Star Trek Revisited: A Cautionary Tale for Current Times

Hmmm, is resistance
futile or a moral imperative?

I have never been what would
be described as a trekkie – the nickname
for diehard fans of the Star Trek
television series. But I did occasionally tune into some of the later
iterations of the series such as Deep
Space Nine.

What I found compelling
about the series was the alien races that were created as antagonists for the United Federation of Planets. Looking
back now, I can see that many of these alien races were a form of social
commentary – metaphors for personality types in our society.

KLINGONS

The Klingons, including the iconic Worf
who served with the Federation,
were a warrior race – swarthy humanoids characterized by prideful ruthlessness
and brutality. A complete language was developed for the Klingons which became somewhat of a cult.

Have you come across a Klingon in the course of your life?
Someone who sees every interaction as a battle to be won or lost. Frustrating
people to deal with, but they do serve a purpose – teaching us the importance
of standing up to bullies.

FERENGI

The Ferengi were a form of comic relief in Star Trek. But they also satirize a very real character type. Ferengis cared only about profit. They
had 285 Rules of Acquisition that
guided all their choices in life.

We all have a few Ferengi in our lives. They remind us how
easy it is to slide into the worship of material things instead of the
intangibles that are most important.

VULCANS

Whether you are a trekkie or not, you have most likely
heard of Mr. Spock who is the poster
child for the Vulcan race. Vulcans are known for striving to live
by logic and reason with as little interference from emotion as possible.

Is there a Spock in your life? I am willing to be
that there is. He or she can be irritating to deal with, but very useful to
have around when events start to spiral out of control.

THE BORG

Ah
yes, The Borg – perhaps the most
distinctive alien race and the most cutting social commentary. The Borg were a race without
individuality where every member is part of a collective consciousness to
achieve perfection. They travel the galaxy in cube-shaped spaceships forcefully
assimilating other species.

The Borg are mindless drones that slavishly
serve the collective for the greater good. Never questioning authority. Never
thinking for themselves. Never going their own way.

Be a Vulcan, or a Ferengi, or even a Klingon
if you must. But please, do not be a Borg.
Society is not well served by those who do not exercise their own intelligence.

We are the Borg. Resistance is futile. Or is it?

~  Now Available Online
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~ Michael Robert Dyet is also
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was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s
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