Star Trek: Philosophy Forums

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Star Trek

onenat
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Posted 03/24/04 - 04:23 PM:	#1
Can Trek be considered philosophical?? In all five series to date, there have been numerous episodes that attempt to 'explore' the human condition. There are even characters like Data and 7 of 9 who were intrigued to learn about what it meant to be human. So was/is Trek successful in attempting this 'exploration'??

Paul
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Posted 03/24/04 - 04:54 PM:	#2
Depends on the episode. Some certainly have philosophical points. Mostly ethical or religious (particularly DS9) or political (particularly TOS) points, but sometimes metaphysical or epistemological. Take TNG's "Frame of Mind" (in which Riker is told that he's in an insane asylum and the Enterprise is a delusion) as one example among several in the series of the classic skeptical hypothesis which is so often used in entertainment. Many other episodes, though, are purely for entertainment value with no hint of philosophy. So was/is Trek successful in attempting this 'exploration'?? Of what it means to be human? Frankly, I think that issue was never done very well. So I'd declare it utter failure, it seems only to tell the audience what they expect to hear -- namely that human emotions and faults are good things, and the like -- without the exploration really having been for much purpose.

leucrotta
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Posted 03/24/04 - 05:27 PM:	#3
it's a cute, sort of guilty-pleasure show (for me, anyway) but i wouldn't call it philisophical. you gotta love those tribbles, though.
if no body speaks of remarkable things...

pfred
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Posted 03/24/04 - 05:30 PM:	#4
Paul I am not so sure that Trek showed that emotions were good. I think they often portrayed Spock's ability to think without emotion as a good thing.

Paul
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Posted 03/24/04 - 06:17 PM:	#5
Although considered good, Spock was still just an aspect of humanity rather than the complete thing. He needed Kirk to complete him, Kirk had to be the implusive emotional side which gets things done. Certainly Kirk needed Spock as well, but Spock alone could not command a ship (except as a teacher on a training mission, as per his own statement). Besides which, Spock was canceled out by McCoy. A related thread I started a while back: Philososphy of Star Trek II

Klaatu
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Posted 03/24/04 - 06:41 PM:	#6
Star Trek uses philosophical issues in a cosmetic way. I'd say the series is really more of a soap opera... or "space opera" I think is the term.

GreenFleshyFlower
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Posted 03/24/04 - 07:02 PM:	#7
It's a f*ck of a lot more philosophical than 99% of other shows that have been on the air (Twilight Zone definitely excluded). And hey, it's entertaining, and sometimes one just isn't in the mood to read.

wuliheron
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Posted 03/24/04 - 07:12 PM:	#8
Star Trek follows a pantheistic formate, right down to it's ethics and all the various demi-gods, nomes, monsters, etc. If you read a fair amount of the literature on the subject this becomes obvious, note that theism does not play a large role in the series yet it does possess a comprehensive ethics. The author of the series, Gene Rodenbury, did not seem to understand much about Asian philosophy, but he did have a decent grasp of pantheism. It makes for an elaborate, yet predictable series which neither espouses nor condemns religion and incorporates a great deal of very realistic science based on a single premise. The dilitheium crystals in the series are essentially quartz crystals, but ones with a fourth dimensional aspect only discovered in the 21 century.

sciunifi
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Posted 03/25/04 - 01:54 AM:	#9
Star Trek DEFINENTLY should be considered philosophical, that is the main reason I am a fan. I started watching of course because it was cool and the phasers mesmerized me. But the more I watched, the more I realized, wow this is some deep sh*t! This mix of Philosophy and coolness is what makes Star Trek so popular, and you could basically say that the numerous followers, known as "Trekies" could be considered members of a cult. Cults are viewed as extreme religions, and religions are based on some sort of a Philosophy. This alone should make a person think that Star Trek is more than just a cool show, and that there must be some sort of searching for truth and enlightenment presented in these shows to deserve such a following.

dead-quasar
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Posted 03/25/04 - 05:53 AM:	#10
Too bad I haven't seen a single episode of star trek till today, am I lucky, or is it unfortunate?

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