What It Means to Be Human: the Problematic of Humanity in 'Star Trek'

Abstract

The title of this study is taken in part from a statement by Gene Roddenberry, the creative genius behind 'Star Trek'. He said, "It is only when you look at what unites humans, rather than what divides them, that you have some idea of what it means to be human." Humanity was his greatest fascination, its diversity, its nature and its spirit. 'Star Trek' in its original manifestation and its later sequels and continuations has offered countless millions of viewers all over the global village a fictional cosmos in which the fundamental question of what it means to be human (and non-human) has been rehearsed, reiterated and reinforced for thirty and more years. ..... Tolerance of the political and the religious values and convictions of the outsider is purported to be vital, and an explanation of the notion of tolerance is included in chapter five. Included are certain examples of tolerance of the religions and the politics of others in western society - their 'liberal ideologies'. The Creation myth expounded in the series strives to prove a link between humanoid species. The 'Next Generation's' "The Chase" discusses the ways in which the 'seeding of the galaxy' took place. Also in chapter five, I investigate genetics and cloning, and interracial, interspecies, and intracultual love, as well as the issue of the "outsider" being denigrated and/or punished. In chapter six I deal with the concepts of love, friendship and family, and the many varying forms it takes within the two series.