Rant About Star Trek: Enterprise That Does Probably Not Belong Here

Reve BM, Editorial, rant | March 13, 2001 | Reve BM

[ReveBM]

Okay, let me first off say that I am a big fan of the newest Star Trek series, Enterprise. I thought that the last series, Voyager, had gotten tired and had too many episodes revolving around the masturbatory holodeck. And, don't even get me started on the series before that, Deep Space 9, with its "angry pissed-off black man in space" theme.

The new Enterprise series has a freshness about it not seen in my opinion since the original series of 1967-69, what with the swashbuckling Captain Kirk. A good slice of the new series' appeal for me is its handsome, rugged, all-American Captain, Jonathan Archer.

One particular episode, though, rubbed me the wrong way. If you've watched the series you may remember the pivotal episode where they visit the "Great Plume of Agasoria", a stellar object that has religious significance for many alien peoples. Smack in the middle of this episode, the alien doctor pointedly asks Captain Archer whether he has a faith (I don't remember the exact wording, he may have used religion or some other wording).

Captain Archer's response: "I try to keep an open mind".

Let's step back a bit and realize that in the Star Trek universe at this point Earth is just emerging from a hard 100+ years of recovering from nuclear war. If there were ever a time for people to turn to God, perhaps it would have been in the aftermath of that holocaust. However, not so for the boys at Star Fleet.

Perhaps in the Star Trek future, people who are religious do not go into space, staying on their farms (as shown in the first episode of the series) or perhaps forming small communities on spacefaring cargo ships (as shown in another episode). However, religious people don't seem to go into Star Fleet, to my knowledge. It's fine and understandable to run across aliens who are committed religiously, particularly the Vulcans, but I have yet in my memory to run across a significant Star Trek character who is committed to Christianity. You might think I'm harping on Christianity in particular, but it's not only a major and still-growing religion in our world today, but it's the dominant religion in the United States, which fields a large portion of visible Star Fleet personnel, perhaps due to the San Francisco location of its training center (or perhaps many other people in the world died during nuclear war)?

Wait, I get it, maybe religious people are somehow screened out during Star Fleet Academy, perhaps for unacceptable views they might have on one or another topic.

Let's also not forget that in the future, at least according to Star Trek, there is no capitalism at some point. The description of how this happens and in what century is vague, but I vividly remember more than one Star Trek Captain saying that in the future they don't use money anymore, just look to expand their "human potential". Thank God for the Ferengi.

Star Trek is written by writers and reflects their view of what the future will be like. They obviously seem to assume that Christianity and capitalism will die out over the generations. This reflects the fondness of liberals in particular to enter our schools and inculcate our young people so that they don't have unacceptable, politically incorrect views among the future generations, whether regarding homosexuality or some other topic.

It would have been extremely refreshing to have had Captain Archer at LEAST say "Yes, I have a faith, but it's very personal to me" and leave it at that.

Whether Christianity could survive the discovery of intelligent life on other planets is a topic for another day. I have read some science fiction suggesting it could. Others may disagree.

Have a nice day!

[aruanan]

Let's step back a bit and realize that in the Star Trek universe at this point Earth is just emerging from a hard 100+ years of recovering from nuclear war. If there were ever a time for people to turn to God, perhaps it would have been in the aftermath of that holocaust. However, not so for the boys at Star Fleet.

You're arguing about what would have or should have happened in an imaginary world?

[corkoman]

I'm not ready for inter-planetary, inter-species miscegenation.

I AM - Strap Me UP!!!

[corkoman]

Earth is just emerging from a hard 100+ years of recovering from nuclear war. If there were ever a time for people to turn to God, perhaps it would have been in the aftermath of that holocaust

Perhaps it was a nuclear war based on religious conflict...not altogether unthinkable given today's situation.

[longshadow]

I liked the original series, in which Kirk boffed a new babe every week. They were all great-looking. And human!

I recall Yeoman Rand sneaking up to Kirk and whispering quietly: "Captain, you remember what we did after the Christmas Party last year...." and Kirk would turn purple and and himself to go inspect the anti-matter containment vessels or some such crap.

I also recall Spock getting the Vulcan version of the "Seven Year Itch" and Nurse Chapel (played by Roddenberry's wife) having to fight off his manly advances. Nyuck, nyuck!

Yup, those were the days.

[Mr. Thorne]

I watched it on and off for a while. It was the political tripe that finally lost me, though, it was the 'military'. I mean, good heavens, evil aliens spewing thru a wormhole, fleets massing, I expected heroism, maybe a major character or two playing Horatius at the cosmic bridge. What do I get? The magical wormhole dwellers tell everyone to take their toys and go home.

Deus ex machina. One of the worst cop outs in writing. Bleah.

[Mr. Thorne]

Friend, you need to pick up The Mote In God's Eye. FYI, the Empire of Man is Christian, and there's a Catholic Priest along for the ride with the first expedition to an alien homeworld. And the priest is neither a stereotype nor a joke.

I think that was Pournelle's hand. Niven seems more of an agnostic sort.

Heck, any of Jerry Pournelle's CoDominion books are quite good in this regard.

[steve-b]

I think that was Pournelle's hand.

Yes; the future history in which the story is set (which drives assumptions about the background culture) is Pournelle's.

[Question_Assumptions]

My main problem with Enterprise is that the crew just seems so goofy-stupid. They make really dumb mistakes to push the plot along all too often. It's a lot better than Voyager, though, and there have been a few really good episodes so far.

If you want to see some really good stuff, watch Smallville.

[ReveBM]

I thought the episode where they were all inhaling the psychotic drugs on a planet's surface was pretty weak. Basically, these 23rd/24th century people strike me as being competent at running the machines at their posts (when they work) and eating food at the canteen, but throw them into the wild and they start bugging out. I guess that's what society is coming to anyway.

I think they need to have an episode where the entire crew gets ripped off by some wily natives like a bunch of unsuspecting rubes, like exchanging some critical fluid to run the warp drive for WD-40. Wait, did they already do that episode?

[Jason Kauppinen]

Has the newest series even done an episode that touches on money at all?

[piasa]

Otherwise known as the intern's seat.

[DouglasKC]

We could theorize that the Christians of the day are too advanced to waste time serving in Star Fleet and flitting around the galaxy. They already know the truth.

[ReveBM]

By attacking Archer's statement about his faith I'm also obviously indirectly attacking people who think "keeping an open mind" is one of life's highest virtues. I respect people more who've thought deeply about various things and have opinions about them.

[Dr. Frank fan]

Most economist would disagree with you. It takes a large government to commit the time and resources to build what one economist calls "Monuments." ...

You're leaving out a few details. First, governments can't "commit" the time of people, unless of course the government is a totalitarian one. (Yes, I suspect totalitarian societies have been fairly efficient at building "Monuments"; cf. the pyramids...)

But the society of Star Trek is inevitably portrayed as completely free. Of course, you will probably retort that the future government of Star Trek has no need to be totalitarian in this sense of "committing" its' subjects' time to building "Monuments". After all, they just tax their citizens at a sufficient rate to build this stuff!

Small problem: they've "abolished money". (!) I heard Picard state this explicitly himself, either in an episode or in one of the films. (Which is weird in a way, because I don't think this was true in Kirk's time, I think they did have money; apparently the Federation of the future "abolishes money" within a span of 70 years or so....)

So if the future society of Star Trek is a free society, and has no money, then how is their government "committing" anything to "Monuments"? What, are people just doing everything that is necessary (sweeping the floors, serving food, etc), voluntarily?

Well, that was the communists' dream, after all.... Nope, sorry, "capitalist" Star Trek ain't.

[Jason Kauppinen]

Small problem: they've "abolished money". (!) I heard Picard state this explicitly himself, either in an episode or in one of the films. It's in the episode where they unfreeze those 3 people from roughly our time: the housewife, the businessman, and the musician.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Star Trek lost me as a fan years ago when they dropped capitalism from the future. A post office style economy can't build starships, so the whole series became absurd.

You've nailed it!

Has anyone ever heard a decent rationalization of how the Federation economy worked?

[ReveBM]

Maybe they use lots and lots of robots?

[Dr. Frank fan]

Has anyone ever heard a decent rationalization of how the Federation economy worked?

Sure, we've all heard such a rationalization: "From each according to his needs, to each according to his ability."

They do call it science fiction, after all :)

[Dr. Frank fan]

It's in the episode where they unfreeze those 3 people from roughly our time: the housewife, the businessman, and the musician.

Ah, the cryogenic people... and one had cancer, one was an alcoholic, etc. Yup I think I remember that one. Pretty early one if I recall correctly.

That's the problem with trying to casually insert something PC into science fiction. Obviously, they didn't think through the ramifications. They just wanted to put a Good Anti-Greed Message into the episode. It's stuff like that which makes me sympathize with people who hate Star Trek and don't consider it serious sci-fi....

[roachie]

FWIW, in the aforementioned episode with The Great Plume of Agasoria, Dr. Phlox said he had attended Mass at St. Peter's (in addition to spending time with Buddhist monks). So we know that the RCC would possibly last until then ;)

BTW, I am a dyed-in-the-wool Trekkie, too.