Star Trek: the Next Generation

John was exhausted when he arrived home from work.  Alice, his wife, had also had a hard day.  They were both so tired they didn’t even feel like talking.  It was past meal time, and Alice hadn’t had time to even begin dinner.  To make matters worse, their children were squabbling with each other.  A little relaxation was badly needed.  They all decided to microwave some TV dinners, and watch "Star Trek" on their big screen as they relaxed in the den.  They were just one of millions of families—many of them Christian families—that watched "Star Trek" that evening, and they were spellbound as they watched Captain Kirk (or Captian Picard) guide his ship to planets inhabited by alien peoples.  Relaxed in their overstuffed chairs, the vast majority of these television viewers never even consider the implications of what they and their children are watching.  Their guard is down, the show is irresistably interesting, and only briefly during commercials do any of them take their eyes off that fascinating color picture.

What is the significance of "Star Trek" and "Star Trek the Next Generation?"  The March/April 1991 issue of The Humanist magazine answers this very question.  Virtually the whole issue of that magazine is devoted to an in-depth interview of Gene Roddenberry, the creator and producer of Star Trek.  The article begins like this:
 

Gene Roddenberry is one of the most influential yet unheralded humanists of the twentieth century.  His two most famous creations, "Star Trek" and "Star Trek: the Next Generation" are based solidly on humanistic principles and ideas....The basic message of both "Star Trek" and "The Next Generation" is that human beings are capable of solving their own problems rationally and that, through critical thinking and cooperative effort, humanity will progress and evolve....

The first pilot for "Star Trek" was pronounced "too cerebral" by network executives and rejected.  With changes in the second pilot, the show was accepted and ran from 1966 to 1969 for a total of 79 episodes.  In the fall of 1969, the show began syndicated distribution...."Star Trek" has run continuously in at least 150 markets in the United States, as well as dozens of foreign countries....In September of 1987 "Star Trek: the Next Generation" debuted.  Now, over 80 episodes later, it has surpassed in longevity the original series.  "The Next Generation" has already won three Emmy Awards as well as the 1987 Peabody Award for the "best of the best."

Gene Roddenberry has been a member of the American Humanist Association since 1986.  On May 10, 1991, at its fiftieth annual conference in Chicago, the AHA [American Humanist Association] will present Roddenberry with its Humanist Arts Award in recognition of his distinguished contribution to humanism and humanist thought. (The Humanist, March/April 1991, 5)
David Alexander, the editor of The Humanist magazine which interviewed Roddenberry, made this comment to him during the interview:
"Star Trek: the Next Generation" is probably the most humanistic entertainment program that is on television—or, perhaps, ever has been on television.  One of the underlying messages of both series is that human beings can, with critical thinking, solve the problems that are facing them without any outside or supernatural help.  I was especially impressed with the episode, "Who Watches the Watchers?"

A Federation anthropological field team is observing a mediveval culture on a planet that had, hundreds of years before, dropped all supernatural beliefs.  Captain Picard observes that this was a magnificent accomplishment.  Then some technology fails and the observers are themselves observed.  The story line revolves around some of the natives’ desire to return to the religion of their forebears since it explained, simply, the existence of the alien observers.  One of the subthemes throughout the episode was how easy it was for some people to attribute unexplained events to supernatural causes instead of thinking things through.  Picard spends a great deal of time convincing a native leader that he is a mortal like her and not a supreme being.  (Ibid., 8)  [Emphasis added]

Atheism

A great deal of my early training was due to my father who, mysteriously, never showed up in church.  I can remember now what things he had to say.  He did not think the church was particularly the guidance that he would have pushed me to have.  He felt that it was good for me to go to church but be [explicitive deleted] careful of what the preachers say" (Ibid., 7-8).

At five years old, I was serious about Santa Claus, but at five and a half I had learned it was nonsense.  Writers often write these as weighty moments, but in my experience they’re not.  Santa Clause doesn’t exist.  Yes, I think back now that there were all sorts of reasons he could not exist and maybe have a little sadness that he is gone, but then I think the same thing about Jesus and the church.  (Ibid., 6)

They said God was on high and he controlled the world and therefore we must pray against Satan.  Well, if God controls the world, he controls Satan.  For me, religion was full of misstatements and reaches of logic that I just couldn’t agree with."  (Ibid., 7)

Situation Ethics

The Humanist:  Another good example of your humanistic philosophy on the program is the episode "Justice" from the first season of the current series.  The scantily clad love-making race, the Edo, is observed and protected by its orbiting "god," an advanced race or being that is only dimly perceived.  At the conclusion of the episode, I recall turning to my wife and commenting that that was the most anti-religiious and humanistic television program I had seen in years.

Roddenberry:  At the end of the episode, the "away team" is blocked from beaming back to the Enterprise by the Edo’s "god."  Picard resolves the story’s conflict by saying, "I don’t know how to communicate this, or if it is possible, but the question of justice has greatly concerned me lately.  I now have something to say that I think is important!  I put it to any creature listening that there can be no justice so long as laws are absolute.  Life itself is an exercise in exceptions."  Riker then quietly says, "Bravo.  When has justice ever been as simple as a rule book?"  The superior being evidently agrees, and the Enterprise crew is permitted to beam up.

The Humanist:  I was stunned at the presentation of such humanistic ideas.  What kind of mail did you get on that episode?

Roddenberry:  Not a great deal.  People get caught up in shows and really don’t think in terms of philosophies.  They are concerned that the beginning, middle, and end hang together.  Is is sensible?  This episode was.  It is a source of considerable amusement to me that we can do shows like this, and on various other subjects large and small, and get little or no public reaction.  (Ibid., 16) [Emphasis added.]

Anti-Fundamental Christian Sentiment

There will always be fundamentalism and the religious right, but I think there has been too much of it.  I keep hoping that it is temporary foolishness.  Some of it will be around because there will always be people who are so mean-spirited and such limited thinkers that their religious beliefs seem so logical—that there is a god, and so forth—that nothing else in their limited concept can explain what the existence of a god can.  (Ibid., 17)

Of course, the only thing that will keep such things from continuing and growing is education.  Dewey was right about that.  Unless we have an educated populace, there’s no telling what may come along.  The pressures of life are so great that a certain percentage of all these uneducated people will come up with strange ideas.  Strange, violent ideas.  They seem to have good answers for all of our problems.  I don’t think life’s problems are such that we have to rely on simplistic answers instead of thinking things through.  I think these things will be found in proportion to and in reverse order of how well we educate the populace.  (Ibid. 16-17)

Other Humanist Doctrines

"Star Trek" is my statement to the world.  Understand that "Star Trek" is more than just my political philosophy.  It is my social philosophy, my racial philosophy, my overview of life and the human condition.

Be sure to also read Ye Must Be Born Again."

(C) Copyright 1994 by Louis A. Turk. All rights reserved. You may  reprint this article, provided you do not edit it in any way without the author's consent, and provided this paragraph is printed at the end of the article.  Other publication requires advance permission of the author.