Why are there so many humanoid species across the United Federation of Planets and beyond? That answer lies in the real science behind the science fiction of Star Trek.
“The whole point of science fiction is to have a grounding in science,” Mohamed Noor, Dean of National Sciences at Duke University, told Laboratory Equipment. “[Star Trek] wants things coming out of the show to be something at least close to what could happen.”
And Noor would know—he’s a biology professor, university dean, convention speaker, hardcore Trekkie and a science consultant for CBS’s Star Trek series. He’s also the author of “Live Long and Evolve,” a book about the lessons Star Trek teaches regarding evolution, genetics and life on other worlds.
“I’m an evolutionary biologist so what I love about Star Trek is that it emphatically embraces the idea of common ancestry for all life,” said Noor. “It comes out in what they do in talking about life on Earth, but they even try to extrapolate it to alien life. It’s an interesting idea that these aliens are all somehow related to us. It’s come up in a few episodes. In the United States, common ancestry is something not everyone is comfortable with but it’s absolutely biologically true, so it’s nice to see that reinforced in Star Trek.”
Noor’s unique combined experiences of speaking at Star Trek conventions, authoring a book and earning a Ph.D. in biology allowed him to find new ways to engage his students in science and learning. At Duke University, he teaches two Star Trek-inspired classes: The Biology Behind Popular Science Fiction TV and Movies and Genetics, Evolution, Star Trek.
The Biology Behind Popular Science Fiction TV and Movies, taught with his colleague and fellow Star Trek convention-goer Eric Spana, encourages students to identify a problem in any science fiction movie or TV series and figure out how it could be possible.
“It is very self-driven for the students,” said Noor. “The level of motivation of students when you tell them to solve a problem they get to pick is so much higher than when we say ‘figure out x.’”
Genetics, Evolution, Star Trek is an introductory biology class for non-majors. Noor introduces a concept to the class, shows a relevant part of a Star Trek episode or movie, and then continues the lesson with activities and conversations pertaining to the biological concept. What’s interesting about this class is that a lot of students who take it have never actually seen Star Trek.
“They haven’t seen it but they really like the idea of the narrative,” said Noor. “The students like seeing how these things are directly applied to the world. They say, ‘I just saw this in the show, I saw how this could look, but now I can think about it in a much more concrete way than just words on a chalk board.’”
In his spare time, Noor works with CBS on a case-by-case basis to help ensure the plotlines of Star Trek are grounded in accurate science. Sometimes, CBS representatives will reach out with a broad plot they are trying to develop and ask Noor to figure out a way to make the biology sound credible. Other times, they will need scientific dialogue for specific scenes. Noor said he values the fact that Star Trek cares enough to employ scientific consultants in an effort to produce entertaining media with a real learning component.
“A lot more people watch science fiction than science documentaries so this is an opportunity,” said Noor. “Everyone knows they are watching Star Trek, but they may pick up terms, pick up how things work, and it can just get into someone’s psyche. Then, even without realizing it, they apply that knowledge.
“Representation really matters for these things. It inspires a lot of people to go into STEM even if they thought it wasn’t for them due to implicit biases that exist in society,” Noor concluded.
Photo: Mohamed Noor. Credit: Noor/Duke University