Life Lessons You Can Learn From 'Star Trek'

[A.V.I.A.F.]

For me it has always been this bit of dialogue from Who Mourns for Adonais:
We're the same.
We share the same history, the same heritage,
the same lives.

We're tied together beyond any untying.
Man or woman, it makes no difference.
We're human.

We couldn't escape each other even if we wanted to.
That's how you do it, Lieutenant,
by remembering who and what you are --
a bit of flesh and blood
afloat in a universe without end.

The only thing that's truly yours
is the rest of humanity.
That's where our duty lies.

I posted this once as my Facebook tagline without crediting the source (and by removing the word "Lieutenant") and I got a lot of feedback from friends asking where it came from. Some volunteered guesses ranging from famous works of literature to great religious and/or political figures from history. When I finally revelated the source, many of them who had pooh-poohed Trek had enough egg on their face to make a couple of dozen quiches.

 

[sbk1234]

Don't wear red.

Women look damn good in miniskirts, go-go boots, and stockings.

 

[spockrocks]

In that case....I'm sorry!!! lol

 

[CmndrSela318]

Don't get in to a fight with an Andorian who is actually an Orion and get stabbed in the back. The first officer might take command and refuse to turn it over to anyone else even though it may mean his father's death.

 

[Nerys Myk]

[trekkie]it was an Orion disguised as an Andorian[/trekkie]

 

[plynch]

Take risks. Get up and do it, whatever it is.

 

[Elder Knight]

"Let me help."

Wasn't that in there somewhere?

 

[ChildOf2Worlds]

I learned not to be ashamed of my human mother. She can't help it.

I learned that if a stranger treats you as nothing more than a mindless plaything without any will, it just may be a child pretending it's something more than it is (especially applicable to social interactions via the Internet).

I learned that logically reasoning through a situation without addressing the other party's emotions tends to anger people. And that my capacity to put motions aside is greater than typical amongst fellow humans (yes, I understand that I'm 100% human - it's the other people I have a hard time convincing).

The best way to respond to approximately 99.739% of fanfics is: "Plot and plot! What is plot?"

It's wrong to mock people for being different. But being the subject of the mockery does not make one immune to this fault.

Don't go on the away team if your shirt is red. Because the most highly ranked people are always going to come back alive, but it's an unwise gamble otherwise.

It's okay to defy orders when your logic is sound, as long as you're prepared to accept the (rather likely) prospect that others will either fail to see the logic or flat-out say, "Screw logic, we're going by the rules!" even when said rules, when applied in that situation, achieve the ends the rules were designed to prevent. (Yes, I've been there - first grade was a very rough year.)

 

[Star_Trucker]

Two things I learned from ST:TOS

1) Don't wear red shirts

2) Don't stand next to the guy wearing a red shirt

It's just logical

 

[plynch]

Childof2Worlds, we reach.

 

[Stoek]

"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." AKA Scotty's First Law of Engineering.

 

[CaptainMatt]

Never let an argument stand in the way of good friends. Just about any good old fashioned Spock-McCoy debate.

 

[inflatabledalek]

Green make up is sexy.

 

[BillJ]

If a bridge falls on you, it will hurt. - Star Trek: Generations

 

[Timewalker]

There's a reason for government-mandated seat belts.

 

[7thsealord]

If things may not be what they seem .... they probably aren't.

 

[Warped9]

Take risks. Get up and do it, whatever it is.

Good one.

 

[Anji]

Choosing one is very, very difficult. I owe so much to Star Trek for making me a better person.

I guess the one that stands out the most is that just because something bad happens it doesn't mean that it was done with evil intent. Sometimes bad things just happen out of a misunderstanding or a pure accident.

Star Trek has taught me to be tolerant and compassionate.

 

[Star_Trucker]

Also, it's not the size of your phaser, it's how you use it. And it's good to be the Captain ( paraphrasing from Mel Brooks "It's good to be the king" )

 

[A.V.I.A.F.]

Most Vulcans (except Spock) are jerks and Scotty really wasn't necessary.