Posted on 06/24/2021 9:49:50 AM PDT by CheshireTheCat
Except for watching ME-TV or Antenna-TV reruns, people under the age of 40 missed out on the TV series of the 1950s and 1960s that presented moral dilemmas, dystopian futures, and other think-pieces intended to push the envelope of one’s imagination and possibilities. Science fiction was brought to the small screen in ways that examined current events and controversies of the day while providing “wholesome” entertainment unlike the sex-dominated TV fare of today.
Check out this list to see where your 1960s series favorites rank in terms of popularity. Interestingly, numbers one and two on that list are my favorites, too: The Twilight Zone and Star Trek (Original Series). Alternate earth scenarios, time loops, alien visitations, what-if scenarios, examination of key decisions that changed history, the consequences of moral (or immoral choices), etc.
Many of the episodes of those series were prescient and very insightful, and the lessons from those shows remain applicable even today. A lot can be learned from those old reruns! Take for example “The Omega Glory” (Star Trek Season 2, Episode 23) which was first broadcast on 1 March 1968. That episode depicted an alternate Earth in which a worldwide biological war devastated the planet, leaving two groups pitted against each other a couple of hundred years later – the “Yangs” and the “Kohms.” CAPT Kirk and Mr. Spock deduced that the Caucasian-appearing Yangs and Chinese-appearing Kohms corresponded to 20th century Earth’s “Yankees” and “Communists,” and that these two groups remained at war even after biological warfare had devastated their civilizations.
The storyline of the episode is not as important as the parallel context and the subsequent analyses and opinions of people who interpreted the meaning/intent of the episode’s author based on their own ideological biases....
(Excerpt) Read more at redstate.com ...
“E planista”
That was a cool episode...
Talk about starry eyes. These shows were cheesy and dumb. Fun and entertaining, sure, but hardly deep.
Although they are far superior to anything recent.
B5 upped the game though.
Yeah. E pleb neesta. Which is we the people. The story went off the deep end at that point. Loved Star Trek. Hated a few episodes. That was one I disliked. Space Hippies was another bomb.
Some dude: "Those are holy words! You shall not speak them."
Kirk: "These words are for everybody! Or they mean nothing. Do you understand?"
Heinlein postulated genetic warfare in the 1940s.
The easy one is the episode Let That Be Your Last Battlefield that was the futility and idiocy of judging one by one's skin color.
Likewise, there was a fear of biological warfare during the Cold War with the Soviets and the Sinos.
Herbert!
Yep I remember the episode. The Yangs had the American flag and the US Constitution, and Kirk educated them about what the constitution means.
Rewatching Next Generation. Seems like bioweapons are in every other episode.
Look at all those technical devices they used that we use now.
“I, am not, Herbert “
Me either.
Star Trek ain’t the only one that got it right, oh so long ago.
TV Show Barney Miller 1981 - NWO Exposed!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y19-mirMGs
Barney Miller got so much right.
Another favorite was the grad student who built the atom bomb for school but nobody believed it except for Dietrich.
Yep! Captain Ron Tracey violated the Prime Directive in a bigly way.
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.