Seven of Nine

Jeri Ryan aka 7 OF 9 by Jim Bacon

Seven of Nine

A female Borg, convincingly played by actor Jeri Ryan in the American TV series, Star Trek: Voyager.

Originally a human, Seven of Nine was transformed into a semi-cybernetic entity when assimilated by the Borg while still a child.

Seven’s humanity was restored, however, when Commander Chakotay stimulated her human memories through a technologically manufactured mind-link.

She joined the crew of the starship Voyager and through trial and error relearned how to interact appropriately with her fellow human beings and the other bipedal life forms that constitute the starship’s crew.

Seven is a fascinating symbol of something gone wrong going right again. She adds a new twist to the fall and resurrection motif so common in mythic stories of old.

» Abyss, Angels, Borg, Chakotay (Commander), Chekov (Pavol), Data (Commander), Dax, Jadzia, Dreamtime, Janeway (Captain Katherine), Kardasians, Kirk (James T.), Klingons, Odo, Prime Directive, Q, Relations of Production, Roberts (Jane), Roddenberry (Gene), Romulans, Sargon, Science Fiction, Siva, Spock, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Voyager, Sulu, Tek War, Temporal Paradox, Third Eye, T’Pol, Trickster, Uhura (Lieutenant), Vulcan, Worf

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Science Fiction (sci-fi)

Science fiction 1 by Glamhag

Science Fiction (sci-fi)

A genre of literature, TV and film sometimes trivialized by the arts and literary establishment.

Critics say science fiction characters are wooden, two-dimensional ‘cardboard cutouts’ rarely developed in the manner of, say, a Holden Caufield (J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye) or a Hagar Shipley (Margaret Laurence’s The Stone Angel).

Some sci-fi writers accept this criticism, saying the medium began as an exploration into the human imagination rather than as a commentary on the human condition.

By way of contrast, H. G. Wells, George Orwell and more recent authors like Frank Herbert (Dune), Ursula Le Guin (The Dispossessed), Kurt Vonnegut (Cat’s Cradle, Slaughterhouse Five) and filmmaker Stanley Kubrick’s intense rendering of Arthur C. Clark’s 2001: A Space Odyssey have helped to change the face of sci-fi.

Indeed, William Shatner, who plays Star Trek’s Captain Kirk, says that a good science fiction story must be grounded in distinct human experiences.

Gonzo Bonzo adds:

If you’re looking for some good science fiction focused on characters, you’d better read some of the novels from Robert Silverberg. Dying Inside, which is about a telepath in an early 70’s NYC, who’s losing his power, or Man in a Maze talks about the first astronaut ever to meet alien lifeforms, who comes back being unable to hide his feeling and emotions to his fellow humans, and who chose to exile on giant maze. Book of Skulls is also a good example of human centered SciFi, with very complex and multi-dimensional characters.

In more recent efforts authors like Jeff Vandermeer, Vernor Vinge (with his wonderful Rainbows End), Paul J.McAuley, Iain M.Banks, China Miéville or Ian R.McLeod are good examples of what SciFi is these days. » Source

Regardless of condescension from those literati who think they know best, sci-fi finds itself in a unique position to explore unconventional ideas that the worldly wise regard as ludicrous and unworthy of attention.

An historical example of a truly great sci-fi visionary is Leonardo Da Vinci (1452–1519). Leonardo worked as a military engineer and inventor in Italy. He was venerated in France as a genius and some of his more imaginative sketches depicted flying machines, robots, a tank and submarines. But Da Vinci kept many of these innovative sketches secret, most likely to avoid ridicule.

While sci-fi may still encounter a similar kind of prejudice, the runaway success of J. J. Abrams’ Star Trek film indicates that the snobs out there may just be incredibly jealous. After all, who can distinguish other than for themselves what’s treasure and what’s trash?

» 2001: A Space Odyssey, Abyss, Alien Possession Theory (APT), Borg, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Asimov (Isaac), Cylons, Hal 9000, Lewis (C. S.), Lexx, Matrix (The), Occam’s Razor, Parallel Universes, Roberts (Jane), Star Trek, Star Wars, Tek War, Temporal Paradox, Virtual Reality

At Earthpages.org:

• Sci-fi, Myth and Many Possible Worlds

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Sargon

King Sargon II and a Dignatary by Sharon Mollerus

Sargon

The Star Trek franchise arguably has created a modern myth by recasting elements of ancient history, myth and legend in an optimistic, socially progressive future.

Depth psychologists and cultural theorists say that the use of ancient history in storytelling sets off a subconscious resonance, giving a story charm and numinous allure.

Sargon is a good example of this.

In the original Star Trek TV show Sargon is a forceful and intelligent mind residing in a glowing orb who abducts Captain Kirk and plans to inhabit his body.

This fictional Sargon is named after two actual, ancient Sargons. Sargon I was a Babylonian king (2400 BCE). Sargon II was an Assyrian king (around 700 BCE). Both were successful militarists.

On the Web:

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T’Pol

T'Pol's iPod by shindohd

T’Pol

Female Vulcan science officer in the TV program Star Trek: Enterprise.

The character is played by Jolene Blalock, whose good looks might obfuscate the fact that she played the role to perfection.

At a 2002 sci-fi convention Blalock noted that following Leonard Nimoy’s example (Mr. Spock) was no easy task but, due to her popularity, she “must be doing something right.”

Despite the initial enthusiasm for Enterprise, however, the series couldn’t hold its audience and was canceled after four seasons.

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Temporal Paradox

Time Machine Clockwork by Pierre J.

Temporal Paradox

In the TV science fiction series Star Trek, which involves the idea of time travel, the following hypothetical problem arises:

If one must choose among two or more possible historical outcomes while time traveling, how would one be certain which choice is right?

One might think that the best ethical choice would be right. But even for those of us stuck in the present, ‘right ethics’ are not always easy to determine or assess, and fictional scenarios such as time travel make the issue even more complex.

One hypothetical solution to the problem includes the idea that every time we make a choice, a new universe branches off in a new direction, creating a potentially infinite number of universes for each choice.

» Free will, Prime Directive, Jane Roberts

On the Web:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporal_paradox

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Tek War

Shatner, William - TekWar (1990 PB) by sdobie

Tek War

Science fiction novels, TV shows and made-for-TV movies created by William Shatner (Captain Kirk of Star Trek) portraying a somewhat disturbing vision of mankind’s technological future.

In Tek War dark warlords enslave the population through the distribution of drugs in an entirely corrupt society.

Information wars between good and bad characters are fought out on an advanced type of internet, connected directly to the mind. Users wear special headgear and information is displayed externally as holographic images.

Instead of computers merely receiving viruses through the web, as we have today, hackers can literally kill each other through the neural interface.

While the idea of killing thoughts may seem particular to science fiction, similar non-technological myths of killing at a distance appear in voodoo doll, witchcraft and evil eye lore.

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Vulcan

041/366: Vulcan

Originally uploaded by mosesxan

Vulcan

In earliest Roman mythology, Vulcan was the god of destructive fire, particularly that of a volcano.

His temple was usually at the outskirts of a city, attended to by a priest (flamen). And his festival, Volcanalia, was celebrated on August 23.

When the Volcanalia also paid homage to the Nymphs and other deities, live fish were thrown into a fire as a sacrificial offering to Vulcan.

In the Greece during the classical period Vulcan became Hephaestus the master blacksmith.

In his giant forge at Mount Olympus he fashioned the armor and shield of Achilles, as well as Cupid’s arrows and Jupiter’s thunderbolts.

He was depicted lame and his offspring were usually ugly.

In the American TV and film productions of Star Trek, Vulcan is the home planet and the alien race to which Mr. Spock belongs.

Originally a highly savage and barbaric race, Vulcans almost destroyed themselves in the ancient past. They overcame global disaster by repressing all emotion in favor of highly developed logic.

Star Trek Vulcans have supra-human strength and intellect but are less adept at creative, intuitive problem solving.

Vulcan Stranger

Originally uploaded by blakeemrys

In keeping with Carl Jung’s idea that mythic symbols represent and evoke the numinous, spiritual aspects of the unconscious mind, it seems likely that Star Trek creators chose the mythic name of Vulcan, hoping it would resonate with Western viewers and the archetypal images they’re familiar with.

In this larger sense, then, Mr. Spock and his people may be regarded as a continuation of the original Roman myth.

» Romulans, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: The Original Series, T’Pol

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Virtual Reality

The VERTEX

Originally uploaded by Roger Smith

Virtual Reality

The use of computer hardware and software to create an artificial (i.e. ‘virtual’) environment.

The user normally enters the environment by wearing a headset that blocks normal vision. The environment is manipulated with an electronic glove – or a similar device – connecting the user to the computer.

The term has been traced back to the brilliant French playwrite Antonin Artaud who believed that the internal world of so-called fantasy and the imagination was just as real as the outside world.

This view parallels to some degree C. G. Jung’s reflections on the art of alchemy, where relationships with matter and particularly with other people are viewed as something analogous to chemical interactions. And the hypothesized Jungian dynamics of transference, counter-transference and especially syntonic counter-transference point in a similar direction.

Artaud’s understanding of virtual reality also touches on the notion articulated by John Donne that no man is an island–that is, neither distance nor even death entirely separates one individual from another.

No man is an island, entire of itself
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main

Virtual reality is having a significant impact on business, medicine and the entertainment industry, where virtual users enjoy, relax or express violent and sexual impulses in socially acceptable ways.

But not everyone sees it this way. Some say that violent virtual reality games should be reexamined in the event that they may promote rather than prevent actual violence.

This is a relatively familiar debate stemming back to the days before home computers. Before the PC the effects of violent TV shows, especially on children, were studied by researchers and public health officials.

Scientific and consumer watchdog concerns about public safety, however, have not deterred virtual reality from taking off. There’s always money to be made through the commodification of sex and violence and definite laws must be passed to regulate the process.

The idea of virtual reality also figures prominently in science fiction TV (e.g. Star Trek’s holodeck) and movies like Total Recall (1990) and The Matrix (1999) where users enter computer generated worlds indistinguishable from day to day life.

Given the fact of today’s microchip implant technologies, these fantastic scenarios seem probable for the not too distant future.

» Burrows (William S.), Gould (Glenn), McLuhan (Marshall Herbert)

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Worf (Lieutenant)

Worf, Lieutenant Worf

Originally uploaded by patries71

Worf (Lieutenant)

A Klingon officer in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine played by actor Michael Dorn.

Unlike the hostile Klingons of the original Star Trek, Worf and his race are allied with the Federation of Planets, a federation that includes Earth.

Apparently Star Trek producer Gene Roddenberry initially didn’t envision Worf as a regular in the series because he didn’t want to rehash existing themes from the original TV series (i.e. the Klingons).

But Worf’s popularity was undeniable, and Roddenberry along with subsequent producers modified their outlook regarding the Star Trek mythos, embracing and adapting past episodes to further enhance the overall story, which in literary circles is recognized as a device called ‘retroactive continuity.’

» Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Original Series

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Wells, H.G.

Steampunk (photo by vonslatt)

Originally uploaded by pashasha

Wells, H. G. (Herbert George, 1866-1946)

British author born in Bromley, Kent, who once taught at a Grammar School.

He went on to study biology and taught at the Universal Tutorial College while writing short stories on the side and dabbling in liberal-progressive politics and human rights issues.

The success of his short stories lead him to pursue a full-time writing career that produced over 100 books and articles.

Wells is regarded by many as the father of modern science fiction, a title also given to Jules Verne.

He is credited with authoring several classics, such as The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), The War of the Worlds (1898), The First Men in the Moon (1901), Men Like Gods (1923) and The Shape of Things to Come (1933).

Wells enjoyed immense popularity during his lifetime, although this began to diminish somewhat during his final years.

Concerning religion, in one letter he wrote

I can’t – in my present state anyhow – bank on religion. God has no thighs and no life. When one calls to him in the silence of the night he doesn’t turn over and say, ‘What is the trouble, Dear?’

Source » http://www.libidomag.com/nakedbrunch/archive/sexbiowells.html

Wells, however, did seem to have a mystical side:

At times, in the lonely silence of the night and in rare, lonely moments, I come upon a sort of communion of myself with something great that is not myself.

Source » http://ext.sagepub.com/cgi/pdf_extract/103/2/45

Among many other successful comedic and dramatic works, he additionally wrote an impressive two-volume Outline of History (1920).

Image Source:

• H. G. Wells – Sandgate – Project Gutenberg eText 13715.png

» Alien Possession Theory (APT)

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