LITR 4632: Literature of the Future

Student Presentation, 2001

Presenter: Sabrina Frith
recorder: Michelle Jones LITR 4632
6/18/01

Project Genesis

Film: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, directed by Nicholas Meyer, 1982.

Objectives:
1. To identify, describe, and criticize the narratives or stories humans tell about the future: B. Evolutionary

3. Is the future "written" or "being written"?

Summary of Scene:
Set in the 23rd century, Admiral Kirk, Captain Spock, and Dr. McCoy are watching a proposal for Project Genesis, which is as it sounds, life from nothingness.  The scene also includes a subsequent discussion following the viewing of the proposal that deals with the possible use of the device as a means to destroy living things.

Sources:
"Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" directed by Nicholas Meyer, 1982.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/cloning.htm

This included a quote from Richard Nicholson who says that cloning is "Sowing the seeds of our destruction." The site also includes religious, moral, and factual information about cloning.

Parker, Thomas. A View of Apocalypse. Student Presentation, Literature of the Future, 2001.

http://www.uhcl.edu/itc/course/LITR/LITRFUTR/pn1park.htm

This included a paragraph of information that I felt was relevant to the presentation.

http://www.worldbook.com/fun/bth/cloning/html/ethics.html#4s

This included a list of pros and cons of cloning.  The site also has basic cloning information and moral and ethical viewpoints of cloning as well as in-depth paragraphs for and against cloning.

Questions:
1) What are the moral and ethical implications of a project such as Project Genesis, and do you believe a project like this could possibly happen in the future?
2) Do you see the future I played as being evolutionary because it is being written or do you see it as being apocalyptic because of the possible destruction it could cause?

Presentation Discussion Summary

After the video clip, I talked a little more about the movie and cloning. When we went to discussion, Val was the first one to speak.  She said that space exploration is the beginning but can we foretell the future as in The Time Machine.

After a brief comment, from me, about the movie and overcrowding of our world and the lack of food, Glenn spoke up.  He referred to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Armageddon aspect.  We have the power to destroy ourselves and we have yet to use that power to do so.  If an event like Project Genesis came about, we would be in the same situation.  


When the conversation moved to cloning, Elizabeth talked about genetics and Baylor University.  She also brought about the point do we clone an entire body or just a diseased part?  While still on this topic, Dr. White mentioned how closely the words genesis and genetics resemble each other.  Dr. White also pointed out Spock saying it is "literally Genesis" and how Bones referred to the creation of Earth as a myth.  Michelle G. also liked that Bones referred to the creation as a myth.


With the discussion back on the movie, Val pointed out that a planet may have had its own life form destroyed by the project.  At this point Terry brought up the issue of genetic demise.  Dr. White and I both mentioned that Carol designed this project for dead worlds with absolutely no life on them.  Val also mentioned that the shape of the project looked resembled a bomb.  On the discussion of Khan, Dr. White referred to the Nietzschean Philosophy of evolutionary power and "superman".  Dr. White closes out the discussion with the idea that, according to the Bible, Genesis took 6 days. In attempting to justify Creationism, many will say that 6 days means 6 "eons," but Project Genesis reverses that expansion by taking only microseconds.