Wednesday, September 25, 2024

True science fiction

The Wake-up Call

A screenplay

Setting: A humanoid species, after 300,000 years of watching and waiting, suddenly spreads like wildfire across the surface of its home planet, Earth, moving into every corner, proclaiming its supremacy and intelligence, evidenced by complex and evolving technology. As it accelerates geometrically, the technology-driven change disrupts existing ecosystems, without thought to connected systems, bringing death or worse to many life forms including humanoids, while making giant fortunes for a few. The arrogance and narcissism of this species leads it to pursue technology even after inventing mechanical thought (MT) that surpasses its own abilities, threatening to control and replace it. The same has happened with biological science, which has given the species the ability to remake its physical self, bringing the possibility of an MT designed post-humanoid civilization.

The species goes through a recurring phase in its evolution 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, the third in an increasingly destructive series, this time reflecting not only struggles over national and ethnic borders, but over what types of mentalities the humanoids will have, what types of bodies, perhaps what types of souls.

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

CUT TO: Bridge, the multi-ethnic crew hard at work.

CLOSE IN: Deep in conversation are Captain James T. Kirk, whose ancestors left Earth shortly before their species made it uninhabitable, 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 humanoids 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 the Earth at its critical moment to learn more about what went wrong.

Spock (peering into a small box): The humanoids are organized into "countries" - overly large collections of individuals. The countries lack cultural/psychological coherence -having quite rapidly replaced millennia of tribal existence- so 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, ushering 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 humanoids, 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 humanoids’ 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 humanoids 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 candidates for vice president, the number two leadership position. I have just completed a review of the debate.

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

Spock: Nothing.

Kirk: What?

Spock: There was no reference in the debate, either from the moderators or the 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 indigenous 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:

HUMANOIDS OF EARTH: WAKE THE FUCK UP!
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