When Trek insults our intelligence

[BillJ]

Are the Time Lords representing all of humanity?

What difference does that make? No one ever claimed Star Trek represents all of humanity. Why is an alien with no allegences always choosing to be British? There are tons of different races on the planet. Because it is a British show. With British writers, British actors, made primarily for British audiences.

 

[BillJ]

Or sometimes from a little ways north. Every planet has a “north”, you know.

Using Canadian tax breaks doesn't make it a Canadian show.

 

[GNDN18]

Humanity is the USA in Star Trek. Always has been.

Which insults the rest of humanity and explains that terrible TOS Omega Glory episode

It might be insulting, but the franchise—at least the television side—has been primarily targeted for US consumption. It’s no coincidence that the signature vessel carries the “U.S.S.” designation, nor is it accidental that the military (yes, I said it), and government mirrors the United States.

The point about efforts at attempting to have a representive crew is well taken, both for the effort and the failure to follow through.

Star Trek is greater than the sum of its licensed and canonical parts, though. Such a broad canvas upon which to paint whatever the artist chooses to show. For my part, I accept the commercial limitations of the franchise and relish what others outside that chain can do with the source material.

 

[GNDN18]

Using Canadian tax breaks doesn't make it a Canadian show.

True enough. I was riffing on a Tenth Ninth Doctor line with a nod to the Scottish Doctors.

 

[Nyotarules]

But in a way it is. Roddenberry's reflection of the future, and of the Federation, reflects the United States values generally.

However in real life democracy is not unique to the USA, perhaps this is why the show has fans outside its main target audience.

 

[at Quark's]

I suppose I should be insulted too, then, as a Ferengi (I have come to understand that Ferengi means 'foreigner' or even 'European' in an Arabic language, and yes, I am European).

 

[BillJ]

However in real life democracy is not unique to the USA, perhaps this is why the show has fans outside its main target audience.

Lots of properties have fans outside its target audience. I love Space Battleship Yamato.

 

[Nyotarules]

What difference does that make? No one ever claimed Star Trek represents all of humanity.

So the characters of Uhura, Chekov, La Forge, Picard, Scotty and Mr Leslie exist because they wanted to show how diverse American accents would be in the future?

Why is an alien with no allegences always choosing to be British? There are tons of different races on the planet. Because it is a British show. With British writers, British actors, made primarily for British audiences.

The same reason why a Frenchman sounds like a middle class Yorkshireman in TNG and most aliens sound American in the franchise.

 

[BillJ]

So the characters of Uhura, Chekov, La Forge, Picard, Scotty and Mr Leslie exist because they wanted to show how diverse American accents would be in future?

Roddenberry wanted to show a future where we all got along, basically under the American way of doing things. He was an American fighter pilot, an American policeman. He, and most of the other writers were/are American citizens. Star Trek was/is an "American" product through and through.

Much like Doctor Who, an alien time lord who could take the form of any race on the planet, is always British. Because that is the audience they are primarily selling the product to.

 

[Damian]

However in real life democracy is not unique to the USA, perhaps this is why the show has fans outside its main target audience.

Yes, but the Federation is more similar to the United States form of government. The structure of the government is more like ours than other countries.

I'm not sure why this is really an issue. It started as an American show created by Americans. People write what they know. They took the basics of the American form of government to create the Federation, even adopted some of the values of the US Constitution into the Federation and then expanded on that. They weren't going to base it on say the British parliament because they weren't familiar with it. I don't think they did it to 'exclude' the rest of the world, after all they had a pretty diverse cast. I think it was just a starting point. A basis to work off of.

 

[BillJ]

We currently have six shows...

The lead character has been from Iowa (Kirk), France (Picard), Louisiana (Sisko), Indiana (Janeway), and Upstate New York (Archer). We don't know where Burnham is from, that I am aware of. But I'm betting she is from somewhere in North America.

 

[at Quark's]

It has never bothered me, because I see it as just a (partially unconscious) projection of the society the writers know best and (supposedly) feel at home in into an idealised version of that in the 24th century, not as a statement by them that the future of humanity will be American.

However, I must say that Kirk in some cases feels 'too American' for me, which sometimes makes viewing TOS episodes a bit harder for me because I then feel I am watching something supposing an underlying culture that I don't actually know that well.

 

[Nyotarules]

We currently have six shows...

The lead character has been from Iowa (Kirk), France (Picard), Louisiana (Sisko), Indiana (Janeway), and Upstate New York (Archer). We don't know where Burnham is from, that I am aware of. But I'm betting she is from somewhere in North America.

You are probably correct. I don't know Burnham's backstory but I bet the creators are not creative enough to make her from somewhere else on planet Earth. Its a shame they have such limited imaginations and still stick to present day national stereotypes, at least make her from somewhere different from our present day expectations, say Sweden for example or even Mars.

 

[jaime]

It has never bothered me, because I see it as just a (partially unconscious) projection of the society the writers know best and (supposedly) feel at home in into an idealised version of that in the 24th century, not as a statement by them that the future of humanity will be American.

However, I must say that Kirk in some cases feels 'too American' for me, which sometimes makes viewing TOS episodes a bit harder for me because I then feel I am watching something supposing an underlying culture that I don't actually know that well.

I only really felt it in ENT.
The others had a more United Nations in space feeling. Mostly.

 

[at Quark's]

I only really felt it in ENT.
The others had a more United Nations in space feeling. Mostly.

Perhaps yes, but in ENT I felt it might have been (partially) deliberate, seeing as it is only 150 years after our time, and the Earth really can't have been united that long, and humans are still growing into their future 'Federation' role.

 

[fireproof78]

You are probably correct. I don't know Burnham's backstory but I bet the creators are not creative enough to make her from somewhere else on planet Earth. Its a shame they have such limited imaginations and still stick to present day national stereotypes, at least make her from somewhere different from our present day expectations, say Sweden for example or even Mars.

Having tried to write a character from Mars, it is not that easy to do.

 

[BillJ]

Perhaps yes, but in ENT I felt it might have been (partially) deliberate, seeing as it is only 150 years after our time, and the Earth really can't have been united that long, and humans are still growing into their future 'Federation' role.

A lot of those things are actually part of TOS before they started messing around with the spinoffs. The Federation felt like a fairly new organization in "Journey to Babel", especially since there were numerous references to UESPA and Earth Central during the early part of TOS. Then there was at least one reference to Trek only being two hundred years in the future from the 1960's, in "Tomorrow is Yesterday". Which would have placed it in the 2160's.

 

[Vger23]

For all we know, Burnham isn't from Earth at all. She may have been born on a Federation colony, based on what little we know of her backstory.

 

[jaime]

Having tried to write a character from Mars, it is not that easy to do.

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You just have to be in the right frame of mind.

 

[1001001]

For all we know, Burnham isn't from Earth at all. She may have been born on a Federation colony, based on what little we know of her backstory.

Born on Earth, raised on Vulcan.

I don’t believe we have an exact location on Earth, though...