To Boldly Go

One of the advantages of an adventure set in space is that it was able to tackle social issues in a way that would have been unacceptable in a 1960s series set in down-to-earth surroundings. In the tradition of Jonathan Swift's 'Gulliver's Travels', Roddenberry and other STAR TREK writers were able to attain a level of social commentary that was ahead of its time.

The most obvious challenge to the mid-60s status quo was the racially mixed nature of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. The Federation was certainly an equal opportunities employer, with all species welcome to serve with Starfleet. The programme confronted the racial issue directly in 1967 when it featured the first inter-racial kiss, a scene involving Kirk and Uhura, on American television. The programme makers were concerned as to how the potentially controversial scene would play in the South. However, it passed virtually without comment.

The STAR TREK message was clear - as humanity spreads out into space, conflicts based on such trivial things as gender and race will become archaic. The same message continues to be enunciated today in STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE. The space station is commanded by a black man, his senior officers are women, and the station doctor is of middle-eastern descent, differences which appear indiscernible in the context of the many species passing through DEEP SPACE NINE. This commitment to an egalitarian future has been a consistent feature across the STAR TREK generations.

Although Roddenberry had served in World War 2, he was never an advocate of military force. In two original series episodes, 'A Private Little War' and 'The Omega Glory', the storyline argued against Federation involvement in planetary civil war. The parallels with Vietnam were obvious.

While Roddenberry promoted a Liberal position on race and Vietnam, he was also ready to have a dig at the 60s counter-culture. In 'This Side of Paradise' Captain Kirk rejects a simple, loving, commune-like lifestyle. Kirk believed that such a passive existence, forced upon humans by alien spores, was contrary to human nature. "Maybe we don't belong in Paradise," says Kirk "Maybe we can't stroll to the music of lutes, Bones - we must march to the sound of drums."

(21k jpeg) Kirk & Crew in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

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