Star Trek 3 Plot: 10 Moral Dilemmas From The Show That Could Be Resurrected
2. Environmental Issues
Remember that episode in Star Trek: TNG (Force of Nature) where it was discovered that warp travel had negative environmental effects on the fabric of space? It was in the seventh season of ST: TNG but nobody ever picked this up again in the various incarnations of Star Trek. Now, I know that ST:TNG is supposed to be years ahead of the re-booted alternate reality (who knows, maybe the Next Generation wont even happen now!) but it surprises me that this was an issue that was never really capitalized on, given the importance of environmental concerns in todays society. Its a major dilemma as well. In order to keep the Federation together, ships have to be able to travel and maintain communication with the far sectors of its territory. But if travelling at warp speed damages the very nature of the universe, at what cost? If travel is curtailed, will empires shrink? Will privateers form their own space forces now that the larger powers are unwilling or unable to defend them? There are so many implications that hinge on this and moreover, the issue of whether to ignore this damage and continue as normal until the universe holds out or not could be a major story dilemma to explore in the new film. Maybe and maybe this might not have a lot of play, but it is certainly a dilemma that has been abandoned and could be considered fair play in the re-booted universe.
John Kirk is a Teacher-Librarian and currently a History/English Teacher with the Toronto District School Board.
But mostly, John teaches Geek.
Comics, Sci-Fi (Notably Star Trek), Fantasy and Role-Playing and table-top games all make up part of John’s repertoire, There is a whole generation of nerds-in-embryo who rely on him to make sense of it all, to teach that with great power comes great responsibility, that the force will be with us always and that a towel IS the most useful thing to have in one’s possession.
When John isn’t in the classroom, he can be found in his basement writing comic reviews for www.popmythology.com and features for Roddenberry Entertainment's www.1701news.com.
