Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Politics of Star Trek
Claremont.org ^ | 08/25/2015 | Timothy Sandefur

Posted on 09/02/2015 5:26:11 AM PDT by DFG

Leonard Nimoy’s death in February brought to a close his unusual career continually playing a single role for half a century. Between 1966, when the television show Star Trek premiered, and 2013, when the movie Star Trek Into Darkness hit the screens, Nimoy portrayed the franchise’s beloved first officer, Mr. Spock, in two TV series and eight films.

As he acknowledged, the key to Star Trek’s longevity and cultural penetration was its seriousness of purpose, originally inspired by creator Gene Roddenberry’s science fiction vision. Modeled on Gulliver’s Travels, the series was meant as an opportunity for social commentary, and it succeeded ingeniously, with episodes scripted by some of the era’s finest science fiction writers. Yet the development of Star Trek’s moral and political tone over 50 years also traces the strange decline of American liberalism since the Kennedy era.

(Excerpt) Read more at claremont.org ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: dcfontana; kirk; leonardnimoy; roddenberry; spock; startrek
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100101-117 next last
To: ladyrustic

You never seen Baseball Hall of famer pitcher get kiss from Capt Janaway right LOL!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fah_ntVXoaw


81 posted on 09/02/2015 8:31:40 AM PDT by SevenofNine (We are Freepers, all your media bases belong to us ,resistance is futile)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: IYAS9YAS

I remember reading the article in the late 60s.


82 posted on 09/02/2015 8:43:45 AM PDT by ArtDodger
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 75 | View Replies]

To: Bratch

More like Paladin in ‘Have gun Will travel’... a series Roddenberry also wrote for...


83 posted on 09/02/2015 8:51:09 AM PDT by GOPJ (Immigration, World Poverty and Gumballs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPjzfGChGlE)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Bratch

More like Paladin in ‘Have gun Will travel’... a series Roddenberry also wrote for...


84 posted on 09/02/2015 8:51:25 AM PDT by GOPJ (Immigration, World Poverty and Gumballs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPjzfGChGlE)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: DFG

Bump


85 posted on 09/02/2015 8:51:39 AM PDT by TheRobb7 ("Patriots don't negotiate the terms of their enslavement"--JimRob)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Buckeye McFrog

It wasn’t even non-violence, it was non-conflict. He didn’t even want disagreements among the bridge crew. Which really killed the drama (conflict is the source of all drama). They never really go to shoot-em ups, but they at least got to start having the crew have multiple opinions.


86 posted on 09/02/2015 8:55:28 AM PDT by discostu (It always comes down to cortexiphan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Zionist Conspirator
The difference is FDR was willing to stand up to tyrany and use force if necessary in defense of freedom and what he believed to be a morally superior form of government.

The liberals of today believe there are no moral absolutes and that force should never be used, even force to defend ones country, freedom or even life. And that Capitalism is the true evil infecting this world along with the evil white colonialist.

87 posted on 09/02/2015 8:59:12 AM PDT by TexasFreeper2009 (You can't spell Hillary without using the letters L, I, A, & R)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 79 | View Replies]

To: Jonty30

The final season of Enterprise, after they finished all the silliness of the temporal cold war, is really when they clocked in. It finally really became a prequel to TOS, stopped introducing races we’ve never seen after (before? whatever) and started building the federation. Then it got canceled and Braga handed in the worst final episode ever. But until then it was really good.


88 posted on 09/02/2015 9:02:30 AM PDT by discostu (It always comes down to cortexiphan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]

To: TexasFreeper2009
The difference is FDR was willing to stand up to tyrany and use force if necessary in defense of freedom and what he believed to be a morally superior form of government.

The liberals of today believe there are no moral absolutes and that force should never be used, even force to defend ones country, freedom or even life. And that Capitalism is the true evil infecting this world along with the evil white colonialist.

You're not understanding me. I'm expressing my dismay at the fact that the older liberals have gone along with the new left nihilist crowd every step of the way and have now become new left nihilists themselves. Where were Humphrey or Symington or Scoop Jackson or any of those people while all this was going on? They went along with the redefinition of liberalism completely. Just look at Bobby Kennedy--from Cold War liberal to hippie Communist in just two years!!!

I illustrated this frustration of mine by conjuring up the image of a 133 year old FDR "marching" at the head of a pro-bestiality parade. Do you get it now?

89 posted on 09/02/2015 9:06:32 AM PDT by Zionist Conspirator (The "end of history" will be Worldwide Judaic Theocracy.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 87 | View Replies]

To: Zionist Conspirator
Got cha!

In hindsight all the warnings about “slippy slopes” appear to have been right when it came to liberal ideology.

I am guessing if you ignored all the racial hatred in a typical KKK speech from the first half of the 20th century that they were very prophetic in what they said would happen.

90 posted on 09/02/2015 9:10:08 AM PDT by TexasFreeper2009 (You can't spell Hillary without using the letters L, I, A, & R)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 89 | View Replies]

To: TexasFreeper2009
Got cha!

In hindsight all the warnings about “slippy slopes” appear to have been right when it came to liberal ideology.

Finally! (I forgot to mention Muskie.)

I am guessing if you ignored all the racial hatred in a typical KKK speech from the first half of the 20th century that they were very prophetic in what they said would happen.

Why? Did the typical KKK speech of that era claim that American Blacks were a bunch of left wing intellectual eggheads who supported Marx and Darwin?

91 posted on 09/02/2015 9:17:21 AM PDT by Zionist Conspirator (The "end of history" will be Worldwide Judaic Theocracy.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 90 | View Replies]

To: Buckeye McFrog

#12 they also had way too much of Wesley Crusher
The Jar Jar Binks of Star Trek (Sheldon).


92 posted on 09/02/2015 9:17:44 AM PDT by minnesota_bound
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: TexasFreeper2009
The liberals of today believe there are no moral absolutes and that force should never be used, even force to defend ones country, freedom or even life. And that Capitalism is the true evil infecting this world along with the evil white colonialist.

So-called "anti-war pacifists" "progressives" have been around a long time. I put "anti-war pacifists" in quotes because most of those organizing the "peace" rallies, in reality, were/are anything but "anti-war" or "pacifist". Rather they were/are devoted supporters of brutal communist dictatorships. People who never met a bloody leftist uprising or revolution they didn't welcome and support. People who worship mass murderers like Mao and even Stalin.

93 posted on 09/02/2015 9:21:20 AM PDT by ETL (ALL (most?) of the Obama-commie connections at my FR Home page: http://www.freerepublic.com/~etl/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 87 | View Replies]

To: Mad Dawgg
It is a spoof on Red Shirts and their chances of returning alive when they beam down to a planet.

I see. They are 'throw-aways'. Like the poor unknown schmuck who gets in the ring with some big-name superstar pro wrestler. You just know things aren't going to work out too well for them.

94 posted on 09/02/2015 9:27:10 AM PDT by ETL (ALL (most?) of the Obama-commie connections at my FR Home page: http://www.freerepublic.com/~etl/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 78 | View Replies]

To: Zionist Conspirator
The few I have seen excerpts from over the years often alluded to a “slippery slope” when it came to the ideas and policies being pushed by liberals and where they would lead.

Their predictions about the legalization of sodomy, gay marriage, the public schools, the condoning of adultery, the removal of God from the schools, no fault divorce were all pretty prophetic in hind site. Those predictions were just completely overshadowed by their illogical hate of other races and religions.

95 posted on 09/02/2015 9:29:52 AM PDT by TexasFreeper2009 (You can't spell Hillary without using the letters L, I, A, & R)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 91 | View Replies]

To: DFG

Picard was a wuss. He had a ships counselor.
I think her name was Oprah... argh.
That version of Star Trek I hated. They have some good shows but they kept putting in one stupid liberal idea after another and was always moralizing ruining overall the show.


96 posted on 09/02/2015 9:30:23 AM PDT by minnesota_bound
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Stand Watch Listen

Seen all the new trailers have I. Doctor I had to call...hmmmm over 4 hours it lasted erection it did.

:-) snorkel...snorkel...

Is it December yet ?????

JEDI


97 posted on 09/02/2015 9:31:43 AM PDT by JEDI4S (I don't mean to cause trouble...it just happens naturally through the Force!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Mad Dawgg

From your wiki link:

“In Star Trek, red-uniformed security officers and engineers who accompany the main characters on landing parties often suffer quick deaths.[2]

The trope first appears in the episode “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” (1966).[3] Of the 59 crew members killed in the series, 43 (73%) were wearing red shirts.[4]”


98 posted on 09/02/2015 9:35:19 AM PDT by ETL (ALL (most?) of the Obama-commie connections at my FR Home page: http://www.freerepublic.com/~etl/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 78 | View Replies]

To: ETL

from a documentary on ST(NG)

after G. Rodeberry passed. one of the “old hands” disliked a script.. went to the head office and said “gene wouldn’t like it” response “gene’s dead” and thus verbs were reissued in the ST universe


99 posted on 09/02/2015 9:43:16 AM PDT by Bidimus1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 98 | View Replies]

To: GOPJ

BTW I been seen a lot of Have Gun will travel on new OTA channel Decades tv network


100 posted on 09/02/2015 9:44:16 AM PDT by SevenofNine (We are Freepers, all your media bases belong to us ,resistance is futile)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 83 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100101-117 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson