Posted by
EWRoss on Monday, August 17, 2009 7:00:00 AM
There is a simple reason for the enormous popularity of 'Star Trek' since the original television series debuted 43 years ago. Gene Rodenberry's vision of our future is one Americans in particular have found compelling and believable--yes, believable. Not only have we been entertained by great characters, stories, and special effects, but we have been seduced by the portrayal of life in an age of intergalactic space travel that we want to believe one day will be a reality.
Strip away the Klingons, the Borg, "beam me up, Scotty," and other purely science-fiction aspects of Star Trek and think about the basics--a social and political system based on the principals found in the US Constitution that has kept pace with advanced technology and that works well. Wars, prejudice, and the lust for power have not gone away; human beings and other intelligent species cope with them in a more enlightened manner. While Star Wars is largely a saga about a social and political system that's failed, Star Trek is about one that's succeeded.
It's no coincidence that Star Trek came on the scene in the middle of the Apollo Moon program. Manned space flights captured people's imaginations and Star Trek took advantage of that. Although the original series was cancelled after the third season, it has gone on to become one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time. It would be a shame if we allow Star Trek and other science fiction about our future to be a substitute for pursuit of the real thing.
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