If you haven’t heard of Star Trek in some capacity by now, chances are you’re living under a rock. It was a hugely popular show back in the ‘60s, which then had several movies, spin-off shows, movies of those shows, and is now back with a vengeance for its 50th anniversary and third installment of the reboot movies. While not as popular as the Star Warsfranchise, without Star Trek there would have been no Star Wars. Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew of the USS Enterprise have dealt with several missions and had many adventures that deal with various social issues, from racism to misogyny and now LGBTQ+. While the original series is pretty campy and often ridiculous to watch (it came out in the ‘60s, okay? Cut it a break), the way it dealt with issues and the positive message it gave about space and intergalactic cooperation offers a more hopeful look to the future and the uncertainty of what might be hanging out in space. The reboot movies, while problematic in their own way, do much of the same while tackling more relevant issues to today’s society.
1. Star Trek had the first woman of color in a recurring role on prime time television. Not only that, but her character was also in a position of command and power among the crew. That woman was Lieutenant Uhura (played by Nichelle Nicols in the original series and Zoe Saldana in the reboot), who spoke just about every language across the galaxies and was responsible for communicating with various lifeforms that the crew came across. Nichols and her character even inspired several other women of color to follow their dreams, including Whoopi Goldberg (who would later appear in a recurring role on Star Trek: The Next Generation) and female astronauts Mae Jamison and Sally Ride.
2. Not only did the show have the first black actress, but it also had the first televised interracial kiss between Uhura and Captain Kirk (played by a young and gorgeous William Shatner). The best thing about that kiss? It was done without any fanfare within the episode. The focus of that kiss wasn’t on their racial differences, it wasn’t even a factor.
3. The crew itself was formed of characters and actors of various ethnicities and nationalities. Sulu, the helmsman of the Enterprise, is played by Japanese-American actor George Takei in the original series and is played by Korean-American actor John Cho in the reboot. Chekov is clearly Russian, in both the original series (played by American actor Walter Koenig) and in the reboot (played by Russian-American actor Anton Yelchin). In a time when the Cold War was still very much a major fear and WWII was still fairly fresh in the minds of Americans, these characters provided a way to show that everyone could work together and form close friendships with those different from you.
4. Although human nationalities were never an issue, the show dealt with issues of racial tension through the various alien life forms the crew encountered. Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto), being an “unemotional and cold” Vulcan, is often the victim of emotional outbursts and misunderstanding from his crew members. However, since Spock has a human mother, he is actually half-human, which results in discrimination from other Vulcans. This issue is seen more in the reboot, as one of the high elders of his planet call his human mother a “disadvantage” to which Spock essentially replies with “forget you” and joins Starfleet. Other alien species (Klingons, Romulans, etc.) throughout the show’s history are shown as dealing with discrimination and distrust by other races as well as some of the crew. In each of these situations racial tensions are dealt with by Kirk and Spock and the overall message is that prejudice against any race is dishonorable and unacceptable. In a time when racial tensions are still high, the positive messages of peace and acceptance that Star Trek promotes are needed now more than ever.
5. Just last week it was announced that Lieutenant Sulu not only has a daughter, but that he also has a husband, making him the first official gay character in the Star Trek film franchise. As if that wasn’t enough, Simon Pegg (who plays Montgomery Scott in the reboot and also co-wrote the script for Star Trek Beyond) came out and said that Kirk is “a pansexual fun seeker,” that “nobody said Spock and Uhura were exclusive,” and that “there’s more to Scotty and Keenser than meets the eye.” Although not explicitly mentioned or even implied in the films, Pegg claims that most of the main cast of characters are not completely heterosexual. Again, in a time where the LGBTQ+ community is still facing discrimination and dealing with various issues, to know that these characters, who are pretty well-known and pretty badass, are themselves a part of this community is ground breaking in terms of visibility and acceptance.
6. Without Star Trek, Star Wars might never have existed. With the craze and hype of the “Space Race” in the ‘50s and ‘60s, Star Trek was the first major popular television show to take that idea and develop it into an actual possible look at the future of humanity and space exploration. They used some of the first computer graphic effects and created some of the first futuristic technology and weapons. So before you choose a side in the eternal Star Trek vs. Star Wars debate, you may want to stop and think about the fact that without Captain Kirk and Commander Spock, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker might never have existed.
7. Because of Star Trek, we now have cell phones, computers, tablets, and various medical devices. The communicators in the show became our walkie-talkies and phones. Their talking computers became Siri. Their inter-ship video communication became Skype, FaceTime, and Snapchat. Even the tricorder used in the show, that was able to diagnose various health issues (along with other information about a variety of things and species), has become a reality with the creation of the Scope, which is still in its prototype phase.
Star Trek offers a positive look at the future and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. It shows a future where everyone works together in harmony and understanding. It inspired actors, designers, engineers, doctors, and astronauts to follow their dreams and do their best. It was the first in a long line of space themed television shows and movies, a craze which continues today. It featured a cast of diverse characters who were all integral to the crew and each had their own place of importance on the Enterprise. Overall, it’s adventurous, fun, hopeful, and enjoyable. If you haven’t yet given it a chance, Star Trek Beyond blasts into theaters on July 22nd, so you have a few days to play catch up. It’s time to boldly go binge watch!
