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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/starfleet.jpg While not often, Star Trek had enviromental episodes
(http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/184/)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/green_star_trek.jpgHank Green - ecogeek - Aug 18, 2006

Anyone know the name of WWIII's greatest war criminal according to Star Trek? --Ed.

I'm about to go geeky pretty hard here, so be warned. There's actual news just below this and more on the way, so just scroll if you get overwhelmed. But, in the spirit of fun and extreme nerdiness, I've just completed an analysis of Star Trek episodes in search of environmental themes.


Actually, I can't say that I completed an analysis, 'cause, really, I know the plots of Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes pretty well. Mostly I just thought about it for a while.


The Star Trek future is largely an environmentally neutral one. Science and technology have allowed us to solve a great number of environmental problems, and the moral scope of our species has begun to encompass all life, not just human life. It's a wonderful world where climate change isn't a problem, we have no need for fossil fuels and population pressures no longer affect planets.


But even in the Utopian future of Star Trek, environmental problems do arise.... http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/184/

The official CleanMPG selection for favorite Star Trek episode...

In “Forces of Nature (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_of_Nature_%28TNG_episode%29)” aliens begin to disable warp-drive ships nearby their planet without apparent provocation. They claim that the combined effects of warp travel over the same area of space over prolonged periods can result in a weakening of space-time and that the effect is beginning to negatively affect their planet.

At first the Federation calls them insane terrorists and won't look at their data. They say that more research needs to be done and that the aliens are fundamentalist fools. In the end, one of the aliens sacrifices herself to prove that their theories are correct and the Star Fleet is forced to agree that warp drives can harm space-time and might negatively affect planets.

Let that be a lesson to all of you who want to mess with the space-time continuum with your warp drives.

Its funny low little TNG and later did hit on pollution issues and then did a tech fix to solve them.

Never did they arrive at a planet with only the ability to rescue those they could carry while watching the rest die off in agonoy.

I expected more to answer.

Colonel Philip Green (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_Phillip_Green) was a despotic leader during WWIII. Among other things he euthanized radiation victims to prevent generations of mutants. Can you say ethnic cleansing?

I expected more to answer.

Colonel Philip Green (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_Phillip_Green) was a despotic leader during WWIII. Among other things he euthanized radiation victims to prevent generations of mutants. Can you say ethnic cleansing?

I thought it was Khan Noonian Singh as he started the Eugenics Wars which in effect was WWIII. Col. Green came to fame in the aftermath of WWIII when he conducted an ethnic cleansing campaign against humans disfigured from the war.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khan_Noonien_Singh

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Khan_Noonien_Singh

Astronaut to watch ‘Star Trek’ film in space (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30797569/)

Watch out - aliens might watch it and abduct them so they can save their world (al la Galaxy Quest (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_Quest)) :D

I would've said "Khaaan," but I'm no Star Trek trivia ninja. Can I claim an honorable mention for completing environmental projects (http://programs.iowadnr.gov/ustlust/Pages/remediation.aspx?siteid=Fba3N3sZZKM=&lustid=0s1e2KntL40=&L=1) at the future birthplace of James T.Kirk? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverside,_Iowa):D