The Star Trek Franchise’s Most Prophetic Story

Way back in the late 20th century, the Star Trek franchise offered up one of its most prophetic and realistically dystopian visions of our future: an episode called “Past Tense.” In this Star Trek: Deep Space Nine two-parter, our 24th-century characters visit a San Francisco in 2024. There, they find a capitalist system in breakdown, an impenetrable wealth gap, and widespread homelessness and joblessness.

That episode aired 32 years ago this year, and its vision of the future has proven uncomfortably close to reality. So, we crafted a video essay centered on that episode and its commentary on 1990s United States culture and economics. Along the way, we also trace the history of homelessness from colonialism up to the present. It’s a sobering subject, and exactly the kind of messy, deeply contextual conversation that even Trek tends to sidestep. It’s also the kind of messy conversation Deep Space Nine reveled in.

So, pull up a seat, get comfortable, and dive in with us. We explore “Past Tense,” compare it to other dystopian science fiction like Altered Carbon, and take care to show how homelessness has waxed and waned throughout U.S. history.

And if Star Trek isn’t your jam and you are just interested in the history, then check out the following video which just our history section spun off on its own:

You can find the works cited page for our main video essay RIGHT HERE.