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Re: Is Star Trek Actually a Dystopia?

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The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> writes:

> This is the title of a video essay I just watched. 
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZAsWY8IBXE&list=TLPQMjUwNDIwMjZNutW-
> p6ZpqQ
>
> It's not snark. It's a serious look at the Trek world, focusing on the 
> TNG/DS9/VOY era. It's often seen as a utopia which has moved beyond 
> poverty and prejudice and other bad stuff, but has it really? 
>
> The host makes several good points. One is that this future clearly does 
> have differences in status, even if they're no longer financial. Another 
> is that the future seems unaccepting of religion, though there are still 
> some who practice it. 
>
> Both of those two specific points highlight ways in which the later 
> shows differed from TOS. The original show had money, "credits" instead 
> of dollars. It also seemed to have a vague Christianity in the 
> background. It's seldom mentioned, but there's a line where Kirk says, 
> "We find the one sufficient," when Apollo says humanity needs gods. 
> There's also the more blatant scene of Uhura explaining that the sun 
> worshippers are actually Son worshippers, Christians in space. 
>
> If that is so, it could mean several things. Perhaps the utopia of 
> ST:TOS wasn't quite finished, for example. Then again, perhaps some 
> other force intervened to get rid of the traditional economy and 
> religion. As the video notes, people seem obligated to work even though 
> there's no money. 
>
> The video concludes that Star Trek isn't really a dystopia hiding behind 
> a utopia, just a good place with some flaws. That does make sense. 

It is a valid question. And yes, one must realize that the star trek
mythos is driven by those who did the writing and the studio suits who
approved production.

TNG always seemed to be ridiculously flawed - some of the best TNG I've
seen were budget saving episodes.

I wish Paramount would shelve star trek for good and leave it alone.

--
Daniel
sysop  | air & wave bbs
finger | calcmandan@bbs.erb.pw

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Is Star Trek Actually a Dystopia? The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> - 2026-04-25 13:10 -0400
  Re: Is Star Trek Actually a Dystopia? Daniel <me@sc1f1dan.com> - 2026-04-28 02:08 -0700
    Re: Is Star Trek Actually a Dystopia? "Mr. Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-04-30 10:23 +0800
      Re: Is Star Trek Actually a Dystopia? Daniel <me@sc1f1dan.com> - 2026-05-02 18:29 -0700

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