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From: REM%IMSSS@SU-AI.ARPA (Robert Elton Maas)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: oft quoted startrek motto I don't like
Message-ID: <8602282233.AA04464@s1-b.arpa>
Date: Fri, 28-Feb-86 21:35:15 EST
Article-I.D.: s1-b.8602282233.AA04464
Posted: Fri Feb 28 21:35:15 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Mar-86 18:13:34 EST
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Organization: The ARPA Internet
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A> Date:    Tue, 25 Feb 86 08:24:54 PST
A> From: august@jpl-vlsi.arpa
A> Subject: RE: Why does "everyone" want to leave the planet?
A> SPACE IS, AT LEAST AS FAR AS WE CAN SEE NOW, THE FINAL FRONTIER.

I wish people would stop repeating this false quote from Startrek.
Space isn't a frontier, it's a whole series of frontiers. A few
centuries ago space meant the ocean and the new world, right now it
means low Earth orbit, later it'll mean dyson sphere, then it'll mean
travel to other stars at sub-light speeds using generation ships,
someday it'll mean travel to other galaxies. Saying it's one frontier
begs the question as to exactly what frontier we're talking about.
It's a nice-sounding cliche from Startrek, like "no nukes" is a nice
sounding bumper sticker, but both are misleading and thus bad. I would
rather say space as we currently envision it is the next frontier, we
don't know if it is the last or if after we conquer space we'll be
able to view yet another frontier beyond it.

(P.s. to author "august", don't think I am criticizing your message, I
liked it a lot, just this one flaw I'm trying to repair. CC to space
because many others have made the same (in my opinion) mistake, not to
embarrass you in public. The rest of your message is great!)