Star Trek has nothing to do with space ships, aliens and ray guns. Star Trek inspires me to work for a future of mutual respect with humanity working as one. It reminds me daily of the importance of making ethical decisions.
What does Star Trek mean to you?
- Thread starter albion432
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I grew up in the Picard/Sisko/Janeway/Archer eras. DS9 and ENT connected with me the most because DS9 was largely a commentary on war. I've had family in the service since the civil war (Union). And ENT was amazing to me because it was an era even before Robert April (who incendentaly is my favorite Captain) and filled in alot if the story gaps. Plus lots of Andorian episodes!
Exactly. ST is mindless action-adventure. Anything else is just pretentious spinoff nonsense. This is why it's endured for decades.
STAR TREK is playtime. To me, TOS is like a live theatre experience, where - with the actor's words and our imaginations - we're called to "play along," as it were, to actively make-believe to the storyline we're given. We're presented with a Man in a bleached gorilla suit and are asked to accept this demonstration as an actual threat to Our Hero. We're shown marionettes, complete with very obvious strings and are called upon to believe in these creations as otherworldly, in nature. Such examples are endless, but it appeals to the inner child in all of us who looks at a puppet like Yoda in STAR WARS with fascination and wonder. Put rubber ears on a regular guy and brazenly present him as an alien from another planet. Yes, it's patently obvious what's going on, but that's the charm of it, because it's so much play. The older we get, of course, the kind of playing we do evolves and takes on other aspects to where we kind of forget what it was like to even want to be charmed by something magical like that.
More than any of this, we live in an Age where entertainment feels obligated to dictate how we visualise scenes, leaving nothing to imagination. We're emotionally manipulated and overwhelmed with overbearing sound and musical cues. We're just kind of left with not much to do but vegetate. TOS, certainly in its original form, calls upon us to participate. And I wonder, at times, if - even in the Sixties - they realised just how charming that is. Because ... had they the budget, I'm sure TOS wouldn't have chosen going the route of less-is-more. They would've done it all for us and what fun is that? And, finally, the acting, the staging, it's so reminiscent of Live Theatre, as I say, up to the point of Shakespearean references and devices ... it's quite a novel experience unlike anything STAR TREK has offered since then.
More than any of this, we live in an Age where entertainment feels obligated to dictate how we visualise scenes, leaving nothing to imagination. We're emotionally manipulated and overwhelmed with overbearing sound and musical cues. We're just kind of left with not much to do but vegetate. TOS, certainly in its original form, calls upon us to participate. And I wonder, at times, if - even in the Sixties - they realised just how charming that is. Because ... had they the budget, I'm sure TOS wouldn't have chosen going the route of less-is-more. They would've done it all for us and what fun is that? And, finally, the acting, the staging, it's so reminiscent of Live Theatre, as I say, up to the point of Shakespearean references and devices ... it's quite a novel experience unlike anything STAR TREK has offered since then.
It's striving towards a better future, cooperation, celebrating diversity, Starfleet never lies etc so forth
But it's also the Defiant doing a 360 loop and pew!pew! firing cannons because that is fucking cool as shit.
But it's also the Defiant doing a 360 loop and pew!pew! firing cannons because that is fucking cool as shit.
STAR TREK 1966, and TNG series only, for me presents diversity, and loads of optimism for the future.
Maybe the Shat had it written into his contract?
JB
JB
Star Trek means
Space The Final Frontier...
These Are the Voyages of the Starship Enterprise
It's Continuing Mission
To Explore Strange New Worlds
To Seek Out New Life and New Civilizations
To Boldly Go...
Where No One Has Gone Before
to me.
I actually like Lost in Space better but Star Trek is special too in all it's forms!
Space The Final Frontier...
These Are the Voyages of the Starship Enterprise
It's Continuing Mission
To Explore Strange New Worlds
To Seek Out New Life and New Civilizations
To Boldly Go...
Where No One Has Gone Before
to me.
I actually like Lost in Space better but Star Trek is special too in all it's forms!
Star Trek was definitely more serious than Lost in Space! But my son is a big fan of LIS and hasn't really got into Trek despite my chat about it so who knows?
He saw the ending of TNGs Conspiracy the other night and he said he was scared of it, so Trek's out for the present I guess!
JB
He saw the ending of TNGs Conspiracy the other night and he said he was scared of it, so Trek's out for the present I guess!
JB
The Enterprise has always represented hope. It is a small, vulnerable bubble of all that is best and noble in humanity, floating in a hostile universe. None of it's later incarnations seemed to pick up on that. They all seemed aimed at a commercial demographic. I think only Andromeda came close to representing the idealism.
Star Trek means I can plug a TOS episode into my Blue Ray when the only thing on television is the 1 billionth rerun of Seinfeld's 100th episode clip show. 
C
C57D
Guest
Hope, optimision, exploration, courage, honesty, integrity - all that is best in Humanity.
Plus exciting, action, adventures, alien lifeforms and a whole universe to explore. I loved TOS as a young teen first seeing it on the UK BBC back in the 70's, I have loved it from 1983 onwards as I wrote and ran the FASA ST roleplaying game, and streaming services, these forums and (still) the RPG keep it close to my heart forty years or more later.
Plus exciting, action, adventures, alien lifeforms and a whole universe to explore. I loved TOS as a young teen first seeing it on the UK BBC back in the 70's, I have loved it from 1983 onwards as I wrote and ran the FASA ST roleplaying game, and streaming services, these forums and (still) the RPG keep it close to my heart forty years or more later.
To quote Frank Carson, "It's a cracker!"
JB
JB
What Vger23 said above, combined with social commentary and the occasional high concept that more modern Treks probably couldn't do with a straight face yet TOS had and made them properly watchable. TNG onward had found new types of commentary, but TOS' was often more... fundamental or societal as opposed to individual. Both have their relevances, certainly, but there's something to TOS that gets it right.
It's amazing what TOS got right, even if they exaggerated a bit here and there.
As for high concept, would audiences even begin to look at "The Immunity Syndrome" and do more than just say "Well that's stupid, who was high when they wrote that?" The 60s were a lot more creative on a basic level and TIS has a lot of commentary as well - ignore "the peril of the week" and look at character interaction. The fact that this episode could be shown as a backdrop during a Jefferson Airplane concert is entirely irrelevant. I still think it's a marvelous story, and nature does repeat itself in so many strange ways. Macro vs micro, what would someone in the middle might think?
It's amazing what TOS got right, even if they exaggerated a bit here and there.
As for high concept, would audiences even begin to look at "The Immunity Syndrome" and do more than just say "Well that's stupid, who was high when they wrote that?" The 60s were a lot more creative on a basic level and TIS has a lot of commentary as well - ignore "the peril of the week" and look at character interaction. The fact that this episode could be shown as a backdrop during a Jefferson Airplane concert is entirely irrelevant. I still think it's a marvelous story, and nature does repeat itself in so many strange ways. Macro vs micro, what would someone in the middle might think?
"Star Trek is...
A One-Hour dramatic television series.
Action-Adventure Science Fiction.
The first such concept with strong central lead characters plus other continuing regulars.
And, while maintaining a familiar central location and regular cast, explores an anthology-like range of exciting human experience... "
That was how the original Star Trek pitch from 1964 began, but Star Trek itself is so much more than that. It is a phenomenon, an actual world/universe immersive and relatable to the audience. To me, Star Trek means getting a window into a fun friendly future which we can experience as if we were there. May it Live Long and Prosper in us all and in others, for the adventure is just beginning and it will continue!
A One-Hour dramatic television series.
Action-Adventure Science Fiction.
The first such concept with strong central lead characters plus other continuing regulars.
And, while maintaining a familiar central location and regular cast, explores an anthology-like range of exciting human experience... "
That was how the original Star Trek pitch from 1964 began, but Star Trek itself is so much more than that. It is a phenomenon, an actual world/universe immersive and relatable to the audience. To me, Star Trek means getting a window into a fun friendly future which we can experience as if we were there. May it Live Long and Prosper in us all and in others, for the adventure is just beginning and it will continue!
Back in the 90's I lived in Pittsburgh, and there was a local Pittsburgh talk show host who used to totally make fun of Star Trek as being about guys in lizard suits. Used to annoy the crap out of me, but your post is making me realize why. He just wasn't willing to go along with it and have fun! He was caught up in the poor special effects (although the Gorn scared me as a kid) and couldn't just get past that and have fun.
The Gorn scared a lot of us as kids, Poltagyst! 
I think it's great somehow that the original tapes of the series were so repeated in the US that they were wearing out! It just shows how the audiences of the time really loved this show!
JB
I think it's great somehow that the original tapes of the series were so repeated in the US that they were wearing out! It just shows how the audiences of the time really loved this show!
JB
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