Ghost in the Machine
21 July 2022
Comparing Tropes in Three Pieces of Media Katherine & Kienan Have Watched
In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Dr M'Benga puts his daughter, Rukiya, fatally ill with about twelve weeks to live, into the medical transporter in stasis. In Foundation, Hari Seldon uploads his digital self to a computer on the Raven upon his death, and speaks to Gaal when she arrives to the ship. In Devs, Forest's Devs team works on a quantum computer that allows them to view the past; Forest frequently watches his now deceased daughter Amaya blow bubbles via the machine.
So the ghosts are Rukiya, Hari, and Amaya. The machines are a medical transporter, a ship computer, and a quantum computer. The hauntees (?) are M'Benga, Hari himself, and Forest.
A. Are the Ghosts dead?
Hari and Amaya are both definitely physically dead. Rukiya is technically still alive, but in stasis. I think you could argue that narratively, a child that cannot grow up in any meaningful way is not really alive, either. On the other hand, Hari's case is presented as more of "immortality via technology" case. If the digitized version of himself still has all his memories and motivations, is he not still alive? Amaya is also definitely dead in Forest's world, but in the multiverse, there are many worlds where she still lives.
B. Are the Ghosts even in the Machine?
Rukiya is usually in the machine. Hari is dependent on the machine, but he gets to walk around too. Amaya isn't in the machine per se but is only visible via the machine.
C. Are the Ghosts trapped?
By definition I think ghosts should be trapped. The whole point is that they aren't alive anymore, but they also can't "move on." Rukiya is mostly trapped; if she leaves the machine she dies, unless M'Benga can find a way to cure her disease. Hari is somewhat trapped—his digitized self travels to Terminus. Amaya is extremely trapped, dead in the past. And if Forest is right and the universe is totally deterministic, then Amaya is not only trapped but also was always going to be trapped, i.e., doomed. Okay trapped doesn't even look like a real word anymore.
D. Why can't they move on?
So M'Benga put Rukiya into the machine, Forest keeps Amaya's memory alive in the machine. It's not that the daughters can't or won't move on, it's the fathers. Which is also probably unhealthy for both of them. Hari did it to himself, uploaded himself. He's got plans and he means to see them through, and a little thing like death isn't going to stop him. So there's this element of control- by putting Rukiya into the transporter M'Benga regains control over a situation (daughter dying of disease) that is/was out of his control (because he can't cure her) because now he can control how she experiences time. Hari gains control over death by in some sense escaping it. Forest is trying to control a totally uncontrollable system, quantum mechanics, by being able to observe it. Also there's this element of hubris—to control the uncontrollable. And it's not just the Ghosts who can't move on, it's the Hauntees too—M'Benga can't let his daughter go, Hari can't trust anyone else to finish his plans, Forest can't move on from his daughter's death.
E. How do the Ghosts experience time?
Rukiya experiences time in bursts. Mostly she's in stasis, and when M'Benga brings her out she experiences time normally, as part of the living world. Hari initially has an issue with his digitization and loops his death over and over again. But once that's sorted, presumably he also experiences time somewhat normally? But also, as a digital representation, he maybe has infinite time. Probably he can hibernate? Probably he can't die again unless his program is destroyed? Amaya experienced time normally. Although she sort of loops too, since Forest mostly watches that same scene of her blowing bubbles over and over. The person who really has an interesting experience with time is Forest, who's obsessed with his past. An also maybe future but that's a separate point. And all three Ghosts become Ghosts because they don't have enough time- Rukiya because she's dying, Hari and Amaya because they're already dead.
F. Do the Ghosts have agency in the world?
Rukiya mostly no, she's terminally ill and hidden on the Enterprise. But she can interact with M'Benga normally when she's out of stasis. Hari yes, that was the whole point of his becoming a Ghost in the first place. Amaya not at all, her machine is a one way mirror into the past, and anything she does is something that has already happened in the past and cannot be changed.
G. Where did the Machine come from?
The medical transporter is a pretty standard piece of Star Trek tech. The Machine isn't the interesting part, here, and can be used for other things. Probably Hari designed or at least implemented his digitization? His Machine is more interesting than the transporter, but it's mostly treated as an extension of Hari himself. Forest's team builds the quantum computer, and so the focus is just as much on the Machine as it is on the Ghost. Also, there are many Ghosts in that Machine, but narratively Amaya is the most important.
H. How close is the Ghost to the living person?
Rukiya is of course still alive. Hari I think is ambiguous. His digital self is supposed to have all the memories and personality he had when he was alive, but is it really him? Does a program have the ability to grow and change like a human can? Is it really Hari or just an echo? When Lyndon and later Katie implements the many worlds algorithms—is the Amaya Forest sees on screen his Amaya? Or another one from another universe?