Posted on 03/13/2002 3:13:17 PM PST by ReveBM
Okay, let me first off say that I am a big fan of the newest Star Trek series, Enterprise. I thought that the last series, Voyager, had gotten tired and had too many episodes revolving around the masturbatory holodeck. And, don't even get me started on the series before that, Deep Space 9, with its "angry pissed-off black man in space" theme.
The new Enterprise series has a freshness about it not seen in my opinion since the original series of 1967-69, what with the swashbuckling Captain Kirk. A good slice of the new series' appeal for me is its handsome, rugged, all-American Captain, Jonathan Archer.
One particular episode, though, rubbed me the wrong way. If you've watched the series you may remember the pivotal episode where they visit the "Great Plume of Agasoria", a stellar object that has religious significance for many alien peoples. Smack in the middle of this episode, the alien doctor pointedly asks Captain Archer whether he has a faith (I don't remember the exact wording, he may have used religion or some other wording).
Captain Archer's response: "I try to keep an open mind".
Let's step back a bit and realize that in the Star Trek universe at this point Earth is just emerging from a hard 100+ years of recovering from nuclear war. If there were ever a time for people to turn to God, perhaps it would have been in the aftermath of that holocaust. However, not so for the boys at Star Fleet.
Perhaps in the Star Trek future, people who are religious do not go into space, staying on their farms (as shown in the first episode of the series) or perhaps forming small communities on spacefaring cargo ships (as shown in another episode). However, religious people don't seem to go into Star Fleet, to my knowledge. It's fine and understandable to run across aliens who are committed religiously, particularly the Vulcans, but I have yet in my memory to run across a significant Star Trek character who is committed to Christianity. You might think I'm harping on Christianity in particular, but it's not only a major and still-growing religion in our world today, but it's the dominant religion in the United States, which fields a large portion of visible Star Fleet personnel, perhaps due to the San Francisco location of its training center (or perhaps many other people in the world died during nuclear war)?
Wait, I get it, maybe religious people are somehow screened out during Star Fleet Academy, perhaps for unacceptable views they might have on one or another topic.
Let's also not forget that in the future, at least according to Star Trek, there is no capitalism at some point. The description of how this happens and in what century is vague, but I vividly remember more than one Star Trek Captain saying that in the future they don't use money anymore, just look to expand their "human potential". Thank God for the Ferengi.
Star Trek is written by writers and reflects their view of what the future will be like. They obviously seem to assume that Christianity and capitalism will die out over the generations. This reflects the fondness of liberals in particular to enter our schools and inculcate our young people so that they don't have unacceptable, politically incorrect views among the future generations, whether regarding homosexuality or some other topic.
It would have been extremely refreshing to have had Captain Archer at LEAST say "Yes, I have a faith, but it's very personal to me" and leave it at that.
Whether Christianity could survive the discovery of intelligent life on other planets is a topic for another day. I have read some science fiction suggesting it could. Others may disagree.
Have a nice day!
Wasn't that annoying? Sheesh. My favorite DS9 epiode was when Jake wanted to buy an autographed baseball for his dad and couldn't get it because he had no money("we work to better ourselves, and mankind, not for profit"--gag). His Ferengi friend Nog decided it was time for a lesson in "incentive-based economics" and set him to work trading services with about a dozen different people in order to finally the wherewithal to trade for the baseball.
And hence, this, along with the lack of capitalism, is why I say that Star Trek society is highly illogical.
And mine was rekindled when I read a review of the new series, in which the critic raved about the female Vulcan character with "gravity-defying" cleavage. It's enough to make Newton turn over in his grave.
Which makes me proud.
It takes a large government to commit the time and resources to build what one economist calls "Monuments."
Well, first of all you need a private economy to create the wealth that the government confiscates to build those monuments. If there's no private economy, all you can do is build the pyramids, not the Enterprise. Secondly, no government, even one that squeezes the private economy as ours does to us, could keep a fleet of starships going for centuries. It requires serious economic incentives. That's precisly what The Next Generation destroyed.
I'm not ready for inter-planetary, inter-species miscegenation.
I prefer the Vulcan babe.
I think she's HOT!!!
(Not as hot as 7-of-9, of course. But still HOT!)
Well, what about a little Cosmic Voyeurism; no harm in that, is there?
I think she's HOT!!!
Amazing; there IS something upon which we both can agree.
I liked the original series, in which Kirk boffed a new babe every week. They were all great-looking. And human! (Although it's rumoured around Star Fleet Academy that once you go Vulcan, you never go back.)
I stopped watching it after the second season. I didn't like any of the characters or the plot lines.
I couldn't stand TNG until they got rid of that snot-nosed Wesley Crusher. The flag ship of the fleet with the finest crew in Star Fleet, and none of them could solve this week's problem. Tah dah! Wesley Crusher saves the day! I wanted to smack the little brat. Oh, and then at the end, Wesley evolved into a higher life form. He was, afterall, already superior to mere men. Jeeesh!
I hated that captain who thought she was Katherine Hepburn and wasn't. I wanted to see unspeakable things done to her by Klingons.
--Boris
The writers handled diverse religions with respect & curiosity.
AND---the BEST endorsement---Harlan Ellison allowed his name to be used in the Credits!!
Doc
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