10 Predictions About The Future Star Trek Probably Got Wrong
For all those times Star Trek got its Nostradamus-sized knickers in a twist.
Star Trek has now had a lot of past with which to predict the future. In general, over the years, they've had some fine success at it too. A lot of the technologies that seemed like magic then are commonplace today — you might even be reading this on your touchscreen tablet (PADD) with your smart speaker in the background ("Hello, computer!"). Of course, many of Trek's predictions are so far off in the future that you'll have to wait a couple of centuries for someone else to rewrite this article.
When it comes to foreseeing certain events and inventions, however, we can say with a degree of confidence based on current trends and scientific know-how that Star Trek most likely got that one wrong. As engineers well know, time won't help you change the laws of physics, or aspects of human nature for that matter.
For the most part, Star Trek has also been wise to steer clear of all but the broadest of predictions for the 20th and 21st centuries, with some exceptions that we have noted here.
As they say in the temporal mechanics department, 'there's no time like the present,' so let's get going! Here are 10 potentially inaccurate prognostications on predictions of the future that Star Trek probably got wrong.
10. Circa 2032: The Chances Of Anyone Going To Mars
Mars has been a source of fascination for humanity since ancient times, hence the name. In the 19th century, astronomers thought they had discovered a system of 'canals' on the surface, sparking a proliferation of popular sci-fi literature about Martian inhabitants. These days, Curiosity, Perseverance, and Ingenuity are just the latest in a line of Mars missions looking for life and scouting out the potential for human expeditions.
Star Trek has made no exception to science-(fiction)'s interest in the Red Planet. In the Star Trek: Voyager episode One Small Step, we learned that humans had already begun crewed missions by the year 2032. What was reasonable optimism with about 33 years of leeway at the end of the '90s seems a lot less likely now that it's only nine years away.
Sure, there's still a lot of talk about setting foot on our near-ish neighbour, but sending humans to Mars is a lot more complicated than just X marks the spot. The journey would be a solar flux-filled nightmare, landing could be catastrophic, and astronauts would have to survive in a thin, oxygen-less atmosphere and contend with freezing temperatures, low gravity, and a good dose of surface radiation. All that might be too much to ask for 2032.