What Is Star Trek Really About?

[Drone]

It is obvious that it is about friendship, decency and loyalty to our own species.

The science fiction is secondary.

I like your formulation save the last bit in the opening clause. Loyalty as in racial chauvinism or an implication of exceptionalism? While I know many have pointed out that in its execution, the franchise more than slightly evokes a sense of Empire Americana in the stars, I don't think I see that a core loyalty to humanity is what the overarching vision of Trek through the years has tried to communicate. Needless to say, it would seem to run counter to the IDIC ethos. I think such an emphasis more accurately reflects the Terran Empire's conceptual basis.

 

[eyeresist]

Curiosity, cooperation, compassion, something else beginning with c.

 

[KimMH]

Conservation?

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/st...nches-as-earth-burns-2014-10-14?siteid=yhoof2

 

[robau]

The world you live in is shit. One day though, many of the things that make it shit will be gone, and it will be less shit. It won't be perfect - there'll be things that make it a bit shit in it's own way - but at least it'll be better.

Pretty much this.

 

[wulfio]

I'll consider it. Are you going to watch the rest of Roddenberry's work to see if the "Ubermench" is a reoccurring theme?

I don't see how that is at all relevant. This is a discussion about what Star Trek is about, not Have Gun, or The Lieutenant. Does Abrams address drone warfare and political subterfuge in his collective filmography? Does Spielberg address cultural conservation and ecology in all of his movies?

 

[Nerys Myk]

I'll consider it. Are you going to watch the rest of Roddenberry's work to see if the "Ubermench" is a reoccurring theme?

I don't see how that is at all relevant. This is a discussion about what Star Trek is about, not Have Gun, or The Lieutenant. Does Abrams address drone warfare and political subterfuge in his collective filmography? Does Spielberg address cultural conservation and ecology in all of his movies?

If Star Trek was a singular entity that would be relevant, but it's not. ( which has been my point all along). Star Trek is a frame work in which many ideas and concepts can be explored. That's what its about. Each episode or film has its own theme.

 

[Nightdiamond]

With a little ideology thrown in, like religion is bad, and humans solved their own problems without it.

At least until DS9, where they went head first into religion, ironically.

 

[Nerys Myk]

With a little ideology thrown in, like religion is bad, and humans solved their own problems without it.

At least until DS9, where they went head first into religion, ironically.

Not sure if "religion bad" was ever explicitly stated. In TOS the "religions" encountered were often primitive and usually controlled by an evil AI. (Landru and Vaal). Gods were aliens with psi powers. (Apollo) And in that episode Kirk refers to "the one God being sufficient". Then we have Uhura's "Son of God" reference in "Bread and Circuses" The show often took a stance against stagnation and repression, which religion can often be guilty of. But any "philosophy" can fall into that trap.

Not sure about TNG, the first episode that pops in my mind is the one with Ardra.

 

[T'Girl]

In 'who watches the watchers" Picard seemed to disapprove of the native's former religion, but that stood in isolation. He didn't have a overt problem with the klingon faith.

In TNG, Deanna Troi speaks of a belief in predestiny (pen pals?).

In TAS, the TOS movies and Voyager we learn the Vulcans have one - or more - religions in their society.

ENT was basically noncommitial on the subject.

.

 

[Nightdiamond]

With a little ideology thrown in, like religion is bad, and humans solved their own problems without it.

At least until DS9, where they went head first into religion, ironically.

Not sure if "religion bad" was ever explicitly stated. In TOS the "religions" encountered were often primitive and usually controlled by an evil AI. (Landru and Vaal). Gods were aliens with psi powers. (Apollo) And in that episode Kirk refers to "the one God being sufficient". Then we have Uhura's "Son of God" reference in "Patterns of Force" The show often took a stance against stagnation and repression, which religion can often be guilty of. But any "philosophy" can fall into that trap.

Not sure about TNG, the first episode that pops in my mind is the one with Ardra.

In 'who watches the watchers" Picard seemed to disapprove of the native's former religion, but that stood in isolation. He didn't have a overt problem with the klingon faith.

In TNG, Deanna Troi speaks of a belief in predestiny (pen pals?).

In TAS, the TOS movies and Voyager we learn the Vulcans have one - or more - religions in their society.

ENT was basically noncommitial on the subject.

.

True-- Trek wasn't openly hostile to religion, but the thing that I got was that the overall attitude is that religion is a 'thing of the past'.

There is hope, but humans solved their problems with reason and technology.

So religion is practiced and completely accepted in the future, but not taken seriously as a problem solver.

At worst, it was considered a primitive cause of problems.

Gene was also known to be a staunch humanist, so you can see where that seeped into the storyline.

The thing is ironically, DS9 ended up going deeper into religion hen TNG ever thought it would.

There was the prophets/pah wraiths = God/Satan theme, and it was the gods that ended up saving the alpha quadrant.

So religiously speaking, everything came full circle.

 

[eyeresist]

Gene was also known to be a staunch humanist, so you can see where that seeped into the storyline.

The thing is ironically, DS9 ended up going deeper into religion than TNG ever thought it would.

There was the prophets/pah wraiths = God/Satan theme, and it was the gods that ended up saving the alpha quadrant.

So religiously speaking, everything came full circle.

Yeah, that was something I didn't like about DS9, that it addressed religion from the nice liberal viewpoint that science and religion are just different ways to say the same thing. Which they are really not. I would prefer the Federation to be outright smug atheists: "Yeah, your faith is cute, but it's not going to cure disease or power a starship". But they can't do that because, y'know, America.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Yeah, that was something I didn't like about DS9, that it addressed religion from the nice liberal viewpoint that science and religion are just different ways to say the same thing.

News to this Liberal.

 

[eyeresist]

Yeah, that was something I didn't like about DS9, that it addressed religion from the nice liberal viewpoint that science and religion are just different ways to say the same thing.

News to this Liberal.

Well, not a view held by all liberals (not me, for example), but people who hold this view are a liberal subset.

 

[C.E. Evans]

This might not end well...

 

[T'Girl]

Gene was also known to be a staunch humanist, so you can see where that seeped into the storyline

Gene said in interviews that he was (at the time of TOS) a Buddist, I talked to a friend who is a Buddist and she said that there are indeed Buddist Humanists.

but the thing that I got was that the overall attitude is that religion is a 'thing of the past'.

I never got that impression. When Miles and Keiko were wed, Keiko was wearing a traditional Shinto wedding dress. And when Ben and Kassidy were wed, while they did eventually choose to have an Admiral perform the ceremony, there was discussion of having it performed by a Minister.

but humans solved their problems with reason and technology.

But we also see Humans (and aliens) solve problems with intuition, personal perceptions and "the feeling in their gut" too.