Sci-Fi Art Analysis The class text makes two passing references to Star Trek. With that in mind, the author of this report will focus on the show Star Trek: The Next Generation. Although rather dated, much of the material and imagery used in the show is very good even by today's standards. The show ran from 1987 to 1994, seven seasons in total. The show was a brilliant piece of art both in terms of the subject matter they covered as well as the manner in which it was presented in terms of color, presentation, concepts and ideas. The show is rated a very high 8.7 on the International Movie Database (IMDb) website (IMDb). This brief report shall cover some aspects of the show, what made the show so good and the adeptness in which they blended the script, the imagery and the characters into a cohesive storyline. While Star Trek: The Next Generation is set decades into the future and presents a societal/technology dynamic that has never fully existed, the stories they told and points they made through their art remains astounding to this very day even though the show started nearly thirty years ago and came a full generation after the original series (Schneider).

Analysis

The society presented in Star Trek: The Next Generation was very advanced as compared to modern day technology and society (both now and in the late 80's and early 90's) but it was certainly not beyond the pale. The basic setting for our planet is that the planet Earth is now united and has moved away from a society focused on money. Further, medical and other technology has progressed significantly to the point that space travel is not only possible but is done on a very wide scale. Beyond that, the Earth has joined an inter-stellar alliance called the "Federation." However, there is also danger as there are enemies to be found such as the Borg and other groups that are somewhere in between depending on the situation such as Klingons and Ferengi. For example, Klingons are all about bravado and power and they are very brutish in their ways despite their similar technology advances. The Ferengi are all about money, trade and profit but in a way that favors them excessively. The Borg are a cybernetic race that focuses on death, destruction, conquering and forced assimilation of conquered cultures into their own. The parallels of those groups to today's people and cultures are obvious to see. However, the Federation and the people from Earth in particular are portrayed as being much more evolved and advanced as compared to modern society. There are even some people on ships from Earth that are not from Earth itself. Just two examples are Lieutenant Worf, a man who is half-human and half-Klingon, and Data, an advance android device that resembles a human but is entirely artificially made. In terms of art, the day in which Data is depicted makes it clear he is not human. Attempts at humor often confuse Data, he has a brownish hue to his skin that is completely indicative that he does not have a "human" skin tone and his speech/gestures have a slight (but not overt) robotic nature to him. The actor who portrays Data, actor Brent Spiner, does a spot-on depiction of what a human-like android would act like, speak like and so forth (IMDb).

As partially noted before, the other cultures outside of Earth and the Federation tend to be somewhat or very different. The first season of the show by itself has some episodes that are very poignant and mind-stirring. For example, there is the episode Angel One where the societal gender roles of Earth are inverted. On Angel One, it is the women that are dominant and controlling of society while the men are subservient and dress in a more feminine manner. All of the leaders are women. In terms of the art involved, the people on Angel One look just like humans but the manner of dress, like the gender roles, is inverted. The women are all business yet show a splash of color. The men, however, are much more effeminate and this is obvious to see just based on the dress but is confirmed by the way that they speak and are spoken to. There is no homophobic depictions where people speak in stereotypical homosexual talk but it is clear who is in charge and who is serving someone else (IMDb).

There is one episode where the crew comes upon a planet that is basically a Garden of Eden ... but with a catch. There are rules that are to be followed and if anyone disobeys, they are put to death. This is at the direction and through the enforcement of a God-like being that they all fear when it comes to deviance from the rules. The Enterprise detects some sort of structure or locale up in the atmosphere but they never truly figure out what is going on ... just that it appears that the "god" is really just a very powerful being that has the ability to portray himself or herself as a god to the people on the planet. The hook for that episode is that Wesley Crusher, one of the Enterprise crew members, breaks the rules while he is on the planet and he is put up for execution like he is one of the people on the planet. He is eventually spared but there are a lot of twists and turns that could certainly bring organized religion and the concept of a God into question. The way in which it is portrayed evokes the thought of what divides miracles and magic from science and so forth that is simply not known yet. Indeed, there was a time where people thought the Earth was flat and that our Sun revolved around Earth rather than the other way around (IMDb).
One major paradigm and idea that comes from the show is what they refer to as the Prime Directive. It is the idea that the Federation will not contact or otherwise interfere with cultures that are not capable of inter-stellar communication or travel. In very limited situations, they will go undercover in such cultures so as to rescue comrades and so forth. However, the rule is in place so as to let cultures shift and adapt on their own rather than having their beliefs about the universe flipped on their ear before the planet is ready for it. Indeed, it is not all that different from The Day The Earth Stood Still (the original 1951 version) where Klaatu contacts the people of Earth, even if he is using more stick (e.g. Gort) and less carrot. Ethics and morality issues abound in the show and the visuals that are portrayed, not to mention character development, is stunning to say the least (IMDb).

If there is a problematic that is raised by the show, above all others, it would be a condemnation (albeit gentle and nuanced) of how the Earth currently operations and functions including the concepts of power, money, religion and so on. Just as one example, the 2016 election cycle is in full swing and there is no shortage of parallels and points that could be made between the show being discussed and what is currently going on. Just a few examples include the massive divide between the rich and the poor, how money and power influence who is (and can be) elected and who cannot, how politicians are so apt to give favor or derision based on the identity and so forth of the people they are perceiving and so forth. The author of this report fully agrees with the general approach the show took and people really do need to start taking it seriously. At the same time, the show is just as much art as it is about the social matters it addresses. The show makes points about things like science, ethics, money, power, gender roles, raising kids, family life, war, greed and so forth. The show can be enjoyable for the visuals it can offer but it is also great in terms of the lessons it teaches. One great example of these lessons are Picard's (Patrick Stewart) experiences with Q, a god-like figure as portrayed by John de Lancie (IMDb) (Claremont).

Conclusion

The cinematography, scripts, visual effects and so forth all form a cohesive and effective package when it comes to the show and the people involved with the same. It is done using a medium that is approachable and easy to take in but the show is not mindless prattle that celebrates debauchery. There are plenty of moments of levity but there is a lot of knowledge, and in many forms, that people can glean from the show. While other iterations of Star Trek television shows have sputtered a little bit, the legacy of this show is without question.

Works Cited

Claremont. "The Politics of Star Trek." Claremont.org. N.p.,…