The next Star Trek movie is coming out very soon! I'm so excited! This is no doubt in part because, when I was a kid, I was an ardent Trekkie. "Was?" you ask. Yes. Sadly, I feel I am no longer so. Why? Well, let's back up a bit.
In fourth grade, my best friend Janice introduced me to the joys of Star Trek (in reruns, though I didn't know it at the time). My family did not own a television set, as my parents thought television (along with religion) was the opiate of the masses, and did not wish their children's minds to be perverted by it. The result was that my brother and I watched as much television as we could cram in at our babysitter's and at our friends' houses. So, if I happened to be at Janice's at the magical hour of 5 pm CST, I had the ineffable joy of following the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.
Since I could not realistically plan to be at Janice's house every day at 5pm, I missed a lot of episodes. This was where the double blessing of the Urbana Free Library and James Blish's novelizations of the series came into the picture. I read the story of every single episode (79!) over the course of a couple of years: the good, the bad, the appalling.
Why did I love Star Trek so much? Probably because I was a nerdy girl and it glorified the nerd. Sure, there was Captain Kirk with all his bluster and testosterone, bedding all the female aliens and crew members who crossed his path, but, for me, the main attraction was Spock. Never was intelligence so cool. I loved the tilt of his sceptical eyebrow, the pallor of his greenish skin, his high forehead pulsating with logic and knowledge. I also loved the rest of the crew (except for Kirk, who embodied all I loathed): Lt. Uhura, Chekov, Scotty, Dr. McCoy, and Sulu. Yes, there was actually a Japanese character! I am half Japanese, and could think of no other Asian characters in all of American media (except Charlie Chan and the evil Dr. Fu Manchu, who were both caricatures). Star Trek symbolized for me a future where people of all races and species could get along (except for Klingons and Romulans, of course) and work together for the betterment of the universe. And the Prime Directive! How amazing was that!
"As the right of each sentient species to live in accordance with its normal cultural evolution is considered sacred, no Star Fleet personnel may interfere with the normal and healthy development of alien life and culture. Such interference includes introducing superior knowledge, strength, or technology to a world whose society is incapable of handling such advantages wisely. Star Fleet personnel may not violate this Prime Directive, even to save their lives and/or their ship, unless they are acting to right an earlier violation or an accidental contamination of said culture. This directive takes precedence over any and all other considerations, and carries with it the highest moral obligation."
This Directive, the storylines it generated, and the way they tackled the big ethical questions were what I loved about this series. Take, for instance, the episode "Arena." It was based on the 1944 Fredric Brown short story of the same name that appeared in Astounding Science Fiction. Both the short story and the tv episode feature a winner-takes-all trial-by-combat scenario between the captains of opposing spaceships, one human, one of a reptilian species, engineered by a third, higher alien intelligence. Both are set on a barren planet with little cover or natural resources. Both involve the human captain figuring out a clever way to attack a seemingly stronger foe. The big difference is: in the short story, the human captain kills the reptilian captain and is restored to his ship while the opposing fleet is wiped out of space entirely, as though it had been erased. In the television series, however, Kirk asks Spock's advice, and determines that the reptilian (Gorn) captain may have been acting in perceived self-defense when he wiped out the Federation colony, so he declines to kill him. He also declines the offer by the higher intelligence (the Metrons) to destroy the Gorn ship. Kirk is rewarded for his mercy, which to the Metrons is proof that he belongs to more advanced race, and both captains are returned to their ships unharmed.
I read the science fiction story later, in junior high, when I was devouring Asimov and Heinlein and Herbert, and thought it not nearly as compelling as the Star Trek version. What higher intelligence would actually favor might over compassion, force over understanding? How ingenious to win the fight by rejecting the terms of the fight entirely! To force the would-be-winner to kick against the traces of the very authority he is trying to appease!
Later, when I was in grad school, Star Trek the Next Generation came out, and I loved it, too. The writing was better, the special effects were better, the computers were more in line with the actual evolution of computers. The cast, however, with the exception of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Lt. Worf, were mostly tedious. Still, it kept trying to ask and answer the big questions. For instance, with the Borg, it explored why we value our individuality so much when it leads to so much conflict and unhappiness. With the character of the android Data, it explored what it meant to be sentient–he was the science fiction version of Pinocchio, the puppet who wanted to be a real boy.
By the time Deep Space Nine and Voyager came out, I was a bit weary of the whole enterprise (pun definitely intended). I half-heartedly watched a few episodes, but then gave up. My training as a literary critic caused me to dissect the new scripts mercilessly, and my love of theater made me wince with each burst of self-conscious histrionics. Even going back to watch old episodes (hurray for the advent of DVDs and streaming video!), I cringed and squirmed when Kirk adjusted his shirt and tossed his head and when Uhura made bambi eyes as she uttered the phrase, "Captain, I'm afraid." Slowly, I came to the startled conclusion that I had outgrown Star Trek.
Still, my heart beats a tiny bit faster when I think about the movie being released in two weeks. Call it nostalgia, call it a longing for lost innocence–those days when I thought all problems could be solved if we could all just sit down and talk about them–but I really want this movie to be good, to embody all that I loved about Star Trek.
I must admit, I do have qualms about the new movie. I didn't like the last one. It was full of fights, explosions, flashing lights, and shouting–all antithetical to the Star Trek I knew and loved. But it looks as though this one will be emphasizing the crew and their interactions with each other as they slowly become friends. From the trailer, I know there's a jump off a cliff (an homage to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? Why??), the Enterprise submerging in an ocean (Wouldn't the pressure tear it to pieces? It's meant to withstand the vacuum of space, not crushing gravity), and plenty more explosions, but I think it has the potential to fulfill my burning desire for intelligence, compassion, and friendship to win out over brutality, greed, and hatred. Plus, it features the amazing Benedict Cumberbatch (I'll write a future entry about the glories of Sherlock) as the archvillain Khan, so it's guaranteed to have both subtlety and dramatic flair. Let's hope it delivers.
Live Long and Prosper!
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