"Space, the Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go, where no one has gone before."
- Opening credits of Star Trek: The Next Generation
These are the opening lines of one of the most successful franchises of popular culture: Star Trek. In 1966 when the first episode of the science-fiction series “Star Trek” The Original Series was aired on US television author and creator Gene Roddenberry would not possibly have envisioned the cultural and political impact Star Trek would have even four decades later. He nevertheless envisioned very clearly that this “trek” would take its audience to “strange new worlds […] and new civilizations”. That this would exactly fall into the field of the discourses of postcolonial studies is no mere coincidence. The opening credits very straightforwardly indicate what voyages the audience will participate in. The exploration of “strange new worlds” and “new civilizations” recalls the narratives of Imperialism and Colonialism. Accordingly Star Trek can be read as another form of travelogue. The purpose of this work is to establish the narratives of Star Trek as a travelogue in the context of imperialist and colonial discourses. Having done so, I will examine Star Trek’s standing within these discourses. My focus will be on the depiction of “the other” within Star Trek. On the basis of one episode of the TV series, Star Trek: The Next Generation I will juxtapose the argument of critics that Trek is either racist and imperialist in its conception or the depiction of a desirable Utopia.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Star Trek as a Form of Travelogue
2. Exploring Post-Colonial Space
2.1 Is Star Trek racist?
2.1.1 Defining the “Other” in Star Trek
2.1.2 Critical Voices
2.2 Is Star Trek Ethnocentric?
3. Narrating Colonial Encounters TNG Episode, “Code of Honor”
3.1 Lutan’s plot and Lieutenant Yar’s Embodiment of the Female
3.2 The Notion of Tribalism
3.3 Ethnocentrism in ‘Code of Honor’
4. The Controversy about Star Trek
Objectives and Themes
This work examines the Star Trek franchise through the lens of post-colonial theory, analyzing whether its narratives act as a progressive utopia or a reproduction of imperialist and colonialist ideologies. The research focuses on how the series depicts the "Other" and evaluates the tensions between its stated humanitarian goals and its often Eurocentric framing of alien civilizations.
- Star Trek as a narrative form of historical travelogue.
- The construction of the "Other" and the "alien" in science fiction.
- Analysis of colonial tropes in the TNG episode "Code of Honor".
- Critique of ethnocentric bias and the "civilized vs. savage" dichotomy.
- The contradiction between utopian ideals and imperialist plot structures.
Excerpt from the Book
3. Narrating Colonial Encounters TNG Episode, “Code of Honor”
In this episode, the third episode of the first season of TNG, Captain Jean-Luc Picard encounters the Ligonians. Picard is to negotiate with the closely humanoids for a vaccine desperately needed to fight an epidemic on a Federation planet. Lutan, ruler of the Ligonians, is willing to pass on the vaccine to Picard. Conflict yet arises when Lutan abducts female Lieutenant Tasha Yar to his home planet Ligon II. Since Picard still needs the vaccine he consents to take part at special ceremony for the release of Yar on the planet, and not rescuing her by force. During this ceremony Lutan retracts his promise to release Yar and instead claims to make her his first wife. This provokes not only Picard but also Lutan’s previous first wife Yareena, who challenges Yar on the spot for a ritual combat to the death. Yar nevertheless agrees to fight Yareena, in the hope that Lutan will pass on the needed vaccine. In the process of the fight Yar kills Yareena with a poisoned spear. Yareena, however, is transported to the Enterprise, where she is revived again by the medical treatment available. Her temporary death resolves Yareena’s marital bonds with Lutan, who is now obliged due to his code of honor to release Yar and hand over the vaccine.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the purpose of the work to analyze Star Trek as a travelogue within the context of imperialist and colonial discourses.
1. Star Trek as a Form of Travelogue: Establishes how Star Trek utilizes nautical vocabulary and tropes of exploration reminiscent of 18th and 19th-century travel literature.
2. Exploring Post-Colonial Space: Critically evaluates the definition of "postcolonial" within the Star Trek universe and addresses accusations of racism and ethnocentrism.
2.1 Is Star Trek racist?: Discusses the representation of ethnic characters and the series' attempts to break racial stereotypes versus its persistent marginalization of non-white roles.
2.1.1 Defining the “Other” in Star Trek: Explores the theoretical framework of the "Other" in science fiction and how humans define themselves against alien cultures.
2.1.2 Critical Voices: Presents arguments from authors and critics regarding the "fascistic" nature of human-centered Federation expansion.
2.2 Is Star Trek Ethnocentric?: Analyzes how the series prioritizes human/Federation values as the universal normative standard, marginalizing alien cultures.
3. Narrating Colonial Encounters TNG Episode, “Code of Honor”: Provides a detailed case study of colonial representations in the episode "Code of Honor".
3.1 Lutan’s plot and Lieutenant Yar’s Embodiment of the Female: Examines gender roles and captivity narratives within the episode as a reflection of colonial "Othering".
3.2 The Notion of Tribalism: Discusses how the episode uses stereotypes of African tribal societies to create a "civilized vs. savage" divide.
3.3 Ethnocentrism in ‘Code of Honor’: Concludes that the episode fails to maintain neutrality, reaffirming ethnocentric bias through comparisons to historical "civilized" cultures.
4. The Controversy about Star Trek: Summarizes the conflicting views on whether Star Trek is a progressive utopia or an imperialist narrative, suggesting a new post-colonial approach for future study.
Key Words
Star Trek, Post-colonialism, Colonialism, Imperialism, Travelogue, The Other, Ethnocentrism, Code of Honor, Sci-Fi, Cultural Representation, Federation, Exploration, Tribalism, Utopian, Narrative Analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper explores Star Trek as a cultural text, analyzing it through a post-colonial lens to determine if it upholds its utopian ideals or reproduces imperialist ideologies.
Which specific themes are addressed in the work?
Key themes include the construction of the "Other," colonial tropes in space exploration, ethnocentrism in science fiction, and the historical intertextuality of the franchise.
What is the author's primary research objective?
The goal is to establish Star Trek as a form of travelogue and examine how it portrays alien encounters in relation to 18th and 19th-century colonial history.
Which scientific methodology is applied here?
The author utilizes literary and cultural analysis, specifically applying post-colonial theory and discourse analysis to episodic content and narrative structures.
What does the main body of the paper cover?
It provides an overview of the franchise's colonial associations, followed by a specific deep-dive analysis of the TNG episode "Code of Honor" and a summary of current critical debates.
What are the primary keywords describing this study?
The study is best categorized by terms such as Post-colonialism, Imperialism, The Other, Ethnocentrism, and Star Trek.
How does the episode "Code of Honor" demonstrate colonial stereotyping?
The author argues that the episode uses imagery associated with "exotic" and "tribal" Africa, combined with captivity narratives, to frame the alien society as inferior to the human Federation.
Why does the author consider Picard’s French heritage significant in the analysis?
Picard's explicit reference to his heritage serves as a tool to establish the Federation's cultural values as the normative "civilized" standard against which alien species are judged.
What is the conclusion regarding Star Trek's utopian vision?
The paper concludes that while Star Trek aims to represent a future free of discrimination, its narrative structures frequently fall back on Western colonial patterns of domination and superiority.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Johannes Steinl (Autor:in), 2010, A post-colonial approach to Science Fiction - Narrations of Imperialism within "Star Trek", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/165105
