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 PrintableVersion Star Trek 2009A new frontier for the Federation?STAR TREK 2009 The new Star Trek moves at warp speed, packing in more action than ever. And, most importantly, Star Trek is cool again. I really enjoyed this excellent reinvention of Star Trek, a prequel to the original series. Its greatest strength is its screenplay with witty nods to the original series. It satisfies nostalgia but leaves the audience waiting expectantly to see how the new characters will develop in the future. Missing from this roller-coaster ride is the pretentious high-mindedness of the originals. The essence of the science-fiction genre is its ability to consider big questions by creating new worlds (think Blade Runner, or 1984). In the past, Star Trek was no different. The original creator of Star Trek, Gene Rodenberry, saw Star Trek as an opportunity to comment on contemporary issues: ‘[By creating] a new world with new rules, I could make statements about sex, religion, Vietnam, politics, and intercontinental missiles.’ Ever since, the franchise has reflected contemporary issues; the original series saw the first ever broadcast interracial kiss. One of the most notable aspects of the Star Trek world has been the conspicuous absence of religion. Rodenberry was raised a Southern Baptist, but did not become a believer himself. He considered himself to be an agnostic atheist humanist. In the utopian society of the ‘Federation’ religion is absent, while the rituals of rival societies are regarded as archaic. Perhaps Trekkies’ obsession with this utopian vision of society reflects a dissatisfaction with our sinful world; through the Federation, one can still retain a confidence in humanity to improve itself and progress towards perfection. The new Star Trek completely passes on the opportunity to comment on contemporary issues, but looks to dismantle some of the concepts of the past: the ‘rational’ Spock is involved in two separate brawls and seeks ‘illogical’ revenge. Characters are motivated less by a desire to serve the Federation selflessly than by a desire for personal success. With contemporary moral confusion and concern for the future of our planet, perhaps the utopian vision of the future presented by the original series would not be credible to audiences any more. Perhaps the idealistic Federation has become victim of the postmodern challenge. The new Star Trek underlines the desperate search in our society for a moral authority that can ultimately only be satisfied by Jesus Christ. John Dray, © Evangelicals Now - July 2009 |
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