Just a short thought for today; putting out for consideration the future of the law.
I am no legal expert, though I did look into a number of different law systems and how they function around the world for writing this episode.
An interesting thought occurred to me that the future basis of the law may be entirely different than what we know now. The flaws of our own criminal justice system suggests that major revisions may one day be implemented. How will AI function within this? What about brain-scanning? We cannot be sure that either of those technologies will ever become as powerful as they are in Other-Terrestrial, but they also may.
Do you think that the fifth amendment will still exist and be applicable? Will we still use juries of citizens? Will AIs serve as judge, jury, and potentially even executioner?
While in OT AIs do not hold that much power, they are definitely involved in the process (outside of special cases like in this episode!).
Esmon Chung, the 351 year old Master of Law, was heavily involved in the reform of law on Earth, long before contact with outside colonies was re-established in any meaningful way. It is another wrinkle to consider how law systems might diverge from each other across a thousand colony worlds – not to mention alien worlds!
For an alien species, certain things might be completely normal that we’d find abhorrent – and vice versa. While it does seem likely that there will be many overlapping concepts of “justice”, we cannot say for sure.
Still . . . conflict does not truly arise from simply ‘differences’ in outlook, but almost always have a material cause. With the infinite vastness of space, and the (seeming) rarity of (intelligent) life making it precious in our universe, we can hope that one day, even if we meet aliens, we will be able to find a solid ground upon which to form unity and peace.
Unless they are so alien that we cannot even comprehend them . . .