[Marxism] Star Trek

[Waistline2@xxxxxxx]

The latest Star Trek movie was conceived during the thinly disguised  
fascistic ideological era of Bush W. and is a thinly disguised war movie;  
specifically a war movie against individual terrorism. Whenever this movie 
comes  
to us as DVD, a reediting is in order and perhaps extending the movie an  
additional 45 minutes would make it a collector item. 
 
Although an unashamed war movie, I for one do not hate all war movies or  
warring in Star Trek movies. Star Trek II, the Wrath of Khan contained much  
warring, destruction and creation without being a war movie. Unlike the 
Wrath of  Khan, the new movie cast the passion and pain of the individual as 
the 
impulse  for wanting to destroy planets rather than a cunning adversary, 
whose cunning is  an art form unto itself and becomes the wellspring for 
obsession. Always willing  to respond to a plea to "spare my crew," Khan is as 
passionate as our modern  antagonist without being a terrorist. 
 
The screenwriters - whose names anyone can look up on line, faced  
formidable obstacles in recasting the original crew of space ship Enterprise.  
The 
greatest obstacle was the profit motive as it combines and interpenetrates a  
huge audience base that has made the Star Trek franchise the "Star Trek  
franchise." The franchise is infinitely more than dollar signs. It is a vision 
 of the possibility of changing the future and opening new future time 
lines.  This possible/probable future contains its own time line and Star dates 
-  recording of events, with two generations of Trekies creating a 
gravitational  pull of which writers must adhere.  
 
Thus, to recast the original Star Trek by a new generation, the new  
generation of actors, screenwriters, directors, technologists and story line 
had  
to be constructed and historical events tilted in such a way as to remain 
within  the Star Trek chronology. 
 
I love time travel stories that unsettle, shatter and reorder events that  
have already occurred.  The terrorist theme as the vehicle for tilting and  
recreating history is unsettling, simpleminded, narrow and politically  
explosive. I hated the terrorist theme, but this did not prevent me from two  
viewing of the movie.
 
Speaking of hate, equally hated is the ideological narrow minded and the  
absence of China and distinct people of China in the Star Trek universe.  The 
people of China - all 1.5 billion of them should boycott "this" Star Trek.  
Joss Weldonâs "Firefly" series (part of the space traveling sci-fi movie 
series)  featured a cast speaking a mish mass of English and "Chinese" as a 
fair  representation of the oldest written and continuous culture on earth. 
The idea  that in the second decade of the 22 and century, China has no 
significant role  in space exploration is a monstrous crime and inexcusable. 
 
There is of course a tad bit to many men and too much undiluted  
testosterone interpreting and articulating testosterone in the Star Trek  
universe. 
Keep the testosterone because everyone knows a hard man is good to  find. 
Reinterpret this hard man. 
 
Even with Kirk at the helm, a feminist characterization of Kirk and the  
crew, as a permanent subtext is appropriate for our modern 21st century  
audience. Kirks brashness, often indistinguishable from naked imperialist  
aggression, is its own art form worthy of preservation, and it is this art that 
 
is "Cap'in Kirk" that pleas for recognition, understanding and to be  heard.  
At any rate that is how I had understood Williamâs Shattnerâs  
Shakespearean prose and rendering of Kirk. 
 
"Here/hear me, I am trying to do something bigger than myself; even while  
trapped by the pettiness and limitations of my own being and understanding." 
 
"I can't but I will." 
 
A feminist rendering of Kirk would be interesting. 
 
That is to say, there was not enough sex or nudity in the movie, although  
our new Kirk rises to the task as much as could be expected. The new 
rendering  of adult Kirk is good.  Nevertheless, I am very serious about both 
sex 
and  nudity and the need for more. In the second decade of the 22 nd century 
society  is living the impact and new norms of human sexuality and love 
riveted to,  merged with and revolving around female sexuality as the feminine 
understands  itself in relationship to male sexuality.  Letâs face it, in a 
world where  one can go on line and view Beyonceâs vagina, the vagina 
monologue dominants the  dialogue. 
 
A call for pornography? Not at all. 
 
Yet, I suppose it was necessary to first introduce a new cast and a new  
recasting of Star Trek, which is why the DVD release should be at least 45  
minutes longer and reedited. 
 
As for director J.  J. Abrams, who cares? 
 
Star Trek is bigger than any single director. In the Star Trek universe,  
Spock looms larger than life and points the way to peace on earth, in the  
heavens and within the individual spirit animating and driving consciousness. 
No  one and most certainly no actor can ever hope to escape Leonard Simon 
Nimoy  evolution of the Spock character. Spock stayed true to himself and the 
Star Trek  universe. 
 
Pardon, but where were the Mexicans? Or at least a Chicano or two. 
 
OK, one movie cannot do everything and it is not being suggested that  
Scotty be recast as Chicano or anything like that  . . . but damn. Every  one 
loves Scotty and the eternal demand placed on him to do the impossible  within 
a limited time frame. But . . . J-Lo could have been stuck in the movie  
somewhere. Surely with millions of undocumented workers in America a couple  
could have been building or carrying something onto the enterprise. Perhaps, 
it  was thought that Edward James "Almost" (Olmos) Battlestar Galactica was  
enough Mexican for now. 
 
Oh well. 
 
Star Trek is important to American culture and our role as the most  
dominant of all empires in history. The tiny little thing that has driven Star  
Trek fans for two generations is that the movies point out a direction and  
possibility of a better world. Interestingly the dialogue of the movie was  
subtle. Our antagonist speaks of "family values" and "hard working people" as 
he  goes off to destroy planets. 
 
I suppose that within the ideological madness of the Bush/Cheney era, this  
is the best that could be done. Star Trek in the era of Obama would be  
interesting and afford the writers much latitude. 
 
Live ling and prosper. 
 

WL.
 
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