“Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise…” On September 8, 1966, Gene Roddenberry brought forth a vision of the future that would resonate throughout generations and would inspire many to look out towards the stars. Last Thursday, September 8, 2016, marked the 50th Anniversary of the original airing of Star Trek, the science fiction series that introduced the world to the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock and the rest of the Enterprise crew on their five year mission to explore strange new worlds and seek out new life and civilizations. Although the original series only lasted 3 seasons, it sparked a franchise that includes 6 separate Star Trek television series and 13 feature films, all which have continued to capture the imaginations of millions around the world. Gene Roddenberry did not simply create a series that entertained the masses however, he also pushed forth an idea of what humanity could become. Instead of seeing a future entrenched in war and greed, he dreamed of a world where the interstellar republic known as The United Federation of Planets pushed not for a military agenda and imperialism, but hungered for knowledge and hoped to learn more about the universe that surrounded them. A world where education, compassion and inclusivity were almost gospel. His dreams for the future started conversations and allowed for some of the most progressive television programs of the time to inspire change, from technological advances to facing social, political and cultural issues that plague our society. It was a social commentary on the state of humanity, boxed nicely in an escapist sci-fi serial. Star Trek may have been simple entertainment, but it helped to change the world.

“To Boldy Go…”

When Gene Roddenberry created the original Star Trek pilot, “The Cage”, he had already planned a world that was ahead of his time. Although most associate Star Trek with Captain Kirk and his right hand man Spock facing the universe from the bridge of the Enterprise, Roddenberry had originally planned for Captain Pike sit in the Captain’s chair with a female first officer by his side, only referred to as Number One. This was too progressive for NBC executives however, as they did not think it was believable for a woman to be in a command position. Roddenberry did not let this dampen his progressive attitude towards his creation however. He kept the character of Spock from his original pilot, and made him a logical, biracial (Vulcan/Human) alien who would be a constant commentary on humanity. He was the antithesis to the passionate new Captain of the Enterprise James T. Kirk. The greatest part of this new creation was a multicultural crew unlike any seen on television before.

Although the executives at NBC had scoffed at a woman in command, Roddenberry found a way to place a woman on the bridge by creating Lieutenant Nyota Uhura. Uhura was a revolutionary character on television, as it was the first time an African-American woman had been portrayed as anything other than a servant in a major television series. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King was a large fan of the character. He believed she portrayed a role model for African Americans everywhere who hoped for a day when their race would not define who they were. At the helm Roddenberry placed Hikaru Sulu, the first Japanese character on television not portrayed in a stereotypical manner, but instead in a positive fashion. In an interview with NASA, George Takei said that he had never before seen a Japanese character who did not have an accent, and was grateful for such a portrayal. This sense of multiculturalism continued into the second season when the show introduced Ensign Pavel Chekov, a Russian character. Although sometimes grouchy, he was a positive portrayal of Russians on American television during the Cold War. In The Original Series, boundaries of multiculturalism were pushed even further when the show portrayed one of the first interracial kisses aired on television. The kiss between Uhura and Kirk in the epsiode “Plato’s Stepchildren” caused a stir in the South, but Roddenberry did not turn away from the controversy.

Although The Original Series did succumb to the norms of the times by keeping certain characters from power positions due to their race or their gender, Roddenberry’s dream of a free and equal society was eventually realized within the Star Trek universe. Even though it is discussed in The Original Series episode “The Turnabout Intruder” that women were not allowed to be Captains in Starfleet, Captain Janeway breaks barriers in Star Trek: Voyager as a strong, capable captain of the USS Voyager. Deep Space Nine introduced the first African American male captain, Captain Sisko, showing the change of mentality from when only white men held power positions in the Star Trek universe. Although characters often held prejudice against alien races throughout the Star Trek franchise, this was often shown to be due to some form of ignorance and fear from the character. A character’s bias is often used as a learning tool that all people are capable of prejudice. The important part is learning to overcome these prejudices by acknowledging them, not ignoring them. The episodes offer solutions of education and interaction as tools to overcome hatred and achieve a multicultural mentality. It tries to show the importance of not judging others based off of the sins committed by those that resemble them. Roddenberry’s dream of diversity and compassion was reflected in his creation of the Vulcan philosophy of “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations” and was embodied by complex and interesting characters. These characters taught the audience that the differences between people should not be feared, but celebrated for adding to the richness and variety of life itself.

“Change is the essential process of all existence.” – Spock

Star Trek has never been one to shy away from difficult discussions that are reflected within our society. Although many issues were veiled behind interesting characters and story lines, the themes of many episodes taught important lessons that expanded the mind and made audiences think. In The Original Series, Roddenberry covered the topic of racism and prejudice against the “other” through the experiences of his characters.

In the episode “Balance of Terror”, Spock is accused by his shipmate of being a Romulan spy simply because he resembles the race of aliens who had been at war with the Federation for generations. Spock attempts to defend his loyalty but the episode goes on to show that prejudice is often irrational and that we often gain our prejudices from the past experiences of our cultures. This is also discussed in The Next Generation episode “The Wounded” and the Star Trek feature film "The Undiscovered Country", when both Chief O'Brien and Captain Kirk discussed the prejudices they held against Cardassians and Klingons due to the experiences they had faced in their lifetimes. Both of these men overcome their prejudices by facing them, and make conscious efforts to change their way of thinking so that the pattern of hatred and misunderstandings can end. These strong characters fighting not to succumb to prejudice and racism allows the audience to view the age old adage in action, that those who fight monsters must fight not to become one themselves. The Original Series even attempts to show the ridiculousness of racism through the episode “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield”, when an alien race destroys itself due to one group having black on the left side of their face and white on the right side, while the other group is the exact opposite. When the planet is lost due to this race war and the last two survivors find they are from opposite sides, they must learn that they are not so different and have both lost everything due to an illogical hatred that has lasted generations.

Issues such as abortion and the right to die have been debated on the show as well. In the episode “The Master of Gideon”, when an alien race has harvested a disease from Captain Kirk to release into their planet for population control, Kirk offers forms of birth control so that the planet can prevent children from being born and therefore prevent the need to kill people. The leaders of the planet say that they value life and will not prevent it from being conceived causing Kirk to point out that if they are forcing people who are already born to die, they must be confused on the meaning of valuing life. In The Next Generation episodes “The Measure of a Man” and “The Quality of Life”, the pro-life argument is made when both Captain Picard and Data debate sentience and whether one has the right to destroy another simply because they do not deem them alive or "human". Star Trek also discussed how fear and ignorance are often the greatest cause for unnecessary destruction. In the episode "The Corbomite Maneuver", Kirk addresses the fears that lead to violence between two sides, saying "The greatest danger facing us is...ourselves, the irrational fear of the unknown. There is no such thing as the unknown, only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood." If enemies can come together to address these fears and find the truth, we will overcome many obstacles that lead to hatred. LGBT rights, ableism, sexism, imperialism, mental health, the morality of following unjust orders, the dangers of/importance of religion and other challenges that have continued to be pertinent discussions within society have all been discussed within the confines of Star Trek, showing that while the future many have imagined may not be perfect as hoped, at least there is hope that education and open conversations will one day allow for progress. Star Trek tells us that change is inevitable so we must never stop fighting for it and for us to grow we should never be silent in the face of oppression.

"...I am hopeful that one day I will discover my own humanity."-Data

Children often receive the assignment in their elementary school classes of describing how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to someone who has never made one before. Although this activity seems so simple, many find that they struggle with describing it in great detail because once one looks closer at something so simple, it is often much more complex than they originally thought. This is the same concept that many struggle with when describing what it means to truly be human. Our humanity, though seemingly simple to explain, is often a much more complex issue than what it appears to be on the surface. Star Trek has acknowledged this complexity and reflected back the age old question of what it means to truly be human . In every incarnation of the series, there has been one character, often an outsider, who has attempted to understand this concept of humanity. They often offer interesting perspectives and make us look at ourselves differently by explaining, just as the children with the peanut butter and jelly assignment do, the complicated breakdown of all the pieces that make one human.

In The Original Series, this character was Spock. He fought his human half as much as possible, and became a mirror image to his passionate friends Captain Kirk and Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, always assessing what it truly meant to be “human” through a logical lens. His assessments often found humans quite illogical, but he found that sometimes the human tendency to be emotional often connected them to the universe and those around them in ways that pure logic could not. Lieutenant Commander Data in The Next Generation was an android who much like Spock before him offered a logical perspective to the emotional beings that surrounded him. Although other non-human characters such as the Klingon Lieutenant Worf fought any semblance of humanity, Data dreamed of nothing more than becoming human. He attempted to mimic human speech patterns, forge relationships as humans did, and to create and grow as much as he could. He was stronger and smarter than any human could possibly be and yet he fought to become human simply because of the fullness of the human experience. To become more than you are, to feel a vast array of emotions and to one day die were all amazing experiences that he wanted to have and all experiences that humans often take for granted. The character Q often found himself in this mirror of humanity role as well, often depressed at the state of humanity yet hoping that he could see them grow past their primitive mindsets by challenging them. He found himself also superior in his godlike state, yet he secretly wanted to be a part of the experiences that humans often try to hurry through such as struggle and hardships. Being an infallible being he could easily escape any situation without struggle, which he found wanting. He offered a perspective that allowed for the audience to see even the worst parts of being human as important. Odo, The Doctor, Seven of Nine, and T’Pol all take on this role as well in Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise to again reflect on what it means to truly be human. And throughout so many Star Trek series, it still begs the question of what does it truly mean to be “human”? Perhaps the world will never know, but Star Trek has allowed for us to connect to this question on a much deeper level and given us a glimpse of our own humanity.

“...These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.”

50 years later, Star Trek still matters. It has inspired scientists and engineers to think outside of the box and create new technologies that very few had dreamed of outside of their television screen. It has inspired our space programs and astronauts to reach farther into space and look past the confines of our own galaxy. It has inspired the hope in the face of difficulty, that one day we may become more than what we are and that our futures will be filled with equality. That even as we struggle to understand ourselves, the conversations that could change the world will not be shunned, but welcomed. That knowledge and acceptance, compassion and the universal good will overcome any hatred or greed that we have in our own times. That the war machine will eventually end and that peace will begin when we stop hating what makes us different and instead celebrate it. Most importantly, Star Trek has taught us that we are never truly alone and that something great waits for us somewhere beyond the stars and within ourselves. As Q said at the end of "All Good Things...", "You're not alone, you know. What you were, and what you are to become, will always be with you." Star Trek and the voyages of the crew of the Enterprise have changed the way we see the universe and ourselves. It has truly gone, where no one has gone before. Here’s to you Star Trek. Happy 50th anniversary.