Those interested in getting to know the turbulent political world of Star Trek, are invited to indulge and read the short and well-educated series of articles written by Moshe Goldman and based on a lecture delivered at the "Worlds 2005" conference
Moshe Goldman, ISF
Those interested in getting to know the turbulent political world of Star Trek, are invited to pamper themselves and read the short and well-educated series of articles written by Moshe Goldman and based on a lecture delivered at the "Worlds 2005" conference and entitled "The Development of the Political System in the Star Trek World in the Light of the Dominion War".
Beginning with the first season of the "Star Trek" franchise, and ending with its latest incarnations, social and political issues have been one of the main pillars of its range. In this framework, one of the main emphases is given to the field of international politics. The Klingons, the Romulans, the Cardassians and many other good races, have been used many times to deal with issues of war and peace, diplomacy, alliances and the Parthian and power politics.
The purpose of this article is twofold. First, the possibility of seeing the political behavior of the "Star Trek" powers through a theoretical framework will be offered here. In this context, the main argument will be that the behavior of the political powers in the universe created by Roddenberry does not correspond to the image of the utopian future that is usually attached to the "Star Trek" series. Rather, this article will try to illustrate how the pattern of their behavior corresponds precisely to the characteristics of the pessimistic school of thought in the study of international relations, "realism". In particular, the political system in the "Star Trek" world will be analyzed according to the "defensive realism" theory of the researcher Kenneth Waltz.
Second, this article will try to suggest a meaning to this pattern of behavior, as it appears in the various series. The main argument being made here is that, unlike many other literary and cinematic works, the enemies in the Star Trek universe are rarely outright evil. In fact, the identity of a race or political power as "good" or "bad" is usually determined by the state of its diplomatic relations with the Federation at a given moment. By moving races from the position of enemies to the position of allies, and back again, the various "Star Trek" creators encourage viewers to think about the state of international relations in our real world, and about the images with which humans tend to think of their enemies, whether or not justified.
Although, this pattern of the behavior of the powers fits, it seems, for every incarnation of "Star Trek". However, this article looks at the political history of the "Star Trek" world as one that begins in the days of the original series, and continues in a linear line until the peak reached in the days of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine". Therefore, reference will be made to international politics in the world of "Star Trek" as it is reflected in the original series and "Star Trek: The Next Generation", and a significant part of the discussion will be devoted to the role of "Deep Space Nine" (and the "Dominion War", in particular) in the description The political world of "Star Trek". "Star Trek: Voyager" as well as "Enterprise" will be left out of the discussion, due to their distance from the linear development axis of the first three series.
The science of international relations and the theory of "defensive realism"
(Reading this part is recommended in order to understand the theoretical background that will be used later in the article to analyze inter-power politics in the "Star Trek" world. However, it can be skipped without fear. In any case, don't panic! The rest of the article is much less "heavy").
The academic discipline of international relations aims to find patterns of legality in the world of international politics, and to formulate them with the help of theories. This academic field pretends to be scientific, but like other social sciences it is not an exact science. In practice, several schools of thought and research, or paradigms, have developed in this field. Each paradigm has a number of basic assumptions that are common to different theories associated with it.
One of the main paradigms in the field of international relations, for example, is the liberal paradigm. This is an "optimistic" paradigm. It assumes that countries can cooperate with each other for mutual benefit (which is not necessarily military). It also assumes that countries can reach, under certain conditions, a state of permanent peace, in which war will no longer be a possibility. In fact, one of the philosophical forefathers of this paradigm, Immanuel Kant, in his essay "The Eternal Peace" (1795), predicted that the countries of the world would be able to preserve world peace if they gradually united into a "federation of republics". If so, Roddenberry's "Federation of the Planets" can be seen, roughly speaking, as the fulfillment of Kant's liberal doctrine.
However, the theory that will be proposed here in order to provide an explanation for the political behavior of the "Star Trek" superpowers belongs precisely to an opposite main paradigm, "realism". This paradigm sees the world of international relations as being in a permanent "state of war". That is, even if countries are not, in practice, at war with each other, the possibility of war will always remain. Because of this, the various countries will put security issues at the top of their priorities. Alliances and peace agreements will be made and kept only for self-benefit, security.
One of the most important realist international relations researchers, Kenneth Waltz, developed a theory known as "defensive realism" which claims that the international system encourages countries to strive for a balance between their power and the power of other countries. Hence, the best way to maintain a state of non-combat for as long as possible is the existence of two blocs equal to each other in strength in the international system. Therefore, Waltz continues and comes to the conclusion that a bipolar system (in which two superpowers are more powerful than all other countries) will be more stable than a multipolar system (in which a number of superpowers are roughly equal to each other in strength).
Evidence, apparently, for the greater stability of a bipolar system compared to a multipolar system can be found in the history of the last two hundred years. In the Europe of the 19th century there was a multipolar system (which included the great powers Great Britain, France, Russia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Prussia-Germany and to a lesser extent the Ottoman Empire and Italy). This system required a constant balancing of alliances in order to maintain its stability. Although most of the 19th century was characterized by periods of peace or relatively limited wars, in the end this system came to a complete self-dissolution in the two world wars. In contrast, the bipolar system that existed during the days of the "Cold War" between the United States and the Soviet Union, remained stable and eventually passed away without a direct war between the superpowers.
The system of powers in the "Star Trek" universe
As in the Earth of the past centuries, in the Milky Way galaxy of the 23rd and 24th centuries there is at least one political system. The main powers throughout the history of Star Trek are the Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Star Empire, and the Cardassian Union. It should be noted that other powers exist in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, such as the Thulian Assembly, the Hebryn Confederation, the Goran Hegemony, the Zenkathi and the Sheliak. However, the series' reference to these powers is much less, and many times they are said to be "separatists". Also, it is usually difficult to assess their power in relation to the "normal" powers. Therefore, even though "defensive realism" demands reference to the strength of all countries in the system, the analysis below will only deal with the powers whose reference in the "Star Trek" universe as a whole is significant.
In the original series, viewers are exposed to a multipolar system with three superpowers: the Federation, and the Klingon and Romulan empires. It seems that the 23rd century is an unstable period, even if a war of great magnitude did not actually break out. The Federation is shown to be at odds with the other two powers, putting them at a severe disadvantage. However, a ceasefire between the Federation and the Klingons is forced after a period of tension by the Organ race. It should also be remembered that an assumed lack of coordination and mutual trust between the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Empire would have made a combined attack on the Federation complex and dangerous for each of them. Although, in 2268, an alliance was apparently signed between the Klingons and the Romulans that included a mutual exchange of technology (a Romulan cloaking device in exchange for a Klingon ship model), but it seems to have disintegrated quickly. Relations between the Klingons and the Romulans also became distinctly hostile.
In 2293 the Kitomer Summit is held and thus begins the process of creating a strategic alliance between the Federation and the Klingons. Attention should be paid to the fact that this alliance, by itself, does not necessarily stabilize the system. According to Waltz, as you remember, a balance is needed between two opposing blocs in the system in order to achieve relative stability. The alliance between the Klingons and the Federation achieved the opposite - the lone Romulan Empire was faced with a united bloc of two powers hostile to it. Given a situation where the hostility will lead to a real crisis, the Federation and the Klingons will be tempted to launch a joint attack in order to remove the Romulan threat "once and for all". However, despite the increase in hostility and friction, a large-scale war between the Federation and the Klingons and the Romulans did not occur even in the known 24th century.
From the point of view of defensive realism, this stability can be explained by the addition of a fourth power to the systemic power play. The "Cardassian Union" established its power sometime between the end of the original series and the beginning of "Star Trek: The Next Generation", that is, in the first half of the 24th century. The Klingons and the Federation. This worsening of relations occurs simultaneously with the worsening of relations between the Romulans and these two powers. A number of significant events in this matter are: the Tumd incident between the Federation and the Romulans which took a heavy bloody toll. Following it, the Algeron Agreement was signed, which prevents the Federation from developing camouflage technology (2311); the downing of the Enterprise C while defending the Klingon outpost Narendra III from a Romulan attack (2344); Romulan forces attack and kill about 4000 Klingons at Kitomer (2346); Cardassian forces kill 100 civilians on the Federation colony Stelik III, which they mistake for a military base (2347).
It seems, then, that towards the "next generation" period, the multipolar system balances in two blocks of similar strength. The alliance between the Federation and the Klingons is strengthening in the face of events, but they are now faced with two powerful powers, the Romulan Empire and the Cardassian Union. In this situation, the Federation and the Klingon Empire will be afraid to use their joint power to eradicate the Romulan threat, for fear that the Cardassians will feel the help of the Romulans, and vice versa. It can be assumed, then, that the emergence of the Cardassian Union as a significant force in the quadrant prevented a large-scale war throughout the "next generation" period, despite the tense situation with the Romulans.
Despite the relative stability, Waltz's concerns about the complexity and instability of a multipolar system seem to be realized in the Star Trek universe. The Romulans and Cardassians are not educated enough to turn their "natural" alliance into an official alliance. Instead, the Romulans and Cardassians are trying to change the status quo. They behave as revisionist powers (as were, for example, the Axis Powers before World War II). Below are some prominent evidences of this (the numbers of the seasons and episodes are from "The Next Generation"):
-Even before the signing of the Kitomer Agreements in 2293, the Romulans try to sabotage the relations between the Federation and the Klingons, by complicity in the conspiracy that led to the assassination of Chancellor Gorkun and the failed assassination attempt on the Federation President. ("Star Trek 6: The Unknown Land")
- In 2367 there is apparent evidence that the Cardassians are arming themselves and preparing for war. (4X12, "The wounded")
-The Romulans intervened in the Klingon Civil War in 2367-2368 in favor of House Duras, hoping that they would be able to take advantage of the developments to their advantage. Their intervention is thwarted, and Chancellor Gauron secures his place. (5X01, 4X26, Redemption)
– Later that year, the Romulans try to take advantage of Spock's initiative to unify the Vulcans and themselves, in order to take over Vulcan, and fail. (5X08, 5X07, "Unification")
- In 2369 the Cardassians try to take over, without success, the Federation's "Minus Kurva" system. (6×10, 6×11 "Chain of Command")
In contrast to these violent examples of attempts at revisionism, the Cardassians also employed a non-violent but no less effective method of changing the status quo: peace talks. In the end, this method produced much more significant results than the violent methods and in 2370, the seventh season of "The Next Generation", the Federation and the Cardes reach a full settlement that includes the creation of a demilitarized zone (7X20, "Journey's End" (Journey's End if you believe Waltz's view) , the tightening of relations between the Federation and the Cardassians could actually have serious negative effects on the stability of the system. The rival blocs are no longer clear. Possible negative developments could include: undermining the security of the Romulans or the Klingons; alternatively, a greater tendency on the part of the Klingons to attack the Romulans, whose chances of getting Aid from the Cardassians is diminishing; and of course, there is a danger of destabilizing the relationship between the Federation and the Klingons, which will be caused by a Klingon-Cardassian conflict (as it actually happened, see below). However, this change in the status quo was soon joined by a much more radical change, the emergence of the Dominion.
At the same time as the last two seasons of "The Next Generation", a process is taking place in the first two seasons of "Deep Space Nine" that fundamentally changes the political system in the "Star Trek" universe. In the first episode of the series, "Emissary", the stable wormhole for the Gamma Quadrant is revealed. The Federation as well as other races begin to explore the "new" area of space, and make contact with the political entities that are there. In this way, the political system of the "Star Trek" universe physically grew, and many new companies were added to it.
The existence of the race "the changelings", the founders and rulers of the Dominion, was hinted at in the first season of the series, in the form of the chief security officer Odo's questions about his origins (particularly worthy of note is the 12th episode of the first season, "Vortex", as well as the 12th episode For the second season, "The Alternate". The Dominion itself is mentioned for the first time in the 7th episode of the second season, "Rules of Acquisition". In the final episode of the season, "The Jem'Hadar", And in the double episode that opens the third season, "The Search", the Dominion becomes a visible and meaningful part of the political system in the "Star Trek" universe.
During the series, the Dominion proved to be more powerful than any of the old powers in the system individually (it must be remembered that the main part of the "Dominion War" was fought between the Federation, the Klingons and the Romulans and the Cardassians and only limited forces of the Dominion - the main strength of the Dominion remained in the Gamma Quadrant). The accession of the Dominion to the system, therefore, changed it from a multipolar system to a unipolar one, in which one power is more powerful than all the rest. Examples of this type of system are few in modern human history, and they challenge Waltz's theory, which originally did not consider the possibility of their existence. The occupation of this type of system is even relevant to the nineties, in which "Deep Space Nine" was broadcast, since in this decade the United States rose to the status of a single superpower after the end of the Cold War.
The transformation of the political system in the "Star Trek" world into a unipolar one, completely undermines the previous arrangements and balances, and requires each of the powers to reconsider their strategic position and their alliances and arrangements. The period before and during the Dominion War saw many upheavals in the actions, behavior and loyalty of: the Federation, the Klingons, the Kardis and the Romulans, as well as other political entities in the system (see expansion in the following articles).
Note: Note the existence of another superpower in the "Star Trek" universe, aka the Borg race. The Borg did indeed appear in the second season of "The Next Generation" (2X16, "Q Who?"), but they did not become a permanent and permanent part of the political system in which the Federation is located. The influence of the Borg is more similar to the effect of a natural disaster: the danger they pose is Big and real, but their activity was short in time and scope, at least during the period of "The Next Generation" and "Deep Space Nine". There are no visible signs that the old powers fundamentally changed their behavior following the appearance of the Borg, and therefore the analysis here does not refer to this race.
In the next part: delving into the relationship between good and evil in the Star Trek universe, and getting into the thick of the Klingon and Kardis races.
