Strange New Visions
Is new Star Trek for peace or politics?
Star Trek has been a source of inspiration and curiosity since I was about 7-8 years old. At the time, Star Trek: The Next Generation was in production. I remember being even younger and first seeing Worf's forehead and being somewhat frightened by the accented forehead ridges and serious tone of voice. Aside from my own fascination, it was a show my family could enjoy, and my Dad took me to see Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country in the theater in 1991.
When I watched Star Trek as a kid, it did not seem very popular. The Next Generation was doing well in syndication, but as far as sci-fi, boys my age seemed overwhelmingly more enamored by decades-old Star Wars films (before The Phantom Menace), which are great in their own way. For many, Star Trek was too slow and thoughtful, with not enough action.
After Star Trek drifted out of active production when the series Enterprise ended in 2005, there was a Star Trek lull until successful filmmaker (and non-fan) J.J. Abrams took on the franchise. Abrams reinterpreted the Kirk era Enterprise and timeline into a format more palatable for contemporary audiences in the 2009 film Star Trek. Lots of action (and lens flare), a younger cast, and more violent outcomes (Planet Vulcan destroyed).
At the time, I remember not hating Abrams' reinterpretation. On the other hand, much like his later treatment of Star Wars in The Force Awakens, it opened the door for other directors to run with the franchise without including critical elements integral to Star Trek's identity. The films started becoming no different from other sci-fi action films. Star Trek initially was more about what it means to be human, in both negative and positive qualities, how that affects others, and the environment we share. It's about coexistence with very different people and places.
Simplifying my critique of what has plagued (Alex Kurtzman-era) Star Trek in more recent series (Discovery, Picard, and now Strange New Worlds) and films, the writing stinks. There is a lot more emphasis on character development, but in a way that is not very convincing. Frequently we see dramatized scenes of characters overcoming a personal struggle. While the set design and overall production budgets seem healthy, the writing just doesn't get it there at critical moments in the plot, in my opinion. There's an over-reliance on time-travel arcs that occupy most of a season. I don't fault the cast; I think that's been one of the more redeeming factors, but they can only be as good as the copy they are delivering.
Bad writing and confusing plots are nothing new to Star Trek. There are some fine examples of failure before the modern era. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, the only Star Trek film directed by William Shatner, was made during a Writer’s Guild strike, and is overwhelmingly viewed as a flop.
But while there are plenty of cringeworthy episodes throughout the series, the shows have consistently delivered memorable storylines that are still relevant today.
Last week saw the launch of the latest Star Trek series and Discovery spin-off, Strange New Worlds. The show takes place on the Enterprise we associate with Captain Kirk and Spock, but years before Kirk's command. It has a lot of potential for exploring the backstories of popular characters from the original series. Captain Pike appeared on previous seasons of Discovery with a popular response. In order to obtain a time crystal (again with the time travel), Pike must watch a vision of his certain death, or paralyzed state, in the future.
The exploration of Pike's trauma from a Discovery episode Through the Valley of Shadows is explored in the pilot of Strange New Worlds makes his character seem very diminished (intentionally). But in the end, faced with the imminent destruction of a strange new world, he overcomes the obstacles and saves the species.
Pike initiates a video demonstration that shows a warring species the violent history of humans on earth and what is to be their future if they do not resolve their own "competing ideas of liberty." So far, this segment has become the most controversial part of the show because of the current events depicted in the video shown. The video starts with a clip filmed at the US Capitol Building on January 6, 2021 (the I-word only glorifies it), viewed as a pivotal event leading to the Second Civil War, and then eventually ends with World War 3.
I am all for Star Trek being relevant and hitting controversial contemporary topics. So is Anson Mount, the actor that plays Captain Pike, as expressed when interviewed about the inclusion of this video. Science fiction is a fantastic medium for exploring unresolved ideas and conflicts. My concern and reluctance to like or celebrate such a presentation like the one in Strange New Worlds, and certainly plenty of moments in Picard and Discovery, is that they are more divisive than anything else. They assume a perspective and project a familiar self-righteousness that fuels part of the fire in our current "competing ideas of liberty."
Before the video presentation in the episode, Pike must undergo a genetically altering treatment to make him appear as one of the strange aliens in order to save their world. Spock, also on the landing party and undergoing the treatment, is half-Human, half-Vulcan, which the writers use as a pretense for making the genetic treatment wear off on him, leading to the dramatic turn of events to apply a "booster."
The language of these medical treatments is akin to that of the ubiquitous vaccination promotions of the past year. The treatments on the show did seem safe and effective. They were also very painful for one of the characters (who chose not to use a sedative). Also worth mentioning, in the season of Picard that just finished, there is a brief mention of the characters having a "vaccine chip," which is eerily not far enough from science fiction today:
The normalization of this identity and medical tracking technology is far from inspiring. The inclusion of these details has me waiting to hear that familiar "brought to you by Pfizer" at the end credits.
Alex Kurtzman's era of Star Trek has included details in Strange New Worlds and Picard that seem to promote vaccination and microchipping. I can't speak to the latest season of Discovery; maybe they have a vaccine native ad as well. But I couldn't bring myself to watch that series anymore. Time-travel arcs are exhausting and usually not as rewarding as The Voyage Home. I am aware that Stacey Abrams appears in that show's season finale in the role of President United Earth. But I remember when the franchise sought to reach and inspire people regardless of political affiliation.
Self-Righteousness in Spaaaaaace!
I figured you were a Trekkie when I saw the “4 lights “ reference in another article. I too grew up watching TNG and have fond memories of many of those episodes. I really wanted to like Discovery but between the glaring cannon issues and the in your face wokeness I had to give it up. I missed the January 6 clip when I watched the pilot but it doesn’t bother me. The USA being on the verge of a new civil war doesn’t seem far fetched right now and the covidians are a good stand in for Kahn and the eugenics. Hopefully going forward they keep the woke politics out and don’t ruin another trek show.