Writhing in the Stars

Stardate Earth 4.543.000.000 (25 December 2025)

Yarin Eski

Human beings have always looked at the stars with curiosity and ambition. For a long time, space was mainly a subject of science, imagination, and dreams. Today, this has changed. Space is no longer far away. It has become part of everyday life on Earth through satellites, communication systems, military technologies, and commercial projects. At the same time, more actors are preparing to expand human activity further into outer space. This development raises important questions that are too often ignored, in particular related to harm, crime, policing and justice.

This blog, Writhing in the Stars, starts from the idea that human expansion is neither neutral nor harmless. Wherever we go, our problems follow. Crime, harm, conflict, inequality, and power do not disappear in space. In fact, they can be enabled and amplified because of being "out there." So, there is no reason to believe that outer space will be different from Earth in this respect. This is one of the main reasons space criminology exists because it is necessary to think about these issues before serious harm occurs, not after, as we have seen before in many other areas, including the maritime, aviation and cyberdomains.

The other reason for space criminology to exist, is because at the moment, space is mainly discussed in (commercially) positive and optimistic terms. Governments, companies, and media often focus on innovation, progress, and the idea of being the first to discover, arrive, or extract resources beyond Earth. This “space race”-logic is rather familiar from history. On Earth, similar ways of thinking have led to colonialism, environmental destruction, and large-scale injustice. From a criminological perspective, wanting to be first is not innocent, but rather harmful, irresponsible, and often criminal. Ignoring these risks does not make them disappear. Space criminology is, in that sense, an inherent, embodied critique of that state of denial, as Stan Cohen would have it.

What space criminology does, is focusing on crime, harm, and justice in relation to space activities, trying to find insights and answers to questions about, for example, who is responsible for damage caused by satellites, space debris, or astromining, and what happens when conflicts or crimes take place beyond Earth? Is existing space law sufficient enough as it mainly regulates states and liability, but offers rather little in terms of criminal accountability? Which legal and moral gaps need to be identified that are dangerous if human activity in space continues to grow?

Therefore, space criminology is first and foremost an academic pursuit, bringing together researchers from all kinds of disciplines who are concerned with the legal, social and ethical consequences of space expansion. Some of us work on criminology and sociology, studying harm, deviance, and power in space-related activities. Others focus on law and governance, especially the limits of current space treaties and the absence of clear criminal justice frameworks. There are researchers working on human rights and ethics, asking how rights can be protected beyond Earth and who is excluded from current discussions. We also include expertise on security and policing in outer space, as well as environmental and sustainability questions in the study of harm to space environments and orbital systems.

Together, which is my hope, these perspectives form a critical and constructive approach to space. Our aim is not to stop all space activity but to question the assumptions behind it, its manifestions and its effects. Space is often presented as empty, available, and open for use. However, from a criminological perspective, this is a dangerous idea because it encourages unbridled exploitation without responsibility and progress without reflection, as historically has lead to harm almost always.

The title of this blog, Writhing in the Stars reflects this tension. It refers to the discomfort and struggle that come with human expansion. Space appears pristine and quite distant but our actions in space are already resulting in conflict, inequality, and environmental problems, which deserves serious academic scrutiny. The title also refers to the task of space criminology: addressing and, perhaps, becoming discomfort itself by not looking away. But by realistically looking ahead.

If anything, this blog will be a place for reflection and debate, considering emerging forms of space-related harm, questions of crime, policing and justice, and the ethical problems linked to space technologies and exploration, and one day maybe even settlement.

Using a stardate based on the age of the Earth is a reminder of scale and responsibility, as our species' activity forms only a small moment in planetary time. If humans are going to act beyond Earth, we should do so carefully and with awareness of past mistakes.

Writhing in the Stars starts here.