Divorcing Star Trek

On the morning of January the 15th, 2004, I finally made a decision that I had been dreading for more than two years. I sat down, sighing, and signed the papers, closing the book on a chapter of my life that spanned fifteen long years, the better part of my life. I have divorced Star Trek.

I first became a sci-fi nut when I was a young lad at the tender age of ten. Star Trek The Next Generation was in its second season. Naturally, it was my parents who first turned it on and I who quickly took a liking to it. Since then Star Trek has had a huge place in my life. It represents as ideal a future as we can hope for, where people strive towards a peaceful, tolerant and diverse society. A place where the accumulation of wealth and class difference are nonexistent ideas. Plus there were ships and technology and aliens and all that neat stuff.

For years the obsession continued. I bought the Star Trek Encyclopedias, and the Technical Manuals. I engrossed myself in an imaginary universe with a system of continuity so ironclad that it was unrivaled in the world of Sci-Fi. I became involved in Outpost 10F, a web site which brought together Star Trek fans from all over the internet, from all over the world, to discover each other and to work together to perpetuate our geeky hobby. The ideals of Star Trek, exploration, racial tolerance, cultural diversity, universal peace, permeated me and helped to make me the kind of person I am.

It was a few years ago now, though, that I began to notice something was wrong. I was following Star Trek: Voyager, and suddenly all these strange things started happening. There was a wrestler, the Rock, as a guest star. Pro Wrestlers? What the heck do they have to do with Star Trek? No matter. But then there were these shows about racing starships, and episodes about ponn farr klingons, and suddenly it was okay to break the rules of continuity if it meant an exciting story. Why, somebody was trying to "sex up" my Star Trek! Why? Star Trek doesn't need to be sexed up!

But I tolerated that. It was just another symptom of the way culture in general was leaning in our society. Then came this new show called "Enterprise". It sucked too. But a lot of shows suck right of the bat when they're just learning to find their place. So I gave it a chance. Oh, how it pained me to watch it. The way they trotted out scantily clad pretty people rubbing each other with "decontamination gel" that seemed to bear a mysterious resemblance to KY jelly. Something else was wrong, though. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was definitely wrong. Then it hit me.

I wasn't watching a cosmopolitan crew anymore. I wasn't watching a crew that was culturally diverse, or even culturally neutral. No, this crew was American. They talked like Americans, enjoyed very American hobbies. The theme song to the show was a pop song. The chief engineer had a drawl so heavy you could cut it with a knife. They were always solving their problems by shooting things. When they went out on away missions they wore blue jumpsuits and baseball caps; they looked like marines.

No, no, no... I'm just a crazy Canadian who's been fed so much American media my entire life that I've gotten paranoid. What ridiculous accusations I was making! But then the third season started...

Earth was the victim of a terrorist attack. Oh yes. A single alien in a weapon of mass destruction targeted civilians on Earth with no apparent reasons. How could anyone attack Earth? We're so good and peace-loving? To show them just how peace loving we were, Earth decided to send good old boy Captain Archer on a mission to hunt down and destroy these Xindi terrorists.

God, this seems awfully familiar... where have I heard this storyline before? Could it be that this "unprovoked attack" and "hunt for terrorists" bears a striking similarity to that whole 9/11 thing? Nah, couldn't be... But all of a sudden a starfleet vessel contained not only the friendly but no-nonsense security team, but also rifle-packing, armor-wearing MACOs. That is, military personnel. Then the theme song got even more American: it had a country twang to it. There was an episode were the crew became cowboys. They had to shoot their way out of that situation too, of course.

Then, last Wednesday, came the final blow. Captain Archer and crew pick up a group of aliens. The aliens turn out to be religious fundamentalists who take over the ships. How do they do this? They're suicide bombers.

That's it. THAT IS IT. I'm not paranoid anymore. Does somebody at Paramount seem to think that this heavy borrowing from current events is anywhere near acceptable? Using an open wound like 9/11 to drive a storyline? I can't watch this show anymore without wondering if I'm being fed propaganda from the pro-war side of U.S. politics. Star Trek used to be about peace. I remember episodes which paved the way for the acceptance of homosexuality in our society way back in the early nineties. I remember a Russian officer on the bridge of the original Enterprise: a series which aired at the height of the cold war. Can you imagine? A Russian? I'll bet that the writers of the original Star Trek had more than a few letters about letting some "pinko" on the bridge. That's not to mention the female, African bridge officer Uhuru. Can you imagine what would happen today if Paramount put an Arab, a Muslim, on the bridge of Enterprise? God forbid! One of them terrorists!

Star Trek used to be groundbreaking. It used to make us think about the future in a non-political way. It made us think about the future as idealists. But somebody upstairs has co-opted Star Trek. Gene Roddenberry is spinning in his grave. Somebody thinks that by adding more violence, by getting Hoshi or T'Pol's top off every episode or two that they can broaden the appeal of Star Trek without alienating existing viewers. After all, we Trekkies are addicts, right? We'll Watch anything with the Star Trek label on it, right? Right?

Wrong. Star Trek's been unfaithful to me. Our relationship is officially ended. I'll always have reruns of The Next Generation, but somehow its not the same. I'm not the only Trekker who feels betrayed: just look around the internet and you'll see angry petitions and message board rants. I have to say, it takes a lot of talent to alienate such a fiercely loyal and gigantic fan base. REAL talent. I suppose what you said was true, Mr. Braga: All good things must come to an end.