Star Trek’s Influence on Tech, Prosthetics, and Alien Research

Thank you for joining us to celebrate the science of Star Trek. I'm Jimmy Gallaer, a long-term science and Star Trek fan, and I'm excited to share my passion with you. Tonight, we'll explore how real-life science has inspired the show and how the show has, in turn, inspired real-life scientists.

Why Star Trek Endures After 60 Years

Star Trek has lasted for 60 years, unlike many other shows that have been forgotten. I believe its longevity comes down to three main factors:

1. It created a new future: Star Trek envisioned a future where humanity had overcome internal conflicts, poverty, and most diseases. This hopeful vision of what could be if we stopped fighting each other is still inspiring today.
2. Characters learning to be human: In every series, there's a character like Seven of Nine, Data, or Spock, who is on a journey to understand what it means to be human. Viewers often identify with these characters as they navigate new feelings and worlds.
3. Clever use of science fiction: Star Trek has never shied away from exploring difficult societal topics through a science fiction lens. It brought important social issues into people's homes, presenting them in thought-provoking ways.

With 12 different series and 14 films, Star Trek has become a family tradition for many, connecting generations of viewers.

Star Trek's Scientific Predictions and Inspirations

Star Trek's vision of the future has often mirrored real-world technological advancements:

• Pad-like devices: The show imagined portable devices for information, similar to modern tablets.
• Non-invasive scanning: It depicted advanced medical scanning technologies.
• Bluetooth headphones: Surprisingly, it even anticipated wireless earpieces.
• Video calls: Star Trek showcased video communication, akin to today's Zoom calls.
• AI concerns: It explored the potential for AI to threaten ships or even humanity, a topic still relevant today.

Beyond predictions, Star Trek has directly inspired real-world innovations:

• The mobile phone: Martin Cooper, the inventor of the first mobile phone, cited Captain Kirk's communicator as an inspiration.
• Space Shuttle Enterprise: A fan letter-writing campaign led NASA to name its first Space Shuttle orbiter "Enterprise," a testament to the show's cultural impact, even though it never flew to space.

Michelle Nichols: A Trailblazer On and Off Screen

Michelle Nichols, who played Uhura, was a phenomenal woman who broke ground both on and off the show. She was part of the first high-profile interracial kiss on American television. After the original series, encouraged by Martin Luther King Jr. to stay on the show as a powerful Black woman, she continued her mission of inspiration by working with NASA. Her efforts were instrumental in recruiting the first Black man and the first woman to be sent to space. This came full circle when Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space, later appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation, highlighting the show's profound influence on scientists.

Even my own doctoral thesis in chemistry began with the credit, "Thanks, Star Trek. This is all your fault." And if that's not enough, in 1986, Star Trek traveled back to 1986 to save endangered humpback whales, which are now no longer endangered. Star Trek imagined a hopeful future, taught us what it meant to be human, and even saved the whales!

The Science of Prosthetics and Makeup in Star Trek

Leah Sci-Fi, a senior fellow teaching prosthetics, hair, and makeup for TV and film, discussed the evolution of prosthetic materials in Star Trek. Prosthetic artists consider themselves scientists, mixing chemicals to achieve realistic, skin-safe, and paintable effects that move with an actor's face.

Foam Latex (1960s - 2009)

• Pros:
  • Porous, light, and moves well.
  • Reusable (if removed correctly), making it budget-friendly.
  • Inexpensive material.
• Cons:
  • Absorbent: Takes in sweat, making the prosthetic look lumpy or warped.
  • Long, complex manufacturing process: Requires baking and can go wrong; shrinks during drying.
  • Opaque: Difficult to make look like real skin.
  • Smells bad.

Silicone (2009 - Present)

• Pros:
  • Translucency: Can be intrinsically colored to mimic the look of real skin (e.g., blood tone behind the ear).
  • Flexible: Can be used anywhere on the body and moves with the actor.
  • Holds texture well.
  • Can be seamlessly blended into the skin using encapsulated plastics.
• Cons:
  • Expensive.
  • Heavy: Large prosthetics can sag.
  • Not reusable.
  • Traps moisture: Can cause "sweat balloons" if not sealed properly.

The shift from foam latex to silicone was driven by the advent of 4K HD cameras, which revealed every crease and blended edge. Makeup artists needed materials and skills that could evolve to create the translucency required for realistic skin on screen.

The Future of Prosthetics

Despite advancements, silicone still presents challenges. It's a shiny material that reflects light, and while individual hairs can be punched in, achieving the natural "peach fuzz" of human skin remains elusive. The goal of prosthetics is to create one of the most complicated materials on Earth: skin. Star Trek's mission to make the impossible look possible is mirrored in the work of prosthetic departments.

Astrobiology and Alien Life in Star Trek

Joby Razel Horse, an astrobiologist working on NASA's Perseverance Mars rover mission, discussed how Star Trek has shaped our imagination of alien life.

What is Astrobiology?

Astrobiology is the study of life across the universe, asking fundamental questions:

• What conditions are needed for life to evolve?
• What ingredients can life be made from?
• What forms can life take?

Astrobiologists extrapolate lessons from Earth's life patterns to other worlds.

The Perseverance Mars Rover Mission

The Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars in 2021, has been exploring Jezero Crater for evidence of past life. Joby's role involves mission operations and data analysis.

Alien Morphology in Star Trek

Star Trek often depicts aliens as bipedal humanoids with minor modifications, largely due to practical reasons like budget and prosthetics. However, as special effects improved, so did the variety of alien portrayals.

Some of the most interesting stories feature truly alien life forms, like the Horta from the original series. This silicon-based life form, resembling a pile of rocks, was initially seen as a threat but was later understood to be a sentient creature defending its eggs. This story highlights Star Trek's theme of resolving conflict through communication, empathy, and embracing diversity.

Biosignatures: The Real-World "Life Signs"

Star Trek's "life signs" are ubiquitous, but in reality, astrobiologists look for biosignatures – fundamentally unique indicators of living things. Chemical biosignatures, the molecular building blocks of life, are of particular interest.

Life on Earth relies on chemistry, requiring:

1. A solvent: Water is used by all Earth life.
2. Energy: Sunlight (for plants) or chemical energy (for humans).
3. Complex molecules: Organic (carbon-based) molecules like proteins and DNA for structure, reactions, and genetic information.

The Problem with DNA in Star Trek

All DNA on Earth shares the same double helix structure and base pairs (A, C, G, T). However, there's no reason all life in the universe should use the same code or even DNA at all. Other complex molecules could serve the same purpose.

Star Trek largely ignores this, with most species having DNA, and many even being able to interbreed (e.g., Spock). The in-universe explanation is that an ancient species of "progenitors" seeded the galaxy with humanoid DNA. In reality, life is expected to be incredibly varied, and we cannot assume a common ancestor for all life in the universe. Biosignatures must be complex enough not to occur spontaneously and have a clear biological function.

Detecting Biosignatures: The Ladder of Life Detection

To avoid false claims of alien life, scientists follow a rigorous process:

1. Detect a possible signal.
2. Prove it's not contamination.
3. Rule out non-biological sources.
4. Measure it a second time (ensure it's not a fluke).
5. Get analysis verified by an independent person.

Only after these steps can alien life be conclusively declared.

The Search for Life on Mars

Mars is a prime candidate for finding alien biosignatures. While currently cold, dry, and airless, early Mars was hot, hazy, and covered in liquid water, as evidenced by river channels, deltas, and clay deposits. For about a billion years, similar to the time it took for simple life to evolve on Earth, Mars could have supported life.

Missions since the 1970s have sought biosignatures. Perseverance, with instruments like Sherlock, looks for minerals and organic molecules associated with habitability. It can also collect samples for future return to Earth, though this mission is currently on hold.

Perseverance's Discoveries

In 2024, Perseverance found "Chayava Falls," a rock with exciting features:

• Sulfate minerals: Indicate the rock was immersed in liquid water.
• Leopard spots: Contain iron compounds, suggesting chemical reactions that life could use for energy.
• Organics: Sherlock detected organic molecules, but it's unclear if they are biological or non-biological.

Currently, we are only on the first or second rung of the ladder of life detection for these findings. Returning these samples to Earth for detailed lab analysis is crucial.

Star Trek teaches us to be open-minded in our search for alien life, recognizing that it will likely take many unusual forms. As the Vulcans say, "Infinite diversity in infinite combinations."

How Aliens Might Find Us

Dr. Alfredo Cabinet, an astrophysicist and science journalist, discussed how aliens might detect Earth.

Earth is Radio Loud

Contrary to the idea of Earth being a "backwater planet," we are "radio loud." While powerful TV signals are no longer sent into space due to efficiency concerns (capitalism), other signals can reach into the galaxy.

The Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO)

The SKAO, a phenomenal observatory being built in South Africa and Australia, will have its first light next year. If an alien civilization had a similar instrument, they could detect intelligent life on Earth up to 10 light-years away. This isn't quite enough to reach Vulcan (40 Eridani, 16.4 light-years away), which would require a slightly better SKAO.

Airport Radar Signals

Airport radar signals are incredibly loud and peculiar. Because airports are globally distributed and the Earth rotates, a civilization 200 light-years away could detect these signals. They could even measure Earth's 24-hour rotation and potentially discern continents based on the signal patterns. Vulcans, at 16 light-years, would definitely know we're here using airport radars for navigation. Even Klingons on Kronos would eventually detect us.

While we haven't found alien life yet, the development of sophisticated instruments like the SKAO will soon allow us to detect artificial signals that would be clear evidence of intelligent life.

Star Trek and the Periodic Table

Jimmy Gallaer returned to discuss Star Trek's relationship with the periodic table, a subject close to the Royal Institution, which has discovered or isolated 10 elements.

The Genius of the Periodic Table

The periodic table organizes 118 elements not just by the number of protons but also by their chemical behavior. Dmitri Mendeleev's genius was in leaving gaps for undiscovered elements and considering how elements behave, not just their weight. This allows for a logical classification where elements with similar properties are grouped.

Star Trek's Periodic Table Inaccuracies

Star Trek often features periodic tables on screen, but they are frequently inaccurate:

• "Beyond the Stars" (1953): Shows Copernicium, discovered in 1996, an anachronism.
• "Rascals" (Deep Space 9): Features a table with fewer elements than expected and includes nonsense elements like "Daffy Duckium" and "Potato Prince," failing to recognize the scrutiny of Star Trek fans.

Elements in Star Trek: Hits and Misses

• Silicon-based life (Horta, Silicon Entity): Star Trek got this right. Silicon, like carbon, can form four bonds, allowing for complex structures. The Horta's ability to use strong acids also makes sense, as silicon-based life might thrive in environments like sulfuric acid, avoiding water and air that would crystallize silicon-oxygen compounds.
• Hydrogen (Tiana Troy's visions): In an episode, Tiana Troy receives cryptic messages related to elements. Communicating using electron and proton configurations of the periodic table is a scientifically sound way to communicate with alien species, as elements are constant throughout the universe. "Eyes in the dark, one moon circles" is a clever way to refer to hydrogen.
• Dithium, Trilithium, Paralythium, Civillithium: This is where Star Trek's science goes awry.
  • Dithium: While two lithium atoms joined together (Li2) can exist as a gas-phase molecule, it is not a crystal or a distinct element.
  • Trilithium, Paralythium, Civillithium: These are entirely fictional and chemically nonsensical as elements.

Despite its complex relationship with scientific accuracy regarding elements, Star Trek is forgiven for its sins because it is, after all, Star Trek.