X-Message-Number: 144
From att!saqqara.cis.ohio-state.edu!compuserve.com!72320.1642 Thu Nov 30
02:53:01 1989
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id AA27996; Thu, 30 Nov 89 02:52:55 -0500
Date: 30 Nov 89 02:06:03 EST
From: Steve Bridge <>
To: KEVIN <>
Subject: Space, Star Trek, and Cryonics
Message-Id: <"891130070602 72320.1642 EHI21-3"@CompuServe.COM>
To: KEVIN and the cryonet
11-29-89
This past weekend I gave two cryonics slide-talks at a large Star Trek
Conference here in Indianapolis. There were about 500 people at the con;
about 200 heard the lectures, I would guess. The reaction was pretty good;
I even got some friendly applause afterwards. I think cryonics has been
"legitimized" in the Trekker world since a program featuring the rescue of
three frozen humans appeared on "Star Trek: the Next Generation." (The
episode was called "The Neutral Zone" and was the final episode of the 1st
season. ST:NG is now in its 3rd season.) I started off with a video clip
from the show, pointed out a few misunderstandings the scriptwriter had, and
then went on into my basic talk.
Also, nanotechnology has been used on the show this year, in an episode
called "Evolution," shown the weekend of October 1st. Young Wesley Crusher
was doing an advanced homework project in nanotechnology, seeing if he could
get two dissimilar nanomachines (or "nanites," as they called them on the
show) to cooperate in problem solving. Apparently these two nanites really
developed a partnership, since, when Wesley fell asleep at his desk with the
top left off the nano-box, the two little dickens jumped into the ship's
computer system and created all sorts of plot-motivating havoc. They
proceeded to evolve rapidly, creating umpteen billion offspring, self-
awareness, and language before the scriptwriters could wrestle them to the
metaphorical carpet.
Aside from the plot silliness and illogic here, the basic definition of
nanotechnology was given and some slight insight was given to millions of
people that such an idea exists. This was probably the largest single
exposure the idea has ever had. It won't get people to understand that the
idea of nanotechnology is real NOW; but it may set many of them up to better
appreciate the concept when they see it again (as when I used it in my talk
or when they saw the Time Magazine "Tiny robots" article two weeks ago).
It had been a while since I attended a Trek-con. While there are still
the usual crazed fans with no outside life, I was surprised to notice how
many space types ("outer", that is, not "between the ears") were there. The
"Second Generation" and the films have perhaps made it more acceptable to be
seen at such an event. Besides the guest star appearances and fannish
activities, science lectures during the weekend featured "Whales at the
Indianapolis Zoo," two talks by Butch Head (he was a close friend of Gus
Grissom's and is a kind of NASA historian) on the Space Shuttle and the new
Space Station, Randy Porter on the "Soviet Space Program," and Dan Goins on
"the Voyager Program."
Randy Porter, a friend of Mike Darwin's and mine for years, suggested
to me that we need to write an article on the potential for cryonics uses in
the space program for the NSS newsletter ("Ad Astra?"). My space knowledge
is too weak for this; but I have passed the suggestion on to another more
qualified writer. Such an article would be especially useful this year,
since Alcor will have a major presence at the National Space Conference at
Anaheim in May (including me, I think).
Randy suggested that there were several other possibilites for this
besides the two usually used by SF writers and in films over the years:
suspended animation for long voyages and frozen embryos for production of
colonists on new planets. He also suggested:
1. Frozen embryos or plant products for food production in
colonization or just for meat for the astronauts on those years-long voyages
to Mars, etc.
2. Frozen body parts, including skin, for transplant in medical
emergencies.
3. Actual cryonic rescue of terminally ill or injured astronauts for
the trip home.
If any of you have additional comments or ideas for this article,
please pass them on to me via the net, or directly to Steve Bridge at:
Overall, it is clear that the atmosphere for cryonics at SF cons is
improving over the years. Mike and I did our first SF-cryonics
presentations at NorthAmericon in 1977 (where we first met David Stodolsky,
by the way. Hi, David!). We were largely met with hostility, indifference,
or confusion. Experiences during the past three years, however, have been
mostly positive. Drexler's book has been a prime motivator in that change,
since so many SF writers have referred to it; and Stanley Schmidt,
influential editor of ANALOG magazine, editorialized that one could not be a
science fiction writer today without having read it. If you go to cons
regularly, ask Alcor or I for material to leave on the freebies tables. You
may have to pay for your own photocopying; but for many of us, it is worth
the small cost. Another great handout is the 4-page Q & A on nanotechnology
from the Foresight Institute (Drexler's organization). It was specifically
written to be reproduced by anyone who wants to.
Incidentally, Marina Sirtis, who plays Councilor Deanna Troi (the dark-
haired, exotic-looking woman) on the new Star Trek series, was one of the
guests at the recent Star Trek Convention. She is nothing like her
character on the show. The real Marina is British, hyperactive, wildly
funny and sharp-tongued, and even more beautiful in person than on
television. If she shows up at a convention you are attending, be sure to
catch her talk.
Steve Bridge
Indianapolis
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