final final final draft 7-1

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1 Star Trek Final project 7-1 Brian Derevage Southern New Hampshire University Hum:100-J7545 Shandy Lemperle 10/15/2023

2 My chosen cultural work is Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry. He was quoted as saying “The human race is a remarkable creature, one with great potential, and I hope that Star Trek has helped to show us what we can be if we believe in ourselves and our abilities.” (Gene Roddenberry 1988) Star Trek has many versions that started in the 1960s and continued beyond the 2000s. It was on television, VHS, DVD, and in movie theaters worldwide. The elements that stand out to me are exactly what you need to understand Star Trek, beginning with the assumption that the earth has become a utopia. Racism, sexism, and even money are a thing of the past. There is no more poverty, disease, hunger, or cruelty on earth. You also need to know the Federation is many different planets and their governments working together under a central body that guides their goals for intellectual curiosity and peaceful exploration. Next, you need to know about the Federation's defense services Starfleet. They are like the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines all in one, designed for defense and the deep exploration of space. Starfleet is the heart and soul of the Federation. A quote from Captain James T. Kirk sums it up quite well, “A dream that became a reality and spread through the stars.” (Captain James T. Kirk 1966 opening narrative) It began as the story of a legendary crew aboard a spaceship called Enterprise that explored the unknown. It can't be explained better than James T. Kirk does in the opening credits “Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its five-year

3 mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” Captain James T. Kirk 1966 opening credits) At the heart of Star Trek is a group of several key members. In the beginning, it was the captain of course who was James T. Kirk then there was the first officer Lieutenant Commander Spock who was half Vulcan and half human. The friendship between these two men was the backbone of the show. There was also the funny but blunt doctor Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), the chief engineer Scotty (James Doohan), the revolutionary character of the time, Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), and we can't forget the dashing science officer Lieutenant Sulu (George Takei). The crew was made up of all different kinds of people from black and white races to men and women, straight or gay characters, and aliens from all different walks of life. I believe the creator intended to express that the difference in color or race between people was unimportant. The first biracial kiss ever was shown, which at the time of widespread bigotry, was a big step in breaking down racial and gender barriers of the times. There were many other examples like this showing that working together as one people can be done. He was successful in breaking a lot of barriers actors faced and changing the minds and cultures of a lot of the people of the world. As Star Trek and its many spinoffs became popular and almost cult-like, it created lots of discussion about bigotry and sexism changing the hearts and opinions of the masses. During an era when racism and bigotry were

4 rampant. Star Track brought a diverse crew including prominent bridge officers like Uhura of African descent and Sulu as an Asian helmsman and created a great deal of discussion in the 1960s. Another example is when Dr. McCoy was always berating Spock for his half-human half-Vulcan biology, but since none of the views were from Vulkan, they couldn’t get offended. So, without a personal response, the show was able to show the ignorance of racism and racial comments. As the movies and series of Star Trek grew and changed it showed many other acts of creative expression continuing the discussions about the bigotry of the cultures it was born from. As I research this I still wonder about the relationship between culture and expression. I understand that a person's creative expression may help to change the culture around them. But does the intent of the creator make a difference in how it might affect the culture or is it what people think the intent is? And do creative expressions from one culture benefit other cultures? And if it does why, are they important, and what would these benefits be? I'd like to also know how much of the creator's values shape their creative expressions. Knowing that my values are shaped by my experiences and the culture I live in. An example would be that I grew up in a mostly Christian culture and my creative expressions were focused mostly around that. Now If I had grown up in a Muslim culture my creative expressions and values would have been shaped around that which would have

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