For the Trekkies « Larval Subjects .

Tomorrow is the 40th Anniversary of Star Trek. What vision of social life did this show give us?

[I]t had a crew that said discrimination was a thing of past; it had a future that said we were not all annihilated by nuclear holocaust; it had an economy that was driven by progress and achievement, not simple wealth accumulation; it had science as a guiding force, not mysticism or superstition; it had technology as a means to explore, not just make life easier; and, perhaps most importantly, it had a peaceful mission at its core, not one of conquest. The show screamed peace in a time of war.

Oh to live in such a world! I hear NBC is now contemplating a show called Ark Trek… Something about saving a bunch of animals on a big boat during a flood, appeasing some angry superhero, powerful guy with a white beard, and killing a bunch of other tribes that don’t believe in angry, whitebeard superhero guy, but instead try to appease an angry, superhero guy with a mustache, and another which tries to appease an angry guy with a mowhawk, and… Well you get the idea. Word is the women in the show are very obedient and there’s no hot, man on man action. I suppose times have really changed and with them the tastes of the viewing public.

Alex Says:
September 8, 2007 at 12:49 pm

Richard Dawkins is that you?

But seriously, though the United Federation of Planets was a peaceful organisation, the future in Star Trek wasn’t all that rosy. Wars still occurred, whole planets burnt, and military strength was always on the horizon - eg The Dominion War, the Cartesian occupation of Bajor. And though the next generation crew was open to diplomacy, Kirk still liked a good old-fashioned scrap - it was supposed to be wagon train to the stairs after all. The world of the UFP is one that is the result of a nuclear holocaust and a third world war.

Vulcan’s are philosophically interesting, considering they are supposed to have a society based on pure logic, they have purged themselves of emotion and only have it in occasional bursts in order to mate. And have a fairly violent history as a result of this commitment to following their logicism.

I’m waiting for neo-trotskyism to roll around.

In a recent edition of Doctor Who it was implied that Galafrey was a Platonic Republic. I almost wet myself.

parodycenter Says:
September 8, 2007 at 2:13 pm

Dr. Simthome, I experienced the STAR TREK (especially in the recent feminist edition where the capitain is a woman with balls) as a piece of imperial propaganda par excellance. The narrative is overtly socialdemocratic and given to rabid multiculturalism. How else could this evolve other than into a fascist STAR TREK?