Re: [Phys-l] Star Trek

["Richard Tarara" <rbtarara@sprynet.com>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marty Weiss" <martweiss@comcast.net>
> The original StarTrek (and Next Generation) is still revered to this
> day for its innovative effects.  One can always watch the series for
> Shatner's overacting and laugh, but we did that back then also, so in
> that sense nothing changed over the past thirty years or so.    It was
> fun back then for those of us who followed it and it's still fun
> today.  The political statements were poignant back then and still are
> today.  How many of you remember the episode when Kirk beamed to a
> planet to capture a renegade captain who was leading an incessant war
> between the *Koms* and the *Yangs* and Kirk knew how to speak the
> sacred "Me Publista" which enabled him to escape from certain death?
> It turned out to be a parallel world populated by  primitive
> Communists and Yankees and the the religious saying was actually the
> Preamble to the Constitution.  The people of that planet had forgotten
> why they were fighting and what the document stood for.   There were
> so many memorable episodes that several decades later it remains one
> of the most important series ever run on tv, in spite of not being
> particularly well received (ratings-wise) at the time.  (Who can
> forget *The Trouble with Tribbles*, one of the funniest episodes ever?)
>
> Another interesting factoid... the first interracial kiss on tv was
> between Ohura and Kirk.
>
> I'm sure someone else can enlighten this group with further anecdotes
> of how StarTrek enriched their lives in a more innocent era.


There were many other episodes of the original series that were 'pointedly
relevant' but appear over-bearing and heavy handed today.  There was the
Frank Gorshin (of Riddler fame) episode with a racial conflict between two
members of a species that were half white and half black.  Of course one was
black on the right side, white on the left and the other just the
reverse--and also of course, hated each other vehemently.  There was the war
fought entirely by computer but that selected individuals to be vaporized
each day as casualties of the 'attacks'--with people blindly walking to the
disintegration chambers.  What I never quite understood was how Next
Generation got away with the character that began and ended the series--Q--a
godlike creature who sat in judgment of the human race.  Clearly a parody
(or is it satire?) or God--even to the point where in one episode the Q
Continuum punished Q by turning him human and making him live amongst the
humans.  Q ended up 'redeeming' himself by committing a selfless act for the
benefit of the humans and thus was returned to his god-like status.  I guess
bible-belters don't watch science fiction!

Anyway--the new movie dispenses with any social statements in favor of pure
action, but sets the stage for a new TV series, with all your favorite
characters Kirk, Spock, Bones, Sulu, Chekov, Uhura, and Scotty in the guise
(but close physical resemblances) to the originals.  However, the plot of
the movie allows that there is now alternate reality caused by that old
nemesis (time travel) that frees this new cast from having to follow any of
the boundaries set out in any of the original series.  Almost as clever as
Dr. Who--who regenerates into a new actor any time the old one wants to
quit, is unpopular, dies, or gets too old!

Have a great summer all,

Rick