Past Tense, Part I.

A growing gap between the haves and have-nots leads to a fractured society. In Star Trek’s 2024, America has tucked away undesirables in Sanctuary Districts. Sisko explains that social problems had to reach a breaking point before the US began to address them. “Past Tense” was prophetic in its time, and it remains so today—just seven years from Gabriel Bell’s famous stand.

In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing dive into the first part of this glimpse at the difficult road humanity had to travel to get from our present day to Gene Roddenberry’s future.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Initial Thoughts (00:03:25) The Original Concept (00:07:49) Giving Up? (00:14:52) The Haves and Have-Nots (00:24:31) The Sanctity of Human Life (00:31:46) Path Through Hell (00:34:18) Teching the Tech (00:36:57) Closing (00:41:21)

Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) William Murray (Associate Producer) Kay Elizabeth Shaw (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)