Captains Blog Stardate 97874.59 (maybe) - The Mission Continues

Before we get into it, I want to talk a little bit about stardates. The above stardate comes from the following website:

https://www.stoacademy.com/tools/stardate.php

On this website, it explicitly states that the stardate system that they are using is the one from the Star Trek games, not the TV series or movies. Throughout this blog, I plan on utilizing various systems to describe the current time. I'll definitely make a point of clarifying which form I'm using and why. In this case, that particular converter was easier than some of the others and I didn't want to spend tons of time researching the pros and cons of different systems. But why are there different ways to talk about a date?

Well, my guess is like so many things about Star Trek that eventually became lore, stardates likely just started out as random numbers designed to convey something outside of our understanding of "normal". Other examples of this can be seen in the Klingon language and many of the technical specifics of the futuristic technology.

However, with the pull of Star Trek and the multi-generational exposure to that universe, these made up things began to take on a life of their own. Episode writers and fans alike began to generate a foundation of knowledge of these made up things. There are now dozens of ways to calculate various stardates as new systems were discovered to retroactively explain some of the made up numbers. As more recent Star Trek stories were developed on TV and in the movies, the number system has become increasingly refined and makes more sense. However, back in the 60's during the original series the numbers were likely somewhat less structured. Interestingly, as a result, all of the dates in Enterprise are described using the Gregorian calendar that we all know and love. As I mentioned in the previous posts, I have not yet seen the next series in line - Discovery. I'll be curious as to how they talk about the date as the series itself continues the story between Enterprise and The Original Series. To me, it seems that developing the lore of a fictional universe is a great way to create a shared mental model about that thing. It takes ideas that are real (as real as any ideas are anyway), and through a shared admiration of those ideas builds tangible structure around them. That is a pretty cool way to build community. Anyway, that's enough about stardates for now. Let's get to the episodes!

In the first five episodes, we saw Captain Archer and the crew of the Enterprise bristle and balk at the idea of accepting help from the Vulcans. In fact, there were many times when the Humans were downright hostile at the sense that help was being forced on them. In the following five episodes (Terra Nova, The Andorian Incident, Breaking The Ice, Civilization, and Fortunate Son) we see a fairly stark role reversal. During four of those episodes (all but Breaking The Ice), Archer insists on thrusting help on other people/civilizations/problems. As is the nature of Star Trek, it all worked out in the end when Enterprise helped. During Breaking The Ice, Archer is the most hostile I've seen him towards the Vulcans offering help, but ultimately acquiesces when T'Pal shows him that he is putting his pride over the lives of his crew. Given that one of the themes about these episodes seems to be when help is warranted/accepted/desired, that is what I'm going to focus on.

In the last post, I referred to Enterprise as Starfleet in a toddler form. However, I did not mean that as an insult. For many years, I have worked with young children in my professional life, and time and time again I see the fundamental brilliance that they demonstrate. This brilliance is steeped in chaos, boundary testing, exploration, and failure, and is crucial to their ability to handle difficult scenarios as they grow up. Anybody who interacts with young children will recognize the two main motivations (seemingly) right now. He and his crew are demonstrating a fierce sense of independence (I can do it on my own!) and the desire to teach/fix/help other people (I'm the boss and I'm in charge!). Indeed, these two things are intrinsically tied together. Just like the toddler however, Archer not only doesn't see the connection but doesn't even recognize that there is a role reversal in play.

Here's the kicker though. We don't stop doing that when we are toddlers. I would argue that the drive to prove ourselves is one of the fundamental aspects that make us human. We all feel the surge of accomplishment when we do something without help (and often fail to recognize the help that we received as well). Conversely, all of us want to be seen as a savior of some sort. As aforementioned, those are two sides of the same coin. The former is proving ourselves to ourselves, and the latter is proving ourselves to everybody else. This drive doesn't seem to change much as we get older and more experienced. What does change is our expression of and our reaction to that drive.

One thing that I've noticed with Scott Bakula's performance of Captain Archer is that he is even more of a "cowboy" than Shatner's Kirk. Who is himself far more impulsive than Stewart's Picard. There is a trend away from impulsivity and towards forward thinking. The same thing happens with us as individuals. We begin to recognize that the drive to "prove ourselves" isn't resolved by one action in the present but instead by all of our actions over time. We begin to be more aware of our own abilities and limitations and (hopefully) ask for help when we need it. And finally, we begin to recognize the needs of other people to be a savior sometimes. This is why there is a growing field of research that suggests that one of the best ways to form a bond of trust with somebody is to ask them for help with something. We all want to be the savior.

I'm beginning to realize that watching the development of Starfleet and the Federation as it grows is going to be very similar to watching a child grow. It is exciting to see the beginnings of learning that I know will happen in the coming series. It is also a powerful reminder that we (individuals, societies, civilizations) exist somewhere on that continuum. Wherever we are, we are more evolved than we used to be - and not as evolved as we will soon be. Talk about growth-oriented mindset! Until next time, happy trails!

-Chris