Reflections

We just watched Star Trek: Enterprise's two latest episodes Damage and The Forgotten. At first morals in these epispdes - especially Damage - is painful, but it got me thinking about the whole Star Trek franchise and the morals in all the different series. Because - it's always been the case that Star Trek has reflected very strongly the morals of it's time.

In the golden 60's and the Original Series, it was all about the cold war. Americans and Soviets, Federation and Klingons. Traditional gender roles were enforced despite Roddenberry's intentions and ideals - women were wearing miniskirts and men were the protectors. It's easy to laugh at it now, or take it very lightly - but one of the original writers of the series D. C. Fontana once said that sci-fi gave them the opportunity to explore subjects and ideas that were otherwise out of bounds in TV. And that's what they were trying to do, underneath all that crome and bright colours.

Then in the 80's there was the Next Generation, and it was all about ideals. The cold war was ending and there was racial and gender equality. Women were doing mens jobs on the Enterprise, there was a black man and even a Klingon. The captain was morally always right, in fact, wrong and right always existed. There was no war, just occasional conflicts which of most were solved peacefully, and generally Federation was a good and happy place to live.

In the 90's the shift changed. First Deep Space 9 and later Voyager introduced a more sinister and dark world were things were not bright and happy and everyone were not friends. War had just ended and morals were low - Federation was no longer the all-powering strong presence - just a party trying to hold up law and order. There were rebels and underground movements, and in these troubled times women and black men could be captains too. First war ship was built and casualities were high, and sometimes tough decisions had to be made for our heroes' survival.

Now, it's all about terrorism. Women and coloured people have gone back to more traditional jobs and white men are once again leading the show. There is us and them and there is no right and wrong anymore - there are just different choices, and some of them are less wrong than others. We're coming back to the "needs of the many outweigh needs of the few... or the one" like Kirk and Spock used to say, but the difference is that the few (or the one) are not making the choices anymore.

But whatever the situation, whatever the time, with Star Trek there is always hope. Yes, there is them but they are not as black and white (or good or evil) as they appear. There is always the human element, always the possibility of your enemy becoming your friend, of finding common ground and settling things.

I don't think Gene would have approved any of the Star Trek incarnations that have come to our screens since he parted ship. But then again he was the biggest idealist of all - for him there was always a peaceful solution and right and wrong. He for sure would not have liked to live in these times. But I'm sure though that he would appreciate the underlying thought.