Brown 1 "You're all astronauts on some sort of star trek..." --Zefram Cochrane, "Star Trek: First Contact" Star Trek was a television series that aired on NBC from 1966-1969, it was canceled after only 79 episodes. However, instead of disappearing after being canceled, it gained a dramatic resurrection in syndicated re-runs. Now, over 30 years later, Star Trek is a huge phenomenon. There are eight feature films, and four television series. Why is Star Trek so popular? The original series was filled with flaws, bad acting, and poor special effects. However the genius of its creator, Gene Roddenberry shines through the medium of television. Through Star Trek, Roddenberry presented a message of hope - hope for a future where mankind will have evolved beyond the need for war, where poverty and disease are non-existent and where all races and cultures live in harmony. The characters in Star Trek represent this hope and people can identify with them. The characters also represent different cultures and races, working together to achieve a common goal. The stories told on Trek are sweeping adventures, often action-packed. They are rarely dark, or moody. Instead they tell simple tales of morality, and show diverse groups working together. That is why Star Trek is so popular, why it has lasted so long. People love the message of hope, the characters, and the stories of Star Trek. "May the Great Bird of the Galaxy bless your planet." --Sulu, "The Man Trap" Star Trek was created by a man named Gene Roddennberry. He was the guiding light behind the creation of Star Trek, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. While he was not directly involved in the creation of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, or Star Trek: Voyager, it was his vision that was behind their creation. For this, he earned the nickname the "Great Bird of the Galaxy" (Okuda 117). Brown 2 Star Trek is something of an enigma to most science fiction. It is very different from other recent weekly sci-fi shows like Babylon 5, or Space: Above and Beyond, in that it does not feature action, or combat every week. Its light tone is in direct contrast to the X-Files "Trust no one" attitude. It is also vastly different from feature films which include hostile aliens invading our bodies, or blowing up our national landmarks (The Alien films, and Independence Day). In most science fiction, the aliens are malevolent forces bent on our destruction. This is the way it is in numerous movies, books, and TV shows. This harks all the way back to H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds." Star Trek is very different in it's portrayal of alien races. They are shown simply as different races. While the aliens are not always friendly, they are not the mindless killers of ID4 or Alien. The one exception to this would be the Borg. Klingons, which were a foe in Star Trek are now allies of the Federation, and one Klingon even serves aboard a Federation starship. The United Federation of Planets, which is the main governing body of the Trek world, consists of over 150 planets (Okuda 358). Hundreds of alien races make up the Federation, and many serve aboard the starships. Starfleet always strives to make peaceful first contact with new races. While action is certainly a fun and important part of the show, it is not the most important part. "Should the new Enterprise find itself in a military situation, the it will be seen as a failure of the ship's diplomatic mission." (Nemeck 13). It is clear that peaceful relations with other cultures is paramount to Trek. "We are the Borg. Resistance is futile." --The Borg The Borg are one of the Federation's most lethal foes. They are completely different from any other race encountered by the Federation. They are not interested in peaceful coexistence, their only goal is to assimilate all life into the Borg, in their pursuit of perfection. They are half-human, half-cybernetic beings and their technology is far Brown 3 more advanced than anything the Enterprise has. They are the representation of everything that is anti-Star Trek. "Your culture will adapt to service ours." --The Borg "Impossible! My culture is based on freedom and self determination!" --Picard "Freedom is irrelevant. Self determination is irrelevant. You will comply." --Borg --from 'The Best of Both Worlds, part1" The Borg have made numerous appearances on The Next Generation, and were the featured enemy in the film First Contact. The Borg all operate as one mind, a collective. They are merciless juggernauts destroying all that is in their path. In their first major attack on Earth, the Borg smashed through Starfleet, destroying 39 starships, and killing 11,000 people in the process (Okuda 376). In a later episode, "I, Borg", the Enterprise encounters a smaller Borg ship which has crash landed. The crew captures the lone survivor of the crash and they proceed to find a way to exploit the situation. They manage to create a sort of computer virus that would disable the entire Borg race. However, the Borg they have captured begins to become an individual, instead of a mindless killer. He acquires a name, and befriends the crew. The crew of the Enterprise has to face their own prejudices, and the prospect of committing genocide to the Borg. The crew instead lets him return to his ship, deciding that the idea of individuality could be just as dangerous to the Borg. The Borg are shown to be more than mindless killers. As executive producer Michael Piller says, "Just when you think it's safe to hate the Borg, you have to look him in the eye and ask if you could still kill him." "Peace and long life." "Live long and prosper." --Traditional Vulcan farewell Brown 4 The main message of Star Trek is expressed by the idea of "Technology Unchained." Gene Roddenberry coined this term. It expresses the idea that in the 24th century, technology will go to improving the quality of life, instead of improving the quality of technology (Nemick 5). This is very obvious in the design of all the new Federation starships. The Enterprise is very sleek and rounded, in direct contrast to the "battleship sterile" design of other sci-fi shows. The Voyager, the ship in Star Trek: Voyager, is also very sleek, and non-threatening. The bridge of the Enterprise is more like an executive boardroom, a place for conferences, not confrontations. Medical technology has advanced to the point of eliminating most diseases and technology is used to help people, instead of building better weapons. "I know Klingons like to be alone on their birthdays. You probably want to meditate, or hit yourself with a pain stick or something." --Troi, "Parallels" One of the major reasons Star Trek has remained so popular over the years is the love people have for the characters. The reason for this is simple. The characters portrayed in Star Trek are easy to identify with. The characters are heroic and intelligent and despite all this, they are all human. They all love and hate, just as people do today and for this reason, they are a reflection of us. They are used to show how different cultures and races can work together and they show tolerance and respect for other cultures embracing differences, rather than fearing them. "Infinite diversity in infinite forms" is highly valued in the world of Star Trek. One of the main regular characters that is used to show cultural differences is that of Worf. Worf was one of the major characters in The Next Generation, and now has role in Deep Space Nine. Worf is the first Klingon to serve in Starfleet. Brown 5 Worf was conceived by Gene Roddenberry and Bob Justman, who wanted a Klingon on the bridge as reminder that today's enemies can become tomorrow's friends. --Okuda Worf is popular because of his strict adherence to honor. He is also a really tough guy who can fight if needed. But he is not a human, as we are often reminded. He has different values and ideals. We are shown this fact in The Next Generation episode "The Enemy." In this episode, a Romulan is severely injured. He needs a transfusion, but the only compatible donor is Worf. The Romulans are the hated enemy of the Klingons, and Worf refuses to give the transfusion. The crew is surprised by the decision but Captain Picard, respectful of Worf's ethics, does not order Worf to save the man's life. The Romulan dies. Another instance where Worf's values come into conflict with accepted human values is in the episode "Ethics." Worf is paralyzed in an accident. Shamed by his injury, and by the fact that he will never recover, Worf asks Riker to help him commit ritual suicide. His reasoning is that because he is an invalid, he has shamed himself, and more importantly, shamed his son. Riker is aghast at the idea, and refuses. Everyone is relieved when an experimental surgery is used to restore Worf to full health. Star Trek definitely promotes cultural acceptance. The other major component that has made Star Trek last so long are the stories. This is the heart of the show. The stories crafted for Trek are numerous in style and format. Often there are surprise endings. The stories are always relevant to our time by dealing with issues that face us today. Race relations have been dealt with numerous times as have gay rights, abortion, and urban problems. One of the popular topics for the original Star Trek was the Vietnam War. The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine had shows that paralleled the U.S. government's operation in Bosnia. A common issue dealt Brown 6 with on all shows is that of genetically engineering humans (selective breeding). The Next Generation and the original Star Trek have both had numerous tales against eugenics. In the Star Trek episode "Space Seed," Kahn and his genetically engineered "supermen" are responsible for a huge war that took place on Earth. In the Next Generation episode "The Masterpiece Society", the argument is clearly stated. Eugenics are dehumanizing and a detriment to freedom of choice (Nemeck 190). "I have a feeling this won't be the last ship named Enterprise." -Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: Generations Star Trek, and its spin-offs have lasted over 30 years. Although the characters and stories are a large part of this, they are not the most important part. It is the message of hope, acceptance, and peace that has kept the show alive this long. Gene Roddenberry's vision of "Technology Unchained" is sure to be with us for many years to come. Works Cited Nemecek, Larry. The Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion. New York: Pocket Books, 1992. Okuda, Michael, and Denise Okuda, and Debbie Mirek. The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future. New York: Pocket Books, 1994. Star Trek: First Contact. Dir. Jonathon Frakes. With Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner. Paramount, 1996. "The Man Trap." Star Trek. Episode #6. Dir. Marc Daniels. 1966. "The Best of Both Worlds, part 1." Star Trek: The Next Generation. Episode #74. Dir. Cliff Bole. 1990. "I, Borg." Star Trek: The Next Generation. Episode #123. Dir. Robert Lederman. "Parallels." Star Trek: The Next Generation. "The Enemy." Star Trek: The Next Generation. Episode #55. Dir. David Carson. 1989. "Ethics." Star Trek: The Next Generation. Episode #116. Dir Chip Chalmers. 1992 "Space Seed." Star Trek. Episode #24. Dir. Marc Daniels. 1967. "The Masterpeice Society." Star Trek: The Next Generation. Episode #113. Dir. Winrich Kolbe. 1992. Star Trek: Generations. Dir. David Carson. With Patrick Stewart and Malcolm Mcdowell. Paramount, 1994.