The Politics of Star Trek

Claremont.org ^ | 08/25/2015 | Timothy Sandefur

[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.

[Bubba_Leroy]

Gene Roddenberry died in 1991, over 20 years after the first Star Trek series ended and after the first 6 Star Trek movies.

[Timber Rattler]

Dorothy Catherine “D.C.” Fontana should be right up there with Asimov, Heinlein, Herbert, Clarke, etc. as one of the great science fiction writers of all time...

[ETL]

In “Return of the Archons,” for example, Kirk and company infiltrate a theocratic world monitored and dominated by the god Landru. The natives are placid, but theirs is the mindless placidity of cattle.

[ealgeone]

Have you seen Q-Who? Episode of STTNG?

[Raymann]

Funny how the article completely ignores Deep Space Nine. Probably because it harkens back to the morality of classical realism.

Picard refuses to defend Gowron because it interfere in Klingon internal matters, Sisko helps assassinate a Romulan senator to trick the romulans into a war.

[ETL]

The one with the "space hippies" was the stupidest/funniest, though I'm sure it wasn't really meant to be funny. Star Trek was one of those series you laughed with, and at.

[Timber Rattler]

I dunno, in the last two seasons of DS9, Sisko turns into a ruthless SOB.

[Kartographer]

DS9 was the best of any of the series. Much more real and gritty. In DS9 people got their hands dirty, which is how real life is.

[KC_Lion]

Dancing on Roddenberry's Grave!

[ArtDodger]

“Modeled on Gulliver’s Travels”

More socialist rewriting of history.
Some have tried to say the teleporter was the show’s vision of the future. In fact, they couldn’t afford the special effects of landing a ship so this was a cheap alternative...
In the 60’s, I remember an article about some NASA scientists invited to the stage to observe the bridge and give their thoughts.. They filled out a questionnaire and all the NASA guys agreed that in 200 years, Man would have space travel, phasers, warp speed, but not a one believed that we would have doors that open and close automatically!

[KC_Lion]

What was that thing about “Hew-Mon’s” Nephew?

[Cincinatus]

Absolutely the funniest, "so-bad-that-it's-good" episode in the history of the Star Trek franchise.

We reach. I am not Herbert.

[Kartographer]

"Let me tell you something about humans, nephew: They're a wonderful, friendly people - as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working." "But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and those friendly, intelligent, wonderful people...will become as nasty and as violent as the most blood-thirsty Klingon."
  Quark from: The Siege of AR-558

[ETL]

Some have tried to say the teleporter was the show’s vision of the future. In fact, they couldn’t afford the special effects of landing a ship so this was a cheap alternative...

Same thing I imagine for all the M3 ("earth-like") planets they encountered. Rarely was there the need to wear life support equipment.

[Norm Lenhart]

Or FR threads in 12 under the God Romney...

[Corey Ohlis]

Strange decline of American Liberalism since the Kennedy era?

Seems to me the Libs are more powerful than ever.

The author’s talking about the quality of the liberalism, not the quantity of it.

[Jonty30]

Star Trek the next generation had some decent effects and they had a lot of substance. Probably the only star trek show that didn’t have much to it was voyager.

[ETL]

Strange decline of American Liberalism since the Kennedy era? Seems to me the Libs are more powerful than ever.

They've "advanced" to outright communists.

[KC_Lion]

I liked it when Quark Solved War LOL!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdQcGzbpN7s

[KC_Lion]