The Manifestation of Manichaeism in Star Trek’s Nanotechnology
Victor Grech, "The Manifestation of Manichaeism in Star Trek’s Nanotechnology," SFRA Review #323 (Winter 2018): pp. 8-13.[1]
Defines "nanotechnology" as "the study, creation and utilisation of structures ranging in size between 1 nanometer and 100 nanometers" and notes that in the Star Trek galaxy it is used by both the Federation and the Federation's most dangerous enemy, the Borg. Asserts that the article "will demonstrate that the utilisation of nanotechnology by these two Star Trek groupings reveals the Manichean nature of the struggle between the benevolent Federation and the hegemonic Borg" (p. 8), i.e., a dualistic struggle between cosmic good vs. evil.[2]
On the side of the Federation, nanites are
'Tiny machines built from the atom up. Designed to have exposure only to the inside of nucleii during cellular surgeries. Until then, they are kept tightly confined in a non- functioning state' [...]. They are effectively ‘little tiny robots with gigabytes of mechanical computer memory. They’re designed to enter living cells and conduct repairs [...]’ (Frakes, First Contact).
Grech defines The Borg, and notes that "The Borg are cyborg drones ruled by a Borg Queen in a hive[3] hierarchical structure. The forcible assimilation of an individual into the Borg Collective," destroying individuality." "The Borg were originally purely biological beings, who ‘evolved to include the synthetic. Now [...] use both to attain perfection’ (Frakes, First Contact), a process that has been ‘developing for [...] thousands of centuries’ (Bowman, “Q Who”). They ‘constitute a relentless inhuman tide that threatens to violently overwhelm every species by assimilating all individual beings into the Borg collective, stifling their élan vital ["life-force"] and incorporating them as part of a hive mind’ [...]).
For the movement from organic creature to killer machine, cf. the Daleks of DR. WHO AND THE DALEKS.
Among the technologies the Borg have assimilated (along with people [sic] of various species), nanotech is
central to the assimilation process whereby individuals are integrated into the Collective. Individuals inducted into the collective develop ‘assimilation tubules’ in their hands in order to assimilate new members [...]. These injection tubules are the first step in the Borg assimilation process. Once inside the skin, they release a series of nanoprobes into the bloodstream. [...] The tubules are capable of penetrating any known alloy or energy field. Which means our battle must be waged inside the body itself. (p. 9).
Grech goes on to give a very brief but useful quick introduction to the development of nanotechnology and then to use its use in Star Trek to show the Manichaean structure of Federation vs. Borg.
Manichaeism is ubiquitous in Star Trek, manifest [...] as a binary structural opposition between good and evil. Cyborgs and androids have been shown to directly manifest Manichean tensions, as was demonstrated in an earlier article [...], which analysed the struggle between the Enterprise’s android second officer, Data who wished to become human, in effect manifesting a Pinocchio syndrome, and the Borg Queen who [epitomizes] the “prosthetic impulse” (Smith and Morra 4 [The Prosthetic Impulse, 2006]). ‘The Borg contain biological components, and Data does not. It is almost ironic that Data, a completely artificial being, repudiates the Borg’s ideal of perfection through the fusion of the biological and mechanical’ (Grech, “Pinocchio” [NY Rev. of SF 25.6: 20-23, p.] 13).
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Filmography for the article:
“Evolution.” Star Trek: The Next Generation (ST:NG). September 1989.
"Regeneration.” Star Trek: Enterprise. May 2003.
"Q Who." ST:NG. May 1989.
“Scorpion.” Star Trek: Voyager. May 1997.
"Inside Man." Star Trek: Voyager. November 2000.
“One.” Star Trek: Voyager. May 1998.
"Dark Frontier," Pt. 1. Star Trek: Voyager. February 1999.
"Warhead." Star Trek: Voyager. May 1999.
"Mortal Coil." Star Trek: Voyager. December 1997.
"Someone to Watch Over Me." Star Trek: Voyager. April 1999.
"The Best of Both Worlds," Pt. 2. ST:NG. September 1990.
"Whom Gods Destroy." Star Trek Original series. January 1969.
"Let That Be Your Last Battlefield.” Star Trek: The Original Series. January 1969.
(pp. 12-13)
RDE, finishing, 9Oct21f.