about that prediction is that it would be called WW3. We'll definitely have another devastating war in the next 50 years, but I think we're past calling it a world war, since everything is pretty global now. The real question is if we'll actually survive it. One can hope.
 
Risu said:
The only thing I find unrealistic about that prediction is that it would be called WW3. We'll definitely have another devastating war in the next 50 years, but I think we're past calling it a world war, since everything is pretty global now. The real question is if we'll actually survive it. One can hope.
Click to expand...

Um... The definition of a world war is that it's global... Lol

Unless we're in space it would be called WW3.
 
Still can't believe that Tom Hardy played Shinzon. Too bad Nolan is not a Trek fan. Would have been great to see Bane have a tea, Earl grey...hot!
 
Point about globalization and WW3 is that any war is basically a world war. The war/s we're in now are almost just as global as WW2. One person starts fighting and they pull all their allies in with them.
 
Risu said:
Point about globalization and WW3 is that any war is basically a world war. The war/s we're in now are almost just as global as WW2. One person starts fighting and they pull all their allies in with them.
Click to expand...

I agree. Everyone is so economically tied together that you almost have to go in just to cover your own money investments.
 
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