Real-life Appeal to the Federation Sparks Debate on Genetics Ban
Biotech company wants to bring the wooly mammoth back from extinction
In a collision of real life and the universe of Star Trek that only could be described as fascinating, a contemporary biotech company is seeking approval from the United Federation of Planets to waive its longstanding ban on genetic engineering so that the company can bring the wooly mammoth back from extinction.
The company, Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences based in Texas, posted its faux petition to the Federation in a post on the social media site, Reddit.
It sparked a lively discussion among the users of the r/startrek subreddit, highlighting a Federation law which often has formed the basis for Star Trek episodes from the original series, to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
It also brought to mind an issue that often has occurred to me about what has seemed like a fairly stringent and draconian ban on genetic engineering: how such a law so based on the experience of one member world could so impact the entire Federation and its hundreds of sovereign member worlds.
The post is long, detailed and reads like how such an actual proposal to the Federation Council really might:
The early 21st century witnessed groundbreaking scientific advancements, one of the most significant being the development of CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) technology. This revolutionary technique allows for precise genetic modifications, offering unprecedented potential for therapeutic and scientific applications. However, the misuse of genetic engineering led to one of the darkest chapters in human history—the Eugenics Wars.
Led by the genetically enhanced superhuman Khan Noonian Singh, a group of scientists created a race of super people who sought to dominate the world. Their actions nearly led Earth to its destruction, feeding directly into the catastrophic Third World War. In the aftermath of these events, genetic engineering was universally outlawed on Earth and subsequently enshrined in Federation law.
This decision, while necessary to prevent the horrors of human genetic enhancement and eugenics, has also stymied the potential benefits of CRISPR technology. By imposing a total ban, we have inadvertently put many endangered species on the brink of extinction, limiting our ability to restore ecological balance and ensure a thriving planet for future generations.
We urge the Federation to re-evaluate this comprehensive ban and consider a more nuanced approach that allows for the responsible use of CRISPR technology for the preservation and protection of endangered animals.
Some users in the comment section argued that original ban — which dates to the original series episode, “Space Seed” — was a product of its times in the 1960s and wouldn’t actually limit the kinds of genetic work more common today, generally, or prevent the kind of work that Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences has proposed.
Please support my work…
According to user PiLamdOd:
Khan wasn't a warning about the potential abuse of future technology. Khan was showing the end result of the racial purity and eugenics movements that were very real during the time period.
Khan was the nazi ubermensch. When audiences in 1967 heard "Eugenics Wars," what they heard was the nazi racial purification programs and death camps from two decades prior had come to pass.
This is what the Federation is trying to prevent.
Users, for instance, cited the appearance of genetically modified grain, such as the quadrotriticale featured in the original series episode, “The Trouble With Tribbles,” as well as Dr Beverly Crusher’s (Gates McFadden) use of synthetic T-cells to activate a gene that would fight off the Urodelan flu infecting Lt Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz), accidentally causing the crew to mutate in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, “Genesis.”
These all are important and compelling arguments, of course.
While I unquestionably could see a prohibition against genetic manipulation being the law on United Earth, given its history with Khan and the Eugenics Wars, I wonder how such an Earth-centric law could be spread to apply across the large diversity of the entire Federation.
After all, we’ve never seen any similar rules or regulations applied Federation-wide based on prohibitions originating on Vulcan, Andoria or Betazed, for instance.
And perhaps even more important: What are the ethical considerations of the actual work Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences is proposing: namely, the resurrection and repopulation of long-extinct species like the wooly mammoth.
Wouldn’t be something if a particularly aware and creative writer with Star Trek pick up on this company and its work?
They could really bring things full circle, by scripting a new episode based on scientists in the Star Trek universe mounting their own petition to convince the Federation Council for their own similar work.
Talk about life-imitating-art, imitating life again!
Hailing Frequencies Open…
Here's the latest that we've been keeping up with…
Chris Pine Wants To Make A Lower Budget Star Trek Movie For Star Trek Fans
The Best Star Trek DS9 Episode Retcons The Worst TNG Episode
Star Trek Online Brings Back Some Classic Trek Gaming With Heritage Starship Bundle
MOMENT FOR TREK
Screen Used Star Trek Excelsior Miniature
Enjoy this edition of Subspace Chatter?
Please make sure you …
And also …