Has Star Trek made a difference in your life?

[Ktrek]

As a Christian it is always my quest to become better than I am. Christianity has helped me struggle with many inner demons in my life that otherwise would have overtaken me. Also, as a Christian I try to subject/submit myself to movies, music books etc. that stimulate me and help me develop as a person and try to avoid things that would hinder or impair that goal, and besides the Bible Star Trek has helped me a lot!

Star Trek has been a part of my life for 40 years, and although it is not the primary thrust and focus of my life (Christ is my main focus in life), I have enjoyed it and given it much thought. I would say that Star Trek has influenced me in many ways and hopefully for the better without compromising my Christianity.

Star Trek has taught me that friendships are important and to be valued even if the friendship takes work to hold it together and may be antagonistic (Spock and McCoy). It has taught me that I can choose to do what is right (Kirk - "we are killers---but we aren’t going to kill…today."). It taught me not to follow the racial prejudices of my parents (Let That Be Your Last Battlefield) and to try and reconcile with my enemies even when they have done great harm to me personally (The Undiscovered Country). It also taught me to look with hope toward the future.

There are many things that Star Trek has taught me and I thought it would be fun to start a thread to discuss what Star Trek has taught all of us here and how it has impacted our lives. So tell us what Star Trek has taught you and how has it made you a better person?

Kevin

[moyer777]

Kevin,

Thanks for your very thought out comments.

I too am a Christian.  I, like you, have found a lot of help in my personal life through reading the Bible and seeking after God.

I think one of the reasons I like Trek so much is that it helps me to think of the future with hope.  So many things are out there today that are doom and gloom, and Trek has helped me to see the good in humanity.

I also like the creativity and the wonderful idea of exploration of the universe.  The adventure, the gadgets, the cool inter personal relationships, the space drama, etc.  all make for a great family friendly and positive show.  The moral dilemmas, the situations they find themselves in and the problem solving techniques are fascinating to me.  I really enjoy it. 

In a strange way, TNG has been a real comfort in my life.  They were a family on an adventure through life, with conflicts to overcome.  They loved each other, even in their diversity and somehow came out better because of it.  Now that is cool.

I have learned a lot of things from Star Trek because it draws from so many aspects of our life and culture.

Star Trek Rocks, and I'm glad that I have been alive these 41 and a half years to experience it.

Rick

[the_wasd_man]

I've been watching Trek since I was born in 1990. I was raised on TNG and it's still my favorite. That show influenced me in many ways (like making me a huge Nerd) but it also influenced my way of thinking. I don't know who I'd be today without Trek, but I do know that thanks to it, I now have a deep passion for understanding the universe. Trek was about many things, but it always revolved around the wonder of discovery. It gave me a singular purpose and from very early on I decided to dedicate my life to science and discovery.

But it's not just me. Heck my dad is an engineer and he's as big a Trekkie as I am. I'd bet that every single person at NASA is one, too. I sure hope the new movie will do as good a job to inspire the next generation of scientists as well as it did my fathers.

Oh, and the special effects are kewl. :D ::)

[Ktrek]

Thanks Rick and Wasd Man for your cool responses! I thought I came up with a cool idea for a topic but apparently even though almost everyone on the board claims to be a Star Trek fan I guess Star Trek has had very little or no effect on their lives. Oh well! At least quite a few read the thread even though they didn't care to repond.

Kevin

[Geekyfanboy]

apparently even though almost everyone on the board claims to be a Star Trek fan I guess Star Trek has had very little or no effect on their lives.
Kevin

I take offense to this statement Kevin.. just because we didn't respond doesn't mean Star Trek hasn't effected our lives. I for one don't "claim" to be a fan.. I am a fan and just so you know I  have been busy starting a new job and this topic isn't a quick.. I love Star Trek because kind of answer. Be patient and people will answer when they have some time to really put down in words what Trek means to them.

[moyer777]

yeah, Kevin, a little premature in your assumption there.  One of the things I have found about people on this forum is that we all share a deep love for Star Trek and it has made a profound impact on all of our lives.

I think we have even discussed this on the forums before, plus many of us have talked on the podcast about the impact that Trek has had on our lives.

One of the problems was that the forums went down right after you posted that, then again after that.

Anyway, stay cool, but we are among friends here.

Bless you man!

Moyer777

[Ktrek]

I take offense to this statement Kevin.. just because we didn't respond doesn't mean Star Trek hasn't effected our lives. I for one don't "claim" to be a fan.. I am a fan and just so you know I  have been busy starting a new job and this topic isn't a quick.. I love Star Trek because kind of answer. Be patient and people will answer when they have some time to really put down in words what Trek means to them.

No need to get defensive there Kenny! Or be offended for that matter! It wasn't directed at you personally. Although, I have to admit that I thought the very first response I would have gotten would have been yours. Anyway, I find it curious that a thread  like this would have over 50 views but only two responses.

Anyway, I'll try and think up a more creative topic we can explore.

Kevin

[PepperDude]

I just came across this thread today.  It's kinda late and since a somewhat long response is required I'll post something tomorrow or Wednesday.

Kevin, take it easy.  I'm one of those people who is routinely days late in responding to a thread. You also have to remember that it was a holiday weekend.

[iceman]

Whether people are star trek fans are not we can see its influence in our everyday life, all we have to do is look at our flip up cell phones, that mimic the star trek communicators, our LCD flat panel monitors. to name a few things.

Star trek has made people think about the future, just look at the first space shuttle that was named  Enterprise, and tell me that that was not influenced by star trek..

Besides this , there have been many countries, who have worked on cold fusion and transporter technology, by transporting an atom from one place to another, Unfortunately this was done by destroying the original copy, but it is being studied nonetheless.

A few years a go, a company called v-tech developed the first working trycorder that was used for doing geological surveys, unfortunately which is often true they went bankrupt.

And let us not forget the medical instruments that are in development currently, A medical tricorder which will scan our bodies for cancer, so that more invasive techniques are used. All in all Star trek has infiltrated everybodies lives in ways that many of us have not thought of.

Sometimes it is staring us right in the face and other times it is not so obvious, but never the less for me. All I can say, if it wasn't for startrek, I would not be here talking to the many fine people on this forum, of who many have become my friends.

[Jobydrone]

I'm a huge fan of Star Trek, with much love for all the series, movies, and many of the books and comics I've read, but I still believe that it is, in the end, just a form of entertainment and not a life altering thing.  I can tell you that things like getting married and having kids have really made a difference in my life, but I'm pretty sure I would still be pretty much the same person I am today if Star Trek never existed.

[jedijeff]

For me, I view Star Trek as a bit of an old friend in a sense, as I regularly watched from the start of of TNG until the end of Enterprise and never being more then a week or two behind on an episode. To summarize my thoughts from Ricos 100th podcast, it was something constant and familiar in my life, when so many changes were happening at the time. As for it making a difference in my life, probably nothing overly big, mostly just kept me interested in Sci-Fi, so I lean a bit more to Jobys view point. It might be that I started watching TOS in the 80's and that the later series were not as focused on Human Condition stories overall, that I did not get as deep of an impact in my life from trek. For the most part, I watch Star Trek, as I like the Characters and the Universe they are in.

[Blackride]

I would not say that it made a noticeable difference in my life except to say that without it I would feel a void. Even now when there is no series on TV, I feel I am missing out....

[davekill]

I too grew up watching Star Trek's - fun well written science fiction with characters that you could identify with and care about. In each series the cast was different and they all had unique problems to deal with. Often times Spock or Troi or Sisko would count on help to get out of jam. I guess the message I learned there is that even a hero needs a little help once in a while.
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The science in the show is awesome because it's not just "made up" even if it is hypothetical. Remember - a "Quantum Singularity" is a black hole - something you don't want to play with!
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But my favorite part of Trek is you guys and gals. I've never chatted with such well spoken articulate geeks and I enjoy the friendship that we share on the forum. That is the difference it's made in my life. So many different folks coming together, isn't this what Gene Roddenberry had in mind when he created the Trek Universe?

Oh yeah, thank you too Rico.    :cheers

- Dave

[KingIsaacLinksr]

I am also a Christian too.  But Star Trek has had almost *almost* as much impact as Christianity has had on my life.  As a Christian, there were several "trying" episodes of Star Trek, such as the Klingon "God" episode in TNG and other similar ones.  What I've learned is that it is ok for everyone to have their opinions and beliefs about such things as God, the afterlife, etc.  Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean you bash them over the head about it. 

So has Star Trek had an influence in my life and changed myself as a Christian?  Yes, most definately.  Star Trek has sharpened my views *and my opinionated self* and such.  And just because I didn't immediately respond to your post doesn't mean that I disagreed/agreed.  Just meant I was talking time with my answer. 

The big impact is Treksf.com.  Had I never been a trekky/geek I would never have downloaded #94 podcast when I first started to listen to podcasts.  Thus, I would never have had the communication with you guys, the fun podcast, the GREAT RPG, or the community that Treksf brings to me.  *Kudos to Rico* 

So yes, Star Trek has made that difference in my life.  And to think that it was all because of one man.  Think you can't make a difference?  One man certianly made one of the biggest contributions to society.  Gene Roddenberry.   This man has also inspired me that I too can make a difference. 

So there ya go.


King Linksr

"There are things in this world that are not purely good or evil"