Star Trek Releases A New Kind Of NFT
There is a new NFT on the way, and this one from the original creator of Star Trek. It promises to be a more environmentally-friendly version
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NFTs seem like they are taking over the digital world right now. Seemingly popping up everywhere, the non-fungible tokens have gained a foothold within popular culture, art, sports, and other areas as their popularity only grows. The latest addition to the NFT space is coming from the dude who spent time creating stories about space itself. The estate of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, is producing an NFT around the guy’s signature, though this one is a bit different than the Cryptopunks and other art projects that are gaining purchase in the zeitgeist. Insert the “Boldy go…” line here if you want because this is pretty cool stuff.
According to The Verge, this new NFT will center on an original signature from Gene Roddenberry which landed on the first contract he signed to produce and create Star Trek with Lucille Ball’s Desilu Productions all the way back in May of 1965. This signature will take the form of the token in a first for the budding industry, and in terms of science fiction-y advancements, this one will be what is called a Living Eco-NFT. Get ready for the future folks, because it’s here.
This Gene Roddenberry NFT will be stored on the Solana blockchain, which in and of itself begins to diverge from much of the current market that exists on the Ethereum chain. With the crypto world only growing these days, more technology will mean more things being built on top of different platforms. Second of all, this Star Trek contract signature will be placed on living DNA, and when the DNA replicates so with the token. But there will still be an original one, identified on the block and designated as “El Primero”. The dream of the NFT market is that the originals are designated in this way and can’t be replicated. But obviously, this one is different because of the idea that is sits on living cells. Supposedly, the original run saw the DNA replicated but then frozen to stop the process. If you’re head is spinning, don’t worry, you aren’t the only one.
This new NFT from the Star Trek creator is a collaboration between his estate and the company Rational Vaccines. Their goal, among other things, is to create living NFTs that don’t necessarily have the same environmental impact as those that are currently being produced. Instead of using large amounts of electrical power to data centers that work to verify contracts on the block, those stored on DNA allow folks to store the data without the same energy burden.
The El Primero NFT from Star Trek mind Gene Roddenberry is currently on display, in the form of a glass vial tube at the Art Basel art fair in Miami, Florida. You have the chance to check out a one-of-its-kind new form of art, this time one that marries the budding technology of the blockchain ecosystem with the living DNA cells that have seemingly been with us since the beginning of time. Eat your heart out nerds, the future is here. And I’m here for it.
