Star Trek was my moral compass growing up- was it yours?

[SalvorHardin]

Well, I've been watching Trek from the age of 5. My dad would turn on the tv and we'd watch TOS together.
Who knows what I might have picked up from that, consciously or subconsciously at that early age. I really can't say.

But if I have to give an answer I'd say I got my values from my parents and my life experiences while growing up. Teachers, friends, books I'm sure many factors have contributed to where my compass shows today.

 

[Hober Mallow]

I love Shatner.

EDIT: I also love your username Salvor Hardin. I believe I have a statue of you in my mayor's office on Terminus. Now we just need someone called "TheMule" to show up.

 

[Chrisisall]

Who knows what I might have picked up from that, consciously or subconsciously at that early age. I really can't say.

Would you rather take a ride on the starship Enterprise, or Airforce One?
*listens*
HA! That answer says it ALL!!!

 

[Gary7]

Moral compass?

You're kidding, right?

Like the OP it was mine too. To clarify, I don't mean I consciously thought "WWKD?" (what would Kirk do?), but as I began to examine my own views on right and wrong in 8/9th grade I found that there was a distinct humanist influence, along with some Christianity. I guess I was exposed to enough Star Trek that I started to believe in the message. And, really, there are far worse messages to believe in.

Well, I thought "moral compass" was a bit of an extreme statement, given that the object is a television series. The term implies that this is what mainly navigated the OP through understanding morality. If that being the case, what a sad childhood that must have been... One should have parents and friends as their moral compass, IMHO.

Star Trek taught me a "moral lesson", about being open to differences and having a "big picture" view on humanity (rather than being hung up on the trivial minutia that so many people seem to feel the need to use for validation of their place). One lesson among many that I've had in my life. Star Trek was but one of many influences...

And, speaking of the various series, I think TOS had the best message of all. TNG represented the Federation too "picture perfect". DS9 had a far better shot at mirroring reality. The other two just regurgitated what had already been done, but in different contexts.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

And, speaking of the various series, I think TOS had the best message of all.

That's because TOS devoted the most time and energy to telling fun stories that people would want to tune in for week after week, without fannish encouragement and indoctrination.

Everyone here should read "Beam Us Home" by James Tiptree AKA Alice Sheldon.

Best piece of Star Trek prose fiction ever written.

 

[Chrisisall]

Well, I thought "moral compass" was a bit of an extreme statement, given that the object is a television series. The term implies that this is what mainly navigated the OP through understanding morality.

Well, yeEEes.

If that being the case, what a sad childhood that must have been...

No, it was full of games & friends & ice cream & Batman (the REAL one from the sixties, not this angry one today) & snow forts...

One should have parents and friends as their moral compass, IMHO.

Hey, it was the 60's, so my parents took "Mother's Little Helper" like so many others did so they weren't of much use to me on the moral front, and my friends were little kids TOO- what do you learn from other kids needing to learn as well?
I don't get it- when peeps say they learned their morality from the Bible, even as adults, it seems to be okay. But I say my early morality was formed from stories on TV, it's somehow in question. Bible... Trek... what makes one fiction more "worthy" than another?

Star Trek taught me a "moral lesson", about being open to differences and having a "big picture" view on humanity (rather than being hung up on the trivial minutia that so many people seem to feel the need to use for validation of their place).

What? From a mere television show? I'm shocked.

One lesson among many that I've had in my life.

Er, I wasn't bringing up what we learn in LIFE... lets see, what was my thread title again..."Star Trek was my moral compass growing up- was it yours?" Should I have specified a precise series of ages? The exact moral lessons? I wouldn't want to hang you up on minutia.

How about analyzing why it seems preposterous, as opposed to just saying that the OP must have had a sad childhood?

 

[Gary7]

^^ OK, let's not get into a nitpicking on each and every sentence here. I'll summarize:

The way you described it, Star Trek being your moral compass when you were growing up, made it sound like this was your "Bible" on morality over all else (you don't use more than one compass at a time, mind you). If that wasn't your intention, then maybe a little clarification would be in order.

It's kind of like saying "Everything I Ever Needed To Know, I Learned From Star Trek." Which is rather preposterous... it's a TV show. And if that's all one had, it sounds like a sad childhood (certainly caring friends/family would see this devotion to the show for that reason and try to assist--the lack of that means, well, Star Trek was all you had). That's the point I was making.

A lesson is a single instance... a single way point on the compass, not the entire compass. And so, it's a much more subtle thing. And that's what I was saying about my experience. I got a little out of Star Trek, it did influence me, but it wasn't my guide through life growing up.

Does that make it clearer?

 

[Chrisisall]

Does that make it clearer?

Yeah, thanks. Sorry if I was a little snippy, It's been seven years, and I'm throwing my Vulcan Plomeek soup & everything right about now...

 

[Bishbot]

I think people are being surprisingly down on Star Trek as a vector for morality. I'm not saying it's like The Bible but then The Bible has it's own problems. For one you have to believe all that crap is real to get anything but the most simplistic message out of it.

Star Trek on the other hand is just a bunch of fun stories that occasional have a pretty decent message. Like the original poster I'm certainly not the type to relate every event and decision to Star Trek (or even any) but I doubt any of us have watched and enjoyed as much of it as we have without picking up some lessons from it, especially those of us who watched it as children.

People around here often seem a bit embarrased to admit that the show they love actually has some substance to it. It's an odd attitude.

 

[Kelso]

Star Trek was never my moral compass. Though, as a kid growing up in the bible belt, it was my first exposure to an atheistic/humanistic world view... and served as my gateway drug into the likes of Sagan, Asimov, Vonnegut, etc.

I can relate (in some ways) to the writer of Star Trek Made me an Atheist.

 

[Chrisisall]

I think people are being surprisingly down on Star Trek as a vector for morality. I'm not saying it's like The Bible but then The Bible has it's own problems. For one you have to believe all that crap is real to get anything but the most simplistic message out of it.

Thanks, Bish. At a young age, with no real positive adult role models, TOS gave me a direction, not a moral destination; the questioning was what mattered to me. Seeking the answers to moral dillemas was more sustantive than Batman defeating the Joker, or Dr. Smith almost getting the Jupiter 2 destroyed.
Was Kirk really helping Tyree in arming his people?
Was Gill ignoring the authoritarian seduction of absolute power with the use of Nazi efficiency, even though he was an historian?
Was sparing the Gorn commander's life the right thing to do?
Was possibly losing his command of the Enterprise worth Spock's life during the onset of Pon-Farr?

Similar morality plays were in motion in The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone & others, yet no SF series had characters so identifiable, so much like family to me, hence not so resonant to my psyche.

Star Trek on the other hand is just a bunch of fun stories that occasional have a pretty decent message. Like the original poster I'm certainly not the type to relate every event and decision to Star Trek (or even any) but I doubt any of us have watched and enjoyed as much of it as we have without picking up some lessons from it, especially those of us who watched it as children.

That's the key thing in my querie; if you haven't grown up with Trek from a young age, this thread is kinda pointless.

People around here often seem a bit embarrased to admit that the show they love actually has some substance to it. It's an odd attitude.

 

[Chrisisall]

as a kid growing up in the bible belt, it was my first exposure to an atheistic/humanistic world view... and served as my gateway drug into the likes of Sagan, Asimov, Vonnegut, etc.

How old are we talkin' here?
"Who Mourns For Adonis" seemed to answer many of my questions as to the nature of what early man perceived to be "Gods"- that's more than I can say for my Sunday School experiences at age 5 & 6, LOL.

BTW, that drug just leads to harder ones like Quantum Physics...

 

[plynch]

. . . I'm not saying it's like The Bible but then The Bible has it's own problems. For one you have to believe all that crap is real to get anything but the most simplistic message out of it.

Well, as a nonliteralist with nonliteralist Christian friends, I have not found that to be true. But here is not the time to discuss the depths of spiritual -- as opposed to literal truths -- to be found in any faith. Be well.

That's the key thing in my querie; if you haven't grown up with Trek from a young age, this thread is kinda pointless.

Maybe; and yet people can have awakenings or conversions at later ages. It was at about age 37 my mind rebelled at the literals of my faith and accepted the plausibility of a much broader, emergent/evolutionary concept of the kosmos. Since then, oddly enough, the values that pervade Trek (for the most part) are really what I find myself wanting to embody. I keep trying to motivate someone to start a "ship" or other such gathering so I can be around people who might feel the same way.

People around here often seem a bit embarrased to admit that the show they love actually has some substance to it. It's an odd attitude.

That's one reason I like it and was disappointed in the action blockbuster-orientation of STXI.

 

[Chrisisall]

Maybe; and yet people can have awakenings or onversions at later ages.

The depth of the (admittedtly, EXTREMELY limited-ly true) Buddhist teachings in Kung-Fu was only clear to me in my later teens & early twenties.

It was at about age 37 my mind rebelled at the literals of my faith and accepted the plausibility of a much broader, emergent/evolutionary concept of the kosmos. Since then, oddly enough, the values that pervade Trek (for the most part) are really what I find myself wanting to embody.

And you are,

was disappointed in the action blockbuster-orientation of STXI.

It WAS very "Wrath Of Khanish" in that way- but it went a lot farther IMO.

 

[T'Bonz]

No. I didn't start watching until I was 12 or 13 though.

Star Trek DID give me something valuable though, hope. After the tumultuous 1960s, especially towards the end, it was nice to think that we'd get beyond rioting, blowing up each other with nukes, etc. Seeing Kirk et al in the future, a seemingly improved future, was very heartening.

 

[plynch]

And you are,

Thanks a lot.

As for Trek XI, I WILL always be grateful for its coming along as my then 10-year old was coming into full Trekkieness; its premier giving us something to "dress" for, attend with others in costume, and then go out afterwards and discuss. He felt grown up that night. It was multigenerational discussion and laughter at an ice cream parlor by people wearing costumes of a show that often is people getting along with each other. How nice.

 

[Gary7]

No. I didn't start watching until I was 12 or 13 though.

Star Trek DID give me something valuable though, hope. After the tumultuous 1960s, especially towards the end, it was nice to think that we'd get beyond rioting, blowing up each other with nukes, etc. Seeing Kirk et al in the future, a seemingly improved future, was very heartening.

Exactly the kind of thing I got out of it as well.

 

[Chrisisall]

Exactly the kind of thing I got out of it as well.

My ten year old son has lived most of his life with the Iraq War now, as I did with Vietnam; he loves Trek in much the same way as I did for the reasons T'Bonz stated IMO.

 

[Kirkman1987]

I'm coming in awfully late in this thread, but needed to say that for me Star Trek was a large moral influence growing up. I second the Author's thoughts that were conveyed in the "Star Trek Made Me an Athiest" article. I've never been particulary religious, and growing up I was always in the closet about my true religous viewpoints. Star Trek was one of the things that made me feel more comfortable with my views.

Also, I had a bad adolescence. My mother was addicted to drugs and paid little attention to my brother and I. There was often little food, and my brother and I lived with no health insurance and were often threatened. A crazy homeless man lived with us for six months and My mother's lover attempted to poison me once. Crazy Times.
In those troubling days, I really idenified with what the Federation stood for, as stupid as that sounds.

I know many on this board won't understand, but I'm glad to see that some others benefitted from the show.

 

[Chrisisall]

In those troubling days, I really identified with what the Federation stood for, as stupid as that sounds.

Not stupid at all. Where we get faith in something (or even a small distraction from adversity) isn't so much important as long as we can find it somewhere.

I know many on this board won't understand, but I'm glad to see that some others benefited from the show.