In āThe Ultimate Computerā, the duotronic M-5 computer was deemed a failure which sent its creator Richard Daystrom into a nervous breakdown. Not only did Daystrom experience psychological distress (probably the most polite way to describe it), but was responsible for a machine that killed upwards of 53 people.
Why would a person responsible for the invention of a computer that unintentionally killed (unintentionally as in, not ordered to do so) get their name enshrined? Is there anything to explain why such a troubled person that ended up killing others in a quest to eliminate the risk of human death, would inspire anyone to name an organization after them?
EDIT: I need to add some complicating facts to this. āChose Your Painā (DIS season 1 episode 5) gives Daystrom Institute a founding date of 2256, which is before TOS. So based on comments, likely the duotronic computer is why the name was picked.
He was already famous for inventing duotronics, and the M-5 debacle was probably classified or otherwise not common knowledge.
This has to be it. Heās famous from the computer research. He revolutionized a new type of computing.
The murderous AI was just one project that went wrong. Itās a cautionary tale of science of knowledge. He created a computer smart enough to think, thus triggering a whole ethical branch that had never been seen before. Itās a common theme in technology throughout the ages. Technology isnāt evil or immoral, but the way it is used can be.
A corkscrew is a wonderful piece of techology. Used incorrectly or with malice, it can be a terrifying weapon. The same can be said for just about any other kitchen instrument. Mellonballer. Electric beater. Cheese grater. Etcā¦ Getting rid of this kitchen technology isnāt a better way to reduce violence, education on proper use of tools is a far better approach. Teaching empathy helps, too. If M5 had empathyā¦
Plus the fault with the multitronic computer wasnāt really the multitronic mechanism that operated it. It was that Daystrom stuffed his neural engrams into it to try and make it sapient, which caused everything to go wrong, probably because it was loaded with everything in his head, including his desperation to make the multitronic computer work, and paranoia about his peers. A multitronic unit loaded with LCARS might not be that revolutionary, but would not have gone homicidal.
Though we never saw it get advanced into a whole computer system on its own, they did seem to get used for some things that needed mind-like complexity. Holograms use multitronics as part of the matrix, for example. So Daystrom might have been onto something, but was too obsessed in creating something that could supersede duotronics to properly explore the thing.
This is firmly Memory Beta canon, but this bit from the Star Trek Adventures Core Rulebook still feels like an interesting addition to this conversation:
I didnāt notice this before but in Alpha canon Daystrom Institute was founded in 2256, before TOS. So this speech doesnāt make sense. The writer probably didnāt know that either.
EDIT: I need to clarify that this information is from āChose Your Painā, so it came along after āThe Ultimate Computerā.
It looks like this rulebook was released 2 months before the Discovery episode.
Honestly, I think Iād personally consider the Disco naming a canon goof up - Daystrom was only 37 years old at that point. While heād certainly done a lot in his career by then, it still feels weird to name such a major part of
StarfleetFederation research (thanks OP) after him when heās still relatively young.I think my headcannon, and a reasonable retcon in my opinion, is that there was a predecessor organization to Daystrom, somewhat like how there was NACA before there was NASA. When Discovery mentions Daystrom, they should actually be mentioning the predecessor organization.
Daystrom Institute is UFP, not Starfleet affiliated. Hence why those who work at Daystrom arenāt Starfleet.
Good catch.
If we needed everyone we want to name anything after was required to be a saint, we wouldnāt have anybody to name stuff after.
Churchill - the man who rose to lead his country through WW2 - was a big colonial killer in India before. Both the reformator Luther and the philosopher Kant were raging antisemites. A non-insignificant number of US founding fathers held slaves. Bill Clinton balanced the budget while molesting an intern (and allegedly worse). Itās rare that we already know the president is a sexual predator before he gets elected. Yet, there will be a probably very small library named after 47 if there isnāt one already. Itās probably the best library in the world!
History goes through many hands before it gets whittled to a generally agreed upon narrative. Churchill was lucky in real life. Daystromn was lucky in canon. And while sympathies may change over time, Iām not expecting a name change in trek Okinawa.
TLDR; Daystrom did bad stuff but under mental collapse, and itās very much in part Starfleet Commandās fault.
I think also, as much as Daystrom had much responsibility for those deaths, it was not as intentional as something like slavery, genocide, or sexual assault. He was fundamentally in a state of psychological distress partially beyond his control. Depending on when Daystrom Institute was founded (touched on above), he may have had decades for rehabilitation and redemption.
Additionally, Starfleet command probably had ample opportunity to avoid this very early on, like:
- Looking over Daystromās reports to consider potential risks of using engram imprints in a manner similar to a universityās Institutional Review Board - (Though perhaps Daystrom was rather secretive about it and kept it from reviewers.)
- Running the M-5 in simulations. We know the Kobiyashi Moru existed, so we could probably create a wide range.
- Not running the test on the Federation flagship, literally one of Starfleetās most powerful weapons.
While itās possible Starfleet took more precautions than we see onscreen, Commodore Wesleyās enthusiasm in āThe Ultimate Computerā almost suggests an over-enthusiasm in Command, possibly one that caused them to skip necessary precautions. In fact, we had almost this exact scenario happen in Lower Decks āTrusted Sourcesā/āThe Stars at Nightā with the Texas class a century later. Ultimately, Starfleet Command likely bears a non-negligible amount of responsibility in the M-5 affair.
Of course, the above does not reduce the wrongness of Daystromās actions and perhaps only serves to deflect from the OPās question. However, I feel Starfleetās potential role combined with Daystromās mental condition may be mitigating factors that would make Richard Daystrom less unworthy of having an institution bear his name.
Nobel prizeā¦
At some point a name is just a name, time buys forgiveness
