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INTRODUCTION TO STAR TREK AND THE
SACRED GROUND

(Initial assignments)

THE MYTHOS OF STAR TREK

Dr. Raymond Nighan
I know Hamlet. And what he might say with irony, I say with conviction. "What a piece of work is man! how noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form, in moving, how express and admirable. In action, how like an angel. In apprehension , how like a god..."

I see us one day becoming that..."

(from Hide and Q and Hamlet.)

 In th' commonwealth I would by contraries ...All things in common nature should produce / Without sweat or endeavour. Treason, felony, / Sword, pike, knife, gun, or need of any engine / Would I not have; but nature should bring forth./ Of it own kind, all foison, all abundance, / To feed my innocent people.

Gonzalo

The Tempest, II, i, 153 ff.
INTRODUCTION

SCIENCE FICTION, MIMETICISM ,

and the vision of

GENE RODDENBERRY

All literature in any form, from the plays of Sophocles to the films of George Lucas stand or fall on their mimetic value. If literature is not mimetic, it fails a most fundamental test and is not worth reading or viewing. The Greeks, inventors of literary criticism, knew that, and so with them we must begin.

Science fiction has a bad press--how often have "B" grade movies defied mimetic explanation; people who dislike the genre are well aware of its limitations--monsters and demolished cities. Roddenberry proposed a show with a vision, a show that is mimetic of the human condition, and dramatized what it means to be human. To see why he was so successful, we must begin with the mimetic theory and its offspring, the pragmatic and expressive theories.

ASSIGNMENT ONE:

The mimetic theory was articulated by Plato and Aristotle, the cofounders of literary criticism. Locate what they said:

British Literature Home page (SJC): Neoclassical Period

and

Student Curriculum Links: Classical Period.

Print out the relevant excerpts from THE REPUBLIC (Plato) and THE POETICS (Aristotle) and be prepared to discuss what makes literature mimetic. Focus on what Aristotle said about tragedy. We will use your findings to determine whether the vision of Roddenberry meets the classical criteria.

The pragmatic and expressive theories are likewise available on line. For the Pragmatic Theory, go to the above British Literature Home page, click on the Sidney's DEFENSE OF POETRY under the Renaissance Section. For the Expressive Theory, use the same index and examine the links for Coleridge under the Romantic Period. Be prepared to determine whether the vision of Roddenberry meets the criteria for the pragmatic and expressive theory.

CLASS WORK:

FILMS--

HISTORY OF SCIENCE FICTION INCLUDING STAR TREK--
the film places STAR TREK IN THE GENRE, AND EVALUATES THE BEST FILMS AND TV SHOWS OF THE PAST.

THE CAGE--

The uncut pilot rejected by NBC.

Be aware of the following for the films:

    History of science fiction:

  • What themes does the film believe SciFi has most dramatized? Has ST used them?
  • Alien Invasions--what made OUTER LIMITS significant (Mimetic?)
  • Evaluate the commentator's remarks on: V, ALIEN NATION, and the later comic books heroes--did they help or hurt the genre?
  • SciFi has always used time travel--why? (Did ST ever use it successfully?--check out 'willing suspension of disbelief for time travel--see Coleridge.
  • The so-called kids' shows (Capt. Video / Buck Rogers / Flash Gordon) had what value in retrospect?
  • How did ST profit by and/or change what preceded it?
  • Robots have always been part of the genre--look for Leonard Nemoy and compare the OUTER LIMITS to episodes with DATA.
  • Was the SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN mimetic?
  • The Dark side of SciFi concerns or "chilling fantasies." Often THE TWILIGHT ZONE dramatized the subconscious. Evaluate the episodes shown. Note too THE PRISONER.
  • The narrator examines the impact of STAR WARS on television and series including; SPACE 1999, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, and BABYLON 5.
  • The film seems to suggest that the most important region yet to be explored is.....? (Recall the last episode of TNG and a remark made to Picard by Q.

    THE CAGE:

  • Evaluate the pilot in terms of Roddenberry's vision and its Network reception.
  • Is the pilot mimetic--what philosophical issues does it present?

READINGS:

Begin to read:

1. THE MAKING OF STAR TREK-- (Roddenberry) assigned text for TOS

(and...

2. REBIRTH--essay which updates the vision to include TNG

3. INTERVIEWS WITH BERMAN and PILLER--essay which updates the vision to include DS-9 and VOYAGER

4. STAR TREK WRITER'S GUIDE--available from instructor

Take notes on the material, especially those concerned with the articulation of the vision:

  • How did Roddenberry define his own vision , and what opposition did he face?
  • Was his vision mimetic, while the Network had other priorities?
  • What themes did Roddenberry consider necessary for SciFi to work??
  • Give the details of his vision.
  • For the vision to be successful, Roddenberry had to counter what had been accepted standards for SciFi in the past--what were they?
  • What kind of a crew did Roddenberry want--remember for what he was asking given when TOS was to air.
  • What specifically did the Network find wrong with THE CAGE? (pilot).
  • Many of the chapters in Roddenberry's book concern the details of making a TV show work--what to the details say about Roddenberry's vision?
  • Evaluate what NASA had to say about TOS.
  • Look at the characters of Kirk and Spock--what was Roddenberry doing?
  • Comment on the frequent use of the "B" word in the book. Explain!!!!
  • When plans for TNG evolve, did RODDENBERRY himself critique TOS? How?
  • How did the vision change after Roddenberry's death? (See Berman / Piller)
  • EVALUATE THE VISION IN ITS POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ASPECTS.