Like a half forgotten tune haunting my mind

Published: Sat, 07/25/20

There was an episode of the original Star Trek series where a particular society has developed an ingenious substitute for war. Bear with me if the details are a little hazy, it may be literally half a century since I actually viewed this particular slice of TV. The story went something like: Two planets in the same solar system had been at war for five hundred years. But rather than wreak actual destruction upon each other computers would play virtual war games and simulate attacks by virtual missiles and bombs. Then casualty figures would be calculated and a certain number of people would be assigned to report to clean and painless death centres where their lives would be terminated. Kirk and his companions take a while to figure out what is going on and in the meantime the dashing captain takes a fancy to a pretty female native. When the next ‘raid’ occurs the young lady is one of those assigned to be vaporised as a casualty
of war. Being the gentleman his is, Kirk decides that here premature death would be a bit of a waste and puts the death chamber permanently out of commission. The leaders of the planet are now terrified that real death and destruction will follow instead of the sanitised version they have grown accustomed to. Kirk just suggests that the ‘enemy’ will be just as concerned at such a development and recommends opening up diplomatic channels. As Churchill once put it, ‘Jaw jaw being better than war war.’

Perhaps I should get the DVD set of the original series. I have not seen most episodes for over 40 years now, but on the odd occasion I do catch one or two, perhaps during a trans Atlantic flight, they are still surprisingly watchable.

Why should that particular episode come back to haunt me now after all this time? I have been trying to make sense of where the world has been going in the past few months. I have not posted anything much for a few weeks because I really have not had anything I wanted to share. I sometimes wonder if I am living in a world gone mad, or is it just me? And yet an episode of Star Trek from over fifty years ago plays though my mind like the catchy tune and half forgotten words of a childhood song.

I guess I am seeing a parallel between the limitations and indignities being forced on individuals today and the corresponding damage to social, economic, and cultural life, with the virtual war, yet with real deaths, depicted in the fantasy TV series of my childhood. Maybe there is no more to be said than to highlight the odd connection my mind has made and insistently replayed.

Star Trek was always openly discussed as social engineering. The creator Gene Roddenbury claimed that science fiction made it possible to explore themes such as race, war, and politics in ways which would be very difficult to engage with in a more ‘realistic’ genre. The episode I have described is certainly exploring the idea that government may inflict one level of suffering in order to avoid a situation which they believe may be even worse.

You may say I am just reading too much into a silly 1960s TV series and that I should just take the pandemic and the government response to it at face value. Certainly, it would be easier to take such an attitude than feel a need to question everything. And yet, that particular episode feels like a clue to something that will one day become clear.

Regards

Graham

PS There will be an Ice and Fire Stav gathering this September in Beverley, East Yorkshire. A bit short notice but I was waiting to see which dates opened up as various camps got canceled. The Mercian Gathering is not going ahead so the first weekend of September is available. Places will be very limited so don’t hang around if you are interested. More details here http://rr.stavcamp.org/