Ten Things I Learned from Star Trek
by ismayadar

When I was six years old, my dad brought home our first colored television. The first show I watched was [the original] Star Trek. Captain Kirk sat in his captain chair with his eyes narrowed, shouting out commands to his crew. His dirty-blonde hair was gelled into perfection. His theatrical make-up glistened under the bright studio lights. You could actually see little beads of sweat on his forehead. And I thought Captain James T. Kirk was beautiful.

On that day, I fell in love with the science fiction/fantasy television and anything else related to the genre. In the SF/F genre, anything fantastic could happen, and it usually did. On Star Trek, green women danced. Misshapen heads floated in space. Bald-headed, super intelligent children ruled planets. I am convinced that the first Neopets were Dribbles, the small fuzzy alien creatures on Star Trek. There were other species curiosities, too many to name in one article.

Mr. Spock was more than fascinating. I couldn’t take my eyes off his half-Vulcan pointy ears. He didn’t need to speak. His facial expressions said it all. Nothing compared to The Vulcan Mind Meld and Death Grip. I just couldn’t understand why these techniques didn’t work on my little brother.

How I wished Doctor McCoy was my doctor. Yet truthfully, I was a little afraid of Doctor McCoy. He was angry, intense and usually got the short end of the stick in the battle of wits with Mr. Spock. This only made him angrier and more intense. Practicing medicine was hard work and the world better not forget he was a doctor, not a mechanic.

The uniqueness of the Star Trek leading characters was not limited to only them. The supporting cast members had substance as well. The only person I did not want to be was the new person at the beginning of an episode. Unfortunately, his or her appearance was brief and final.

The best part is each Star Trek episode taught a lesson. I’m not sure if this was intentional or not. But there was something to be learned from Star Trek about human nature and tolerance. Some episodes included lessons about letting go of bitterness and moving on in life. While other episodes make it clear that phobias based on prejudice had no place in the new frontier. This science fiction program broke cultural barriers and truly went where no man had gone before.

Ten Things I Learned from Star Trek
  1. Love comes in all colors, shapes, sizes and species.
  2. Highly intelligent people are not always the ones in supervisory positions.
  3. You must have a plan B and C, and always save your best plan for last.
  4. It’s okay to defy orders by incompetent leaders.
  5. You should question authority.
  6. The good of the many outweighs the good of the few, or the one.
  7. Under no circumstance should you tell all you know.
  8. Intelligence is more powerful than strength.
  9. Protect those who rely on you, even at the expense of yourself.
  10. True friends support each other no matter what.

Live long and prosper.
Submitted by ismayadar (view blog) on Fri, 10/09/2009 - 12:58pm
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