The Siri on my iPad calls me Captain.
That's not really important, but it is pretty awesome. First, let's get some of my Star Trek trivia out of the way. My favorite character is Dr. Leonard "Bones" Horatio McCoy. I haven't talked about him much, but he's the Enterprise's CMO and one of the highest ranking commanding officers. I've been watching Star Trek for a very long time, but I've only been a trekkie for about five years. I count myself as a Trekkie starting in 2009. If I was going to choose a track to join Starfleet through, it would be Command (gold shirts- tell people what to do). Have I written Star Trek fan fiction? Yes. We should probably leave it there, because frankly the word count is embarrassing. My WIFI's name is NCC-1701 (the USS Enterprise's identification). But, does my life revolve around Star Trek? No. I have a lot of other hobbies too. I enjoy classic rock and metal music, Tolkien's works, reading in general, other television shows, and movies. I paint and draw, and I write (things other than Trek fan fiction). |
In this galaxy there’s a mathematical probability of three million Earth-type planets. And in the universe, three million million galaxies like this. And in all that, and perhaps more... only one of each of us.
--Dr. McCoy, Star Trek, “Balance of Terror” |
How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life.
--James Kirk, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan I like my species the way it is.
--Worf, Star Trek: TNG, “The Best of Both Worlds” It is possible to commit no errors and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life.
--Captain Picard, Star Trek: TNG, “Peak Performance” |
Star Trek has made me a better person. It sounds cheesy, but it has. I've learned more about peace and acceptance from it that any other place, I think. It's helped me to form opinions on war and the military. It's helped me to realize that not everyone is the same- and that's okay. It's helped me learn that you can't always think your way the best way, even if that's how it's always been. The lessons are only limited to the number of episodes.
The show stresses that not everyone is perfect. The three main characters; Kirk, Spock, and Bones, together make up the perfect commanding officer- and perfectly balanced human being. Spock is the logical one; he thinks everything through and doesn't let feelings cloud his judgement. However, he never has feelings, leaving him cold. Jim Kirk is the heart. He's the passionate go-getter, the one that wants to make the world a better place by any means necessary. He's rash and foolhardy, at times. Bones is the soul of the operation. He cares more deeply and knows more about human suffering than either of his friends. He's a doctor, his job is to heal the world, but he knows you can't do it by charging in head first and taking the reigns. Sometimes you have to let people get hurt before you can fix them. These three men have taught me that nobody's perfect and that everyone needs other people to balance them out. Family, soul mates, and friends come from the most unlikely places. Family doesn't have to be blood, and soul mates don't have to be romantic. Opposites can compliment each other instead of fight. Differences are celebrated and cherished. The show has made me more open to making friends outside of my own culture. The show has released my love for exploration and science. Before Star Trek, I never gave much of a thought to outside worlds or even cultures right next door to my own. Now, I want to go everywhere. I want to learn all about culture and language; I want to travel the world and meet someone from every country. I want to live to see inequality and oppression die. I want to be there for the first contact, or for the first sign that something other than ourselves is out there Thanks to this wonderful franchise, I have taken linguistics and science classes I never would have before. I want to understand how cultures develop through language and how language developed from cultures. The quotes along the sides here are just some of the though-provoking and inspiring quotes this series has given me. Life lessons and inspiration are definitely this franchise's strong suit. |
Lastly, Star Trek is what inspired me to be a film major! This specific action came from the others. I'm not dedicated enough to be a scientist like Spock, I'm not selfless enough to be a doctor like Bones, and I'm not brave enough to join the military and fight for my people like Kirk. However, I am just talented and ambitious enough to want to follow in Gene Roddenberry's (Trek's creator) footsteps and become a director/ filmmaker. I want to continue his message of acceptance and make some of my own messages. Being a filmmaker, I can create these imperfect characters that show the world the imperfect, perfectly human way to live.
May I say that I have not thoroughly enjoyed serving with Humans? I find their illogic and foolish emotions a constant irritant.
--Spock, Star Trek "Day of the Dove" |
Of my friend, I can only say this: of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human.
--Kirk (eulogizing Spock), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan |