With Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek Picard gaining a sizable new generation of fans, is Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a utopian future still alive?
By: Ringo Bones
If you’re lucky enough to be old enough to remember the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement, it seems somewhat disconcerting if Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a futuristic utopia now known as Star Trek would ever be possible in the era of heightened Soviet distrust and racial strife ruled the headlines. And yet back in September 8, 1966, Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future aired on network TV and generated a cut following that has grown to what it is today. The original series might have only lasted for 3 seasons but the resulting motion picture spin-offs, a next-generation series had made it possible for anyone who identifies himself or herself or themselves as Trekkies or Trekkers something to be both proud and hopeful about when it comes to the future being better than the past.
And let’s not forget to thank Lucille Ball, hailed as star Trek’s god-mother, for without her the original series would never have seen the light of day. And in the time of Trumpism and COVID-19, it seems that the turbulent geopolitical climate - systemic racism and religiously motivated political fanaticism - of the mid 1960s is, unfortunately, still with us today. Well, at least Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a utopian future is still inspiring the next generation of Trekkies and Trekkers to make tomorrow much better than today.
