(August 14, 2016 at 10:33 am)abaris Wrote: I'm not a fan, I just like the series.
But to say Roddenberry was just a story teller leaves out all the controversial themes he introduced to his series. He could have told the story without them and would have been, probably, more successful. The original Star Trek wasn't that big of a success when it first aired in the second half of the 60ies.
It's not religion. But it sure shined a light on one of the braver producers and idea givers of the time.
I am not trying to downplay or negate his awesome contribution, especially to the attitude of diversity. I simply don't like hero worship and some of that show's fans do just that. He was no scientist nor was the show a real lab. Si fi fans are certainly far less likely, and almost slim to no chance of starting riots like sports fans, but still, I do get some, who act like you murdered their family for pointing out it is still a show. A very important show but a show none the less.
I love the fact the show forced society to deal with race issues. I also love the fact Roddenberry refused to have a Christian Chaplin as a character because his idea was valuing pluralism. But on the science end, he was inspired by prior movies and shows and certainly real science, but again, he still was not a predictor. Not even real scientists of his time had any way of knowing we could get to the point of things like our modern cell phone. We did sure, and we also have flat screen tvs, too, but even the Wizard of Oz depicted a giant screen TV, all be it tube, still a flat front.
The series got wrong too, like e books, in the newer series, Next Generation, had multiple book sized electronic tablets like encyclopedias being carried around, which we know now is absurd and superfluous.
But again, Star Wars fans and Back To The Future fans do this too. Si fi is still just that and while imagination is required to invent new things, the real testing that ends up going somewhere is always proven in a lab.
