Frankenstein was a novel written by human author Mary Shelley in the 19th century, and is considered by some to be the first true science fiction novel, but has been interpreted by many to be a work of horror, based on the way the narrative was staged for movie adaptations. It concerned the efforts of the title character to reanimate deceased human tissue, and his creation from parts of a new living being, with horrific results. The term "Frankenstein's monster" entered the human vernacular as a metaphor for a scientific achievement or other endeavor that has unforeseen negative consequences.
History and specifics[]
Colin Clive and Dwight Frye in the 1931 film Frankenstein.
In the year 1970, Gary Seven commented that humans were too socially primitive to accept human cloning, for fear of creating a Frankenstein monster. Roberta Lincoln was surprised, given Seven's extraterrestrial origins, that he was familiar with the story. (TOS - Star Trek: Assignment: Earth comic: "My Name Is Legion")
Some years later, at a conference in Rome, geneticist Dr. Viktor Lozinak noted to Lincoln that many people associated genetic engineering with Frankenstein. (ST novel: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume 1)
In 2270, Frankenstein was one of a few novels discussed by Hikaru Sulu and Mandala Flynn aboard the USS Enterprise. (TOS novel: The Entropy Effect)
The novel served as the basis of several motion pictures created in the mid-20th century, which remained popular through the 22nd century. Trip Tucker was a fan of these films, and organized multiple screening aboard the Enterprise. He considered Frankenstein and its first two sequels Bride of Frankenstein and Son of Frankenstein to be the three best horror films ever made. Subcommander T'Pol considered the story to be a insightful study of human psychology. (ENT episode: "Horizon")
In 2366, when Wesley Crusher pondered over an out of control nanite experiment he said that, "It's just a science project". Guinan responded that, "You know, a doctor friend once said the same thing to me. Frankenstein was his name". (TNG episode: "Evolution")
- It isn't certain whether Guinan was simply exhibiting dry humor, or if, given that she spent time on Earth in the 19th century (as established in "Time's Arrow"), she was referring to a factual model for the novel's title character.
In 2376, Julian Bashir thought that the experiments to the Trill symbionts on Kurl was akin to the way that Dr. Frankenstein abandoned his creation in the novel by Shelley. (DS9 - Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novel: Trill: Unjoined)
The name Frankenstein was unofficially given to the Einstein following its assimilation by the Borg. (TNG novel: Greater Than the Sum)
- The tale of Doctor Solev from Legends of the Ferengi bears many similarities to that of Dr. Frankenstein.
Appendices[]
References[]
- TOS - Star Trek: Assignment: Earth comic: "My Name Is Legion"
- ST novel: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume 1
- TOS novel: The Entropy Effect
- ENT episode: "Horizon"
- TNG episode: "Evolution"
- DS9 - Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novel: Trill: Unjoined
- TNG novel: Greater Than the Sum
External links[]
- Frankenstein article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Frankenstein article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
- Frankenstein at the Internet Movie Database