STILL WAITING FOR HARRY MUDD’S ANDROIDS, THOUGH: Star Trek Remains a Blueprint of Sorts for the Future of Technology.

UPDATE: Reader Kenneth Humphrey writes:

Your mention of the androids from Star Trek made me recall a scene from that episode. The androids had decided that humanity is too destructive and ignorant to be allowed free reign of the galaxy (“Your species is self-destructive; you need our help”), so the androids will take care of all people, who will be happy, docile and controlled (“Your kind will be eager to accept our help. Soon you will be completely dependent upon us. Your aggressive and inquisitive instincts will be under our control”). The ominous music plays in the background, emphasizing the obvious danger to humanity the androids represent; and yet here we are about 40 years later, and who’s to say we don’t have Harry Mudd’s androids? More and more of us seem docile and controlled, happy to let Washington D.C. run our lives.

Yeah, and it’s just like Washington to give us the downside without the hot-robot-babe angle.