Someone once said of me that I was “alienated.” I myself have thought of myself as a bit of a misanthrope. You have to be both of those things to spend as much time alone in libraries as I do. Neither of these qualities are particularly appropriate to an introduction for a column on “STAR TREK.” “Star Trek” is the ultimate fantasy of commitment, caring, and not only antimisanthropy, but philotranspecies. To go where no man (now no one) has gone before. “Star Trek” is an ethos and a system of ethics. “Star Trek is a form of utopia. Above all else “Star Trek” is the era of Vietnam and the sixties. I mean what is the prime directive, if not the conception that the more advanced culture cannot and should not interfere in the affairs of the less advanced culture. Can anyone doubt that this refers to the Vietnamese war? Racism is ridiculous; nationalism is nonexistent; not so much because they have been conquered, but because humans are mixing with Klingons, Vulcans, Bajans, Cardassians, Ferengis, and you name it. Planets have federated. Who has time for racism, or nationalism; not that individual shows to not deal with these topics.
I usually make it a policy to come late to all crazes. “Star Trek” the original, was well into reruns before I got the message. “The Next Generation:” at first went right over my head. In fad, in the beginning, I couldn’t even abide the idea of new characters, nor could I see, let alone understand, that they had kept the basic respect for people (no matter how many aliens join the Federation, it ·really is people.) Then I happened to catch the episode were the crew is on a pleasure planet, but Weseley Crusher accidentally breaks something only for Pic card to learn that all crime on this planet is punishable by death.
Gradually, I went back and saw all “The Next Generation.” It is after all merely a matter of getting used to the new characters. I was not ready for “The Next Generation” to end so “Deep Space Nine” took some getting used to. Now I curse WPIX because the show is on Saturday at seven, just when we’re going out, and Sunday (actually Monday) it’s 12:30 a.m., when I must sleep to go to work. I have no patience for videotaping the episodes. The Times said that the formula was running thin for “Voyager.” I disagree. Once I got used to Janeway, Chakotay, Paris, Neelix, Kes, Turok, Belanna Torres, and Kim it all worked for me. I have seen every original “Star Trek” two or three times. The same for “Next Generation.” I’m way be hind on “Deep Space Nine,” but I was doing O.K. till they changed the time slot. “Voyager’ is on at a perfect time – just between the Football games – still I must have missed episode one because I don’t know why they’re stuck in Gamma Quadrant (or is it Alpha, plot devices are just Hitchcock’s the McGuffin.). All that matters is character, and for me that the medium is the message. What does it mean? “The medium is the message!” Well it means I watched “Star Trek,” the motion picture, and I have not been back for more. These are small intimate dramas, perfectly suited to that little box. They are dramas of character, and not special effects. I eschew the movies, and especially detest those costumes. I did like “Star Trek: Generations,” because in spite of the special effects, not because of the special effects, character did win out. Then again I saw it on T.V.. Other than the fact that “Star Trek” is the original it has something that none of the others have, nor ever as pire to have. That is a sense of whimsy. You know it’s make believe. It hardly ever looks real especially when they are on other planets that are not supposed to resemble Earth. Futuristic cities always look like they are drawn by artists.
This is true even in “The Next Generation,” but much less so. Kirk has more fist fights than Piccard. Yet looking at the young William Shatner there’s just a hint of the Leprechaun in his supposedly Irish character (or is he English?) Nah, no captain has this, certainly not Sisco, who is probably the most serious of the lot. “Next Generation” has a big advantage over “Star Trek.” It was not fight ing to be renewed every year. “Next Generation” always seems to know where it’s going. It does! Trekkies were screaming for it, and their numbers were swelled by all those like me who latched on in reruns. I think “Deep Space Nine” had some problems in the sense that no one really understood that “Next Generation” had to end so that they could make movies. As for a “Voyager” it was a complete overlap to “Deep Space Nine,” but for diehards like me, as long as the “Star Trek” ethos was in place, and as long as it’s television, the more the merrier. It takes me a while to identify with the characters, but then all I need is for the episode (whichever episode) to create that good feeling. Now there are dozens of books that are both excellent and available. Prob ably most of the actors, if not producers and directors have written memoirs. but these are not the books I am talking about. I· m talking about “The Star Trek Compendium” by Allan Asherman; “Trek Next Generation Tribute Book, by James Van Hise; “The Nitpickers Guide for Deep Space Nine Trekkers.” by Phil Farrandi; and “The S far Trek Chronology. The History of The Fu ture.” by Michael and Denise Okuda. Incidentally, there are ·’Nit pickers Guides” for “Next Genera tion” two volumes. and for classic Trekkers, which I assume means “Star Trek.”
These books give biofacts about the actors. They have plot summaries with all the credits. and names of the episodes. As much as I have seen them. there are probably damn few episodes I can name by name from any of the series, with the exception of “who will weep for Apollo?” On the other hand I don’t need to nitpick, and I am very forgiving, but it is fun to go over the bloopers. I am starting to run down here, and I could never have time to go over all of the episodes in all the series, but some episodes, such as “Who will weep for Apollo?” just stand out. It is interesting to note that more outsiders with big reputations wrote for the struggling “Star Trek” than all the others. The two names that come to mind are Theodore Sturgeon and Robert Bloch. Yet the compendium indicates that Gene Roddenberry often did a final rewrite. He did not do it. I’m sure, to keep the “Star Trek” ethos. but that was the end result. Oh! by the way Robert Bloch wrote three “Star Trek” episodes. However, his greatest fame is as the author of the novel on which Hitchcock based “Psycho.”
For the rest of this column I just want to free associate. Michelle Nichols Uhura singing “Beyond Antares.” She probably wrote it. She once was the understudy for “No Strings.” Majel Barret; the original number one, to Jeffrey Hunters captain; the Nurse Chapel on “Star Trek,” and Luaxana Troi on “Next Generation.” who also happened to be Mrs. Gene Roddenberry. The minor characters, some so sexy. they had to be killed off or they stole the show. The most memorable of these, for me is Worf’s wife on “Next Generation.” I can still hear her asking Worf if he had not even one little bite for her. Incidental])’. I saw her on another show without her Klingon makeup. and she was just beautiful as opposed to drop dead gorgeous. Oh! what a lot of makeup can do. How about Ro Laren? I’m sure she did a “Red Show Diaries” episode, and she looks fine without the Bajoran makeup. Tasha Yar did one as well and some things are best covered up.
Who got the bright idea to make Patrick Stewart, a Shakespearean actor who says “shedyul” instead of schedule, a Frenchman? Jean Luc Piccard. but it works. Riker is kind of stiff, but that’s his charm. Duty over ambition. How can you not over duty? The “Tin Man” with a heart. Then again when you want Spock to emote, you remember he is half human. Why don’t he emote more? Diana Muldauer so beautiful on “Star Trek” a bust on “Next Generation” because there was no chemistrr with Jean Luc. Who do I love more? Crusher or Troi? How about Janenay? W’ell I still see her as a bit of bully” on “Cheers.”Whoever, said women can’t see men as sex objects. We have a black and a woman captain. One of the books says a politically correct as he he was Roddenberry wasn’t going for a gay cap tain. Then there’s the time Kirk let Joan Collins die.
There are so many moving episodes from all of the Treks. If I was forced. I do mean forced, I’d probably say I liked “Deep Space Nine” least. Yet three episodes were so beautiful. The one called “Trusk” about a life form bred to be the prey of hunters. Sisco must let him go to his fate. The one where Dukot kills two federation soldiers on an old Cardassian Ship that was an experiment to make Cardasians greater killers. It’s not his fault, and he is crushed. but he must live among these people. The one v.·here Sisco captures a Gem Haddar ship. Due to lack of trust a shape shifter. v.·ho is a God to the Gem Haddar. dies. Sisco has the ship but at v.·hat price? I’m really running o\·er. but in Turkish Ferengi means syphilis. All the Ferengi are about is profit. but Quark has a certain nobility. As for Nog. he is the first Ferengi at Startleet Academy. Doesn’t Sisco wish Jake was more like Nog? “Star Trek” I love you.