To Boldly Go...

By Lisa Bendall

"We find ourselves in a bewildering world. We want to make sense of what we see around us and to ask: What is the nature of the universe? What is our place in it and where did it and we come from? Why is it the way it is?"
-- Stephen Hawking in A Brief History of Time

The scene opens, and we slowly recognize the figures seated around the poker table. Over there, it’s Sir Isaac Newton, his expression indicating a bit of a sour temperament -- perhaps not what we might have expected. Across from him, there’s Albert Einstein, looking a little more wrinkled than we had imagined. And there, at the end of the table, with a joyous twinkle in his eye and his wide signature grin -- it’s Professor Stephen Hawking, brilliant astrophysicist, raising the stakes and easily mopping up the card game with his colleagues.

Where else could we encounter such an unlikely combination of characters -- unlikely mainly because each man’s scientific career blossomed in a different era, thereby making this scene of friendly fraternization virtually impossible -- than on the holodeck of the Federation star ship Enterprise. And who else could have dreamed up such a remote social gathering than Lieutenant Data (Brent Spiner), the Federation’s boy-scout innocent android, in a curious experiment to mingle three of science’s greatest minds.

Perhaps the fact that the script calls for Hawking’s holographic image to gracefully whip his fellow card players ("Wrong again, Albert," Hawking smirks, laying down his winning hand after Einstein accuses him of bluffing) reflects our society’s recognition of and respect for this contemporary genius. For his mind-boggling theories on black holes and the origins of the universe have certainly catapulted him into a solid reputation as "the Einstein of today."

Hawking’s feature appearance on the season finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation came about after he visited Paramount Studios in California to attend a video release of the film A Brief History of Time, an 80-minute documentary based on his best-selling book of the same title. When Hawking realized that Star Trek was being filmed in the next studio, he requested a tour of the set. The producers discovered that Hawking was a fan of the science-fiction series -- Hawking even asked to be transferred into the Captain’s chair on the "bridge" -- and consequently arrangements were made for him to make a guest appearance on the show.

Hawking’s acting debut was unique in that he delivered all of his lines through a computer-synthesized voice. Hawking has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a neuromuscular disorder which has greatly limited his motor ability and left him unable to speak. He communicates by programming his computer to speak for him. When he prepared for his Star Trek role, Hawking programmed his script -- including any inflections and pauses that would appear in normal speech -- beforehand. During the filming of the scene, Hawking delivered his dialogue with the touch of a button.

"It certainly never occurred to me that I would play poker with Newton and Einstein," Hawking related to ABILITIES from his office at the University of Cambridge, England, where he holds the same chair held by Isaac Newton 300 years ago. He added that if he genuinely were to meet either figure today, "I would ask Newton his views on an infinite universe and Einstein about gravitational collapse and black holes."
When asked how he felt in his first dramatic television role, Hawking replied, "I am a scientist, not an actor. Appearing on Star Trek was fun but I wouldn’t want to make a habit of it."

Fair enough. But Hawking continues to enjoy the series. Is it, for him -- as for most of us other Trekkies -- pure fantasy, a mere recreational excursion into the imagination? Or does he see any legitimacy in the Enterprise’s casual exploration of the stars? Hawking stated candidly: "I think the main basis of Star Trek, that we will be able to travel faster than light, is wrong. If you can travel faster than light, you can also travel back in time. The best evidence that time travel will never be possible is that we have not been visited from the future."

Time travel is just one of the staggering topics addressed in Hawking’s well-known book, A Brief History of Time, which sat comfortably atop the New York Times best-seller list for two years and made its way into the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest best-selling British book. The book expounds on time and space, creation and the destiny of the universe. So provoking are Hawking’s theories and explanations that his book has now been translated into 37 languages and sold over 5 1/2 million copies around the world. And, last year, director Errol Morris transformed the book into a motion picture, including in the film a series of interviewees -- Hawking’s family, friends and colleagues -- who each gave insight into the development of Hawking’s groundbreaking scientific career.

Hawking was born in Oxford on January 8, 1942, 300 years to the day after the death of Galileo (the Italian astronomer consider to be the founder of modern experimental science). But "I estimate that about 200,000 other babies were also born that day," Hawking has written in "a brief history" of himself. "I don’t know whether any of them was later interested in astronomy."

As a young student, Hawking was not particularly motivated to work hard. When, in his 20s, he was diagnosed with ALS, he saw even less of a reason to apply himself. The disease was progressing quickly and he did not expect to live long. However, he became engaged to be married and realized that he had to finish his PhD. and get a job if he was going to support a family. And the progression of his ALS began slowing. More than 20 years later, Hawking continues to make headway in his chosen study of the stars. And he continues to cherish the beauty of life and mystery of creation with a strength of spirit that inspires instant admiration and awe in all circles.

"My disability has had remarkably little effect on my career," Hawking told ABILITIES. "Obviously it has affected my life, but I am happier now than before the disease began. I have a real sense of achievement in having been successful despite my condition."

I asked him if he is familiar with the legal case of Canadian resident Sue Rodriguez, who also has ALS but has made front-page headlines fighting for the "right to die," i.e. to have medically assisted suicide when she deems her life no longer tolerable.

"I think people should have the right to die if they want. It is one of the few rights a seriously ill person has left," Hawking replied. "But, having said that, I don’t think I would ever avail myself of that right."

His open-mindedness, his live-and-let-live acceptance of those around him, is a very appealing side of Hawking’s constitution. Perhaps his contemplations of the cosmos have left him with a great humility and respect for the vastness of existence. As director Errol Morris stated after working with Hawking, "He [has] a very severe disability, yet his situation in terms of the universe is not too far from our own. We are all more or less insignificant in terms of the big cosmos out there."

And this is true. Even with all of the diverse cultures and creeds that are so integral to the lifestyles of individuals around the world, we humans still together comprise only a minuscule fragment of the universe. It is a humbling realization. The purpose -- if there is one -- of our existence is currently beyond us. In Hawking’s own words, "Why does the universe go to all the bother of existing?"

In fact, my final question to Hawking asked whether, in his own intellectual "explorations" of the universe, he has actually seen evidence of the hand of a creator. His response: "The universe seems to be governed by rational laws. I think it would be anthropomorphizing" -- there’s one to look up in your Funk and Wagnall’s -- "the universe to say they were evidence of a creator."

As he further explains in the conclusion of his book, "If we find the answer [to why we exist]...it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then we would know the mind of God."

Professor Stephen Hawking -- with eloquence, lucidity, wisdom and his dauntless human spirit --has compelled us to address issues of space, time, our mortality and our very existence, and in so doing has greatly enriched our lives. This celebrated theoretical physicist (come-latterday space trekker) continues to delight and enlighten us with his humour and insight...and we can’t help but realize that we have in our midst one of the most dazzling scientific minds on our planet today.

(Lisa Bendall is an ABILITIES staff writer.)