this post was submitted on 18 Dec 2023
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Another key point I feel is often overlooked about Star Trek is the "Gulliver's Travels" component of (at least pre-Kelvin) Star Trek. Every show, every race was secretly a fun-house-like caricature of humanity's worst traits, with the humans of the show demonstrating growth past that point. You laugh at or shirk away from them, but really it's modern humanity that is being depicted (Ferengi as capitalists, Klingons as warmongers, Romulans as subversives, etc.) And then we see what we could be, the hope that you talked about, in future humanity
It seems like such a creative way to do social commentary. We get to see our present failings in aliens, and then contrast it with how the crew (future humanity) carries themselves. Sometimes it's very clunky and heavy handed (like that TOS episode with the half-white/half-black aliens), but it's still good. My favorites are every time Picard monologues about their values to an alien race in TNG.
Even if you already share the values, it's fascinating to hear them laid out so clearly.
It helps that Stewart is such a fantastic monologist. It's like hearing something complex about biology or ecology from David Attenborough. They both have such an effortless ability to communicate difficult subjects.
Do you include Wesley as an alien in that instance? Because that monologue is solid.
I'm going to say yes. Every teenager is an alien.
Good take.
Shut up, Wesley
I really love it when it's especially heavy handed. That's my shit.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
That's my shit
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.
That's very interesting. I think you've sold me on watching the show.
The original series is very 1960s and I wouldn't recommend for a jumping in point. I'd go with next Gen for that, it's the quintessential trek more so than the original having had 3 spinoffs in the 90s and defining most of the canon. Here's the issue though, the first 2 seasons of tng really suck. Like maybe the worst 2 seasons of the whole franchise. I'd check out some best of lists for those seasons and maybe sprinkle a couple random ones in, they did 26 hour long episodes per season and there are some amazing clunkers there, bad episodes are part of trek and you've gotta learn to enjoy them, but those first 2 seasons are rough.
But if you hang in there, you get rewarded with a Riker's Beard
How's Giant Spock doing?
Still vibin
Don't tell him about that Lower Decks episode.
https://startrekviewingguide.com/