A Private Little Right Wing War

[toonloon]

Hi guys. I was wondering what people thought of A PRIVATE LITTLE WAR. It's an unusual episode to me because it was a direct commentary on current events (when it was made).

Some modern documentary's sight it as an example of doing 'edgy social comentary' which Trek really wasn't, despite it's message of optimism and equality.

Basically you have Tyree's people, who are an incredibly illinformed and badly painted stand-in for the South Vietnamese and the other lot with the dark wigs the North Vietnamese being armed by shady communist forces, sorry, I should say shady Klingon forces. Then comes Kirk in in the role of 'military adviser' (Kennedy had a lot of those in South Vietnam because they tried to avoid the word 'troops') and he want's to create a "balance of power" by arming Tryee's people. This really isn't forward thinking stuff. It's very, very 1960's US military policy. The only voice of reason in the whole episode is McCoy, who I find to have the most interesting things to say about this whole affair, but his arguement is kind of shunted out of the way for the episode to feature on Kirk's decision.

You would think that Star Trek would promote a peaceful solution, or at least oppose the military action in South Vietnam, but it goes a completely right wing way to halt the marching communist bad guys by providing weapons for Tryee's people to fight them off.

In the final analysis, I find this episode to be interesting because, as I said above, to my knowledge it is one of the few, if not, only episodes that make specific reference to 'modern events' and that it backs the neo-colonial military intervention stance that Eisenhower thru Kennedy, then Johnson and finally Nixon carried out.

What does everyone else think?

 

[Kegg]

I think it ends pretty ambiguously. Forty snakes for the garden of Eden, as Kirk puts it.

Even to the extent it validates American policy in Korea and Vietnam, it's unsettled and uncomfortable about it. It's more Kirk finds himself trapped with no other solutions available to him than he accepts it gung ho as the best possible end.

 

[Green Shirt]

What does everyone else think?

You mean about the episode, or America-bashing?

 

[Christopher]

(Edit: To Kegg)

^Right. The episode isn't taking a single side, it's acknowledging the merits of the arguments on both sides. Which is admirably nuanced for a '60s TV episode.

 

[Vance]

I thought it was a pretty realistic, for TV, look at Vietnam and explaining "This option sucks, but it's the only option we got short of full-scale war." Keeping Tyree's people able to defend themselves (and not be genocidal victims) was Kirk's main objective here. The Federation would only match what the Klingons were doing -no more, and definately no less.

Keep in mind that this approach was working in Vietnam in the early years of the conflict. When Johnson ordered draftees into the combat directly, the parallel to Trek's solution breaks down. Indeed, you can even say that Trek pointed out where Johnson had actually screwed up, since Kirk pointedly did not want the Federation directly involved in the war.

 

[BillJ]

It was either arm the hill people or allow them to be overran by the villagers. Not sure what peaceful options existed.

 

[toonloon]

You mean about the episode, or America-bashing?

I'm sorry you thought that because that really wasn't the case. Star Trek is american. All the points of views in the episode are from an american writer(s). I was just commenting on the fact that it appears unusual for me for Star Trek to veer off from it's philosophy to support militarisation.

 

[toonloon]

I think it ends pretty ambiguously. Forty snakes for the garden of Eden, as Kirk puts it.

Even to the extent it validates American policy in Korea and Vietnam, it's unsettled and uncomfortable about it. It's more Kirk finds himself trapped with no other solutions available to him than he accepts it gung ho as the best possible end.

Good points, but I can't help but feel there was a better solution to this, a more Star Trek solution. Finding the Klingon supply route and halting that would have been adventurous as well. To keep my historical theme going, think the quarantine zone placed around Cuba during the Cuban missile crisis. That could have been the basis for a fantastic 2-parter. Imagine seeing several constitution type starships around the planet, barring the Klingons from getting access. There would be diplomatic problems as well as the possibility of all out war, just over this little planet and it's tribesmen. I think that would have been a better Vietnam analogy that the one we got. It's worth remembering that Nixon did discuss dropping a nuclear bomb on Hannoi, which could have considerably heightened the world threat levels and risked a direct conflict with the USSR.

 

[toonloon]

Indeed, you can even say that Trek pointed out where Johnson had actually screwed up, since Kirk pointedly did not want the Federation directly involved in the war.

That's a superb observation! Possibly the best thing about this episode.

I'm glad I asked. And I'm really sorry that someone thought I was 'America bashing'. Nothing could be further from the truth.

 

[BillJ]

I think it ends pretty ambiguously. Forty snakes for the garden of Eden, as Kirk puts it.

Even to the extent it validates American policy in Korea and Vietnam, it's unsettled and uncomfortable about it. It's more Kirk finds himself trapped with no other solutions available to him than he accepts it gung ho as the best possible end.

Good points, but I can't help but feel there was a better solution to this, a more Star Trek solution. Finding the Klingon supply route and halting that would have been adventurous as well. To keep my historical theme going, think the quarantine zone placed around Cuba during the Cuban missile crisis. That could have been the basis for a fantastic 2-parter. Imagine seeing several constitution type starships around the planet, barring the Klingons from getting access. There would be diplomatic problems as well as the possibility of all out war, just over this little planet and it's tribesmen. I think that would have been a better Vietnam analogy that the one we got. It's worth remembering that Nixon did discuss dropping a nuclear bomb on Hannoi, which could have considerably heightened the world threat levels and risked a direct conflict with the USSR.

1. The money simply didn't exist for what you propose above.

2. If the planet is in open space, what grounds would the Federation have to block access? According to the episode, the Klingons had every bit as much right to be there for research purposes and in The Trouble with Tribbles the Organians allowed for both the Klingons and Federation to develop worlds in open space.

 

[Vance]

Good points, but I can't help but feel there was a better solution to this, a more Star Trek solution. Finding the Klingon supply route and halting that would have been adventurous as well.

Bombing the Ho Chi Min trail? Or bombing Cambodia (see how well that played out for Nixon in the end...) Remember, Kirk was trying to avoid a direct confrontation with the Klingons.

I think that would have been a better Vietnam analogy that the one we got. It's worth remembering that Nixon did discuss dropping a nuclear bomb on Hannoi, which could have considerably heightened the world threat levels and risked a direct conflict with the USSR.

It's not unusual to discuss continingy plans and options even if there's no real intention to do them. Nixon had no desire to nuke Vietnam, and there was no call to. Carter, for instance, had a military discussion about using tactical nuclear weapons against Iran. Clinton had discussions about using them against, ironically, Afghanistan. And so on...

 

[Yevetha]

I disagree with the title.

it wasnt just a right wing war, LBJ was a democrat.

 

[Vance]

I disagree with the title.

it wasnt just a right wing war, LBJ was a democrat.

While it's very true that most of American's 20th century major military actions were perpetuated by Democrats (Wilson, Roosevelt, Truman, Johnson, Clinton) I don't think we should really get into the political-position debate about which party is more militaristic than the other on this forum. Save it for TNZ.

 

[toonloon]

Good points guys. I just can't help but think that the solution seems very un-Star Trek to me, which is VERY unusual because the episode was written by Roddenberry & Coon. Maybe both their experiences during the war coloured their politics towards armament?

 

[BillJ]

Good points guys. I just can't help but think that the solution seems very un-Star Trek to me, which is VERY unusual because the episode was written by Roddenberry & Coon. Maybe both their experiences during the war coloured their politics towards armament?

I'm interested in what your non-military solution would be? Remember Kirk was working to keep the Federation from being engaged in a conflict with the Klingons.

 

[Vance]

Good points guys. I just can't help but think that the solution seems very un-Star Trek to me, which is VERY unusual because the episode was written by Roddenberry & Coon. Maybe both their experiences during the war coloured their politics towards armament?

One thing that current generations have lost is the extremely valuable and potent lessons that the 'War Generation' had experienced. While some may say that their 'militant views' had been colored by the war, we're too quick to forget that they were largely right.

 

[toonloon]

I didn't say I had a solution. I just said that the one they arrived at didn't seem very Star Trek to me.

If you want me to provide one then I've suggested quarantine might have been a way to do it. It's a bit weak but they could have contacted the Organians and used them to intervene, or perhaps the Organians should have stopped Kirk and the Klingons from arming both sides. I don't know. I just have a problem with the existing solution as written and produced.

 

[BillJ]

One thing that current generations have lost is the extremely valuable and potent lessons that the 'War Generation' had experienced. While some may say that their 'militant views' had been colored by the war, we're too quick to forget that they were largely right.

I didn't say I had a solution. I just said that the one they arrived at didn't seem very Star Trek to me.

If you want me to provide one then I've suggested quarantine might have been a way to do it. It's a bit weak but they could have contacted the Organians and used them to intervene, or perhaps the Organians should have stopped Kirk and the Klingons from arming both sides. I don't know. I just have a problem with the existing solution as written and produced.

I think the solution works. The Federation merely ensures a balance of power exists... it's still up to the two sides whether they want to engage in a full-scale conflict or not.

 

[Warped9]

You see there is unease with "Kirk's solution," but no one is able to come up with a better one or a more workable one. And I think that is an intentional aspect of the episode with its somewhat downbeat ending: nobody is happy with this solution because all options are bad and Kirk's may just be the least worst.

Succinctly, there is no rosy and ideal solution with a requisite shared chuckle at the end. This thing is likely to get messier before it gets better, and Kirk is well aware of it.

 

[toonloon]

Does no one else agree with me that Dr. McCoy seems to be the only voice of reason in this?