Why, yes, I am a fan of Star Trek; thanks for asking. ;}
Specifically Voyager, but I set this scene in The Original Series because that era is the closest to our own.
I hold the fervent hope that by the time we reach Voyager’s era, this won’t be happening.
Disclaimer: The background is an illustration of the set design for The Original Series, by Michael “Mike” Minor (September 1940 – May 1987).

Warning: Important News Followed By Personal Opinion Ahead

If you laughed at this comic because you thought it was silly, brace yourself: it’s true.
Approximately 600 light years away exists a planet known as Kepler-22b that revolves around a star much like our own Sun. This planet is in the exact sweet spot of position and size in its system to theoretically have a stable atmosphere, water, and an ambient temperature of around 72 degrees Fahrenheit. In other words, it’s a planet that might be able to sustain life as we understand it.
I’m not trying to say that life as we understand is the only possibility for life existing in the universe, but this is still a discovery that many should know about.
And they don’t. I could stand on my street corner outside with a sign saying, “Kepler-22b Might Support Life” and people would immediately file me in their heads along with the guy holding up “The End Is Near.”

So, if “Possible Life On Other Planets” is not the breaking headline on everybody’s lips, what DO people know about? Justin, Bieber.
Honestly, I couldn’t care if I sat down and tried about absolutely anything that blonde mass of carbon does. Please believe me when I say that if any news about a pop star gets to me, it’s not for a lack of trying to stop it on my part, (Michael Jackson was dead for 3 weeks before I found out). And I still know the two things mentioned in the comic. That, is horrifyingly depressing for me.
To go back to the holding-a-sign-on-the-street-corner scenario for a moment, if I held one that said, “Justin Bieber Withdraws Support Of S.O.P.A.” I hypothesize that I would immediately be inundated with demands of who told me that and how I know it’s true.
Yes, everyone and their cat knows that Justin Bieber supports the S.O.P.A. Even though, (I am told), he would not be Justin Bieber, The International Pop Star, if S.O.P.A. were in place before his rise to fame.
…I truly can not express the depth of my sorrow that I know this; adequate words simply will not come. Not to me, but Paris Hilton on Supernatural said it best, “You people are the crazy ones. You used to worship gods; but this? This is what passes for idolatry? Celebrities? What have they got besides small dogs and spray tans? You people used to have old-time religion; now you have US Weekly.”
For those of you out there who would contest this, I want you to pause for a moment and consider: Which do you do more often; pray, or check ___’s Twitter feed? I think I’ve made my point.

Let me make one thing perfectly clear: I do not support the S.O.P.A. I agree that it and any other legislation similar to it should be stopped before becoming law. What I do not agree with is the number of people aware of Justin Bieber’s standing on the issue. It shouldn’t matter where he stands on the issue! The only thing that should matter to each and every one of these people that know his standing is THEIR OWN standing.

You know who knows about Kepler-22b? Nerds. Why, yes, I am a nerd; thanks for asking. ;}
A Biology nerd, to be specific, with a Bachelor’s Degree and fondness for studying the inner workings of organisms.
I know that the nerd is a reclusive beast, given to shyness and being soft-spoken in groups that are comprised of something other than fellow nerds, but come on, everybody! We’ve got something the whole world needs to know, use your voice and join me in spreading the word! You’ll be glad you did; I know I felt of a surge of scientific pride after posting this.

The thing about this that just baffles me is I can think of at least one more group of people who should be all over this: Activists. If any of you out there associate yourselves as “Activists for Peace,” listen up. Each person out there wanting to ultimately unite the peoples of this Earth in peace and harmony should realize that the one thing guaranteed to make every single life form on this planet come together as one, is the possibility that there is something else out there. And I’m not talking just humans; I’m talking mammals to eukaryotes, every living, breathing, carbon-based life form on this glorious mud-ball we call “home.”
Life we discover elsewhere in the galaxy might not even be carbon-based. Anyone with the most basic knowledge of Chemistry and Biology should understand that carbon is not the only element on the periodic table that can support a DNA chain. Come on, activists! Spread the word and unify the life forms of Earth!

Speaking of unifying Earth, the first person who can send me a note with the correct answers to the following three questions about this comic win a single-character short-story request from me. What is Truth’s Division & Rank in Star Fleet? What about her uniform makes clear the fact that she is not reporting to Captain James T. Kirk and is, in fact, not stationed on the USS Enterprise NC-1701? What is the definition of a Class M Planet? The winner will be sent a link to my commissions page for short-story rules and regulations. Good luck, fellow future Star Fleet Cadets.

While we’re on the subject of space and exploration, I have one more thing to say. And this is not at society as a whole, but at my own subset of humanity. Listen up, fellow scientists: Pluto, is still, a planet.
I know the excuse is new evidence proves that Pluto “no longer fits the definition of the word ‘planet’.” I don’t know about any of you, but that tells me the definition needs to be changed.
Not a single person out there better challenge me on the fact that a definition can be changed. Anyone even considering it should research the word “mammal.” To be a “mammal” one must be a vertebrate, possess hair, breathe air, possess three middle ear bones, be endothermic, and possess mammary glands. That’s it. It was changed to include Marsupials, and it was changed again once the Platypus was discovered, (and then proven to be real, not a prank of taxidermy).
And I still maintain that if Pluto isn’t a planet, Mercury shouldn’t be, either. Not everybody knows this, but the definition of planet has been altered before. It had to be altered to include Mercury once it was discovered that Mercury’s one orbital, (its moon), shot into the Sun because the Sun has more gravitational pull than Mercury and finally yanked it away.

Now, let’s all take a step back to the Ancient World for a moment, the place where Pluto got its name. Of all the deities that I would NOT want to be the messenger delivering the information they are no longer a part of the heavenly bodies to; Pluto/Hades, or “the guy in charge of existence after death” would be pretty high up on that list.

There are some that would argue if the definition of “planet” is changed to include Pluto, it would quite possibly include Chiron as well. Why is this a bad thing? Instead of trying to exclude our star-orbiting brethren, why aren’t we open to including more? 10 planets make a nice round number, anyway.
And for those of you out there who do not wish to bade farewell to the beloved childhood mnemonic that we all learned in order to keep the planetary sequence correct, I offer this replacement:
“My Very Elderly Mother Just Sat Upon Nine Comfy Pillows”
or, in times when Pluto is closer,
“My Very Elderly Mother Just Sat Upon Nine Puffy Cushions”
Let’s face it, people; “My Very Elderly Mother Just Sat Upon Nasturtiums” just doesn’t flow as well.

This has been Truth, with some food for thought. Thank you for listening and I look forward to your comments.