Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast - 95: Eternity is Passé

95: Eternity is Passé

10/29/19 • 92 min

Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast

Death Wish.

Nineteenth-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche held that Western philosophers from Socrates onward have had a gigantic death wish in the form of philosophical escapism and denial of our nature as finite, embodied beings with our own uniquely individual perspectives, drives, and desires. Philosophers in the Q Continuum likewise seem to have a death wish, especially Quinn, the Q Continuum's greatest philosopher.

In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss the philosophical and existential themes in the second-season Voyager episode "Death Wish." Although "Death Wish" is usually interpreted as a moral dilemma about assisted suicide—itself a hot moral topic since the 1990s—Zachary and Mike argue instead that "Death Wish" is a subtler but highly-developed example of Nietzschean philosophy of embodiment, perspectivism, and metaphorical self-expression.

Zachary and Mike also discuss the question of meaning as it relates to death, the finitude of human life, and the possibility of immortality—in the Q Continuum or in any form of the afterlife.

Chapters Intro (00:01:19) Initial Thoughts on Voyager: "Death Wish" (00:03:32) Philosophical Overview and Examples of Nietzschean Philosophy (00:06:43) Quinn: Genius or Madman? (00:16:39) The Meaningfulness of Life (00:26:16) The Problem with Perfect Being Theology and the Death of God (00:42:04) Camus and The Myth of Sisyphus (00:43:18) Existentialism and the Subjectivity of Fulfillment in Life (00:48:31) Marcus Aurelius and the Question of Legacy (00:55:15) How the Q Continuum is Depicted in Death Wish (00:58:49) Comparing and Contrasting How Star Trek Depicts the Q Continuum (01:08:25) Is All of Star Trek Escapist? (01:11:38) A Few Final Questions About "Death Wish" (01:21:17) Closing (01:25:56) Hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison Production Mike Morrison (Editor) Zachary Fruhling (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Shaw (Associate Producer) Mar Walker (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

Death Wish.

Zachary and Mike also discuss the question of meaning as it relates to death, the finitude of human life, and the possibility of immortality—in the Q Continuum or in any form of the afterlife.

Previous Episode

94: Where Are the 24th-Century Space Hippies?

Utopianism in Star Trek.

The Star Trek universe is sometimes claimed to be a utopia. From technological progress to an enlightened view of human nature and equal opportunity, the vision of the future depicted in Star Trek is often touted by fans as the best possible future for humankind. An often-overlooked aspect of utopianism, however, is that "utopia" literally means "no place," calling into question the plausibility of such an optimistic future.

From intragalactic wars to power-hungry admirals to secret government organizations, the struggles of the 23rd and 24th centuries are all very familiar to us here in the 21st century, potentially undermining the very notion of human progress for which Star Trek is so famous. With the overall darker tone of Star Trek: Discovery and, to a lesser extent, Star Trek: Enterprise before that, it is reasonable to ask whether fans themselves, when pressed, really do still believe in the Star Trek vision of the future.

In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling discuss utopianism in the Star Trek universe, whether Star Trek should really be considered a utopia after all, the dark sides of "perfect" societies, and the importance of having an idealistic vision of future human society—a modern-day take on a futuristic Plato's Republic—whether or not that ideal future is possible to achieve.

Chapters Intro (00:01:19) Initial Thoughts on Utopianism in the Star Trek Universe (00:01:55) DS9 and Criticisms of Federation Utopia (00:06:33) What Ways is the Society of the 24th Century Utopian? (00:12:50) The Role of Human Improvement in a Utopian Society (00:19:40) Non-Utopian Aspects of Society in Star Trek (00:21:48) Do Fans Believe in the Utopian Message of Star Trek? (00:33:50) Plato's Republic and the Perfect Society (00:42:23) Counter Culture Moving Humanity Forward (00:50:11) Kirk: Destroyer of Utopias vs. Picard: Preserver of Utopias (00:57:50) Final Thoughts (01:06:07) Closing (01:09:34)

Hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling

Production Mike Morrison (Editor) Zachary Fruhling (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Shaw (Associate Producer) Mark Walker (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

Next Episode

96: Andorian Cowboys

Enterprise Season 1 - Essential Trek Philosophy.

Like the first season of any new television series, Season 1 of Enterprise struggled to find its footing, especially coming out of the the successful run of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager throughout the 1990s. And while Season 1 of Enterprise had important overarching themes, such as human technological progress, showing the Star Trek universe to be a possible future for us in the emerging 21st century, getting back to Star Trek's roots as a "wagon train to the stars," and building unity through diversity, Season 1 of Enterprise had several philosophically important episodes as well. In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling discuss the philosophical themes and compare their choices for Essential Trek Philosophy from Season 1 of Star Trek: Enterprise.

Chapters Intro (00:01:19) Initial Thoughts about Enterprise Season One (00:04:07) Understanding the Larger Themes of Enterprise Season One (00:13:28) Star Trek Post September 11th (00:23:52) Terra Nova (00:27:02) Dear Doctor (00:34:44) The Andorian Incident (00:44:23) Shuttlepod One (00:53:41) Breaking the Ice (01:00:17) Detained (01:09:42) Honorable Mention: Fusion (01:14:03) Final Thoughts on the History of Philosophy and Enterprise (01:14:50) Recap of Essential Trek Philosophy (01:17:51) Closing (01:18:38)

Hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling