“Star Trek” has long been celebrated for its uncanny ability to predict the future, but its foray into the specifics of the year 2024 is both eerie and disturbing in its accuracy. The Star Trek canon, rich with visionary ideas, has always blended the realms of science fiction with prescient insights into technological and societal developments. As we navigate through the real 2024, it’s intriguing to witness how the once far-fetched predictions of the series are aligning with our current reality. From nuanced technological advancements to complex socio-political landscapes, “Star Trek’s” depiction of 2024 is not just a journey into the imagination of its creators but a mirror reflecting our own world in ways we never anticipated. This article delves into these predictions, exploring the fascinating intersection where fiction meets reality, and where “Star Trek’s” 2024 becomes our today.
In my previous work, particularly highlighted in my video “Star Trek and the Metaverse – Augmented Reality – Trek Foresight,” I delved into the fascinating ways “Star Trek” has not only predicted but also influenced the development of cutting-edge technologies. The series, through its imaginative storytelling, has given us glimpses into the potential of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and even what we now term the Metaverse.
One intriguing example I explored was from the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” episode “The Game,” where an augmented reality headset, controlled by the mind and highly addictive, foreshadows the current advancements in AR and VR headsets. This episode strikingly resembles the ongoing development of retinal projection technology, which promises to revolutionize how we experience digital content.
Another example from “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” illustrated the concept of diminished reality, where an augmented reality device allows users to see through the hull of a ship. This is akin to current real-world applications, such as Google Street View’s privacy features, where individuals are digitally removed from view for privacy reasons.
Throughout my analysis, I emphasized how “Star Trek” not only envisions these technologies but also subtly addresses the potential psychological impacts and societal implications of their integration into daily life. From the addictive nature of immersive media to the ethical considerations of augmented reality, “Star Trek” serves as a lens through which we can examine our relationship with emerging technologies and their effect on humanity.
This interplay of fiction and reality, as illustrated in “Star Trek,” underscores the importance of understanding the broader consequences of technological advancement, a theme that has been central to my work in relating science fiction to the real-world evolution of technology.
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2024 in Trek History
In the “Star Trek” universe, the year 2024 was marked by a series of notable events, each reflecting significant technological and socio-political developments:
- Ireland’s Unification: After over a century of violence, Ireland achieved unification, with terrorism playing a key role in the political process (TNG: “The High Ground”).
- Civil Unrest in France: France, amidst student protests, experienced a political shift with the Neo-Trotskyists replacing the Gaullists. This was part of a broader European instability (DS9: “Past Tense, Part I”).
- Buck Bokai’s Baseball Achievement: Buck Bokai became the first Solar system-wide batting champion during his second season with Seibu (DS9: “The Storyteller”).
- Wildfires and Unionization in Los Angeles: Serious wildfires struck Los Angeles, and Christopher Brynner of Brynner Information Systems successfully opposed unionization at his company (PIC: “Watcher”).
- Key Events in April:
- Rising global tensions and a booming real estate market.
- Time-travel intervention by Jean-Luc Picard and his crew to prevent an alternate timeline.
- Dr. Adam Soong’s downfall due to illegal genetic experiments.
- The death of the Borg Queen and significant developments in the Project Europa astronauts’ mission (PIC: “Assimilation,” “Watcher,” “Fly Me to the Moon”).
- Transporter Accident and Bell Riots: A transporter accident sent Sisko, Bashir, and Dax to San Francisco’s Sanctuary District A, leading to Sisko’s involvement in the Bell Riots (DS9: “Past Tense” Parts I and II).
These events, spanning from political upheavals to technological milestones, highlight the intricate and often prophetic storytelling of “Star Trek,” offering a mirror to our real-world complexities and advancements.
All Time Baseball Hero Named
This prediction is a bit of fun. The fictional baseball legend Buck Bokai and the real-life baseball phenomenon Shohei Ohtani share striking similarities in their impressive careers, especially regarding their peak performances around 2024.
Buck Bokai, a character in the “Star Trek” universe, was a renowned Human baseball player during the 21st century, celebrated as one of the greats. Born in 1998 in Marina del Rey, California, he began his major league career in 2015 and quickly became known for his prowess as a switch hitter. His most notable achievements include breaking Joe DiMaggio’s record for most consecutive games with a hit and his remarkable performance with the London Kings, leading them to the final World Series in 2042.

Shohei Ohtani, on the other hand, is a real-life baseball marvel born in 1994 in Ōshū, Iwate, Japan. Playing for the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani has established himself as a rare two-way player excelling both as a pitcher and a designated hitter. His career highlights include multiple All-Star appearances, AL MVP awards, and leading the American League in home runs. Ohtani’s unique ability to dominate both pitching and batting mirrors the fictional feats of Bokai, making his rise to fame around 2024 a real-world parallel to the “Star Trek” predictions.
This fascinating convergence of fiction and reality, where Bokai’s fictional achievements in the “Star Trek” universe echo in Ohtani’s real-world accomplishments, adds a fun and intriguing layer to the series’ predictive storytelling. It’s almost as if the writers of “Star Trek” had a crystal ball, foreseeing the emergence of a player like Ohtani, who embodies the same level of skill and versatility as their fictional baseball icon, Buck Bokai.
This prediction is both good and bad news for baseball fans, as Star Trek says that baseball has some of its best days to come, but will ultimately fade away as a popular sport. But the sport is still played far into the future by planetary colonists and holodeck sport enthusiasts.
Civil Unrest in San Francisco
The most disturbing and accurately predicted trend by “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” in the 1990s is the large-scale civil unrest in San Francisco due to homelessness and rampant income inequality, culminating in the Bell Riots of 2024. This portrayal strikingly parallels the current situation in San Francisco, highlighting the enduring relevance of science fiction in reflecting societal issues.
In the “Deep Space Nine” episodes “Past Tense” Parts I and II, aired in January 1995, the crew accidentally time-travels to San Francisco in 2024. They encounter Sanctuary Districts, areas designed to segregate the homeless and unemployed from society. This concept was envisioned as a critique of the 1990s policies on homelessness in the US, reflecting a tendency to hide rather than solve the problem.

Fast forward to the real 2024, and San Francisco grapples with similar issues. The city, known for its tech-driven affluence, also faces a significant homelessness crisis. Policies often focus on removing homeless populations from public view rather than addressing the root causes, echoing the Sanctuary Districts’ concept.
In “Deep Space Nine,” the Bell Riots are a turning point, changing public opinion and leading to the dismantling of Sanctuary Districts. This uprising is sparked by the boiling over of frustration and anger at societal neglect. The current social climate in San Francisco, marked by increasing awareness and activism around homelessness and inequality, mirrors this fictional uprising’s sentiment.
Like George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” and Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey,” the predictive aspect of “Star Trek” remains relevant through its broader themes. The series’ portrayal of the Bell Riots and Sanctuary Districts transcends specific predictions, offering insights into societal flaws and the human condition. Despite its dystopian scenarios, “Star Trek” suggests that humanity can progress to a more egalitarian and peaceful future by acknowledging and rectifying its mistakes. The Bell Riots serve as a cautionary tale, implying that addressing homelessness and inequality is essential for societal advancement.
The situation in San Francisco, mirrored by “Deep Space Nine’s” depiction of 2024, underscores the potential of science fiction to provide critical commentary on contemporary issues. It reminds us that while the specifics of predictions might not always materialize, the underlying themes and challenges remain strikingly relevant, urging us to confront and address societal issues head-on.
San Francisco’s Navigation Centers
In San Francisco, a unique approach to addressing homelessness has emerged in the form of Navigation Centers. These facilities represent a progressive step in urban social policy, aiming to provide more than just temporary shelter for the city’s homeless population. Unlike traditional homeless shelters, Navigation Centers are designed to offer a holistic suite of services. These include healthcare, social services, and support in finding permanent housing, all within a framework that promotes dignity and respect. Residents at these centers are allowed to bring partners, pets, and personal belongings, which is a significant departure from the norm in homeless shelters. The centers are part of San Francisco’s broader strategy to tackle homelessness by creating a more humane and supportive environment for those in need.
While these centers are a commendable effort in addressing the multifaceted issue of homelessness, they bear a superficial resemblance to the Sanctuary Districts depicted in the “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” series. In the Star Trek universe, Sanctuary Districts were areas in urban centers, including San Francisco, where the homeless and unemployed were segregated from the rest of society. Intended as a temporary solution to the visible problems of poverty and homelessness, these districts ultimately became overcrowded and under-resourced ghettos, leading to significant social unrest and the infamous Bell Riots. Unlike the Navigation Centers, Sanctuary Districts were characterized by their lack of adequate support and services, effectively isolating and neglecting their inhabitants.
The comparison between San Francisco’s Navigation Centers and Star Trek’s Sanctuary Districts highlights both the challenges and the potential in addressing homelessness. While Navigation Centers represent a more compassionate and service-oriented approach, distinct from the neglect seen in Sanctuary Districts, they also underscore the complexities of providing sustainable solutions to homelessness. Both concepts reflect the struggle to balance immediate relief for the homeless with long-term strategies for social integration and poverty alleviation. As we move forward, the lessons from both reality and fiction can inform more effective and humane policies to address the needs of the homeless population.
Seattle’s Authorized Encampments
Seattle’s implementation of “Authorized Encampments” as a response to the growing homelessness crisis shares notable similarities with the Sanctuary Districts depicted in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” The rationale behind these encampments, echoes the motivations and challenges that led to the establishment of Sanctuary Districts in the series.
In “Deep Space Nine,” Sanctuary Districts were created as a well-intentioned solution to the visible problems of poverty and homelessness. The idea was to provide a designated area where the homeless and unemployed could reside, ostensibly to receive support and aid. Similarly, Seattle’s Authorized Encampments arose from the need to address the inadequacies of emergency shelters and transitional housing, which often left many without a place to stay. These encampments aimed to provide a lawful, semi-structured environment for the unhoused, offering a semblance of stability, community, and safety.
Several parallels can be drawn between these two approaches:
- Safety and Security: Both Sanctuary Districts and Authorized Encampments were conceptualized as safe havens for the homeless. In “Star Trek,” these districts were meant to protect the homeless from the harsh realities of the streets. Similarly, Seattle’s encampments offer protection from sweeps and provide a degree of certainty and security for their residents.
- Community and Autonomy: The sense of community and self-governance is a key aspect of both concepts. In “Deep Space Nine,” the residents of Sanctuary Districts, despite facing dire conditions, form a community. Seattle’s encampments, too, emphasize community living, with residents often having a say in the governance of the encampment, allowing for a degree of autonomy and dignity.
- Interim Solutions: Both the Sanctuary Districts and Authorized Encampments are seen as interim solutions to homelessness. They are not meant to be permanent fixes but rather temporary measures to address immediate needs while longer-term solutions are sought.
- Challenges and Criticisms: Both approaches have faced criticism for potentially isolating the homeless from mainstream society and for being short-term fixes rather than addressing the root causes of homelessness. The Sanctuary Districts in “Star Trek” evolved into overcrowded and under-resourced areas, highlighting the failure to provide adequate support. Similarly, while Seattle’s encampments offer certain benefits, they are also seen as a stop-gap measure that does not fully resolve the homelessness crisis.
In essence, both “Star Trek’s” Sanctuary Districts and Seattle’s Authorized Encampments reflect the complexities and challenges of addressing homelessness in urban settings. They underscore the need for comprehensive, long-term strategies that go beyond temporary housing and address the underlying factors contributing to homelessness.
Connecting to Today
The Bell Riots within the “Star Trek” universe symbolize a pivotal moment in humanity’s journey towards a more optimistic future. This event, while fictional, serves as a profound allegory for real-world societal transformations. In “Star Trek,” the response to the Bell Riots becomes a catalyst for positive change, marking a significant step towards a future that, though not perfect, is considerably more ideal and egalitarian.
The essence of this narrative is deeply resonant with the real-world responses to similar pivotal moments. The global reaction to the tragic incident involving George Floyd is one such example. Other instances include the Rodney King riots in 1992, the protests following the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, and the numerous demonstrations sparked by the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. These events, much like the Bell Riots in “Star Trek,” are not just about the incidents themselves but about how society reacts and evolves in their aftermath.
It is our collective response to these pivotal moments that sets the course for our future. When faced with challenges or injustices, the path we choose can lead us either towards a “Star Trek” future, characterized by cooperation, progress, and a shared commitment to bettering humanity, or towards a dystopian scenario akin to “Soylent Green,” where societal collapse and despair prevail.

The vision of “Star Trek” is particularly impactful because it doesn’t shy away from portraying the struggles and conflicts that precede its idealistic future. Instead, it acknowledges that such a future is earned through hard work, ethical choices, and the willingness to confront and address the deepest flaws within our societies.
Thus, when confronted with our own “Bell Riots” moments, be they centered around social justice, environmental crises, or political upheaval, the key takeaway is that our actions in response to these crises are crucial. It’s through collective effort, empathy, and a forward-thinking mindset that we can pave the way to a future that aligns more with the utopian vision of “Star Trek” and less with the dystopian worlds depicted in other sci-fi narratives. Our path to a brighter future is defined not by the challenges we face, but by how we choose to address them.
About the Author:
Eric Hawkinson
Learning Futurist
Eric Hawkinson is a learning futurist, known for his innovative approach in intertwining technology with education. With a passion for exploring and designing cutting-edge technologies, Eric’s work primarily focuses on how these advancements can shape and enhance the future of teaching and learning. His diverse range of projects includes augmented tourism rallies, AR community art exhibitions, mixed reality escape rooms, and various other experiments in immersive technology. Eric’s unique perspective and expertise make him a trailblazer in the field of educational technology, continuously pushing the boundaries of how we perceive and interact with learning environments.
For more information and insights from Eric, visit his website at erichawkinson.com.