Star Trek at 60: What Vulcans and Klingons can teach us about being human (Part 2)

Sarah Al-Ahmed (0:04)

To the Stars Through Hardship, part two of our Star Trek 60th anniversary series, this week on Planetary Radio.

I'm Sarah Al-Ahmed of the Planetary Society, with more of the human adventure across our solar system and beyond.

Last week, Robert Picardo, the EMH from Star Trek Voyager, helped us explore what Star Trek values most. This week, he returns to read a letter from Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek's creator, who wrote Star Trek fans asking them to join a brand new organization called the Planetary Society. Then we're looking at what Star Trek's extraterrestrial races reveal about what humans still need to become. Tim Russ, Tuvok from Star Trek Voyager, joins us to talk about the Vulcans and what they can teach us about the discipline that we're going to need to actually survive out there. And Karim Diané, Jay-Den Kraag from Star Trek Starfleet Academy, shows us what a pacifist Klingon can teach us about redefining strength. Plus, Bruce Betts is here for What's Up. We're going to talk about Star Trek technologies and how far we've come in the last 60 years. If you love Planetary Radio and want to stay informed about the latest space discoveries, make sure you hit that subscribe button on your favorite podcasting platform. By subscribing, you'll never miss an episode filled with new and awe-inspiring ways to know the cosmos and our place within it.

If you caught last week's episode, you already know Robert Picardo, the EMH from Star Trek Voyager. He's also a member of the Planetary Society's board of directors. The connection between Star Trek and the Planetary Society goes all the way back to the very beginning. In the late 1970s, when Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray and Lou Friedman were just getting the society off the ground, Gene Roddenberry did something he'd never done before. He lent his name and his mailing list to endorse our mission. Bob found a copy of that letter, and we asked him to read it.

Robert Picardo (2:01)

Dear Star Trek friends, You probably know that the Star Trek following is one of the largest groups of its kind in the country. As such, I have frequently been asked to endorse many worthwhile causes. What you may not know is that I have never done so, nor have I ever made available any Star Trek mailing list for these purposes. But now I am breaking with that tradition, to tell you of The Planetary Society, an organization formed by Carl Sagan and Bruce Murray to encourage and popularize our exploration of the solar system and the search for extraterrestrial life. The essence of the Star Trek missions are to discover, to learn more about our universe, and to apply that knowledge to the benefit of mankind. Star Trek is of course fiction, but its idea is very real and very important. It is this idea which The Planetary Society is devoted to, and I believe they can help turn into a reality. If we humans are to continue our exploration of the solar system on a peaceful, rational and scientific basis, then it is important to demonstrate to the decision makers in our country that millions of us want our space program to continue. To prove our point, all of us must join together in a focused effort, scientists and non-scientists alike, to insist that our elected leaders reflect our support of space exploration. Well, the letter goes on. Gene mentions some other famous supporters of the society like Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Johnny Carson. He even mentions a solar sail.

Gene closes the letter with these words, The links between science fiction and science are well established, and I am very pleased to associate myself with the Planetary Society. If you are interested in supporting those goals by joining the Planetary Society too, write for information to Carl Sagan.

He actually gives Carl Sagan's address at Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

You know, people across the globe, spanning generations, continue to be moved by Star Trek's optimistic vision of what we could become. And having served on both the USS Voyager and the Executive Board of the Planetary Society, I wholeheartedly agree. The Planetary Society is bringing us closer to Gene's vision of a better future. So, are you with us?

Sarah Al-Ahmed (4:45)

Roddenberry believed that the journey to the stars wasn't just a scientific effort. It was a cultural one. And if there's one species in Star Trek that embodies that idea, it's the Vulcans. In Star Trek's universe, Vulcans are a species that nearly destroyed themselves. Not because they lacked intelligence, but because their emotions were so powerful they couldn't be trusted with their own technology. Their answer was to build an entire civilization around logic, discipline and emotional control. It's one of Star Trek's most enduring arguments, that reaching the stars isn't just an engineering problem. It's a question of whether or not we're ready.