Star Trek 3 Plot: 10 Moral Dilemmas From The Show That Could Be Resurrected
3. Earth First?
The problem with a multi-species political organization like the Federation is that eventually someone has to rise to the top. One culture is bound to gain more influence over the others. As much as each species is to be accorded equal representation and regard within the Federation, if we look at the TOS episode Journey to Babel, the various representatives of the different races were prone to infighting, bickering and all sorts of abhorrent behaviour that made them appear reprehensible. It was Terran diplomacy and behavioural superiority that kept their base attitudes in check. Even in Star Trek: Enterprise, Terrans appear to be the noble underdog and the intellectually and technologically advanced Vulcans who welcomed Earth to the stars are presented as a bullying and overbearing race. Its almost propagand-ish in that despite this bullying and the Terran lack of experience, the sense of racial and moral superiority still manages to propel humanity into situations it isnt prepared for, despite Vulcan intervention or admonitions. The Terran attitude in this case is one that borders on racial superiority. While Star Trek III is to exist in a time frame beyond the years of these episodes, it would be interesting to see if Earth values supersede those of the Federation allies. Perhaps this is something that could be explored further should Earth submerge its identity and values in preserving the integrity of the Federation or will Terran stubbornness overwhelm common sense?
John Kirk is a Teacher-Librarian and currently a History/English Teacher with the Toronto District School Board.
But mostly, John teaches Geek.
Comics, Sci-Fi (Notably Star Trek), Fantasy and Role-Playing and table-top games all make up part of John’s repertoire, There is a whole generation of nerds-in-embryo who rely on him to make sense of it all, to teach that with great power comes great responsibility, that the force will be with us always and that a towel IS the most useful thing to have in one’s possession.
When John isn’t in the classroom, he can be found in his basement writing comic reviews for www.popmythology.com and features for Roddenberry Entertainment's www.1701news.com.
