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Janeway, Captain Kathryn
Image by headexplodie via Flickr
Captain Kathryn Janeway is the first woman starship Captain to regularly appear in a Star Trek TV series.
Kate Mulgrew plays the role in Star Trek: Voyager, which ran for seven seasons from 1995 to 2001. Interestingly, her faithful male sidekick, Commander Chakotay, plays a traditionally ‘feminine’ role by providing emotional support for Janeway’s traditionally ‘male’ command decisions.
The creator of the Star Trek series, Gene Roddenberry, attempted three decades earlier to counteract traditional sexism by casting a woman first officer (“No. 1″, played by Majel Barret) in the original pilot episode. Network brass demanded big changes, however, and William Shatner, Deforest Kelley and James Doughan were respectively brought in as ship’s captain, doctor and engineer. Leonard Nimoy (Spock) replaced Barret as “No. 1.” Barret was recast less prominently as Nurse Chapel, a female role deemed more socially acceptable for mid-1960′s America.
Something of a compromise was reached, however, when a female voice (Barret’s) was used for the ship’s talking computer. Barret, who was to become creator Gene Roddenberry’s real life wife, played in two Star Trek feature films. She also returned in the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation as ship counselor Deanna Troy’s flamboyant mother. Also, her voice is heard again in later series’ as a female sounding computer.
The success of Katherine Janeway as Voyager’s captain suggests that the time was ripe for rethinking traditional sex-role stereotypes not only in America, but in most culturally progressive societies around the world.
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Klingons
Klingon originally uploaded by ZoeARP via Flickr
Klingons are a race of nasty aliens in the original Star Trek TV show. They became good aliens by the time of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The fact that their physical appearance changed over time was explained in 2005 with the literary device of ‘retroactive continuity.’¹
In 2002, the Oxford English Dictionary included the word Klingon (along with Jedi from Star Wars) in both its complete and Shorter dictionaries. The following definition is from the OED:
A member of a fictional humanoid alien race featuring in the U.S. television series Star Trek and in subsequent associated series, films, publications, etc.
The OED also rightly points out that Klingon has another meaning, that of an actual language, created for the film Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) by Dr Marc Okrand.
Although not in common use, the Klingon language is learned and spoken by die hard Star Trek fans, known as Trekkies. Learning is facilitated via instructional audio tapes such as “Conversational Klingon.”
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¹ “A canonical explanation for the change was given in a two-part storyline on Star Trek: Enterprise. The two episodes, “Affliction” and “Divergence“, aired in February 2005.” (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klingon#Explanation_and_theories).
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The Matrix
Keanu Reeves by Josh Jensen via Wikipedia (CC)
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction film written by Andy and Larry Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves as Neo.
The Matrix is part of a trilogy. The first film gained the attention of pop culture theorists through its depiction of the world as a deceptive computer program (called ‘the matrix’ by those in the know) designed to enslave human beings.
The majority of humanity exists in a state of comatose slavery, plugged into a master computer which, through cyber connectivity, creates the illusion of everyday life. Essentially, people are nothing more than dreaming ‘batteries’ for the matrix, living in a horrendous vault and living on a liquid that itself is the product of the dead.
Neo apparently is “The One” destined to free humanity from this mass cybernetic deception. His mentor Morpheus (and other awakened liberators) believes in his special status and liberates him. As it turns out, Morpheus is right. Neo really is the one.
However, Neo wouldn’t have made it if not for the love of Trinity (played by Carrie-Anne Moss), who at one point literally brings him back to life with a kiss.
Not unlike the Borg of Star Trek or the Cylons of Battlestar Galactica, the matrix may be taken as a symbol for dehumanized social relations, or ‘the system.’
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Prime Directive
time travel meeting here: Ravenelle
In the science fiction universe of the American Star Trek franchise, the Prime Directive is the overriding regulation of Star Fleet. Star Fleet represents an alliance of “good guys” belonging to the United Federation of Planets, as opposed to the “bad guys” made of up species like the Cardassians and the Borg.
Star Fleet is concerned about right ethics, so the Prime Directive stipulates noninterference with another species’ normal planetary development. This applies to space exploration and time travel. And to violate the prime directive apparently results in court-martial, except in the most extenuating of circumstances.
A problem with this idea relates to the criteria for defining “non-interference.” Some religious and New Age believers, for instance, maintain that humanity is invisibly influenced by a variety of advanced beings within the universe, heavens and throughout time. If so, would not the crew of a Federation starship have a moral responsibility to help primitive but eligible species develop better ways of solving problems?
Despite its lofty sounding ideals, the Prime Directive’s doctrine of non-interference is breached quite often. After all, moral dilemmas are good for TV ratings and, as St. Paul and others have indicated, life’s problems are usually better solved through the spirit instead of the letter of the law.¹
Another problem arises with The Prime Directive and the fictional idea of temporal paradoxes. The Star Trek writers never satisfactorily answer the following problem: How could a time traveler going back in time be certain which of many possible actions would be the correct ones to choose?
» Aliens, Angels, Roberts (Jane), UFOs
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¹ While often associated with St. Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 3:6, the idea has other applications. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_and_spirit_of_the_law
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Q (The)
John de Lancie: Cayusa / Bart
The Q is a fictional group entity in Star Trek TV spin-offs and films, residing in an eternal field of space-time called the ‘Q-continuum.’
Not unlike the avatar in Hinduism, the Q manifest in specific instances of space-time to apparently regulate the ebb and flow of events within the universe.
The main manifestation of Q, played by actor John de Lancie, conforms to the trickster archetype.
Like most deities found in mythology, the manifest aspect of the Q uses supernatural powers to baffle, vex and test human beings to the point of distraction.
As with most otherworldly pantheons, there is a faction of rebellion within the Q-continuum, consisting of those tired of being “good” and politically correct at the expense of enjoying their free will and vitality.
These dissenters are prohibited and disciplined through punishment by the Q moral majority.
As outlined in the entry for Star Trek: The Next Generation:
And then there was “Q,” played by actor John de Lancie, who was something akin to a classical Greek god in that he had powers and knowledge extending beyond our normal conception of space and time. Also like the Greek gods, he often abused these powers in childish ways and even challenged the authority of the Q Continuum (the ruling body of the Q, representing its status quo), resulting in his frequent punishment.
Romulans
Romulan fights Andorian for Vlad: GizmoDoc
Romulans are an alien, imperial race in the original Star Trek TV show, sharing common ancestry with the Vulcans.
Instead of using their considerable intelligence for the promotion of peace, as do Vulcans, Romulans are bellicose and at perpetual war with the Federation (an interplanetary organization that includes humanity).
The Romulans are notorious for being able to “cloak” their ships–i.e. render them invisible. This makes for dramatic battle stories analogous to the contemporary naval destroyer and submarine.
Most likely the creators of the original Star Trek chose the appellation ‘Romulans’ to resemble that of ‘Romans,’ evoking a subconscious resonance with notions of power, military intelligence and dishonorable acquisition.
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Tour Original Bridge: Conrad Quilty-Harper
Star Trek: The Original Series
American science fiction television program created by Gene Roddenberry that ran for three seasons from 1966-1969.
Although the starship Enterprise’s five year mission to explore new worlds was cut short by poor ratings, the ship and crew didn’t dematerialize quite that fast.
Devoted viewers clamored for more. And as the fan mail piled up, the show’s uniqueness was soon realized and a series of successful movies were produced throughout the 1970′s to 1990′s, along with several new Star Trek TV spin-offs, closely following the format of the original program.
While a few second-rate academics might still scoff at the idea, Star Trek TOS and its offshoots have taken on a mythic status. Instead of Sumerian gods carved in stone, Star Trek provides gods etched on film. And there’s arguably not all that much difference between the two.
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Trying to be progressive in its day, the original Star Trek pilot episode featured a female first officer. But due to poor ratings she was replaced by the male Vulcan, Mr. Spock.
The revised cast boasted a host of international characters at the command center, which for the mid-1960′s was virtually unheard of.
In the episode, “Plato’s Stepchildren” (1968) Captain Kirk and the black Lt. Uhura are forced by telekinesis to kiss, a controversial first for fiction characters on U.S. TV. And in the episode Balance of Terror (1966) Kirk scolds his navigational officer Styles for making a racial slur:
Leave any bigotry in your quarters. There’s no room for it on the bridge.
Some say that the whole Star Trek phenomenon has all the earmarks of a religion because it exhibits the following characteristics:
- A social component (Star Trek conventions are periodically held around the world)
- The Star Trek ‘creed’ (the Prime Directive)
- A general goodwill ethic
- Implied transcendental ideas
In 2009 the hit movie Star Trek, directed by J. J. Abrams, brought the popular character Spock back into the spotlight. This time he’s both an elderly (played by Leonard Nimoy) and young man (played by Zachary Quinto). The fact that Leonard Nimoy is showcased in this blockbuster film while William Shatner (who played the original Captain Kirk) isn’t is perhaps telling as to Spock’s ongoing cultural significance in the 21st century.
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Star Trek : The Next Generation
strangely, not a Star Trek: TNG set - Jason Permenter
Star Trek : The Next Generation
This is the first and extremely successful remake of the original Star Trek TV show.
The Next Generation ran for seven seasons from 1987-94.
The captain of the new and beefed up United Federation of Planets starship Enterprise is played by the British character actor Patrick Stewart.
Many new characters and innovations such as a holodeck – where entire environments are created through light imaging – were added. Also noteworthy is the fact that the Klingons are no longer arch enemies of the Federation. In fact, Lt. Commander Worf, a Klingon, serves on the Enterprise.
And when the crew felt unhappy or estranged by its various space adventures, a psychological counselor, Deanna Troi, was now available.
Another memorable character is Lieutenant Commander Data, an android who, like the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, wanted to know what it was like to be human. And then there was “Q,” played by actor John de Lancie, who was something akin to a classical Greek god in that he had powers and knowledge extending beyond our normal conception of space and time. Also like the Greek gods, he often abused these powers in childish ways and even challenged the authority of the Q Continuum (the ruling body of the Q, representing its status quo), resulting in his frequent punishment.
Perhaps the most formidable new enemy of the Federation was the Borg, a horrid collective of cyborgs who sucked the life and technological knowledge out of any living creature deemed worthy of its cold malice.
These and other innovations made TNG rival the original Star Trek series in terms of sheer creativity. This isn’t surprising because Gene Roddenberry, the producer of the original show, was directly involved in TNG.
TNG’s immense popularity attracted the film star Whoopi Goldberg, who played the super-intuitive bartender and wise advisor Guinan. Goldberg apparently approached the producers of Star Trek TNG, expressing her desire to be on the show.
Several films based directly on the TV series were released at theatres: Star Trek Generations (1994); Star Trek: First Contact (1996); Star Trek: Insurrection (1998); Star Trek Nemesis (2002).
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Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: The Tour Beamed up in the Transporter: Conrad Quilty-Harper
Star Trek: Enterprise
The most recent incarnation in the Star Trek TV series, running for four seasons from 2001-2005.
The action is set in the future but before the time of Captain Kirk (of the original series).
This is the story of the very first U.S.S. Enterprise, equipped with new warp drive technology, all set to leave Earth and our solar system for deep space exploration.
The alien, technologically superior and emotionless Vulcan race has been present on Earth for a while, holding back the Earth space program because the apparently ‘overly emotional’ human race wasn’t ready for extended inter-species contact.
Captain Jonathan Archer doesn’t like how the Vulcans have been stalling humanity for years, but initial tensions between Archer and his Vulcan Science Officer, T’Pol, gradually resolve into mutual respect.
At first, the series received encouraging reviews but soon after its fan base dwindled and, despite attempts at innovation, the show became increasingly juvenile and Enterprise eventually ‘fell out of warp’ in the TV ratings.
However, Enterprise did have its bright moments amidst the steady decline, especially when dealing with the topic of time travel. And the cultural and mythic importance of the entire Star Trek franchise is hard to overlook. The Oxford English Dictionary, for instance, now includes the word Klingon.
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Spock
Can Art 14 (Spock): Matthew Niemi
Spock
In the TV Star Trek: The Original Series Mr. Spock is a Vulcan science officer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, played by actor Leonard Nimoy.
As Captain Kirk‘s right hand man, he plays an important role as the only non-human crew member.
Spock’s father was Vulcan and his mother human. As such he has an internal conflict between suppressing his emotions, which Vulcans are known for, and permitting their expression, as human do.
While this was a clever idea back in the 1960s, the notion that any species would try to live purely on logic, as Vulcans claim to do, seems impractical. Along these lines, the Swiss depth psychiatrist C. G. Jung advocated the integration of thinking, feeling, sensation and intuition (albeit for human beings).
When Star Trek first appeared in 1966, Spock’s skin was reddish in color, he looked more devilish and his speech was somewhat rough. He originally conformed to the “red Martian” stereotype of the 1950s and 60s. But Trek producers quickly became interested in developing a more complex character and Spock’s appearance softened.
His looks became more elfin than devilish and he began to harbor intense emotions under the fragile veneer of Vulcan rationality. The changes paid off. At times Spock’s popularity rivaled Kirk’s. The Vulcan psychological, cultural and even political tension between logic and emotion is also brought out in Star Trek: Enterprise through the female character, T’Pol.
In 2009 the hit movie, Star Trek, directed by J. J. Abrams brought Spock back into the spotlight. This time he’s both an old (played by an elderly Leonard Nimoy) and a young man (played by Zachary Quinto). The fact that Leonard Nimoy is showcased in this blockbuster film while William Shatner (who played the original Captain Kirk) isn’t is perhaps telling as to Spock’s ongoing popularity and cultural significance in the 21st century.
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