Summary
Warning: contains spoilers for “Facemaker,” inStar Trek Celebrations: Pride!
Star Trekhas just revealed that one of the 21st century’s biggest scientific breakthroughs will have an extensive legacy of evil, and is completely outlawed by the 23rd century. The early half of the 21st century has seen some amazing scientific marvels, some with the potential to be game changers.InStar Trek Celebrations: Pride, however, one of these revolutionary technological breakthroughs is illegal in the 23rd century–and for good reason.
The story “Facemaker,” appearing inStar Trek Celebrations: Pride, is written by Mags Visaggio and drawn by Tench. Nurse Christine Chapel is working on a new technique that will help in first contact situations. It involves genetic modification, which was highly illegal in the 23rd century. Chapel has been using viruses in her research, but her partner suggests using something else.
Chapel then remarks that CRISPR technology has been outlawed for over a century due to its ability to perform genetic modifications.
CRISPR Technology Revolutionized the Study of Genetics
YetStar TrekHas Shown the Evils CRISPR Can Bring About
Introduced in the 2000s, CRISPR (short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) technology allows genetic modification at a level previously unheard of. The scientists who discovered the technology were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020. While there are potentially therapeutic uses for CRISPR, it has also courted controversy. Clinical trials have been few and far between, but more important are the ethical issues they have raised. Critics of the technology say it stops short of eugenics. Furthermore, it is very expensive, meaning only the wealthy can afford it.
In theStar Trekuniverse, genetic engineering is outlawed, and for very good reason. In the 21st century, a group of scientists created a genetically superior super people, who then promptly tried to take over the world. Led by Khan Noonian Singh, these super people nearly brought Earth to its knees. These conflicts, which fed directly into Earth’s Third World War, came to be called the “Eugenics Wars.” Later episodes ofStar Trekestablished that in the wake of the Eugenics Wars, genetic engineering was outlawed on Earth and would become Federation law.
Star Trek’s New God-Killing Weapon Could Destroy Scotty’s Legacy
Scotty’s reputation in the Star Trek universe is untouchable, but his most recent innovation could potentially tarnish his legacy in a big way.
Could CRISPR One Day Create a Khan?
Critics of CRISPR gene editing technology oppose it on the grounds that it propagates eugenics, and the potential for that is certainly there. While the Eugenics Wars remain largely unknown in theStar Trekfranchise, it is not a stretch that technology such as CRISPR was used to create Khan and his genetically-enhanced followers. Gene editing technology continues to evolve, greatly increasing the potential for someone like Khan to emerge. This is unfortunate, as CRISPR technology could benefit humanity. However, there are just as many bad applications. So many, in fact, it is illegal inStar Trek’sfuture.
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