Sharing outer space

Abstract

D.C. Fontana’s contributions to the Star Trek franchise test the epistemological consequences of sharing space. Fontana wrote screenplays for various Star Trek series from 1966 until 2006. Her scripts challenge cultural readings of progress driven by absolute individual freedom, which is an obstacle to functional community. The franchise, in idealizing free exploration, tends to celebrate the infinite accumulation of knowledge, but Fontana’s narratives destabilize and limit knowledge instead. She writes stories about cohabitation and symbiotic relationships that enable collaborative futures.