Mutane sun saba da fina-finan yamma na TV duk fari. Sai Star Trek ya zo ya nuna duniya inda mutane suke samun matsayinsu bisa iyawa. Akwai Uhura, mace Ba-Amurke wadda Nichelle Nichols ta buga, tana kula da sadarwa da natsuwa da iko—ta kusan barin aiki bayan kakar farko, amma Martin Luther King Jr. ya shawo kanta ta zauna. Akwai Sulu, wanda George Takei ya buga, yana tuka babban jirgin shekaru ashirin kacal bayan an daure Amurkawan Japan a sansanonin tsarewa. Kuma akwai Mr. Spock, baƙo mataimakin kwamanda wanda Leonard Nimoy ya buga, wanda Altman ya kwatanta da "baƙi na ƙarshe."
Altman ya kuma lura cewa wannan bambancin bai iyakance ga manyan ma'aikatan jirgin ba. Ya nuna cewa baƙon da ke fitowa a shirye-shiryen ma sun bambanta. A wani shiri, Kyaftin Kirk yana karɓar umarni daga babban nasa, Commodore Stone, wanda marigayi Percy Rodriguez ya buga. Tun kafin Colin Powell ya riƙe babban mukami, Kirk yana amsa wa shugaba Ba-Amurke. Irin wannan abu yana da muhimmanci.
Shirin na asali ya fara daga 1966 zuwa 1969, daidai a tsakiyar Yaƙin Vietnam, tashin hankalin launin fata, da kashe John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., da Robert F. Kennedy. Bayan haka sai jerin shirye-shiryen zane da fina-finai suka zo, sai The Next Generation (1987–1994) tare da Patrick Stewart a matsayin Kyaftin Jean-Luc Picard, Deep Space Nine (1993–1999), Voyager (1995–2001), da wasu shirye-shirye da yawa bayan haka.
Altman yana ganin Kirk a matsayin wakilin John F. Kennedy—matashin shugaban da ya yi alkawarin sa mutum a wata kafin ƙarshen shekarun goma. "Ƙarshen iyaka shine Sabon Iyaka," in ji shi. "Kirk ya kasance mai sassaucin ra'ayi irin na Kennedy. Yana ci gaba a al'amuran zamantakewa amma ya fi tsauri a tsaro. Ya fi zama mai matsakaicin ra'ayi na gargajiya fiye da abin da muke gani da masu ra'ayin gurguzu na dimokuradiyya a yau. Tsarin cancanta ne—kowa yana farawa daga layi ɗaya, amma sai ya shafi basirarka da abin da za ka iya."
Amma The Next Generation, in ji Altman, yana nuna hangen nesa na George H.W. Bush: gina yarjejeniya da ƙarfafa ƙananan ƙoƙari da yawa. "Kirk yana da magana: 'Lokacin da wannan ya zama dimokuradiyya, zan sanar da ku.' Picard ya fi zama mai gina yarjejeniya wanda ke yin tarurruka da yawa don samun ra'ayin kowa. Wannan ya fi zama abin H.W. Bush."
Ya ƙara da cewa wannan tsari ya shafi yawancin shirye-shiryen Star Trek, waɗanda a fili yanayin zamaninsu ya tsara su, ko da ba kai tsaye daga shugaban ƙasa ba. "Deep Space Nine an sake rubuta shi sosai bayan tarzomar Los Angeles da dukan Rodney King. Ya kasance game da sake ginawa da tambaya, ba za mu iya zama tare cikin lumana ba? Yana da ɗaya daga cikin manyan maganganun Star Trek: 'Abu ne mai sauƙi ka zama mutumin kirki a aljanna.' A kan jirgin sama inda komai yake lafiya, tabbas, yana da sauƙi. Amma a tashar, akwai ƙarin gwagwarmaya da rikici."
Shirin na baya-bayan nan, Starfleet Academy, ya fito da wadda ta lashe Oscar Holly Hunter a matsayin kyaftin da shugabar jami'a, tare da Paul Giamatti a matsayin babban mugu. Yana da mafi girma kuma mafi tsada wurin shiryawa a tarihin kamfanin. An saita shi a nan gaba mai nisa inda matasa ɗalibai ke sake gina Ƙungiyar bayan wani bala'i mai muni, an yi shi ne a matsayin labari game da sabunta cibiyoyi.
Amma bayan Paramount ya haɗu da Skydance—wanda David Ellison ke jagoranta, wanda mahaifinsa Larry abokin Trump ne—an soke Starfleet Academy, kuma kakar sa ta biyu mai zuwa za ta zama ta ƙarshe. Hamshakin attajirin fasaha Elon Musk ya shiga cikin guguwar sukar MAGA a kan shirin, yana zarginsa da "woke" fiye da kima.
Altman ya yi kakkausar suka ga wannan martani na dama. "Yaya za ka soki Starfleet Academy don ya bambanta sosai? Wannan baƙar magana ce gaba ɗaya, musamman idan kana da'awar cewa kai mai son Star Trek ne. Dole ka fahimci cewa bambancin yana cikin ainihin jigon Star Trek. Bambancin ƙarfi ne." Wannan abu ne da ake yabawa a matsayin alaƙa gama gari a duk jerin shirye-shiryen Star Trek. Shirye-shiryen na iya bambanta sosai, amma abu ɗaya da bai taɓa canzawa ba tun 8 ga Satumba 1966 shi ne imanin cewa bambancin yana ƙarfafa waɗannan ma'aikatan. Idan dukansu iri ɗaya ne, ba za su iya magance ƙalubalen da suke fuskanta a sararin samaniya da kyau ba.
Tsohon ɗan wasa Robert Picardo yana da wannan ra'ayi. Ya shafe shekaru bakwai yana buga Emergency Medical Hologram na Voyager kuma daga baya ya sake buga rawar a Starfleet Academy. Yana magana ta waya, mai shekaru 72 bai ɓoye ba: "Mu fuskance shi: lokacin da wani mai matsayi haka a gwamnati da kuma Elon Musk suka yi ta suka a rana ɗaya, ina ganin daidaituwa ce cewa sabbin masu mallakar Paramount suka soke shirinmu a farkon damar da suka samu? Ba mu sami dama ta gaskiya ba. An kashe mu tun muna jariri."
Picardo ya ƙara: "Eh, akwai gaskiyar cewa muna da ɗan Klingon ɗan luwaɗi. Shin mutane da yawa sun firgita da hakan? Ra'ayina shi ne, ka daina! Akwai wani yunkuri na mayar da mu zuwa shekarun 1950. Star Trek gaba ɗaya game da gaba ne, ba game da komawa baya ba."
A cikin wannan yanayi, ƙimar asali na Star Trek—kimiyya, bambancin, da haɗa kai—za a haɗa su da abin da ake kai hari. Wasu mutane suna tambaya, shin kana jin cewa siyasar yanzu tana da alaƙa da sokewar ku? Idan mun kamu da cutar da Stephen Colbert da 'yancin edita na CBS 60 Minutes suka kamu, to muna cikin kyakkyawan rukuni.
Idan siyasar zamantakewar Star Trek ta wuce zamaninta, shigarsa da kimiyya da fasaha sau da yawa tana da ban mamaki daidai. Shekaru da yawa kafin wayoyi masu hankali, allunan, ƙofofin atomatik, da mataimakan dijital na murya, Enterprise tana amfani da na'urorin nuna bayanai na sirri, masu sadarwa, da kwamfutoci masu magana. Amma ya kuma yi tambaya game da ɗabi'ar ƙirƙira.
Ga Picardo, wanda ya shafe shekaru bakwai yana buga likitan hologram mai magance tambayoyin sani da haƙƙin ɗan adam a Voyager, muhawarar yau game da bunƙasar AI na Silicon Valley yana jin kamar abin da ya saba. "Fashewar fasaha da saurin da take faruwa abu ne da babu wanda zai iya hasashen."
"Kayan aiki ne mai amfani, amma ya tayar da batutuwa iri-iri. Mun yi shirye-shirye a kan Star Trek inda halina ya rubuta littafi, sannan akwai tambayar ko wani hankali na wucin gadi zai iya samun haƙƙin mallakar fasaha. Mun rufe dukan batun ko AI na iya samun ra'ayi na asali ko kuma yana iya haɗa ra'ayoyin ɗan adam da aka tsince daga intanet, daga duk abin da aka taɓa rubuta."
Shekaru sittin bayan haka, imanin Star Trek game da Ƙungiyar Duniyoyin da ta wuce son zuciya, wariyar launin fata, da kishin ƙasa yana jin kamar bai dace ba a zamanin da Trump ya ɗaukaka "Amurka ta farko," ya wulakanta Majalisar Ɗinkin Duniya, ya kuma raina ra'ayin tausayi. Shirin, wanda makomarsa ba ta tabbata ba yayin da sabbin masu mallakar Paramount ke mai da hankali kan shirin siyan Warner Bros na dala biliyan 110, yana ba da hangen nesa na aljanna a zamanin wahala.
Picardo ya lura: "Bayan 9/11, yawancin almara na kimiyya sun zama masu ban tsoro. An saita su a cikin wani mummuna nan gaba tare da ƴan tsiraru masu tsira, kuma Star Trek akasin haka ne. Amma a gare ni, mafi girman barnar da aka yi a siyasar yanzu ita ce lalata ra'ayin gaskiya, ko cewa akwai wani abu da ake kira hujja, da cewa kalmominmu suna da muhimmanci. Ina damuwa game da rayuwar Star Trek a duniya bayan gaskiya, bayan karatu."
