For those who do not know, Martian Successor Nadesico is an
often light-hearted, yet occasionally more serious, work that explores science
fiction from an incredibly 90s perspective. It invokes the classic (70s) super
robo shows like Getter Robo aesthetically and narratively, looping in a super
robo parody named Gekiganger III. This series feels like a time capsule. You
would expect that to make its science fiction feel dated. And sometimes it does
feel like it also borrows straight from 70s series like Space Battleship Yamato
or from Mobile Suit Gundam! But, especially when the series focuses hard, there
are moments when Nadesico can offer beautifully clairvoyant visions about the
way science will be. In a way that matches with how science is now.
With this intro out of the way, we can share spoilers freely!
Episode 18 is one such episode that feels especially germane, as it covers Ruri’s
backstory. As is revealed, Ruri is born from in-vitro fertilization (IVF) with
the combination of genetic engineering. Both IVF and genetic engineering are
existing technologies (and are available if you’re IVF), though not necessarily
widespread. Therefore, the guess that the two technologies would be combined is
not entirely surprising.
Questions around gene editing are flying past and furiously right now as He Jiankui, as of late last month, claims he made the first CRISPR-edited babies. This is horrifying for a variety of reasons: 1) his gene editing was not done to address an unmet medical need 2) there was no informed consent and 3) he did his actions in secrecy and received pushback as a result.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/china-crispr-babies/576784/
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/12/15-worrying-things-about-crispr-babies-scandal/577234/
Though certainly the use of CRISPR-Cas9 is somewhat different from Ruri’s case, it can be assessed in much a similar way. Currently, the dominant method of gene editing comes from CRISPR and if a modern “Ruri” existed it would probably involve that work.
Nadesico, from being a fictional work, is able to create constrains that provide a rich philosophical construction. We know, for example, what happened to Ruri after the birth, unlike the work of He Jiankui right now. Additionally, Ruri being a main character creates a concrete layer to the story – this episode traces her backstory, after we have learned of her as THE most competent Nadesico crew member. It is quite incredible that a 1996 show could offer insight to a 2018 problem!
In engineering Ruri, the lab sought to create a soldier, in this case on the Nadesico itself. This is a deeply questionable element that makes sense in context of the show but is not nearly as ‘good’ for the real world. It is of very little surprise the in-show lab (Hunaro Institute) was shut down and the experiments were banned – we could hope that this happens to He for his secretive and unprofessional work!
Questions around gene editing are flying past and furiously right now as He Jiankui, as of late last month, claims he made the first CRISPR-edited babies. This is horrifying for a variety of reasons: 1) his gene editing was not done to address an unmet medical need 2) there was no informed consent and 3) he did his actions in secrecy and received pushback as a result.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/china-crispr-babies/576784/
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/12/15-worrying-things-about-crispr-babies-scandal/577234/
Though certainly the use of CRISPR-Cas9 is somewhat different from Ruri’s case, it can be assessed in much a similar way. Currently, the dominant method of gene editing comes from CRISPR and if a modern “Ruri” existed it would probably involve that work.
Nadesico, from being a fictional work, is able to create constrains that provide a rich philosophical construction. We know, for example, what happened to Ruri after the birth, unlike the work of He Jiankui right now. Additionally, Ruri being a main character creates a concrete layer to the story – this episode traces her backstory, after we have learned of her as THE most competent Nadesico crew member. It is quite incredible that a 1996 show could offer insight to a 2018 problem!
In engineering Ruri, the lab sought to create a soldier, in this case on the Nadesico itself. This is a deeply questionable element that makes sense in context of the show but is not nearly as ‘good’ for the real world. It is of very little surprise the in-show lab (Hunaro Institute) was shut down and the experiments were banned – we could hope that this happens to He for his secretive and unprofessional work!
In a sense, Nadesico deeply exaggerates this genetic engineering
story, allowing us to see the ridiculousness. Based on Ruri’s fears of never
knowing her roots, the crew goes to Peaceland to investigate. But Ruri learns
that the lab where her parents genetic material is stored was destroyed in a
terrorist attack. And the parents she meets in Peaceland are not her biological
parents and are in fact holograms. This is both pleasing to her and depressing as
it is far beyond what she expected. She goes to eat pizza in sadness, which she
calls awful, and starts a fight with the owner (letting Akito, the male MC,
take care of the situation). This is
hilarious, but beyond that powerful: an entire character arc happens within a
matter of a few minutes and concludes that parenthood is important but that it
is messy and far beyond biological. The people who comprise family could be
biological parents, adopted parents, or could be greater. In this show, one can
see the Nadesico crew as (an admittedly messed up and unruly) family; this is
why Ruri, even after learning her past, returns to the Nadesico. Spoilers, but
in fact Ruri is in the remaining 8 episodes!
But there’s more to this character arc: Ruri finds the
Hunaro Institute, the lab from earlier, and this is where she actually finds
the answers to her concerns. She finds the beautiful river and forest she had
only seen in her dreams so are. This is the place she seeks. The lab is in such
a ruinous ,empty state that there is only one scientist, an old man, left in
the place. (Again, one can imagine a similar symbol for He’s lab.)
According to his judgment alone, he saved the IVF-fertilized
(and engineered) eggs, thought destroyed in the terrorist attack, as a test
subject. But in this position he has role over human life and cannot take such
an irresponsible attitude. The consequences can easily include death or
indoctrination leading to a far worsened quality of life. However, there is yet
another wrinkle in this fabric: he brings the IVF children into the world,
including Ruri, and offers them clean air and water and a structured and
protected life. And they get employment from this!
This offers a series of benefits not even given in the
actual 2018 situation and it gives us insight into what has to be done to in fact
offset the troublesome morality of doing gene engineering without consent in
any appreciable way. We also see the vindication of Ruri slapping the professor
sand saying nobody asked this of him. But Ruri values being alive and that
should be considered. In any case of genetic engineering, one has to weigh the
intrinsic value of life, and that is really hard to consider. Giving a
comfortable setting to grow up in is one essential part of this process. But
there’s also facts involved with a person carrying those engineered elements
throughout their life. To justify genetic engineering, this type of analysis
must be rigorously done!
With Ruri returning to the Nadesico, we see an emotionally
honest resolution to her confusion around her feelings on being engineered. The
show concretely places Ruri in control over her life with the knowledge of
being an engineered being. Nadesico reflects a much more nuanced understanding
of the situation, to me, than He’s research ultimately does. Ultimately, a
human being, whether engineered or not, will want to find satisfaction and
meaning of some form in life and we should always hold this search as vital.
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