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Even without being told I think most people would recognize
the three characters in the above photo. Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Captain
James T. Kirk, and Mr. Spock are three of the most iconic faces in mainstream
science fiction. Countless quotes said by these three men have ingrained
themselves in our popular culture. Most people understand that “Live long and
prosper” is a Star Trek thing, and everyone has head some rendition of “Dammit,
I’m a doctor not a [insert thing which you are not]!”
Star Trek was created by Gene Roddenberry in the 60s.
It was an optimistic look at the potential future. Star Trek deals with
questions of belonging, equality, pacifism, and much more. Philosophy was
important to Roddenberry as he crafted this future of peace and education.
While the series does suffer some of the prejudices of the time it was made in
it is also markedly progressive. Some people remember the series solely for
having one of the first interracial kisses on television.
What I love most about this show is the way the
characters interact, especially McCoy, Kirk, and Spock. They are three men with
different personalities whose friendships grow and develop over the three
season series. McCoy who is prone to fits of passion and cynicism while
simultaneously believing the best in human nature has a hard time dealing with
Spock who disavows his half-human heritage in favor of the pure logic and
emotional coldness of his Vulcan side. Between them is Kirk who is confident,
capable, and compassionate. Kirk and Spock’s friendship in particular is
wonderful to watch as they slowly change from peers to friends. It’s Spock’s
friendship with Kirk (and begrudgingly with McCoy) that help him understand the
value in humanity and help him come to terms with what he previously felt was a
flaw of his nature.
I had the intense pleasure of meeting William Shatner
(Captain Kirk) two years ago at New York Comic Con. I was getting married a few
months after the convention so my husband and I took the leftover RSVP cards
and had them signed by various guests. I was more nervous standing on line for
William Shatner than I was walking down the aisle at my wedding.
The line itself was refreshing. The crowd gathered for him was extremely varied in ages. I was with a friend and the woman in front of us was in her 50s. She had been watching Star Trek since she was a little girl. It was fun to talk about our opinions of the series. You get a different perspective watching something for the first time as a child than you do when you watch it for the first time as a teen (and it’s been off the air for years). It was especially interesting because so much of what the series dealt with was more current to when it aired. Some of the issues that get brought up feel dated to a modern audience because they are social issues that we have put behind us.
William Shatner was very nice. He congratulated me on
my impending wedding and commented on how he was happy to see that so many
young people still knew who he was. I was shaking and probably a little red in
the face so I don’t know exactly how good of an impression I made on him. After
he signed my card I stepped to the side. You’re supposed to immediately leave
the autograph area once you get your signature so you can’t sneak any photos or
take time away from the people behind you in line. I asked the attendant if I
could just wait to the side because it was my friend who was behind me. Before
the attendant could answer one way or the other William Shatner waved away my question
and told me not to be silly and wait right there. I could’ve cried.
All right, I’ll be honest. I was a little misty eyed.
My friend made a total fool of himself (he wasn’t able
to say a coherent word) but William Shatner was gracious and understanding,
signed the picture my friend had purchased, and told us both to have a good
day. To this day it remains one of my absolute favorite memories.
I watched it as a kid, but a tween kid not a little child. I remember the one about overpopulation (when they couldn't land on a planet because there was physically no room, and they showed all the people bumping up against each other) especially, because I'd never thought about that concept before. Of course, I imagine there were other political "hidden" messages that I did not get.
ReplyDeleteIt's so crazy the stuff that sticks with us, right? I think Star Trek was good at introducing ideas with memorable images, particularly because when you're watching a tv show about space lots of the images are new and strange and easy to remember. Thanks for sharing!
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