Just Some Thoughts On…How Star Trek Lectures Now

Star Trek is a universe to explore the human condition. The WHOLE human condition no matter the ultimate P.O.V. of the creators. While it certainly had a P.O.V. that you could not miss, until recently at least the shows looked at other views providing a level of balance. You understood why they came down on a particular side. They got the proverbial horse to water and got them to drink. Not so much anymore. It is much more like bullying or lecturing into how you should think. Let me begin. 

Star Trek once would give other points of view a fair hearing and hash things out in the story. It would certainly come down on one side, but you at least got an understanding of other views. TOS, TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT all engaged in that. But now everything is a lecture. No other views are allowed.  And if a character has contrary view they are quickly dismissed either through death or because of an unnecessary and often cringe worthy lecture from another character.

I am not against a show having a point of view. That is a very good thing but you need to have discussions if your characters have a point of view even if they are tepid discussions. And those discussions involve other characters seeing the error of their ways and coming around to the right side. Or at the minimum you get why so and so stays wrong.

I’m reminded of a Season One (maybe Season Two) episode of Discovery where Burnham and pals got in their personal flight pods. A one-off male character who was disagreeing with her and who was ultimately wrong got killed and nobody even cared. He died and was forgotten about and the ultimate message being that being that Burnham is so right that his death was deserved. My criticism of the current attitude and storytelling is not limited to Discovery. That’s just where it came into focus being the first new show in the current crop of new shows.

Now Star Trek has put message before story not realizing (or caring) that you need a good story to get the message across be it antiwar or racism or whatever the conversation is about. And when you do message over story it becomes a lecture. You’re nagging and berating the audience. You’re guilting them. This would seem to be contrary to IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations)-a concept embraced by the fictional Vulcan species. There are many views and not that there is only one way of thinking.

Before the credits would start and after enjoying a good story you would realize it was about the escalating conflict in Vietnam or human rights or if high ideals can withstand what needs to be done during war. But today everything’s on the surface and you’re told what to think and not guided to what you should think. Follow?

That element of discussion is as important, if not more so than any other element of Star Trek. Sure there’s the Federation, Klingons, and warp drive that dress the stage, but interstellar governments/organizations and warrior aliens and faster than light travel are not unique to Star Trek. Discussion isn’t either, but the discussion with all those other elements is what helps make Star Trek, well, Star Trek.

It’s now written by people who grew up on spectacle with spoonfed messages. Or small people who can’t think beyond their own little bubble. Maybe they don’t know how to write even clumsily a script or a story with something more below the surface.

I don’t see this trend of Star Trek being a lecture ending anytime soon. And that’s unfortunate because it alienates older fans and caters to a group that will turn on it in a heartbeat should that not be a lecture they approve of.