One of the reasons I love Gene Roddenberry is because he created a universe where humanity finally lifted itself up from its base desires and ultimately became something that was bigger than itself. In Roddenberry's universe, famine, sexism, racism, warfare and genocide no longer exists on Earth. The population finally learned how to live in harmony with itself and the pursuit of scientific discovery and understanding remained the ultimate goal for the human race. Basically, tolerance and understanding were themes cherished by Roddenberry, and he shared these themes with the world through his Star Trek television series.
Star Trek has so many fans. I recently watched several documentaries about how the genre has impacted people across the world. One thing I noticed about fans is the simple fact that they (and I really mean "we" since I am a hard core Trekkie) cherish the philosophy behind the series. Acceptance, cultural relativism and the pursuit of universal and self improvement are just some of the motifs that fans hold near and dear to their hearts. Star Trek clubs welcome everyone and you don't have to worry about being bullied or antagonized or ashamed of being too nerdy or too much of a jock. Star Trek is a way of life.
J.J. Abrams has supposedly rejuvenated the Star Trek genre with his new timeline take on the series. His crew of the Enterprise is young, flashy, popular, beautiful and fresh. They are different from the characters from the original series. For one, Spock is in a relationship with Uhura, Kirk is fatherless and I dare say a bit cockier than he was in the original timeline, McCoy is younger while Scotty is blond and comedic. It's good, yet it does reflect J.J. Abrams preference for Star Wars, basically with the immense amount of action and cowboy shtick present in the new movies.
This disturbs some fans, which is not unexpected. The fact that the original versions of themselves (McCoy, Kirk, Spock, etc) never existed, can be scary for someone who appreciated the original series. What is surprising is the amount of hate being spewed on message boards towards the reworked characters of Star Trek, specifically towards Uhura. Venom filled rants about how she is loud, obnoxious, bossy and not Spock worthy seem to be the norm on some message boards from people claiming to be Trekkies and Trekkers. I don't understand this hate, specifically from fans who apparently have missed the whole point behind the philosophy of Star Trek; tolerance and the ability to embrace change simply because the universe is always changing. Acceptance that in this "universe" of Star Trek, Uhura has a stronger, more independent personality that is actually similar to Jadzia Dax's from Deep Space Nine, a character that is truly loved by many Star Trek fans.
I love the original series and its characters, but I also appreciate their new interpretations in the new timeline. Even though I am not completely sold on them because of my deep seeded love affair with the original series, I am willing to keep my mind and heart open to the possibility of falling in love with Star Trek all over again. Are you?
No comments:
Post a Comment