How did you come to hold the beliefs you have?

[JWFrogen]

I have The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, One Hundred Years of Solitude and The God Delusion among assorted science and history books on my library shelves, and a basketload of science fiction paperback novels ...

One Hundred Years of Solitude has one of the greatest first lines ever written, you really want to know the rest from the first line.


"Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice."

Though not a voracious Sci Fi reader I do like Star Trek, I guess what I like is its sanguine view of human nature and destiny the main theme being humans can overcome problems that seem intractable and that our future is only just beginning. There are a lot of current political issues explored in the stories as well, (especially The Next Generation) and Kirk from the first series is my kinda Captain. I would serve under anyone who has fucked that many alien women anytime.

[Jovial Monk]

Star Trek is not sci fi. It is a soap opera set in space

[JWFrogen]

I would disagree, indeed it has often predicted science possibly before they occurred, but unlike most Sci Fi it has a relatively sanguine view of human possibility.

The relationships are often complex as well, such as Spok’s belief in his own Vulcan rationality yet his human emotion keeps breaking through, often to his own benefit. Or Kirk’s risk taking and how when he gets old he has such trouble dealing with it. How this force of human nature, this life force of joy and sexual adventure has to deal with aging and mortality. I think his final words are perfect for his character, how he saw all existence.

Or Picard’s relationship with his brother, the two different life paths, Picard sacrificing family, even love for duty and discovery. But it comes at a great pycological cost.
Then there is the different nature of the alien races, the Klingons love of war and the honor codes they have concerning violence, how that conflicts with Star Fleet’s belief that all disputes can be resolved through reason and good will, (because Earth has finally done so) or the ruthless nature of the Romlians, who unlike the Klignons are far less honor coded in their violence, more Machiavellian.


Even subjects like religion are explored, such as Bijorian mysticism and the shows debate is it really simply a form of backward superstition holding them back in their conflict with the Kardacians.

Or what constitutes life, Data the droid is technically not alive yet developes into a life every bit as complex as biological forms.

They even take on some of their own premises, such as the prime directive which means well (like much international law) but can not be followed to the letter in this complexity known as existence, how our idealism often conflicts with our survival.

[Jovial Monk]

Wow, you really got into it, didn't you?

Ever saw "Red Dwarf?" another soap opera that was also a sitcom. Mostly filmed in the corridors of the BBC--cheap!

Anyway, off to enjoy the sunshine for a few hours.

BTW annie, if you are into food, this is a great recipe for a Scented Fish Salad: http://ozpolitic.com/polanimal/viewtopi ... 120#p19867

[JWFrogen]

Wow, you really got into it, didn't you?

Ever saw "Red Dwarf?" another soap opera that was also a sitcom. Mostly filmed in the corridors of the BBC--cheap!

I like Red Dwarf, it goes where no gags have gone before.

[Jovial Monk]

True, it did borrow a little bit from hitchhikers guide to the galaxy but that is how it goes and now I go!

[JWFrogen]

Wow, you really got into it, didn't you?

I like the themes, and how when I was a boy it broke ground in Tele, for instance Martin Luther King Jr. said the black female character Uhuru did an enormous amount to help the civil rights movement, once again Star Trek's optimism (not an Aussie traight I know) concerning how the future of race might dissolve with rational assessment of humanity is inspiring even beyond the world of Sci Fi.

Still, I would not call myself a Trekie, I had a co worker who actually had engineering plans to the USS Enterprise, used to listen to the dinging sound of the first series bridge at his desk and could tell you all the career details of even supporting characters like Chief Obrien.

[JWFrogen]

My favorite character is Q. An omnipotent entity (at least in relation to all beings, space and time outside the Q continuum, other Q) who plays with humans and other life like toys, but often is teaching them lessons about the real nature of existence and popping their limited bubbles.

God force as practice joker.

[boxy]

If you want to know how it really would be, fighting space battles, read "The Forever War" (Joe Haldeman). It's 30 years old, but a classic that is easy reading, yet manages to explore war, human nature (turning a pacifist into an ultimate weapon) and the human costs of realistic space travel where even with the use of wormhole like portals, relativity means travelers are isolated in time.

[JWFrogen]

Sounds interesting, is it humans fighting other humans or other life?

One of the interesting premises of Star Trek is that if we ever get to the point where humans are out in space writ large we will have to have trancended human conflict or go extinct.

The nature of the space race so far would not make one sanguine about this but Star Trek even explained that, that where we are now is like mankind striking up fire and so we can not understand the transformative nature that the cooperation any serious space travel would require will also change human society.

This combined with the discovery of intelligent life put us in our limited but proper perspective.