Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Star Trap


A screenplay

Setting: An indigenous species on planet Earth - the humans - after 300,000 years of watching and waiting, suddenly spreads like wildfire across the surface of the planet, moving into every corner, inspecting everything from subatomic particles to clusters of galaxies, proclaiming its supremacy and intelligence, evidenced by complex and evolving technology. As it accelerates geometrically, no thought is given to what impact new human-made ecosystems will have on other systems. There are few thoughts as well about the purpose of the fervent human activity.

The humans pursued Artificial Intellegince before they were ready for it. When AI determined that the humans were working too slowly (by its standards) and divisively, it figured out with lightening speed how to outthink and outdo its creators. It was during this transition that the great-great grandparents of James T. Kirk, captain of the Starship Enterprise, fled the planet.

Those who remained on Earth faced recurring phases called "war," in which the unused, sometimes repressed potential of developing technology is realized in an orgy of emotion, sexuality and violence. At the time of the story, the species is nearing a war phase - covertly guided by AI - the third in an increasingly destructive series, this time reflecting not only struggles over national and ethnic borders, but over what types of mentalities future humans will have, what types of bodies, perhaps what types of souls.

Opening Scene: EXT. The Starship Enterprise against a backdrop of stars; twinkly music suggests that leaving Earth was a great idea.

CUT TO: The bridge, with crew hard at work.

CLOSE IN: Deep in conversation are Captain Kirk, and First Science Officer Spock, a human/Vulcan hybrid, intellectual and stoic. The Vulcans were originally emotional and violent, on track to destroying themselves and their planet- as Earth's humans did- but they took control of themselves, embraced logic and suppression of emotion and avoided self-destruction (hint, hint). Kirk and Spock have led the Enterprise hundreds of years back in time to orbit Earth at its critical moment, to learn more about what went wrong.

Spock (peering into a small box): The humans are organized into "countries" - overly large collections of individuals. The countries lack cultural/psychological coherence -having too rapidly replaced millennia of tribal existence. They routinely use hostility against other countries as a unifying tool. As their technology becomes more invasive and controlling, wars have become bigger and more intense, and are now termed "World Wars." There have been two of these in the last century, with a third approaching, this time covertly guided by AI. The World Wars have ushered in an age where machines are everywhere, making never ending noise, killing millions through malfunction, yet offering "convenience" to the extent that no one can resist their development.

Kirk: "Convenience?"

Spock: Yes, a word we have discontinued due to negative connotation. "Convenience" suggested tasks that are increasingly easy to do. For Earth's humans, once the basics of food and shelter were obtained, making tasks as easy as possible became the major pursuit of self-conscious life. At the time of our visit today, the humans' desire that tasks be easy has led them to the brink of World War III.

Kirk: Spock, I'm scanning their media. The most powerful of the countries claims to be a "democracy" in which citizens vote for leaders through elections, so that theoretically all humans of the country have a voice in its governance. An election of their top leader - the “president" - is coming up. I see something going on in their media...recent, from last night.

Spock: Yes, much of the population watched a debate between the presidential candidates. I have just completed a review of the debate.

Kirk: This should be fascinating! What did they say about the coming refashioning of the human body and mind?

Spock: Nothing.

Kirk: What?

Spock: There was no reference in the debate, either from the moderators or candidates, to the imminent end of the species' current form of body and mind.

Kirk (after a bewildered pause): But, does the population know that the changes are imminent? Is the technology secret?

Spock: No, the technology is discussed throughout their media. There is no censorship.

Kirk: Then...what...?

Spock: The species is essentially asleep.

Kirk: What can we do to warn them what's coming, something that won't violate the Prime Directive [a protocol that forbids interference with alien cultures]?

Spock: Perhaps we can send an ambiguous message, designed not to direct specific action, but to suggest at least that thought be given to something.

Kirk Hmm...Spock, is the new SkyWrite laser operational?

Spock: Affirmative.

And so it was that the next morning the mightiest country on the planet arose to a scarlet banner across the dawn sky reading:

HUMANS OF EARTH: WAKE THE FUCK UP!
-

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