The study of Quantum Physics started in 1900 when physicist Max Planck first introduced the concept to the scientific world. The results of his studies in radiation simply contradicted the classical physical laws, suggesting that there are other laws at work in the universe. Other physicists studying this new concept also noticed photons, tiny packets of light, acting as particles and as waves with single photons exhibiting shape shifting behavior. Imagine going out to your car in the morning and your vehicle taking a gaseous form rather than the solid object you locked last night? It would be just that odd. This has become known as the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle when physicist Werner Heisenberg suggested that just by observing quantum matter we affect the behavior of that matter, asserting that there is a fundamental limit to the precision with which certain pairs of physical properties or complementary variables can be known simultaneously. This idea is later supported by the Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics posed by physicist Niels Bohr. His interpretation states that all quantum particles don’t exist in one state or the other, but in all of its possible states at once. The sum total of all possible states of a quantum object is called the objects Wave Function, and the state of an object existing in all of its possible states at once is called Superposition. Observation breaks an object’s Superposition and forces it to choose one state from its Wave Function. This accounts for why physicists have taken opposite measurements from the same quantum object, as the object can choose different states during different measurements.

These interpretations have been widely accepted, which would include physicist Hugh Everett, but he had one Universe splitting disagreement with Bohr. For Everett, measuring a quantum object does not force it into one comprehensible state or another. It instead actually causes a split in the Universe, duplicating the Universe, one for each possible outcome from the measurement. This is called the Many-Worlds Interpretation, and it gets wonky because if Everett is right than the universe splits when an action is taken or when action is not taken and would thoroughly undermine our concept of time being linear. Crazy right? They may seem to be beyond belief, but existence of parallel universes appears not only to be possible but an inevitability of certain mathematical and theoretical considerations. With the five consistent versions of String Theory, realized in the mid-1990’s, Physics now produces multiple Universes with ease, but how does that look to Humans?
In 1967 one show picked up on this parallel universe theory, Star Trek. After failing to persuade the Halkan Council to allow the Federation to mine dilithium crystals on their planet, Kirk and his landing party made up of Dr. McCoy, Scott and Uhura begin transporting back to the Enterprise. An unexpected ion storm causes a transporter malfunction and the landing team instead finds themselves in one of these parallel universes. The group is immediately taken aback because Mr. Spock is now sporting a very evil Van Dyke beard. Mr. Spock has ordered a phaser barrage on the Halkans in retaliation for their refusal to cooperate, a brutal Empire has replaced the Federation, they are aboard the ISS Enterprise and Sulu is hitting on women. Clearly this is not their world. Kirk and company must elicit Evil Spock’s help to return, but is it possible?

The Many-Worlds Interpretation would make that theoretically impossible as the switcheroo alone would by the very definition of the Interpretation have created another Parallel Universe rather than allow the people to switch. Even in the current state of String Theory moving from universe is not promising. But, heck if an ion storm can make the switch possible and then having two Mr. Spocks (regular Mr. Spock and Evil Mr. Spock) working the problem from both sides is more than enough Spock’s to make this work. And that is the subject of this month’s Sci Fi Smackdown! We know that parallel universes are theoretically possible, but the hope of moving between them or returning back to your original universe seems tricky. But is that just because we haven’t pulled the resources of two Spocks? Or will Uhura have to continually endure Sulu’s advances?

Regardless, I think we can agree that Evil Spock is bad ass.