Space remains a vast, untamed place, penned in only by the limits of our own imaginations.
So why the hell are there so many staircases in space? [...]
Once you start realizing how many stairs there are stopping you in real life, it becomes impossible not to notice them existing in the sci-fi you adore. Turns out they’re everywhere [...] our sci-fi imitates a real-world reliance on steps and stairs in our architecture.
— io9/Gizmodo
With Staircases in Space: Why Are Places in Science Fiction Not Wheelchair-Accessible?, Ace Ratcliff pens an excellent analysis of the pervasive presence of staircases in sci-fi that appear to foreshadow a future where universal accessibility for wheelchair-bound people like herself—and beyond that, the full inclusion in society—remain utterly unachieved.
"Unfortunately, 50 years worth of Federation starship manifestations also means half a century of inaccessibility," writes Ratcliff. "The original USS Enterprise bridge has enough steps you could take the equivalent of an aerobics class just trying to get from the turbolift to the Captain’s chair. The same level of inaccessibility goes for both the USS Voyager and USS Discovery, and if you’re a wheelchair user, you better not try to grab an after-shift bottle of bloodwine at Quark’s Bar unless you plan on dragging yourself up several steps to get there. In fact, the bridge from The Next Generation’s Enterprise is the only one that’s fully accessible with gentle, sloping ramps."
12 Comments
There aren't any crippled people in the future because of the magic of science. Or eugenics.
Captain Pike / Admiral Pike:
Admiral Jameson:
Melora Pazlar:
I've mentally noted the architectural barriers in sci-fi before. Also the lack of apparent regulation that would mimic our current building code. Lots of those staircases the author complains about wouldn't pass under this century's building codes.
The comments section has some pretty robust debate about the future of technology (hypothetical) vs. the issue of representation (present). It's a pretty decent read, and so far it's relatively respectful (for a comments section).
Though obvious, this seems to be overlooked here: The spaces represented in film and television aren't real. They are stage sets-- which have always* been designed to be more visually interesting than real-life spaces. Hence level changes, stairs, windows and terraces where none could logically exist, etcetera. (* Mundane spaces tend to be recreated only when their dreariness or typicality is a plot point.)
Next up: Why is so much English spoken in future worlds so far away? Does the Euro-centric Colonialist Project know no boundaries of time, space, and decency? Or might it be because... I don't know... these are works of fiction written in that language?
You mean to tell me science fiction is ... fictional?!? I'm more depressed with the lack of imagination for mobility aids in the future (it must look and feel like a wheelchair ... but more futuristic) at least in the Star Trek universe.
Uuhh, they're NOT all speaking English, they have Universal Translators built into their combadges, so if say, a Klingon is speaking (in Klingon) to a Starfleet Officer. To the human, the Klingon is speaking English (or whatever language this particular officer speaks), whereas the Klingon listens to the human speak and only hears Klingon, it is explained in several episodes including the original series (though their's is a separate gadget)
let me start by saying this: Starfleet is a military force. Yes, their main objectives are peace and data collection, but they are still the soldiers when it comes to war, they'll doing anything to avoid it of course, but when it comes, it comes. Here a question: how many wheelchair bound folk today can join the military? None, the answer is none, maybe, if the person is really determined, they may get a desk job or the like, but... Wheelie ain't seing the battlefield. Now, Starfleet is not only the military, they're basically any and all government organizations rolled into one, army, navy, police, feds, medical, fire dept., etc. (The Federation is obviously based on the U.N.) So of course, they admit wheelchair bound folks, but of course, each Star Trek series has been as different as they are the same, militarily speaking the Constitution class Enterprise (TOS) is more a militant vessel than the Galaxy Class Enterprise-D (TNG), because they were more vulnerable to attack, weaker shields, less weapons, etc. Picard had to do more carting around diplomats and such so the Galaxy Class was made more for comfort, not for the crew, necessarily, but for guests to feel comfortable (of course the guest feel more comfortable if the crew is more comfortable), and with more carting people, there's more of a chance they'll NEED to be wheelchair accessible. Gene's original vision of the Enterprise was basically... a submarine in space, and submarines have never been wheelchair accessible (the first wheelchair accessible submarine ever is a museum). As for DS9, well, it was made by the Cardassians, they give ZERO f%!#s about crippled people, they'd be more likely to shoot them, like an injured horse. That station looks like it was designed as anti-wheelchair accessible, raised threshold at every door, stairs everywhere, incompatible with hover chairs. Oh yeah, they have hover chairs, they work just fine on Starfleet vessels. They also have replicater technology, if they ever have the need for a ramp (like Melora), they can make one, perfectly fitted to ANY staircase (except maybe those spiral staircases at Quark's, and OF COURSE... If all else fails... They could always transport to their station or... WHEREVER THEY COULD POSSIBLY WANT TO GO, CHAIR AND ALL
wut
Where did I loose ya?
From the man himself...
Yeah, he's still saying that, and since I was granted one at birth, I think I'm good to go
Being alive and having a life are not the same. I appreciate that you're a Trek fan (as am I) but your paragraph above was really odd.
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