Return to Star Trek Classic main page Talk directly to Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) Trivia (click here): what is t name of the captain Help rescue Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) from slavery! (click here) TV-Commentary - Star Trek Classic What does the Horta have to say about Single Parenting? Credit for the very first discussion of single parenting would have to go to a classic Star Trek episode, "Devil in the Dark." In that episode, a shaggy rock-burrowing creature called the Horta is hunted by Federation miners because it has killed several of their workers. But it turns out that the Horta has only been defending itself because the miners have been inadvertently destroying her eggs and thus killing her children. On one level, this episode is talking the need to understand aliens and their motivations. But, on a deeper level, this episode is talking about single parenting. Is it an accident that the Horta is referred to as a "she" or that she is the "last of her kind," in effect, a single parent? The miners can be seen as a force that disapproves of the Horta's efforts to be a credible single parent. They are a physical manifestation of the societal stigma faced by single mothers around the country. It takes Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock to get the miners (society) to understand that the Horta (the single mother) is not some terrible monster, but an intelligent being who can live in peace with the miners and in fact cooperate responsibly with them (and be a good parent). Click here to post a message        posts on 4/16/2006 7:46:30 AM The late zoologist Gerald Durrell of "My Family and other Animals" fame also wrote a children's book called "The Talking Parcel" about a wizard, H.H. Junketberry, who sets up a wildlife sanctuary for mythical creatures. One of the characters is a small pink dragon called Tabitha who has had her eggs stolen by evil cockatrices. According to the book, there comes a time every couple of centuries when all the dragons die, except one lone dragon who becomes "Keeper of the eggs" so that the race survives. Now which silicon-based alien life form does that remind you of? Click here to post a message Other Recent Star Trek Classic Discussions Getting to know the Horta Spending quality time with Abe Lincoln and Sureck Another look at the Galileo 7 Ultimately, did Vejur really want to be fixed up on a blind date? Nomad seeks perfection.... "The Naked Time"--an episode of the evils of alcohol? Mr. Sulu is a homosexual! 6/4/2008 8:58:50 PM "Mark of Gideon"--A pitch for family planning 5/4/2008 10:15:47 PM Star Trek's dim view of earth-hugging hippies 5/4/2008 10:10:06 PM Nancy Crater a bisexual monster? 5/4/2008 10:02:29 PM Women portrayed as dummies by classic Trek? 4/30/2008 6:26:42 PM Clothing and sex roles in classic Trek 4/30/2008 6:20:26 PM How Vulcans keep their women in line with finger sex 4/30/2008 5:23:54 PM "This Side of Paradise" an episode against marijuana usage? 4/30/2008 5:09:07 PM Uhura as the Barbie Doll Moesha of the 1960's 4/8/2007 8:20:58 AM Kirk fights the Gorn on the Star Trek rocks 10/22/2006 5:58:19 AM Star Trek's mixed message on protecting endangered species 7/6/2006 9:48:46 AM What does the Horta have to say about Single Parenting? 4/16/2006 7:46:30 AM Dr. Leonard McCoy - No cure for facial warts in 23rd century? 7/9/2005 2:03:55 PM Klingon intolerance for crossdressers 4/12/2005 11:35:30 PM Note: the views expressed here are only those of the posters.

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