The appeals of Star Trek....

[Warped9]

When I was young I was growing up with the impression that we were slowly advancing in terms of society as well as technology. With adulthood came ever greater awareness of real history and the current state of the world.

Without question we have made great strides in terms of science and technology, but in terms of society and humankind in general our progress has been largely miniscule and practically nonexistent. We are still savages ruled by our base reptillian brains. We act far more out of base emotion and fear than reason. And some nations I once saw as leaders now stand largely naked with many of their actions speaking louder than their words.

This is a large reason why Star Trek has long appealed to me. When I was younger it wasn't quite so obvious given I was fascinated with cool spaceships and hardware, wierd aliens and fantastic adventure. But even back then something was dawning on me that became more apparent as I got older--the crew of the Enterprise made a concerted effort to do the right thing. They didn't always succeed and sometimes they questioned themselves and faultered, but they were always trying.

The name of the ship--Enterprise--was also quite appropriate because the crew were indeed endeavouring upon a difficult undertaking. They were not only daring the unknowns of deep space, they were daring to question themselves and try to grow as people. It's not easy to face the unknown and look within as well as without.

For me this what set Star Trek apart from so much other SF in film and television. And for me it still resonates today. The crew of the Enterprise were not perfect, but they still sought to do the right thing even though they made mistakes. And this quality is part of what made them so easy to identify with. They showed us that any of us can do something meaningful and we don't have to be perfect to act.

Even more so today do I find the characters of Star Trek more appealing when compared with the majority of cynical anti-hero types that have flourished since then.

Star Trek did not show us a Utopia. It only might seem that way in comparison to our current reality. Star Trek's universe was still full of human failings, danger, death and destruction. But in the face of that our heroes kept trying to reach for something better.

For me this is one of the great appeals of Star Trek.

 

[BillJ]

The appeal for me is that it is incredibly fun and incredibly rewatchable.

 

[Warped9]

The appeal for me is that it is incredibly fun and incredibly rewatchable.

There was that, too.

 

[T'Girl]

Action/adventure in outer space.

"...but in terms of society and humankind in general our progress has been largely miniscule and practically nonexistent"

I feel the oppose of this is the truth, while it very obviously isn't all happening at once, there have been general and gradual improvements in the lot of the average person within Humanity over the decades and centuries.

No not all of us, but the majority, over time. Problems still exist without current solutions, but I do feel that we as individuals and groups will find eventual solutions.

 

[C57D]

Just like Warped9, I too loved TOS for it's portrayal of humanity working ( mostly) together and reaching for the stars.

It showed us still flawed and limited, but overcoming all of these to grow as individuals and a species.

And yes it was exciting and fun too!

Whether it is age, or just a more realistic (or cynical?) view of the world, but much of the optimism thatI once had is long gone.

We live in the cult of airhead, image is all, celebrities.

We have nations and groups (in Arabic countries) that still believe that public beheadings and the death of innocents is the right way to run a civilization.

We have (in the Western world) leaders who put economics, and oil, before the life of even more innocents.

Our greed, and failure to manage our own population numbers worldwide is driving almost all species of large mammals to extinction.

Star Trek is still amazing, but I increasingly believe that as a species we are further than ever from ever achieving anything worthwhile

 

[Alter Ego]

I think we are getting closer to the society portrayed in TOS if for no other reason than the fact that questioning what had previously been viewed as rock-solid tenets of our culture has become the dominant discourse.

We have at this very moment a generation of young people in our society who: have never known a condition where the pre-eminence of religion was totally unchallenged; have increasingly made consumer decisions based on how "green" a corporation is as well as its reflection of compassionate capitalism; have fundamentally changing perceptions of gender roles as well as race and sexual-orientation equality; and live in a world that is more connected on a global level than it ever has been in history!

 

[wulfio]

We're a super gregarious civilization, and it's only getting worse. We have a compulsive need to identify with some sort of demographic or subculture. I honestly don't think we can approach the sort of egalitarian society that Star Trek depicts until we learn to get over ourselves, have self education be a life long commitment, and push past preconceptions. However, in the capitalist world, this is not what we're raised to believe. There would need to be a massive paradigm shift in our societies philosophy before we can begin moving in that direction.

Just my opinion.

 

[Warped9]

We do see examples of individuals and groups where knowledge is valued and sought for its own sake. This flies in the face of a mindset convinced that knowledge is pointless unless it can be used for monetary gain.

Many people have interests and hobbies from which they acquire knowledge (in some degree or other) that they do not profit from monetarily. Yet from that knowledge is derived pleasure as well as the possibility to be aware of other perspectives and understanding beyond one's normal circle.

A prime example is this message board. Many of us enjoy the exchange of opinion and information discussing our favourite television show. That interest spins off into all kinds of discussions. Yet how many have or will ever profit monetarily from these discussions? Yes, it exists as a possibility, yet the more immediate and obvious benefit (besides enjoyment) is the exposure to others' knowledge and perspectives and thus offering each of us the possibility for greater understanding of many subjects beyond what we could be exposed to if left strictly on our own.

 

[wulfio]

But the majority of people identify with the path of knowledge they seek to pursue; sports nut, artsy person, film snob, sci-fi/fantasy geek, vegan yogi, etc. It's not a pursuit of knowledge in the general sense for the sake of growth. It's being able to identify with a specific subculture. When someone intentionally looks to fit in to a specific stereotype(or 2 or 3), they end up limiting themselves in other areas, and they develop preconceptions based on how they've decided to define themselves.

How many times have you seen someone say they are open minded, and in nearly the same breath they say they would never do something they have never tried? Early Star Trek society depicts a people who's end game is the Ubermensch. The Ubermensch is essentially without limitations and is infallible. One who pushes passed any preconceived boundaries because they are disinclined to have any. The Ubermensch is one that lives in a true egalitarian society. Human beings are fallible, so they are not the Ubermensch, but the culture that GR depicted was one that strived for it.

It's like that old Vince Lombardi quote, "Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence." That is not our society. We're consumed with personal labels. We have too much ego, and not enough humility. Until we grow beyond that, we will not approach egalitarianism.

It could very well be that this board represents a group who has some or all of these beliefs. It would be no surprise, since most of us were probably heavily influenced by Star Treks existentialist vision of the future from childhood; whether we realize or not. But the majority of the population can't say the same thing. Like anything in life, the major demo is the path of least resistance, with the broadest appeal. The pursuit of knowledge is a conscious decision to be made on the part of the individual.

Again, just my opinion.

 

[Karzak]

When I was young I was growing up with the impression that we were slowly advancing in terms of society as well as technology. With adulthood came ever greater awareness of real history and the current state of the world.

Without question we have made great strides in terms of science and technology, but in terms of society and humankind in general our progress has been largely miniscule and practically nonexistent. We are still savages ruled by our base reptillian brains. We act far more out of base emotion and fear than reason. And some nations I once saw as leaders now stand largely naked with many of their actions speaking louder than their words.

This is a large reason why Star Trek has long appealed to me. When I was younger it wasn't quite so obvious given I was fascinated with cool spaceships and hardware, wierd aliens and fantastic adventure. But even back then something was dawning on me that became more apparent as I got older--the crew of the Enterprise made a concerted effort to do the right thing. They didn't always succeed and sometimes they questioned themselves and faultered, but they were always trying.

The name of the ship--Enterprise--was also quite appropriate because the crew were indeed endeavouring upon a difficult undertaking. They were not only daring the unknowns of deep space, they were daring to question themselves and try to grow as people. It's not easy to face the unknown and look within as well as without.

For me this what set Star Trek apart from so much other SF in film and television. And for me it still resonates today. The crew of the Enterprise were not perfect, but they still sought to do the right thing even though they made mistakes. And this quality is part of what made them so easy to identify with. They showed us that any of us can do something meaningful and we don't have to be perfect to act.

Even more so today do I find the characters of Star Trek more appealing when compared with the majority of cynical anti-hero types that have flourished since then.

Star Trek did not show us a Utopia. It only might seem that way in comparison to our current reality. Star Trek's universe was still full of human failings, danger, death and destruction. But in the face of that our heroes kept trying to reach for something better.

For me this is one of the great appeals of Star Trek.

The appeal for me is that it is incredibly fun and incredibly rewatchable.

There was that, too.

 

[Warped9]

The appeal for me is that it is incredibly fun and incredibly rewatchable.

There was that, too.

In which I realized I had forgotten the laughing emoticon to my post.