Masterpiece Science-Fiction Theater

In this episode:  This is an audio version of my essay, The Enterprise is not a White Space: why minority representation on Star Trek was so radical and risky in the 1960s.   Much of American society, including genre TV and film, has historically been cordoned off into white spaces, which is a term coined by … Continue reading "StarTrek01.34–Post Season 1 Analysis Part 3: Diversity and Inclusivity"

The original Star Trek is known for its themes, how each adventure comes wrapped in its own unique and thought-provoking message. In over fifty years of cast interviews, documentaries, and retrospectives these themes have been reduced to shorthand: optimism; tolerance; peace; the human adventure. As we teach students in English class, words like that are … Continue reading "The Themes of Star Trek Season One | Part 1 – The Human Condition"

When Star Trek’s first regular episode after the pilot was in pre-production, the director Joseph Sargent noticed a glaring problem. All of the seats that ringed the futuristic bridge of the Enterprise, including the communications chair, were to be filled with white, male actors. Sargent reflexively felt it was wrong that Black people should not … Continue reading "The Enterprise is not a White Space: why minority representation on Star Trek was so radical and risky in the 1960s"

In this episode: A complete analysis of World Building in Season One of Star Trek The Original Series: A Survey of all strange new worlds (30) and all new life forms and civilizations (25) A breakdown of categories for each, from barren desolate planets to advanced ones, and primitive aliens to evolved non-corporeals  The State … Continue reading "StarTrek 01.33–Post Season 1 Analysis Part 2: World Building"

In this episode: The first part of our post-season 1 analysis of Star Trek: The Original Series, with a focus on trends in narrative structure. Antagonist Type: There are more monster episodes than you might think, but the monsters and the villains are depicted in unconventional ways. Monster: 11/28 (39.2%) Villain: 9/28 (32.1%) Computer: 4/28 … Continue reading "Star Trek 01.32–Post-Season 1 Analysis Part 1: Narrative Structure"

In this episode: an analysis of “Operation: Annihilate!” the last aired episode of Season One of Star Trek a fitting season finale (even though 60s TV did not really do those as we understand them) because it has a grand scale and important character development for all three leads–Kirk, Spock and McCoy–which is unusual a … Continue reading "StarTrek 01.31–Operation: Annihilate!"

In this episode:  An analysis of The City on the Edge of Forever: How the episode still lives up to the hype five decades later Edith Keillor voices Star Trek’s Mission Statement, and is a stand in for all Star Trek fans A comparison with Ellison’s script–the good, the bad and the ugly–especially Keillor, whom … Continue reading "StarTrek01.30–The City on the Edge of Forever"

In this episode: An analysis of Errand of Mercy. The origins of the Klingon culture–hint: another Vietnam-era analogy. The Klingon look–not just swarthy villain stereotypes NOTE: I did not address connections to Star Trek: Discovery in the podcast, due to time. But I have included quotes from the episode that speak how Kirk viewed the … Continue reading "StarTrek01.29–Errand of Mercy"

In this episode: A literary analysis of The Devil in the Dark Everyone’s favorite silicone-based lifefrom, the Horta Roddenberry and his producers believed this episode provided Stark Trek with its organizing thesis about how to treat aliens and “the other” and the show, but I argue this thesis was marbled through the first season back … Continue reading "StarTrek01.28–The Devil in the Dark"

My initial throughs on Discovery’s second season premier, “Brother.” New and old characters on a new adventure. I also share some musings about where I think the season is headed thematically: the clash between secular society and religious faith. It may prove to be more controversial than a new Spock or the colors of the … Continue reading "Discovery005-Brother"