The Second Amendment and Future of 3D Printing
The following dialogue below took place on Star Trek: Voyager, on episode 7, season 1, titled “Eye of the Needle.” It was between Kathryn Janeway (Captain of the U.S.S. Voyager) and Kes (Voyager’s Medical Assistant), of which they discuss the philosophical understanding of sentience and its application to that of their holographic medical physician known simply as the Doctor.
Star Trek Episode Summary
A micro-wormhole is discovered that leads to the Alpha Quadrant, and the crew make contact with a Romulan ship on the other side. [wiki]
Directed by: Winrich Kolbe
Medical Assistant Kes: “If there were a member of the crew whose needs weren’t being met, would you want to know about it?”
Captain Kathryn Janeway: “Of course. Kes, do you and Neelix feel that your needs are being ignored?”
Kes: “Of course not. We’re very happy here. I’m referring to the Doctor.”
Janeway: “The Doctor.”
Kes: “I don’t understand why people treat him the way they do.”
Janeway: “How do people treat him?”
Kes: “As though he doesn’t exist. They talk about him while he’s standing right there. They ignore him, they insult him.”
Janeway: “Well, as a matter of fact, I’ve been hearing the other side of the coin. Many of the crew have complained that the Doctor is brusque, even rude – that he lacks any bedside manner. We’ve been talking about reprogramming him.”
Kes: “You can do that? It doesn’t seem right.”
Janeway: “Kes, he’s only a hologram.”
Kes: “He’s your medical officer. He’s alive.”
Janeway: “No, he’s not.”
Kes: “He’s self-aware, he’s communicative. He has the ability to learn.”
Janeway: “Because he’s been programmed to do that.”
Kes: “So, because he’s a hologram, he doesn’t have to be treated with respect or any consideration at all?”
Janeway: “Very well. I’ll look into it.”
Kes: “Thank you, Captain.”
([easyazon_link identifier=”B00062IDDS” locale=”US” nw=”y” tag=”seriou03-20″]Star Trek: Voyager[/easyazon_link] s01e07 – “Eye of the Needle”)
Photo Credit: Star Trek: Voyager
About the author
B.J. Murphy is the Editor and Social Media Manager of Serious Wonder. He is a futurist, philosopher, activist, author and poet. B.J. is an Affiliate Scholar for the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) and an Ambassador for the robotics company Humai.
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