Summary
Star Trek: Enterprise season 1 reveals that cancer has been cured in the 22nd century, showcasing the miraculous medical advances of the show's hopeful future.
The episode "Terra Nova" delves into the idea of a forgotten settlement and examines the destructive consequences of radiation sickness on its residents.
The presence of a cancer cure and the capability to cultivate fresh kidneys in Star Trek exemplify the possibility of a brighter future if mankind can endeavor to achieve the utopian vision depicted in the series.
In Star Trek: Enterprise season 1, it was revealed that a cure for cancer would exist in the 22nd century. Additionally, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy played a role in providing another miraculous cure in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Enterprise serves as a prequel, taking place a century before the iconic voyages of the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk. The series focuses on Captain Jonathan Archer, who leads Earth's first Enterprise, known as the NX-01, on its inaugural mission of exploring the galaxy.
One notable episode in season 1 of Star Trek: Enterprise is "Terra Nova," where Captain Archer and his crew investigate a lost colony named Terra Nova. This colony, also referred to as "The Great Experiment," holds the distinction of being the first human settlement established on an M-Class planet beyond Earth's solar system. However, contact with Terra Nova was lost many years ago due to conflicts between Earth and the colonists. Upon arrival, the crew of the NX-01 Enterprise discovered that the Terra Nova colony had been deserted, with the descendants of the original colonists now living in caves. It was later revealed that a radioactive asteroid had struck the planet, resulting in the slow deterioration of the colonists due to radiation poisoning.
Enterprise Episode 6 Reveals Star Trek Has Cured Cancer
Upon encountering the hostile natives of Terra Nova, Dr. Phlox swiftly determined, using his medical tricorder, that Nadet, the elder matriarch played by Mary Carver, was in the advanced stages of lung cancer. However, Dr. Phlox remained unperturbed by this diagnosis as he immediately revealed that there was a cure for cancer on board the Enterprise. While Enterprise treated this revelation as a mundane fact of life, it served as a striking demonstration to the audience of the extraordinary advancements in medical science in Star Trek's optimistic and utopian future.
One of the core principles underlying the origins of Star Trek is that humanity underwent a profound transformation after the Vulcans initiated First Contact with Earth on April 5, 2063. Following the devastating impact of World War III in the 21st century, Earth underwent a rapid revolution in the realms of science, technology, and society. Within just 50 years, warfare, hunger, diseases, destitution, and the concept of utilizing currency as a societal foundation were completely eradicated. United Earth, propelled by its space agency known as Starfleet, now aspired to explore the vast expanse of the cosmos. The series Enterprise established that cancer was among the ailments that Earth had successfully conquered.
Bones McCoy Cured Kidney Disease In Star Trek IV
In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, a remarkable medical breakthrough occurs when Enterprise reveals that cancer has been eradicated in the 22nd century. Despite the film's release in 1986, 15 years prior to Enterprise, it showcases a similar medical miracle. Dr. Leonard McCoy, Captain James T. Kirk, and Dr. Gillian Taylor undertake a covert mission to rescue Pavel Chekov from a San Francisco hospital. During their escapade, McCoy encounters an elderly woman suffering from kidney disease. Expressing his dismay at the primitive state of 20th-century medicine, McCoy offers the patient a simple pill from his medical bag. Within moments, the woman experiences profound joy as the pill miraculously grows her a new kidney, granting her a new lease on life.
This heartwarming gag in Star Trek IV not only highlights the capability of a pill to cure kidney disease, but it also symbolizes the optimistic potential that the Star Trek universe envisions for the future. It serves as a reminder of what could be achieved if humanity today could unite and strive to turn Star Trek's utopian vision into reality. In the real world, actors from Star Trek, including Jonathan Frakes, Armin Shimerman, Kitty Swink, and John Billingsley, actively collaborate with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCan) to combat pancreatic cancer. The cure for cancer showcased in Star Trek: Enterprise, much like the kidney disease pill in Star Trek IV, serves as a testament to the immense benefits that could be bestowed upon humanity and the multitude of lives that could be saved if we can transform the future depicted in Star Trek into our own reality.