Looking forward to our future “First Contact Day”

It is April 5, 2063. Zefram Cochrane finds himself and a few close friends sequestered in an abandoned missile silo in Montana perfecting what will be his life's greatest work. It is approximately 10 years after the third world war when the war-weary scientist climbs into the cockpit of the Phoenix, pops in an audio disk of Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride” and launches humanity’s first warp flight. This flight draws the attention of a passing Vulcan survey ship and, seeing humans achieve warp technology, marks the first contact between humanity and the Vulcans, a meeting that ushers in an age of unprecedented technological innovation and peace on planet earth.

As so many of us sit inside our homes at this unprecedented time in history and watch the struggles facing the world, I have been giving a great deal of thought to what our first contact will feel like with one another when we all emerge. In one way or another, all humans are affected by this pandemic. Much of the world has paused for an unknown length of time, with such terrible effects uniting us even when we’re keeping our distance from each other. This experience has forced me to look inward and re-evaluate some priorities that are normally clouded by the noise of everyday life. It has forced us all to innovate collectively on how we connect, how we innovate, and how we protect those we love.

At X, the moonshot factory, we are always re-evaluating our perspectives and assumptions to create new technologies that will have a positive impact on our world. As I watch the brave medical professionals and essential business workers who face danger for the benefit of others, and the teachers taking unprecedented strides to keep our youth connected and learning even while apart, I am blown away by their creativity, innovation, and persistence. There are lessons for all of us from their passion, dedication, and perseverance which should stay with us once the pandemic is over.

In Star Trek, First Contact meant Dr. Cochrane was able to take an instrument of war (a nuclear warhead) and create the first warp engine, a technology that allowed humanity to band together as a species by realizing the potential of collective cooperation. Here in our world, we have an ongoing battle to fight against COVID-19 and to grapple with its effects on us and our society. Whenever we have the ability to all step back out into the world, I am greatly looking forward to our first contact as a collectively changed people. I believe we will see a spirit of community and a spark of innovation like we haven’t seen in years.