Weaponizing Starfleet.

When we look into deep space, we see a grand opportunity for scientific exploration and learning. The thought of armed conflict with others who want to destroy us doesn’t guide the design of our missions. In the 22nd century, a similar view was seemingly held by Starfleet. The organization was, after all, an outgrowth of the United Earth Space Probe Agency, and as such leaned more toward a NASA-like approach than a military one. But as Archer and his crew quickly found out, the galaxy is a dangerous place. There is little room for naïve, wide-eyed explorers—at least not those who aren’t prepared to defend themselves.

In this episode of Warp Five, Christopher Jones and Norm Lao discuss the gradual weaponization of Starfleet over the course of Enterprise, the threats Earth and the NX-01 crew faced, and how—in keeping with Star Trek’s optimistic view of a better future—mankind found a way to take up arms without crossing the line between self defense and militarism.