"You are still half savage . . . but there is hope"

I watched a couple episodes of the original Star Trek with Nolan last night, including Court Martial.

He's not a big Star Trek fan. He prefers Battlestar Galactica -- he calls it "gangster," which is teenager for "good" -- and Firefly, but he watched it with me anyway.

Though he's thankfully grown up in a world where it's not out of the ordinary for a woman to be a prosecutor, or a non-white man to be a judge, I explained to him that it was a very big deal in 1967, and that allowed him appreciate the show on a new level.

Something we both noticed, though, that made us laugh and reaffirmed Nolan's opinion that the original Star Trek "just looks kind of silly": according to Court Martial, the three buttons a captain always needs to have easily accessible when he's sitting in command are: Yellow Alert, Red Alert, and Eject Pod.

We saw some other things that made us laugh and cringe, but people who fall over white barriers and crush plants shouldn't cast stones at white paper labels on the captain's chair, so that's all I'm going to say about that.

After he went to sleep, I watched Arena. Though it was one of my favorites when I was a kid, I haven't watched the entire episode for such a long time -- I think it must be at least 15 years -- that I'd completely forgotten about the entire first half of the episode, when they're getting shelled by the Gorn at Cestus III, which was surprisingly violent and exciting. All I remembered was Kirk running around Vasquez Rocks while he fought the scary guy in the rubber suit, which was awesome and awesomer.

I'd also forgotten about Spock's suggestion that maybe the Gorn were protecting themselves when they attacked the human outpost on Cestus III, and Kirk's initial refusal to consider it. It was pretty brave to put the idea out that someone you automatically assume has evil intentions may have a very good reason -- from their perspective -- to think the same thing about you. A big part of American mythology is that we're always the Good Guys who are incapable of doing anything evil or wrong, and I thought it was daring to suggest -- on network television in 1967, no less -- that maybe it's not that simple.

Even though Star Trek frequently looks silly and cheesy, I think it says a lot about the writing and the stories that audiences have not just overlooked that, but embraced it, for the last 40 years. I've seen movies that spent more on special effects for one shot than Star Trek spent in an entire season's worth, but I didn't care about the characters, and the story didn't stay with me for one minute after it was over. We know it's just a guy in a silly rubber suit, but when Kirk empathizes with him and doesn't kill him, it's still a powerful moment, and the message it sends about compassion and empathy is a powerful one that's just as relevant now as it was then.

Comments

[kristinalead]

All of my "life-lessons" I learned on Star Trek...

Profound, dude.

[ShadowTracer]

All good points Mr. Wheaton, but are you not forgetting that the Gorn are pure EVIL.

Remember the old Mac version of NetTrek the only ship you couldn't play as were the Gorn and they were just there to mess with you? It's because they were pure, green-rubber coated EVIL.

Kirk was right to rebuff Spock.

[Samurai Avon Lady]

I've been doing a lot of business travel, these past couple of months, and I have found myself watching a lot of Star Trek on TV Land at 6am, while ironing blouses and such.

I was struck with just how profound and relevant a lot of the story lines were, even today.

Well, that, and there's just nothing like Trouble with Tribbles while trying to make tea in the Marriott's in-room coffee pot so that you can face a herd of cranky conference delegates... (;

[Jon C]

While I can agree that the sfx of Star Trek don't hold up well anymore and the acting can be cheesy (even before considering Shatner's participation!) there are some gems when it comes to social commentary or putting forth fairly radical ideas that require a nice, deeper level of thought that you would have first anticipated.

[slag]

I'd be surprised if there weren't college courses on leadership that did nothing but analyze old Star Trek episodes.

BTW, Will, I totally thought of you when I created this t-shirt.

[Chuck]

Arena has always been one of my favorite original Star Trek episodes. So sad that it got canceled after three seasons and didn't get a chance to develop like Next Generation did. Oh well.

[John G]

Portions of Star Trek I were cutting edge social commentary, but other aspects were absolute stereotype: Lt Uhuru was the "Communications Officer" but let's face it, she was a woman who acted as a telephone operator. Sulu, someone who appeared Asian was into martial arts, a stereotype of certain aspects of Asian culture. And Chekov? How 'Cold War Russian' could you get.

But I wanted to be Kirk - I was about ten years old and had just figured out what Kirk was up to with all the alien women he encountered; I was dreaming about stuff like that here on the planet Earth and there was Kirk getting lucky all over the galaxy!!

[bigmoneygrip]

"Arena" is one of my favorite ones, too. As a army veteran, my favorite part is, naturally, the mortar scene.

"It's pretty close for one of these little jewels, eh, Captain?"

[logicalnoise]

This reminds me wil, I've started watching the TNG eps from the very start(via netflix....and some help from dvd shrink) and man is it a thrill. I've out right avoided the reruns on spike and G4 because I just didn't like the networks. While I'm only on ep.3 I'm still having trouble seeing why people hated you during the shows run. I know for a fact I was a fan of your charetar because at the time of the firsts eason I was only 8 or so and I watched it with my dad. While wesley had the fashion sense of a bloated carp he still represented the normal kids needed excitement for space travel that none of the other charectars were supposed to feel.
But yeah watching old star trek after avoiding it for a while can elad to violent confusion on some of the smaller details of certian shows. It's just a sign of how unique the old shows were. I've seen every TNG ep out there but I'm still excited about making my through all the eps again.

[gordie]

A big part of American mythology is that we're always the Good Guys who are incapable of doing anything evil or wrong, and I thought it was daring to suggest -- on network television in 1967, no less -- that maybe it's not that simple.

You know, that's one of the things I've always liked about Orson Scott Card as well. A step back to look at a situation objectively never hurts, and that's a lesson that is hard to learn and that has very few teachers.

[thecrumb]

Slightly OT but related to watching TV with your kids...

Last night we watched the Lorax. Man it was depressing. Replace the Once-ler and Lorax with Bush and Gore and it's 2008! Not sure how much the girls picked up on it - but they both looked a bit confused when it ended...

[slag]

Portions of Star Trek I were cutting edge social commentary, but other aspects were absolute stereotype: Lt Uhuru was the "Communications Officer" but let's face it, she was a woman who acted as a telephone operator. Sulu, someone who appeared Asian was into martial arts, a stereotype of certain aspects of Asian culture. And Chekov? How 'Cold War Russian' could you get.

The initial pilot had a woman (the one who eventually played McCoy's nurse) as the first mate. That didn't fly. And back then, having a friendly Russian on a tv show was quite a social statement in itself (stereotyped or not).

[Jim Strickland]

May I recommend the Star Trek Remastered series? They redo all the space shots with effects worthy of a modern TV show, and often retouch the live action scenes in subtle ways.

In Arena, notably, they rework the backdrop, and the Gorn blinks.

And the whole first season is on iTunes. :)

-Jim

[Kate]

My parents have been huge Trekkies since 1966 and I grew up watching TOS reruns and TNG with them. Like Nolan I had the benefit of my parents pointing out the cultural importance of the show (and dressing me up in a TNG red uniform for a convention when I was 5).

And while 'gangsta' isn't really in my vocabulary, Battlestar Galactica is unquestionably one of the best shows I have ever seen. Since I got into it before my parents did I've had the joy of introducing it to them and telling them why I think it's so important (and I'm dressing my mom up for ComicCon next year!!).

It's like an awesome scifi/family cycle. I love it.

[Will Hindmarch]

Star Trek taught me all those lessons that Star Trek teaches you when you're 8-14, and that continues to be rad. But watching old shows like Star Trek also taught me: a) How to watch and appreciate things that do look silly, and b) to grok that most of the stuff I dig today will look strange and dated, too.

Viewer humility, I guess, is what I got out of it.

[Vavu2001]

If you are really into the look and feel of the original series, you might want to check out (if you already haven't) Star Trek New Voyages ( www.startreknewvoyages.com ), the Internet fan series.

They have done a great job of replicating the spirit of what Gene Roddenberry had in mind. It's a fun show, with good writing and and acting, along with some great (for a show with no budget) special effects. They also have managed to snag some major talent from the real (as in worked for Paramount) world.

Yes I realize a lot of WWDN-IE posters already know (and have watched) this show, but I figure some may not have heard if it yet. It's worth a look if you haven't, and a second look if you have.

[Gaerin]

A very sensitive point is hit there. Not because I'm a huge fan of Star Trek, but because I can't be. We have a limited number of episodes that were shown on public channels in France. I think the story stops somewhere like Genesis, with the usual trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. I liked Spoke the most and was making fun of McCoy (I wasn't ten years-old...) because he was still third in this commanding staff (or so he appeared to be); now I'd just love to hear that space colonizers hire doctors (possibly pediatricians, please!) in their staff...

I didn't know you (Wil) played in Star Trek? How could I have known :(...

[Freeman]

I know one episode of TNG was filmed at Vasquez Rocks also, but I cannot remember which one.

[savage]

That's it exactly. The original Star Trek is so corny and cheesy. I remember one episode where the ship was supposed to be in trouble, and there was a shot of it in space merely tilted on its axis. But it's space: orientation does not indicate trouble. It made me laugh.

If I watched Star Trek only for the cool factor, I probably wouldn't watch the original series. But I watch Star Trek for the characters and stories. I still think Enterprise would have done better if it had been based more off of the original series. Could you imagine? Every planet is some replica of Earth during a certain period in time. Awesome.

[Magic_Al]

It's said Shatner and Nimoy both got tinnitus from the noise of the explosives used in Arena. When it looks like they're too close to the explosions, they were too close to the explosions. Violent excitement can be expensive. At least Star Trek movies made them rich later.

[1BigBank]

I think that some of TNG, DS9, and Voyageur episodes are directly ripped off from OG Star Trek. It's almost like they're just regurgitating scripts with a little bit of undigested hot dog thrown in just to make it appear different.

Maybe I'm wrong, but aren't there only so many situations you can throw space travelling explorers into? It's almost like music, eventually we will run out of new rifs(if we already haven't,) and we'll have to recycle the old ones.

Just my opinion,

Mark.

P.S. That re-run of the Gorn was on Space recently, and although I don't watch too many OG Star Trek anymore, I did watch that one. One of the better episodes they ever did.

[ExGeekDogTrainer]

My wife and I call Vasquez Rocks "Those Damned Rocks" since they have been used for many years in movies, commercials, photos, et al. Good memories of visiting there as a kid and climbing all over those rocks, which always came flooding back when driving that section of the Antelope Valley Freeway (my folks and one brother lived west of VR, and my other brother lived east of them). - g^2

P.S. Though I don't post often, I very much enjoy reading your entries, Wil, as well as everyone else's posts.

[violachic]

I bought The Ethics of Star Trek as a Christmas present for myself. I have really been enjoying it, especially as the ethics of Star Trek is probably the biggest reason I am a ST fan. Arena is discussed in the book several times. I highly recommend the book to others.

[Ian Coomber]

I completely agree with you. Hollywood today seems only to be interested in how things will look, rather than the actual content, and as a result, often comes up with complete rubbish.

When I was growing up as a geek in the 90's, I watched a lot of TV, but the shows that have really stuck with me are the ones I saw as repeats, and my parents watched when they were children. Star Trek, anything and everything by Gerry Anderson, even The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Whilst I did watch modern shows as well, they obviously can't have been that good as I don't seem to remember anything about them. It was always the old shows which kept, and still keep me entertained

And I thank them for it, as I honestly believe it was those old shows and their proper values, which made me the person I am today. You could almost say that Gene Roddenbery had as bigger hand in my upbringing as my parents.

And considering that Star Trek is THE best TV programme ever made, and how Hollywood seems to be more concerned about box office takings than artistic integrity, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on Star Trek XI . . .

(if you haven't already shared them that is, I'm fairly new to wwdn)

[JenBreier]

I love great sFX and sometimes I'll watch something just b/c of the FX. But the shows and films that stay with me are the ones with good stories and characters. I love Star Trek precisely b/c of its social commentary. And I love the optimism that there can be a positive future for humanity.