WAR: a taste of Armageddon

[the iron horse]

"A Taste of Armageddon" s an episode from the original "Star Trek" series.
I have always view the story as somewhat of an allegory to our times.

The story is set in the 23rd century. The Enterprise has been sent on a mission to establish diplomatic ties to a planet called Eminiar 7. Kirk and Spock soon learn that its inhabitants have been at war with a neighboring planet for 500 years.

The Enterprise landing crew are puzzled because they do not see any damage or destruction. As the story develops they soon find that the war being fought with computers. During the war stimulation causalities are shown and tabulated victims voluntarily surrender themselves to be killed in disintegration chambers.

Kirk and Spock are amazed at how these people so willingly sacrifice their lives to maintain a sense of order and an appearance of peace.

In the ending, Spock destroys the planet's computers to end it. The leaders of the planet are shocked. They accuse Kirk and Spock of ending something that has helped them to manage war. By sacrificing a few citizens they claim it has made the whole of their society function smoothly.

Kirk counters and charges them with making war to neat and clean. They have attempted to sanitize it. He's attempting to show them the real dread and horror of war.

Real war is a messy and dirty business. If done, it should be quick and over. It is so horrific that we should do all we can to avoid it.

The Western world has been under the threat of terrorist going back 50 years or so. Every year, in many countries, it has incrementally increased in attacks and casualties. It is never out of the news cycle. Calls for peace have been ringing for decades.

Some Western countries have been engage in a "war" for over ten years. The war has been fought by the West using strict rules of engagement and extreme effort to limit civilian casualties.

It is a war that has not sustained any lasting peace. The threat only seems to increasing more.

I don't know that answers to all this.

I just know that as a kid, I could only take so much from a bully and then it was time to punch back harder and end it.

What do you think?

[AEON]

Originally Posted by the iron horse

and then it was time to punch back harder and end it.

What do you think?

I think the problem is that the resulting "embers" from a devastating attack will spread and start new fires - resulting in a Hydra-like situation.

However, keeping these extremists from forming/owning an actual state is critical to "containing" them.

[BVS]

Originally Posted by the iron horse

I just know that as a kid, I could only take so much from a bully and then it was time to punch back harder and end it.



What do you think?

But we're not kids. And what if they can take your harder punch and retaliate with even more fury? Or that punch now invites all of his friends to gang up on you?


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[The Sad Punk]

If you think Star Trek is the most politically insightful sci-fi series of our times, boy, then you've got another thing coming.

[Irvine511]

everyone knows it's Battlestar Galactica.

[the iron horse]

Originally Posted by The Sad Punk

If you think Star Trek is the most politically insightful sci-fi series of our times, boy, then you've got another thing coming.

Did I say that?

Did you not see anything in the story?

[BVS]

Originally Posted by the iron horse

Did I say that?



Did you not see anything in the story?

IH,

That post had nothing to do with you. It's an inside joke referencing another poster. Maybe you don't remember his threads, it was a few years ago.


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[the iron horse]

Originally Posted by BVS

IH,

That post had nothing to do with you. It's an inside joke referencing another poster. Maybe you don't remember his threads, it was a few years ago.


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Sorry if I made a mistake. I missed the joke.

[U2DMfan]

Originally Posted by the iron horse

I just know that as a kid, I could only take so much from a bully and then it was time to punch back harder and end it.

What do you think?

Bullies are usually just people that had shitty upbringings. They have esteem issues or whatever...in the end, you can almost always reason with the bully. Yeah, maybe that 'reasoning' begins with punching back but it can happen.

You can't reason with someone that believes with every fiber of their being that they are doing God's work.

P.S.
Sad Punk...one of the better jokes I've seen here recently. Nice one.

[deep]

Originally Posted by the iron horse

Sorry if I made a mistake. I missed the joke.

I don't know if you have a Netflix account
if you do you really should give Battlestar Galactica try, it is really good.
As a kid I watch StarTrek, BSG is much, much better.

[AEON]

Originally Posted by deep

BSG is much, much better.

So say we all