‘The Americanization of Cultures’ is an interesting and equally important topic, but very complex as it includes many different aspects. Americanization influences nearly every sector of life, at least in most European countries. Often enough, the process of Americanization is not even noticed as such anymore. Americanization means the influence of, or the adaptation to, American values and moral ideals, to the American political system, to the American way of life, to American popular culture, and so on. Obviously, the media, and especially the medium of television, plays an important part in the process of Americanization, as American productions such as Hollywood movies, television series, soap operas, and talk shows are broadcasted in countries all over the world. As the influence of the media cannot be overestimated, I decided to analyze the science-fiction seriesStar Trek,a successful American television series that reaches a large audience in many countries.Star Trekattracts viewers from very different social background, viewers of different age, and of different nationalities. Therefore, an examination ofStar Trekas an example of American popular culture is interesting; as the series is an American production, it can be assumed that the series conveys American values and reflects the situation of the U.S. in many respects. My intention is to analyze what is American about the future described inStar Trek,what American ideals the series disseminates, what messages it conveys, and why this idea of the future not only proves to be popular in the U.S., but is a success worldwide. Of course, a distinction has to be made between the originalStar Trekseries of the 1960s, and the later seriesStar Trek: The Next Generation(1980s),Deep Space NineandStar Trek: Voyager(1990s). I will concentrate onStar Trek,the original series, andStar Trek: The Next Generation.These two series differ significantly from each other in their presentation of political and social issues. That is the reason whyStar Trekis suited for the analysis of U.S. society and the change of American values over a long period of time. To the seriesDeep Space NineandStar Trek: VoyagerI will refer only in a few sentences.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- An Introduction to Star Trek
- The Star Trek Universe
- The Star Trek Series
- Science Fiction as a Mirror of Reality?
- Star Trek in the Historical Context
- Star Trek: A Mirror of U.S. Politics?
- The Colonization of Space
- The Marketing of Star Trek
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper analyzes the science fiction series Star Trek as an example of American popular culture. It examines how the series reflects American values and the situation of the U.S., focusing on the original series and Star Trek: The Next Generation. The paper explores the American ideals and messages conveyed in the series, and seeks to understand why this vision of the future is popular both within the U.S. and globally.
- The Americanization of culture through media, particularly television
- The representation of American values and ideals in Star Trek
- The influence of Star Trek as a reflection of U.S. society and the evolution of American values
- The depiction of space colonization and its implications in the context of American culture
- The marketing of Star Trek as a form of cultural dissemination
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: Introduces the topic of Americanization and its influence on various aspects of life. Highlights the significance of television in the process of Americanization and proposes an analysis of Star Trek as an example of American popular culture. Briefly discusses the differences between the original series and later iterations, focusing on Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- An Introduction to Star Trek: Divides the introduction into two parts: a description of the Star Trek universe, including the United Federation of Planets, Starfleet, and technological inventions; and a brief overview of the different Star Trek series, emphasizing the original series and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- The Star Trek Universe: Presents a geographical definition of the Star Trek universe, outlining the four quadrants and the Alpha Quadrant where Earth is located. Describes the utopian state of Earth in the 23rd century, where poverty, illness, and environmental pollution have been eradicated. Introduces the concept of the United Federation of Planets, highlighting the leadership role of Earth and the presence of various alien species.
- The Star Trek Series: Provides a concise description of the different Star Trek series, including the original series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager. Briefly summarizes key themes and storylines of each series.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper focuses on key concepts such as Americanization, popular culture, science fiction, television, Star Trek, the United Federation of Planets, space colonization, and the representation of American values and ideals.
- Quote paper
- Mieke Schüller (Author), 2001, Star Trek - The Americanization of Space, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/44779