NezSez

One of the plot devices in fiction that engages me the most has always been the “alternate time-line”.

Cause and Effect

The idea of changing causes and seeing the resulting effects is a staple of science fiction.

Films like Back to the Future, The Terminator, TV shows like Quantum Leap and (certain episodes of) Star Trek all have stories that focus on how key events determine a certain future, and if those key events were altered, the future would be altered as well.

And the idea is not limited to science fiction. You may have seen or read Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, or how about the similarly-inspired holiday “favorite”, It’s a Wonderful Life. In both stories, we get to see alternate time-lines, cleverly suggested as dreams.

There’s a whole list of alternate “history” stories listed in this Wikipedia entry.

What If? is a part of Critical Thinking

These tales all bring to the fore the question of What if? Indeed, the question of “What if?” can be used to generate entire stories. But it is also a way of exercising critical thinking. Only here, it is utilized in fiction, instead of real-life situations.

Baseball

Speaking of real life, the what if? scenario is perfectly illustrated in the American game of baseball. Like setting off a row of dominoes, a key play in baseball can result in a series of events (a player steals a base, causing the pitcher to throw to second, but the shortstop muffs the catch, and the runner from third scores so…) that gets one team closer to victory.

The interesting thing about baseball, unlike other sports, is that there is no time limit. Rather, the game is played until a key event occurs that results in one team having a 1 or more runs scored than the other team after the top of the ninth inning. Otherwise, the game can theoretically play for inning after inning, as long as the game remains tied.

This allows the game to have any number of key events. And in the end, the game announcers usually like to point out the “play of the game”, again, usually one of those key events (a crucial hit or a spectacular defensive play).

(I’m not a true fan of baseball, but I really appreciate that singular aspect of the game — that one play can affect the outcome of the game.)

Real Life Decisions

So because of my understanding, and appreciation of the fact we live in a “linear” existence, I often reflect on decisions that I have just made, or am about to make, and wonder about the resulting time-line that I’m “creating”.

I also like to look back on history, and ponder about key events that set the course of our current time-line.

It really helps to put things in perspective sometimes.

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I admit it. I grew up on TV.

When I look back on my childhood, which didn’t seem like such a long time ago, there were plenty of times when I found myself in front of the o’ tube.

Star Trek: TOS - The Original Series

Of the many shows I watched, one was Star Trek (although they were reruns). It was that show that introduced me to science fiction, and it was appealing because it DID feature science, cool gadgets, theories and technology all in a package that was entertaining and fun. It wasn’t until years later did I realize it was also hokey and um…geared toward the male audience.

Core Philosophies

Despite it all, I can point back to that show (and later the The Next Generation) as what really helped to form and develop some of my basic core philosophies:

1. Open-mindedness - In Star Trek mythos, it’s called IDIC - Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations - I would say it was one of the show’s basic premises, even though IDIC is more prominently mentioned in novels (yes, I read some of those, too!) But the show really hit home the idea that there are lots of things out there in the world, and as humans, and even as an individual, we should be open to new possibilities.
2. Balance of Logic with Practicality and Intuition - The entertaining interplay between Captain Kirk, First Officer Spock and Dr. McCoy helped to really point out how a balance of logic, intuition and practicality usually helps to make smart and wise decisions.
3. Consequences of Our Actions - Episodes like The City on the Edge of Forever and Mirror, Mirror help set the stage for all alternate timeline storylines, which really drilled home the fact of how events can play out from certain key events, and if those key events had occurred differently, then mostly likely the subsequent events would forever be altered. This really helped me realize that we should always consider the bigger picture when we decide on a course of action.
4. We Should Seek Knowledge - I really loved the idea that if, somehow, we have all our energy needs met, then we’d be left with nothing else to do but to explore. But you know what? We don’t need to wait — we can explore each and everyday, and teach that to our kids as well. By exploring and learning, we may well one day find a way to say, fully harness the “limitless” power of our sun. Yeah, stuff of science fiction, but stranger things have happened.
5. Let Others Learn - Many episodes dealt with the Prime Directive, which to me means just because you feel you’re superior either in stature or knowledge, doesn’t mean you should dictate what everyone should do. I’ve taken that philosophy in Parenting where I often try to teach the older brother not to blurt out the answer he obviously knows, when it’s his younger brother who’s thinking things through by himself.

Looking Forward

Well, I guess that’s about it for now. I know there’s a new Star Trek movie being made — keeping fingers crossed that it’ll be good. In the meantime, though, it’s cool to reminisce and realize how much of a positive impact that show had.

On myself, AND on a part of society.

Fascinating, really.