---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Star Trek's genial premise is that the…"
description: "\"Star Trek's genial premise is that the cosmos is flush with intelligent species, and our descendants will interact with them face-to-face, thanks to wa..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_star-trek-s-genial-premise-is-that-the-c_2582662.png"
---

#  Star Trek's genial premise is that the cosmos is flush…

![“Star Trek's genial premise is that the cosmos is flush with intelligent species, and our descendants will interact with them face-to-face, thanks to warp drive and some winsome space cadets.” quote by Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_star-trek-s-genial-premise-is-that-the-c_2582662.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_star-trek-s-genial-premise-is-that-the-c_2582662.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_star-trek-s-genial-premise-is-that-the-c_2582662.png)

> “Star Trek's genial premise is that the cosmos is flush with intelligent species, and our descendants will interact with them face-to-face, thanks to warp drive and some winsome space cadets.”

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote suggests that the universe is teeming with intelligent life and that humanity will eventually meet them directly through advanced technology like warp drive.

**In simple terms:** The universe is full of alien species we’ll meet with faster travel.

Key Takeaway

Embrace curiosity and support space exploration.

Themes

exploration optimism future technology contact

Mood

wonder optimism anticipation

Type

visionary inspirational

When to use this quote

- Science conferences
- space policy meetings
- educational outreach
- science fiction writing
- public lectures

Key Concepts

Astrobiology interstellar travel civilization contact

Questions to Reflect On

- How would first contact change human society?
- What ethical responsibilities arise when meeting alien cultures?

A Different Perspective

Assumes warp drive will be feasible, which is speculative.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmos/) [Drive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drive/) [Face to face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face-to-face/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/star/) [Star trek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/star-trek/)

## Related quotes

> [It's the default premise in science: If you observe something in nature only once, you assume that what you've seen is typical. That's because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/it-s-the-default-premise-in-science-if-you-observe-something-in/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> ['Dating Game' wasn't social commentary, political analysis, Shakespearean-level drama or even blunt-force comedy. It was just the televised equivalent of meeting someone at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/dating-game-wasn-t-social-commentary-political-analysis-shakespearean/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [We have intelligent species on our planet that we are not even trying to communicate with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/we-have-intelligent-species-on-our-planet-that-we-are-not-even-trying/)

[Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/)

> [It would seem to me that by the time a race has achieved deep space capability it would have matured to a point where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-d-simak/it-would-seem-to-me-that-by-the-time-a-race-has-achieved-deep-space/)

[Clifford D. Simak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-d-simak/)

> [Extinction catches Man by surprise because no one can even imagine that such a catastrophe can happen to an intelligent species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gaede/extinction-catches-man-by-surprise-because-no-one-can-even-imagine/)

[Bill Gaede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gaede/)

> [Species evolve to meet the environment. An intelligent species changes the environment to suit itself. As soon as a species becomes intelligent, it should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-niven/species-evolve-to-meet-the-environment-an-intelligent-species-changes/)

[Larry Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-niven/)

> [“Intelligence is overrated by any species that has it, and that's provable by the fact that all intelligent species are outlived by a factor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/intelligence-is-overrated-by-any-species-that-has-it-and-that-s/)

[L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/)

> [We are an intelligent species and the use of our intelligence quite properly gives us pleasure. In this respect the brain is like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-are-an-intelligent-species-and-the-use-of-our-intelligence-quite/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [Humanity actually has the gall to feel they are more advanced than they were; technology somehow defines intelligence. If technology enables you to kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/humanity-actually-has-the-gall-to-feel-they-are-more-advanced-than/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“We became an intelligent species by solving problems, and now that we are entering a technological era where we no longer need to solve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/we-became-an-intelligent-species-by-solving-problems-and-now-that-we/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [It really sucks to be the number two intelligent species on this planet; you can just ask gorillas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaan-tallinn/it-really-sucks-to-be-the-number-two-intelligent-species-on-this/)

[Jaan Tallinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaan-tallinn/)

> [“I firmly disagree with anyone who says humans are the most advanced, or the most intelligent species on the planet. In fact, only three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-morrow/i-firmly-disagree-with-anyone-who-says-humans-are-the-most-advanced/)

Israel Morrow

> [“Hive Queen: They never know anything. They don't have enough years in their little lives to come to an understanding of anything at all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/hive-queen-they-never-know-anything-they-don-t-have-enough-years-in/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [I think that space flight is a condition of Nature that comes into effect when an intelligent species reaches the saturation point of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-a-wollheim/i-think-that-space-flight-is-a-condition-of-nature-that-comes-into/)

[Donald A. Wollheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-a-wollheim/)

> [“They say that animals are incapable of feelings and reasoning. This is false. No living thing on earth is void of either. They also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/they-say-that-animals-are-incapable-of-feelings-and-reasoning-this-is/)

[Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/)

## More by Seth Shostak

> [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [As far as I can tell, the only unambiguous consequence of the claimed invasion of Earth by beings from another star system has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/as-far-as-i-can-tell-the-only-unambiguous-consequence-of-the-claimed/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Look, science is hard, it has a reputation of being hard, and the facts are, it is hard, and that's the result of 400…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/look-science-is-hard-it-has-a-reputation-of-being-hard-and-the-facts/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Give consideration to the fact that alien astronomers could have scrutinized Earth for more than 4 billion years without detecting any radio signals, despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/give-consideration-to-the-fact-that-alien-astronomers-could-have/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [In a movie, it's often important to have aliens whose gestures and facial expressions can be 'read' by humans. And in the days before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/in-a-movie-it-s-often-important-to-have-aliens-whose-gestures-and/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Sure, nobody will make a fortune if we figure out why the Big Bang happened. But just about everyone would like to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/sure-nobody-will-make-a-fortune-if-we-figure-out-why-the-big-bang/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [If you could drive straight down, into a tunnel bored through the crust of the planet, you'd hit this molten mess in about an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/if-you-could-drive-straight-down-into-a-tunnel-bored-through-the/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [While I have always thought that the motivation for looking for E.T. was both self-evident and patently worthy, it's possible that I'm a victim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/while-i-have-always-thought-that-the-motivation-for-looking-for-e-t/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [I studied Latin in high school, and I was reading stuff from Cicero. And that signal took a few thousand years to get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/i-studied-latin-in-high-school-and-i-was-reading-stuff-from-cicero/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [About the only things that are unique to Earth are our biota and our culture. If aliens ever come here, they'd most likely be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/about-the-only-things-that-are-unique-to-earth-are-our-biota-and-our/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [This plucky NASA telescope is able to find planets en masse. If you compare planet hunting to prospecting for gold, then Kepler is equivalent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/this-plucky-nasa-telescope-is-able-to-find-planets-en-masse-if-you/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [The most attractive habitats for synthetic sentience might be the vicinities of exceptional sources of energy - for example black holes, or even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-most-attractive-habitats-for-synthetic-sentience-might-be-the/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Buying insurance is no one's idea of fun. And it's especially easy to berate something as funky-sounding as writing checks to defend our neighborhoods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/buying-insurance-is-no-one-s-idea-of-fun-and-it-s-especially-easy-to/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Plate tectonics is not all havoc and destruction. The slow movement of continents and ocean floors recycles carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/plate-tectonics-is-not-all-havoc-and-destruction-the-slow-movement-of/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Explore all 189 Seth Shostak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

## More Astronomy quotes

> [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [Wen daylight turns to a darkened hue, D lovely stars hinting at u, ur heart beat tells u something true, That some 1 badly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/wen-daylight-turns-to-a-darkened-hue-d-lovely-stars-hinting-at-u-ur/)

Butterfly\_Kisses

> [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [From the grasses in the field to the stars in the sky, each one is doing just that; and there is such profound peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/from-the-grasses-in-the-field-to-the-stars-in-the-sky-each-one-is/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/)

[Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/)

> [“If there are no stars on the sky, you must try to be happy with the shining streetlights!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-there-are-no-stars-on-the-sky-you-must-try-to-be-happy-with-the/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/)

Nicole Gentile

> [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/)

[Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/)

> [“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." ... quote has been credited to Les Brown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylviek/shoot-for-the-moon-even-if-you-miss-it-you-will-land-among-the-stars/)

Sylviek

> [When certain stars take you under their wing, it does help as they gauge your potential and are willing to work with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-bhatt/when-certain-stars-take-you-under-their-wing-it-does-help-as-they/)

[Vikram Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-bhatt/)

> [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. We are beholden to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-were-put-here-as-witnesses-to-the-miracle-of-life-we-see-the-stars/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

[Browse all 6,190 Astronomy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Star Trek's genial premise is that the cosmos is flush with intelligent species, and our descendants will interact with them face-to-face, thanks to warp drive and some winsome space cadets.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Seth Shostak"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/star-trek-s-genial-premise-is-that-the-cosmos-is-flush-with/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Astronomy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/star-trek-s-genial-premise-is-that-the-cosmos-is-flush-with/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_star-trek-s-genial-premise-is-that-the-c_2582662.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_star-trek-s-genial-premise-is-that-the-c_2582662.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_star-trek-s-genial-premise-is-that-the-c_2582662.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Star Trek's genial premise is that the cosmos is flush with intelligent species, and our descendants will…” — Seth Shostak",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Seth Shostak",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Star Trek's genial premise is that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/star-trek-s-genial-premise-is-that-the-cosmos-is-flush-with/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/star-trek-s-genial-premise-is-that-the-cosmos-is-flush-with/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
