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It’s an unsightly election yr, and we’ve most likely not seen the ugliest. There’s nonetheless 69 days, 420 minutes, and 8008 seconds to go, and with the entire wild plot twists we’ve seen to this point, that’s a variety of time for drama and craziness. In some unspecified time in the future, aliens are going to land and endorse somebody, adopted by the ghost of Saint Joe from Waterworld making an look. Something can occur this yr, it appears.
Relying on who you facet with, you’ve most likely been both aggravated or pleased at Elon Musk’s political actions these previous few years, and will have had these emotions amplified this yr.
Again within the day, he was much more delicate and revolutionary along with his politics. Generally, he recognized as a socialist. Different instances, he was a utopian anarchist. However, he at all times made positive to qualify his place by referring to a sci-fi novel or declare further purity to set himself other than mainstream socialists and anarchists. The vital factor was that he cared about preserving the sunshine of consciousness, which drove him to help issues like colonizing Mars or speed up the transition to renewable power.
However, someplace between discovering out his child was transgender and getting dumped by a lady who dated a transgender particular person subsequent, the person’s priorities shifted and he determined to tackle the “Woke Mind Virus.” He slowly moved his public place from being some sort of centrist or revolutionary impartial towards supporting the Republican Occasion. Then, he claimed that his beliefs had not modified (see the hyperlinks within the final paragraph to verify on that) and that the Democrats had run left, inflicting his centrist place to be on the correct.
Whereas it’s definitely true that California politicians and commerce unions performed a job on this change, New Elon leaves a style in left-leaning mouths that brings up the identical emotions as New Coke did again within the day. With that in thoughts, we are able to now have a look at a current Tweet from Elon calling for the creation of Starfleet Academy:
Let’s make Starfleet Academy actual!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 27, 2024
If 2018 Elon had achieved this, he would most likely have loved a mixture of eye rolling from overly severe folks and cheering from sci-fi nerds and his followers. In any case, the politically mysterious good man who cares about the way forward for humanity sounds sort of just like the values of the United Federation of Planets, perhaps. However, since we’re speaking about 2024 Elon, he most likely didn’t get the response he was in search of.
First step : Help a frontrunner that embodies Starfleet values like variety, inclusion and
moral habits.— Robert Picardo (@RobertPicardo) August 27, 2024
Whereas loads of folks ragged on Elon for not embodying or supporting Federation values, most likely probably the most notable reply he received to this point was from Robert Picardo, the actor who performed the Emergency Medical Holographic (EMH) Program on Star Trek: Voyager. He additionally performed the EMH on one other ship in Star Trek: First Contact, a backup EMH who was stolen and powered up tons of of years later, an evil EMH from a renegade Starfleet vessel, and the inventor of the EMH. Yep, you will be something in Star Trek!
He factors out that supporting Donald Trump is mainly the other of the values Starfleet holds expensive. Variety, inclusion, and ethics are cited by him, however I needed to level out another enjoyable issues from the Star Trek cinematic universe that will most likely make 2024 Elon scream.
The Surroundings Is Essential In Star Trek
Whereas 2018 Elon was very a lot pro-environment, we’ve seen newer variations of Elon who might as nicely have come from the Mirror Universe at instances. As an alternative of wanting to maintain CO2 emissions down as a lot as attainable, he extra just lately has stated that it’s okay to have 400 ppm, and most just lately might have urged that 1000 ppm would possibly even be OK.
However, the surroundings is a giant deal to the Federation and Starfleet. In a number of alternate timelines, we get to see what a mismanaged Earth appears like, with one that includes a photo voltaic protect that dims the planet to decrease international warming and one other by which the Borg screw up the entire planet with excessive concentrations of cybernetic zombies and methane.
And, earlier than anyone says it, this concern for the surroundings goes again a very long time, with the unique Enterprise crew led by James T. Kirk main a mission to avoid wasting the whales.
Star Trek even hints that EVs are the longer term, with an unique Aptera exhibiting up within the 2009 alternate timeline reboot.
“Woke” Stuff Like Racial Variety and LGBT
In the present day, the unique Star Trek sequence that began in 1966 doesn’t seem to be something that controversial. However the thought of getting a black girl engaged on the bridge alongside a Japanese man and a Russian was a giant deal again then. If we put this in right this moment’s racist phrases, folks would name Uhura a “DEI hire” and so they’d name having a Russian on the present Soviet propaganda.
Later, newer Star Trek sequence used sci-fi allegories to get folks to take a contemporary look not solely at racial equality, however gender equality, gender norms, LGBT rights, non secular tolerance, militarism, unions, cash, diplomacy, and multiculturalism. For individuals who aren’t large Trek followers, right here’s a video that lays all of it out (skip to five:30 if you wish to save a couple of minutes):
Listed here are some extra examples that concentrate on LGBT themes Star Trek has tackled over time:
Saving Humanity Whereas Shedding Our Humanity Is Pointless
I feel what bothers socially liberal Trek followers probably the most about Elon Musk’s name for a creation of Starfleet Academy is that we don’t need the sort of future somebody like him would create. Driving EVs and touring the celebs with out retaining what humanity has fought for because the Enlightenment, the proliferation of republicanism, and extra just lately the assorted civil rights actions appears much more like destroying humanity than saving it.
In different phrases: If all of those hard-fought freedoms are misplaced, the life types touring out into the celebs may not likely be known as human. Star Trek would name them Terrans, as within the Terran Empire of Star Trek’s mirror universe (goatees for all!).
So, if Elon Musk needs to mission his will into the celebs whereas vanquishing the “woke mind virus,” neglecting environmental stewardship, and disposing of human freedoms, he actually wants to call his army institute the Terran Imperial Academy, not Starfleet Academy.
Featured Picture: A screenshot from Star Trek: Enterprise’s mirror universe episodes. Honest Use.
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