W is for Warfare

If there’s anything we’ve become better at over the course of human history, it’s waging war.  There was a time when we were limited to the use of bows and arrows, swords, or similar weapons.  The invention of the gun made it a bit easier to kill your enemy, but now we have nuclear weapons.  Such weapons of mass destruction can take out large numbers of people at a time, as well as devastate the ecology of the area.

It isn’t surprising that science fiction often shows us war in the future.  As much as I hope we eventually get past our tendency for destruction, it isn’t unrealistic to assume that warfare will continue to change as we advance technologically.

In Star Wars, The Empire constructs the Death Star, which is capable of destroying an entire planet without much problem.  Babylon 5 also shows that both the Vorlons and the Shadows have their own planet killers.  These aren’t the only examples of such technology being used.  Never mind the issue of how you’d begin to power such a device.  How can we ethically justify destroying an entire planet?  Would it ever be justifiable?  Does it depend upon the level of threat the inhabitants of that world pose to our own people?  How do we determine whether they are a big enough threat to justify resorting to such drastic means?

Babylon 5 also shows a kind of brutal planetary assault at the end of the Narn-Centauri war.  The Centauri used mass drivers to accelerate asteroids to hit the Narn home world.  Mass Drivers had been outlawed by every civilized planet, so this action stirred up a lot of controversy.  This assault killed millions of Narns, destroyed the Narn infrastructure, and wreaked havoc on the environment.  How does this compare to an action such as dropping an atomic bomb?  What use of weaponry is too barbaric?  Too widespread?

Warfare also includes gathering information.  We frequently encounter telepaths in science fiction, who could easily be used as intelligence operatives.  Would employing such a method be unethical, or could it be justified if doing so saves lives?  Is there a fundamental difference between searching someone’s desk for information vs. invading their mind?  They are both forms of intrusion, after all, though one seems a tad more personal than the other. 

Various forms of torture could also be used to extract information from people.  The use of torture is controversial as it is, but time will surely help us develop new and more effective means of extracting information from unwilling people.  In your mind, can torturing someone for information be justified under certain conditions, or is it always wrong?

Q is for the Q and Other Powerful Beings

Given that the universe is estimated to be approximately 13.8 billion years old, and the Earth a mere 4.54 billion years old (with the appearance of modern humans occurring far more recently than that), it isn’t unreasonable to assume that of the intelligent alien species that may exist, a number of them came before us.  If they came before us, that means they’ve had longer to evolve and to develop their technological capabilities.

Babylon 5 shows this with the First Ones.  For the most part, the First Ones are unconcerned with the affairs of less advances species.  To them, we are like the insects you pass by on your way to run important errands.  Unless we grab their attention by being exceptionally irritating, they go about their business as if we aren’t there.

Anyone who has spent enough time immersed in the Star Trek universe knows about the Q.  At least, we know as much as they want us to know.  To humans, the Q seem to be omnipotent, immortal, god-like beings.  They can manipulate events with the snap of a finger.  They can transport your ship to another time, or a distant region of space.  They can make people disappear and reappear with little effort.  Some consider them to be a threat, while others view them as a nuisance.  Either way, when the Q show up, it can be difficult to convince them to leave.

Take this quote from Arthur C. Clarke: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”  The Q may appear to us to be all-powerful, but that’s because they’ve got a huge head start on us.  If we stood in their shoes, the ability to manipulate matter with the snap of a finger would not be considered magical.  Imagine a person from the modern day traveling back in time a thousand years with a supply of modern medicines.  You give a sick person antibiotics, and they get better.  Would that seem magical to them?  It probably would, simply because they don’t have the knowledge to understand how medicine works.

Why do we inject these kinds of beings into our science fiction narratives?  Is a part of us naturally drawn to the idea of beings that are infinitely more powerful than ourselves?  Do we hope that we too could achieve the kind of evolutionary pinnacle we see with the Q?  Are we acknowledging the idea that even the most bizarre of things we encounter probably has a rational explanation, even when we may not have any idea as to what it might be?  Is this a symptom of our scientific minds and our drive to unlock the secrets of our universe?  Or do we force the heroes of our stories to encounter such creatures because, in facing them and coming out on top in some way, those heroes reaffirm the idea that with determination and ingenuity, human beings are capable of accomplishing anything?

20th Anniversary Babylon 5 Memorial

Babylon 5 is one of my all-time favorite shows.  I've seen the entire series several times through.  I wanted to share this video that memorializes all of the people associated with the show who are no longer with us.  It's beautifully done, and well worth your time.