In our first installment of the Star Trek series, we looked at the OG Star Trek from the late ’60s and its parallels to ransomware. In this second part, we advance twenty years, where the next installment of the franchise, Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), featured more advanced aliens, starships, and storylines to tell—including the foreshadowing effect of how artificial intelligence and machine learning would play a role in our future.
On board the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)—yes, the same name of the ship in the original Star Trek, just three ships and multiple decades later under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (played so eloquently for years by Sir Patrick Stewart)—comes new characters and species continuing to explore strange new worlds aboard the Federation flagship. Among those on board is Lieutenant Data (eventually progressing to the rank of Lt. Commander)—an android—the first in Starfleet.
So, having artificial intelligence and machine learning is a welcome occurrence both in the fictional 24th century aboard the Enterprise as well as in today’s world, right? Not exactly. In TNG, Data encounters problems being an android and trying to fit in around humans and other species throughout the course of the show and in the movies. But he also brings the sort of intangibles and skills that flesh and blood cannot in many instances, making him a valuable member of Picard’s crew.
Do we have androids serving as Operations officers on board any of our ships in 2022? No. At least not yet. But the precursor might be coming. The advancement of machine learning and artificial intelligence has boomed in the past decade. It’s also well documented how wrong this can potentially go if we aren’t careful in such Hollywood blockbusters as the Terminator movie series, with Skynet turning the machines on humans, or with I, Robot as artificial beings attempt to erase humanity, etc.
Many exciting advancements in this space have been unveiled over the past several years—from the advancement of smart technology such as Amazon’s Alexa or Google’s Assistant to smart appliances like thermostats and refrigerators all the way to self-driving automated vehicles.
The abundance of smart technology is not without skepticism of replacing human jobs, being tracked and listened to all the time, or breaching an individual’s privacy. But there is also good that stems from it—such as medical technology advancement, electric cars to help save the environment, and improved workplace safety.
Don’t think artificial intelligence and machine learning are long for this world? You might want to rethink that. In 2021, a whopping 83% of enterprises increased their budget for AI and ML from the previous year in a survey conducted by Algorithmia. And just recently, Google’s DeepMind released an AI system called Gato that borders on achieving human-level AI, so maybe android and robots roaming around with us isn’t as far off as we all think. Back in 2018, our own Hugh Thompson hosted Sophia, the robot, for a conversation at APJ to highlight artificial intelligence and the future outlook it has in the cybersecurity world.
The stories of TNG, along with the cast and crew, have stayed relevant for nearly 35 years after the television series premiered in 1987 with numerous movies, as well as the spinoff of Star Trek: Picard (more on that in the final blog of this seven-part series). But the writers have already hinted that next season will prominently feature several main cast members from TNG!
Note: This is part two of a seven-part series looking at the primary Star Trek franchise television series.
Part 1: To Boldly Go Where No One (or No Ransomware) Has Gone Before