Isaac Asimov has been asked a lot about science fiction. After all, he would be an expert on the subject, having written some of the most influential and ambitious science fiction stories ever written. His “Foundation” book series (1951 – 1993) is still studied by science fiction enthusiasts today, and every robot story owes much to his book “I, Robot” (1950), the first time the laws of robotics were codified in print. He also wrote the famous stories “Nightfall”, “Fantastic Voyage” and hundreds of others. Without Asimov, science fiction as we know it would not exist.
In 1973, Asimov appeared at a “Star Trek” convention to talk about science fiction and Gene Roddenberry’s recently canceled series. It’s worth noting that “Star Trek” conventions were still a novelty in 1973 and the series was only beginning to really explode in popularity. “Star Trek” was never a big hit when it aired, but it found a large audience in the 1970s through incessant reruns. It was also in the ’70s that many fans began to understand why “Star Trek” was revolutionary. Roddenberry’s series, for example, depicted a post-war world of utopian multiculturalism, in which all nations and races had united. Additionally, it was a science fiction series about peace. The USS Enterprise was not on a mission of conquest and never went into battle with firearms. They prefer to open diplomatic relations.
In the 1973 interview, Asimov said he was particularly impressed by the idea of a Prime Directive. He liked the idea that our human culture would, in a very respectful way, leave other cultures alone. As previously discussed in /Film, the Prime Directive was an anti-colonialist measure. Asimov liked it.
Isaac Asimov loved the idea of the Prime Directive
Asimov began his description of “Star Trek” by addressing the opening narration, which begins with the phrase “To boldly go where no man has gone before.” Asimov emphasized that this expression has two meanings. This one is certainly literal, “they mean it territorially,” he said. “They visit stars that no man has ever visited before. They travel vast distances that no man has ever penetrated.” But that was only part of the story. As he continued:
“[I]In addition, they encounter problems that man has not faced. [What] “Star Trek” really presented was the brotherhood of intelligence. It didn’t matter what form the information took. Or what kind of universe intelligence has built for itself. If he was smart – if he was smart enough to build a culture – then he had the right to live in that culture. He had the right to exist and be. And no other culture had the right to intervene in this area, as long as it did not endanger cultures outside it. »
This is of course often mentioned by Trekkies. While the show’s fictional Federation may have lived by an admirable code of ethics, the organization never imposed its philosophy on others. There was no feeling of occupation, of expansion of the territory. It was always just about leaving others alone. Asimov said:
“‘Star Trek’ was, in a sense, the most sensible, the most meaningful… it addressed real social issues. It wasn’t all about adventure. And most importantly, it had fully realized characters. Naturally, Spock comes to mind. The rational, sane man. And there is something very comforting about reason. Especially in a world like ours.”
Spock, of course, being the logical first Vulcan officer played by Leonard Nimoy.
Asimov knew TV politics
Asimov also highlighted the frustrating divide between art and commerce. A big, artistic, philosophically daring TV series can easily attract a group of passionate followers, while remaining subject to the whims of money. This message has only become more true over time (doubly so during the second Trump administration, when super-mergers became increasingly common). In the words of Asimov:
“No matter how successful ‘Star Trek’ is with its viewers, no matter how much it pleases its viewers, unfortunately the medium of television these days is entirely dependent on a mass audience. They sell advertising time. That’s their business. The program is just a way to get you to watch the commercial. And if there’s not enough audience, the advertisers won’t come, no matter how happy the audience is.”
This refrain was probably common among Trekkies, who knew all about the struggles that “Star Trek” went through, viewership-wise, when it first aired. It lasted only three seasons and was only saved halfway thanks to Bjo Trimble’s letter-writing campaigns. “Star Trek” was vital and important, but was not successful enough to reach a mass audience. Asimov didn’t die until 1992, however, so he lived long enough to see “Star Trek” resurrected in the form of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and through the first six feature films. Indeed, in 1979, Asimov was hired as a special scientific consultant on “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.” He wasn’t just a fan, he was a contributor. Asimov was later verified in an episode of “Next Generation”, when a character described an android’s brain as “Asimov’s dream”. This man was a master.
