| TV-Commentary - Star Trek Classic |
|---|
Star Trek's mixed message on protecting endangered species
Classic Trek: Hunting season is open!
The classic series had a mixed attitude towards the preservation of endangered species. At first, it seemed that every rare species had to be greeted by the end of a phaser pistol or be disintegrated by an anti-matter bomb. The very first example of this was can be seen in an early episode called "The Man Trap", where an alien masquarading as Doctor McCoy's old lover, Nancy Crater, kills members of the crew using its suction cup hands to drain the salt from their bodies. The husband of the real Nancy Crater tells Kirk that he didn't kill the monster because it was "the last of it's kind... like the buffalo".
Doctor McCoy ends up killing the monster in the end, even though presumably he could have just stunned it, held it in confinement, and fed it salt from a shaker without hurting anyone else. What Star Trek is saying in this episode is that if a monster gets in your way, kill it, even if its an endangered species.
But the suction cup monster was an intelligent monster which knew what it was doing. What about Star Trek's attitude to less intelligent animals who may not be aware of the havoc they're creating? In "The Immunity Syndrome" the crew is faced with a giant amoeba, presumably an unthinking lifeform, whose only crime is trying to reproduce, as well as to swallow up the occasional starship that happens to fly into it.
The giant amoeba is treated as a threat because if it reproduces it will swamp the galaxy with its prodigy, we are told. That's why Kirk feels justified by blowing it up with anti-matter. But no where in the episode does the crew consider the consequences of killing what may be a unique form of life. Furthermore, at no time in the episode does Kirk attempt to consider alternatives, ways to save his ship without killing the amoeba. Not once does Kirk ask Spock if there is a way to selectively use smaller amounts of anti-matter in selective parts of the amoeba to abort the reproductive process, or render the amoeba sterile. No, Kirk's only reaction is to kill it.
In a contrary trend, Kirk and Spock took a much more enlightened towards an endangered species in "Devil in the Dark". In that episode, a creature called the Horta had been killing miners who were drilling in underground tunnels for a mineral called pergium. The miners want to kill the Horta, and initially Kirk does too. But Kirk later discovers that the miners have been inadvertantly destroying the Horta's eggs, and the Horta, the last of its kind, was only acting to protect its offspring. Kirk brokers a settlement that allows the miners to coexist in peace with the Horta.
The situation that Kirk faced with the Horta was very similar to the situation that Bill Clinton faced with the spotted owls. Spotted owls were an indangered species that lives in the wooded forests of the northwest. Logging companies and loggers wanted to cut down those trees to make profits (for the companies) and to save jobs (for the loggers). Environmentalists wanted to stop the trees from being cut down to save the spotted owls who used the trees for their habitat. The government brokered a compromise that allowed the loggers to cut down some trees without seriously harming the spotted owls, so that both sides could live together.
In this episode the miners were heavy, doughty club-wielding blue-collar types, a metaphor for the loggers and all those whose jobs are threatened by the need to protect endangered species. The Horta, of course, is a metaphor for the spotted owl, the species that is dying out because development is threatening its habitat. What Star Trek is showing here is that both development (harvesting of trees, mining of pergium,) can coexist with the needs of endangered species (the spotted owl, the Horta) with an enlightened government policy of land management.
Star Trek would also probably support the Endangered Species Act, which mandates strict protections for endangered species and their habitats. If the Horta were the last of its kind there's no way the government would permit mining in the region if that would disrupt its habitat.
|
Click here to post a message
|
posts on 7/6/2006 9:48:46 AM
One thing the Federation would have discovered is that countless species have lived and gone extinct throughout the galaxy (no matter how unique or special they are). The amoeba not only chowed down on ships it also consumed planets. How many species did the amoeba make extinct on its trek across the universe, and how many more would it have taken if allowed to live. The suction cup creature was to all intents and purposes an extinct species. It did not go extinct due to deforestation, the creature consumed its own enviroment dooming itself. Dr Slater could have asked for help to preserve a dying species however, he didn't. It could be assumed that there are laws that prevent the Federation from interfering with the natural order or things like species extinction. (What a nightmare that would be traveling aound the galaxy trying to save various species). Could the creature been allowed to live out its remaining days, probably. But for an intelligent creature it chose to kill when it could have asked for help. I also suspect that McCoy wanted it dead as it killed the woman he once loved. As for the Horta, it would have been killed if it hadn't communicated it wouldn't kill... It is only in later shows that gave importance to the life of a bacteria. Its a wonder that they didn't cancel all exploration on the off chance that they might step on a creature at the bottom rung on the evolutionary ladder... A question to ask is "Would the 'Article of Non-Intervention' also apply to a civilization hell-bent on self destruction."
|
rand
posts on 1/21/2006 2:23:40 AM
everyone does realize that the original trek is the greatest show in science fiction history. there was never any need for a next generation, deep space nine, voyager or enterprise. the original is the best, period. take care.
|
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.
|
| Try our new Star Wars & Star Trek puzzle pictures!
Click here
Advertise with us
Feedback
Star Wars Revenge of the Sith plot spoilers
Hobbits
The politics game
The lawyer game
Games:
Trivia Masters!
Rescue your favorite
scifi characters from
slavery!
Talk to your favorite
scifi characters!
Eating New Yorkers
Computer Game
Pomeranians
Most recent TV & Movie discussions:
Charmed: Is Piper really a Halliwell? 11/13/2009 11:30:45 AM
Lord of the Rings: Why would Aragorn choose pig lips Arwen Evenstar over Eowyn? 11/12/2009 6:40:39 PM
Xena: 37 reasons why Xena and Gabrielle are... you know.... 11/12/2009 7:23:13 AM
A Boy and His Dog: A Boy and His Dog 11/11/2009 11:48:16 PM
Battlestar Galactica: Was Battlestar Galactica politically conservative? 11/1/2009 9:51:45 AM
Battlestar Galactica: Why were the Cylons so slow and thinking impaired? 10/31/2009 8:36:52 PM
Blade Runner: Blade Runner 10/22/2009 2:43:11 AM
Star Trek Enterprise: Jolene Blalock on T'Pol and Star Trek Enterprise 10/19/2009 2:48:46 PM
Charmed: If Piper Halliwell gets pregnant, can Leo give her an abortion? 10/3/2009 12:29:33 PM
Star Wars: Why did stormtroopers wear armor that didn't work against blasters? 9/30/2009 9:48:47 PM
Newest slaves:
Captain Kathryn Janeway
11:57:40 PM
Luke Skywalker
11:56:44 PM
Ensign Ro
11:50:41 PM
Tasha Yar
11:48:45 PM
Counselor Deanna Troi
11:47:42 PM
Mara Jade
11:46:12 PM
Anakin Skywalker (adult)
11:44:28 PM
Princess Leia
11:36:12 PM
Kevin Costner
11:34:16 PM
Queen Amidala/Padme (Natalie Portman)
11:33:49 PM
All slaves
(click here)
Celebrity interviews:
President George W. Bush 6:32:00 PM
Jan-Michael Vincent 2:16:51 PM
Captain Kathryn Janeway 3:47:46 PM
Jack ONeill (Richard Dean Anderson) 1:39:22 PM
Jennifer Aniston (Friends) 5:01:07 PM
All celebrities
(click here)
|
