Log In | Register
Captain's Log - Here's a question for my fellow geeks who've been geeked about the political campaign this year:
Did watching the two Star Trek series in the 1990s, with Avery Brooks and Kate Mulgrew playing convincingly as captains Benjamin Sisko and Kathryn Janeway, help prepare us for the Democratic presidential campaign in 2008?
ABSOLUTELY!
It was pure prophecy. Seeing them perform (with the help of good scripts) really began to eat into the American psyche. Sure there have been other movies and books about U.S. presidents that have featured non-white-male actors cast in the role of commander in chief, but there's something different about a weekly series right in your living room, something much more grand about seeing these captains command these huge starships, explore worlds, and extend the Federation's knowledge way in the deep future. It was immeasurably progressive to see that future with Sisko and Janeway in command.
Obviously, the Civil Rights Movement and the Women's Suffrage Movement had everything to do with putting the real factors in place. We know the reality on the ground, we know the nonfiction battles that were fought to get us here. But this sometimes silly form of science fiction storytelling also helped to get us here in its own way. Deep Space Nine and Voyager got into our heads and showed us what reality could be.
The vision of Star Trek was clear even when clouded by odd looking aliens, it often presented obvious political themes. But with the realm of the captain's power stretching across vast reaches of the cosmos, Star Trek showed us that no matter how great the scale, careful diplomacy will always be central to our survival and security. I was interested and excited about Deep Space Nine and Voyager primarily because I knew back then in the 1990s that the Star Trek franchises were "boldly going" where no other shows were by making us feel secure and confident behind Sisko and Janeway.
Much of Hollywood skews Democratic and back in the 1990s Bill Clinton was in office so the message of the episodes seemed to reflect the Democratic platform almost as much as The West Wing series. But in terms of who is sitting in the captain's chair, the parallels to 2008 are still quite striking. For folks like me who began voting in the 1990s, this 2008 campaign featuring Obama and Hillary was that much more memorable, like sci-fi fantasy come to life.
Agree? Disagree? Am I geeking out way too much with this analogy or am I right on the money recognizing how much life is imitating art this year? Give your two cents in the comments area below (sign in) and also answer the poll question above.
