star trek and being a good person

[amw]

I can't remember exactly when it was, or what prompted it, but earlier this year i went back to watch the most-maligned (and my most fondly-remembered) Star Trek - Voyager. I loved it, and i especially loved how strongly it stood in contrast to the newer Star Trek shows of the past 5 years or so. 26 episode seasons. Lots of standalone episodes.

Comments

[siglinde99]

You make me want to go back and watch all the series yet again. I never wanted to be an astronaut, but I’m pretty sure Star Trek played a role in my decision to become a diplomat. All those nonintervention and first contact dilemmas are directly relevant to my work, especially in develop,ent, and formerly when I worked on peacekeeping issues.

[amw]

I'm not surprised it had an impact on people who went on to become diplomats too, since so much of the show is built around trying to understand different cultures and come to workable compromises. I hope there is some new pop culture phenomenon for Gen Z that can give them the same message.

[siglinde99]

Me too. I am sure there will be, eventually. I just hope it won’t take the same combination of WWII, Korean and Vietnamese, wars, the civil rights and women’s liberation movements that influenced the views of the producers, writers and actors. Despite its hopefulness about the future, the show is firmly grounded in the horrors of the past.

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[geminiwench]

Our 20 year obsession with the anti-hero is troubling to me, and I see that represented in the storylines and plots you really don't like, too

[amw]

Yeah, for me it's tough because, man, i remember watching Oz - actually one of the few shows back in those days that featured gay characters - and i frickin loved it! I missed The Sopranos and The Shield, but i caught Breaking Bad, and Sons of Anarchy, and The Wire, and a whole bunch of other shows about utter scumbags being scumbags, and they were great shows. I don't think there's anything wrong with telling stories about the bad guys, that has a long literary tradition. But i think so-called prestige television built its entire reputation on these bad guy shows, to the point it seems they're now scared to sink that kind of money into shows which don't feature murder and rape and torture as casual plot points

[geminiwench]

The Wire is still one of the best things ever on television according to me. I didn't watch Oz, and I tried Breaking Bad but it was too gross and like it started at a dead-end in the first season to me, it was clear the storyline was going to draw out the worst and carry it to the nth degree

[jenndolari]

I'm not the biggest fan on the first couple of season's of TNG, but it does do something the other's don't do as much. It's something the writer's called "Wierd Shit" episodes. Episode like The Royale, or Genesis. Just nuts stuff

[amw]

Yeah, i can really see the TOS influence in those first two seasons of TNG, and not just from the planetary sets which appear to be nothing more than the same sound stage with different colored lights. It has that janky Twilight Zone feel, where why not do an episode on this freaky idea maaan? They don't always work, but they're always interesting. Like, the weird tar monster episode where Tasha Yar dies, hokey AF, but i'm still kinda glad i watched it, somehow? And that's in the same season with the terraforming station and the weird crystal lifeform that takes over the computers... I kinda love it. Also Doctor Pulaski is great

[scream_queen]

We re-watch TNG every few years. It's a wonderful show - although I must admit that I do love the darker, more morally ambiguous aspects of DS9 and other series. But TNG is probably the most Star Trek of all the Star Treks. It has the sense of nobility and striving to do good that I think was always meant to be the point of the show.