John Edmund Kimber Darling: A Theory on How to Become a Utopia
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I love science fiction. Be it the 1953 George Pal classic War of the Worlds (based on the book by H.G. Wells), or the 1967 Arthur P. Jacobs Planet of the Apes, or the best si-fi movie of all time, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (2001 is the best movie of all time, in my opinion). Asimov, Clarke and Baxter. Star Wars, Star Trek, The X-Files and Dr. Who. “…If you don’t like science fiction, then there is something wrong with you…” said Arthur C. Clark recently.
One of the more popular and main stream of science fiction shows, as well very successful, is Gean Roddenberry’s Star Trek, created in same year as 2001. It is an insight 2 to 300 years into the future when humanity is in command of a star alliance called ‘The Federation’ that is over 150 light years across. War, famine, crime, human rights abuses and disease are all a thing of the past and the human race explores the galaxy with Star ships that can travel faster than the speed of light, spreading the word of democracy and peace, while defending what is right from what is wrong. There is no need for greed or money or consumerism, because the individual puts him or her self in a position that will benefit humanity. Everyone works together it better the human race. To serve not queen or country, but to serve the human spices, planet earth and the Federation. It is, buy all accounts a utopia in the true meaning of the word.
Or, from another point of view, is a stupid B-grade piece of US science fiction that only nerds and other dateless wonders like and for this reason screens at 12:00 midnight two nights a weeks on one channel. These geeks are pushovers who will buy anything (remember people – the “system”!) that has the Star Trek name one it. It also is properly produced and distributed buy the same multi-nationals that make reality TV.
Soaps and reality TV, on the other hand, is on 7 nights a week during prime time on nearly every channel. The only si-fi that is on Australian TV is Buffy: the Vampire Slayer, Angle, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyageur and The X-Files. That’s it. You have, ranging from soap operas to dramas to Reality TV shows, Home and Away, Neighbours, Big Brother, Boot Camp, Temptation Island, Blue Heelers, Water Rats, ER, Head Start, Law & Order, Ally McBeal, The Practice, All Saints, The Bill, Going Home, Dawson’s Creak and many, many more that I can not name. You (the person reading this) may have not heard of these TV shows, so you will just have to take my word for it. Be it on TV, in bookstores, in video stores or at the movies, Science Fiction seems to be a dieing genre. But why is this? What the bloody hell does this have to do with a Utopia?
Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, consider to be the worlds first Science Fiction novel, is about a scientist that creates life from nothing in order to help mankind, but, in the process, the creation destroys life, not help it to flourish. This fable is reflected upon even in today’s world of cloning and GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms). Recant books such as Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park deals with this concept, but it also deals with humanity’s role in evolution and the future of this planet. It was made into a movie and was very successful at the box-office. It predicted all the issues we are going though today with biotechnology but did it 12 years out. Is Star Trek the same but 250 years out?
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