Federation Exceptionalism.   In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling are joined by Duncan Barrett, co-author of Star Trek: The Human Frontier, to discuss the concept of exceptionalism in Star Trek. Mike, Zachary, and Duncan consider various forms of exceptionalism, both here in the real world and in the Star Trek universe. Are humans exceptional lifeforms with unique properties and abilities compared to other life forms here on Earth? In the Star Trek universe, do humans have unique or exceptional abilities compared to members of various alien species? Is the Federation an exceptional political entity compared with neighboring political organizations such as the Romulan Empire or the Ferengi Alliance? How does Federation Exceptionalism compare and contrast with so-called American Exceptionalism? And is there a positive sense of exceptionalism that can avoid the pitfalls of superiority, cultural assimilation, colonialism, and hegemony while allowing for genuine progress toward Federation ideals of liberty, diplomacy, and self-determination?   Chapters  Welcome to Episode 46 (00:01:07)  Introducing Duncan Barrett and Initial Thoughts on Exceptionalism (00:02:04)  Are Humans Exceptional? In the Real World? In Universe? (00:06:56)  Are Some Ideals More Exceptional Than Others? (00:12:10)  What Do Alien Races Reveal About the Uniqueness of Humans? (00:25:02)  The Federation - Political Exceptionalism and the Prime Directive (00:39:03)  Is Data the Ideal [Exceptional] Human? (00:48:05)  Exceptionalism in Transcending Limitations (00:56:47)  Exploring Space vs. Cultural Exploration (00:58:09)  Manifest Destiny and Cultural Assimilation (01:11:42)  Good Exceptionalism vs. Bad Exceptionalism (01:18:05)  Challenging Ideals and the Collapse of Myth (01:23:10)  Final Thoughts - Is There a Healthy Form of Exceptionalism? (01:31:02)  Star Trek: The Human Frontier and Duncan Barrett on Social Media (01:33:19)   Hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling   Guest  Duncan Barrett   Production Mike Morrison (Editor and Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Elizabeth Janeway (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm  Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm  Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm  Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact  Visit the Trek.fm website at http://www.trek.fm/  Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.com/trekfm   Support the Network! Become a Trek.fm Patron on Patreon and help us keep Star Trek talk coming every week. We have great perks for you at http://patreon.com/trekfm