Text 259, 75 rader
Skriven 2004-12-04 03:34:00 av Kevin Karmann (1:278/230)
Ärende: "Awakening"
===================



----- Original Message -----
From: "John Johnson" <change@pacbell.net>
> Trek is not just about the technology, the history, the YATIs (all fun and
> interesting) but the general thrust of Gene Rodenberry's vision.  No check
> list of ideological points but a general view of how a responsible power
> should act. A realization that life is a complicated affair, made up of
> psychologies, histories, science,  love,  politics, etc., not your normal
> shoot em up black and white cop show.

Yes, and, like all fiction -- and science fiction in particular, it's about
much more.  Good fiction (heck, good *art*) is supposed to have a message, a
meaning.  Or, in other words, provide food for thought.  Science fiction has
especially delved into this area, using allegory and extrapolation to show
us the potential good and bad in just about anything.

That could mean telling a story about a child's love becoming an obsession
(DS9's "The Visitor"), a cautionary tale about the dangers of technology
(TOS' "The Ultimate Computer"), the definition of life in an ever changing
universe (TNG's "The Measure of a Man"), or to shine a spotlight on the
desire to explore (VOYAGER's "One Small Ship").  Sometimes the point is
blatantly obvious, as was the case with "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"
(focusing hatred on what makes us different can destroy us) or "Force of
Nature" (pollution can be destructive to the environment), but often those
elements can be under the surface or open to interpretation.  After all, one
of the major underlying themes of "The Trouble with Tribble" is providing
relief for a planet experiencing famine, but what most people think of is
the humor.  And a really good morality tale will have no easy answers, such
as when Kirk tried to restore a balance of power by arming Tyree's people
against the Klingon-supplied hill-people ("A Private Little War") or when
Sisko decided to try to get the Romulans involved in the Dominion War
regardless of the means ("In the Pale Moonlight") or when Janeway decided to
restore Neelix and Tuvok by splitting Tuvix ("Tuvix").  You get the idea,
but I could go on and on delving into these examples.  And, even in those
cop shows, a certain amount of these themes exist, although certainly being
grounded in the here and now and limited to one particular topic (crime)
generally means these messages aren't necessarily as visible.

That said, while I certainly believe that Trek can and even should explore
all these themes and more -- and that viewers should think over the things
said regardless of how they feel about a particular topic, I also think that
while a certain amount of these things are going to leak into a forum like
this, the main thrust has to be on the Trek content itself.  It's one thing,
for example, to argue whether Archer should have clone Trip in "Similitude"
(which, interestingly, we really didn't do), but quite another to argue
about real world cloning (though certainly some of the same ethical
arguements apply).  That's one the main reasons I didn't get involved in the
big political discussion about Iraq, as almost everyone acknowledged it was
off-topic.  Sure, I have an opinion, but this isn't particularly the place
for it.  Maybe if I had more time, I'd get into such a thing in private
e-mail, but I can barely keep with the little response to my reviews, much
less something as ambitious as that.

As far as the Vulcan arc itself, certainly elements of it have a "ripped
from the headlines" feel to them, but whether that has as much meaning or
not, I don't know.  The biggest part of the storyline, though, has been the
persecution of the Syrrannites.  I suppose that could be seen as an allegory
to the modern Middle East, where a certain amount of hardliners shut out the
more moderate voices.  But such things can be found throughout history, such
as the Roman Empire (as shown in TOS' "Bread and Circuses").  Of course, all
of this is simplified greatly, as in the real world, katras can't be sent
from person to person and no religion has a Kir'Shara...

Kevin





---
 * RIMEGate(tm)V10.2á˙* RelayNet(tm) NNTP Gateway * MoonDog BBS
 * RgateImp.MoonDog.BBS at 12/4/04 3:34:51 AM
 * Origin: MoonDog BBS, Brooklyn,NY, 718 692-2498, 1:278/230 (1:278/230)