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Lawrence Krauss takes a provocative look at how the laws of physics relate to notions from our popular culture - not only Star Trek, but other films, shows, and popular lore - from Independence Day to Star Wars to The X-Files. Join him on a fun, mind-bending journey through the nature of alien visitation, interstellar travel - including the very latest on warp-drive systems - time, consciousness, ESP, the probability of other life in the universe, and quantum reality.
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ALSO BY LAWRENCE M. KRAUSS
The Physics of Star Trek Fear of Physics: A Guide for the Perplexed The Fifth Essence: The Search for Dark Matter in the Universe
from Alien Invasions to the End of Time LAWRENCE M. KRAUSS
BasicBooks A Division of HarperCoWinsPublishen
BEYOND STAR TREK. Copyright © 1997 by Lawrence M. Krauss. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY IOO2Z.
FIRST EDITION
Designed by Elliott Beard
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Krauss, Lawrence Maxwell. Beyond Star Trek : Physics from alien invasions to the end of time / by Lawrence M. Krauss. — 1st ed. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN0-465-00637-X 1. Space sciences. 2. Life on other planets. 3. Space flight. I. Title QB500.K64 1997 oo1.9'01'53—dczi 97-31127
97 98 99 00 01 • / R R D 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In Memory of Carl Sagan 1934-1996
CONTENTS Prologue
xi
SECTION ONE They'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain .. ONE
Choose Your Poison
3
TWO
To Be or Not to Be
10
To Boldly Go . . .