Friday fun question (one for you Star Trek fans)

Why a Friday fun question about Star Trek, of all things? Well, because it's Friday, and Fridays are "post something fun days" around here!

So while the following certainly isn't all that important, it might be some fun for those of us who have a little bit of Trekkie in us, but it also maybe presents some food for thought.

Recently one evening my sons and I were seated comfortably in the living room watching one of the old Star Trek films on TV, when my younger boy Darrell made an interesting observation, something about the Trek universe that I hadn't noticed before.

He pointed put that each of the alien races in that fictional universe has some unique personality quality that sets it apart from all the others. Specifically,

Vulcans: logical
Klingons: hostile
Romulans: arrogant
Cardasians: cruel
Ferengi: greedy

With that in mind, Darrell then asked "So what would be that one special quality that we humans have that would especially distinguish us?" That is, what would be that one special quality that all those other fictional Star Trek races would immediately see in us?"

Well, we kicked it around for a while, having a good "sci-fi geek" kind of debate about it, considering various possibilities for such a special human attribute (courage, loyalty, persistence, etc.). (Well of course such qualities could distinguish us!). But then we hit on it. What just has to be the answer. In fact, it is the wonderful quality that's summed up in the Star Trek credo itself:

"… to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before."

Curiosity.

Now isn't that true? We have simply got to be the most curious species ever. We simply have to know what's over the next mountain, what's beyond the next star: it's in our blood.

And it's true in real life as well, not just Star Trek. For example, I have no idea how many millions of dollars it cost to send that rocket to take a picture of Pluto and send it back. And I am aware that there are many who seriously question spending that kind of money on such a venture, especially when there are so many other pressing needs, and I do respect that viewpoint.

But, still, didn't we all feel at least a bit of fascination, a kind of rush, in seeing something that human eyes had never seen ever before? It's in our blood, curiosity, it drives us that way.

So that's the call my boys and I made, it's curiosity. Or do you disagree? Do you think it's something else? If so, what special quality do you think it is?

I'm definitely curious to hear your answer!

(P.S. On a more serious note, I'd also be willing to bet that the force that's driving all those researchers to find a cure for cancer isn't just altruism, or training, or job assignment. They are all so insatiably curious to know what the answer is!)

81gg, I like it. At our best, that is who we are. Call it curiosity, call it the thirst for knowledge if you like. The knowledge that, no matter how much we know, there is always more out there to learn. And, there is the side thing: even if we find something today that appears to have no rational use, doesn't mean that it won't have one in the future. My favorite example of this is Teflon. The story is famous: one afternoon, a chemist at DuPont filled some small gas cylinders with one of the freon gasses. When he came back the next day, one of the pressure gauges on one the cylinders showed the tank was empty. He picked it up and shook it, and it felt heavy enough to be full. He unscrewed the top, and turned it over, and these waxy flakes of material fell out. This was the first teflon. Nobody had a clue what to do with something that literally nothing would stick to. (and it couldn't be stuck TO anything either)

And, there are a lot of science researchers who still ARE in it just for the joy of figuring something out. Who are looking for bit of Truth, that may be provisional but will always be true. One oxygen and two hydrogens will always combine in a specific way to make water. Always has, always will.

I think humans are "unconfigured". All Star Trek aliens consist of a human configured with an adjective, plus an odd skin color, and/or a small latex appliance.

Human + warlike + dark skin color + forehead waffle = Klingon
Human + randy + green skin color + (no appliance) = Orion Slave Girl
Human + paranoid + blue skin color + antennae = Andorian
Human + arrogant + (normal Caucasian skin color) + neck and brow appliance = Cardassian
Human + touchy + (normal Caucasian skin color) + small nose-bridge ridge = Bajoran
Human + logical + pale, slightly greenish skin + pointy ears = Vulcan
Human + hard-to-like + pale, slightly greenish skin + pointy ears = Romulan
Human + greedy + slightly orange skin + full face appliance with big ears = Ferengi
Human + quirky + (normal Caucasian skin color) + forehead and chin appliance = Denobulan
Human + detachedly sexy + normal skin color + bald = Deltan

Humans, then, are simply the blanks from which all the other races are stamped.

Oh, and if you add a beard to any of the above and make them slightly evil then they are alternate-universe versions (vis. Bearded Spock)

I was thinking, EMOTIONAL.

We actually all are, to varying degrees.

But wasn't there some trait that distinguishes us from animals?

Animals can get curious and they can get emotional (ie: show anger and sadness)?

We have speech, but animals can communicate with each other also.

I am not talking about physical characteristics. (We have thumbs/hands and the ability to make tools.)

Mel