Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of 'Star Trek TOS' – Impact and Legacy

 

In this last of my series of posts I have made about Star Trek: The Original Series in celebration of the show's 60th anniversary, I am reminded of how indelible the series was for me and so many people. You just don't watch Star Trek – you interact with it, you bond with the characters, and you too embark on a mission to go where no one has gone before. 

The Dreams

The Trek Triumvirate

As a kid watching the show in my pajamas before bedtime, I was fascinated by the series and the stories I was seeing. Then I would go off to bed and dream about what I had seen. Sometimes I was on the bridge at the helm taking orders from Captain Kirk (William Shatner), or other times I was on an away mission with Spock (Leonard Nimoy) or helping out in Sick Bay with Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley). These dreams were real and vivid, and I will never forget them.

Long after the series ended, I never forgot those dreams. Nor did the millions of Trekkies who were profoundly affected by watching the show. There was a lasting impression of the significance and impact that Star Trek had upon us. The "dream" was not just about being on the show – it was the promise of a future that was bright with hope for better times. 

Impact

In Gene Roddenberry's bold vision for the future that we saw in Star Trek, there was an Earth that was completely united. There was no more United States – or any other country for that matter – we were a United Earth. In that idealistic world division and conflict were gone. Yes, there remained the love for where you were born and lived – as Ensign Chekov (Walter Koenig) would remind us about his love for Russia – but the greater good was much more significant than national pride.

In the Star Trek world of the future there were no planetary wars, no poverty, no racism, and no need for economic rivalry. It was understood that money was a thing of the past – people had a universal and equitable quality of life. There was no starvation, no deprivation, and no racial inequity. All the things that we worry about now had been resolved, and everyone lived in peace and harmony.

Extended to Off World

After humans had gone into space and met races from other planets, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise would not always find things were as idyllic as back on Earth. There were a wide range of races that had not reached what had been achieved back home. Some of them would be at levels experienced on Earth centuries ago. 

Roddenberry's grand idea of the Prime Directive was employed as a way of dealing with people that the crew encountered that were at different levels of development. It would be morally wrong to exploit those races who were at more primitive levels. If their societies were at war, the crew could not take sides – even if one side seemed more aligned with Federation philosophy than the other. 

No Guarantees

A Social Gathering with Alien Diplomats

Unfortunately, the crew would encounter beings whom were at a similar level of development – with technology and weaponry matching the Enterprise – that did not have the same ideals. The Klingons, for example, had no problem interfering with a planet's culture and exploiting its resources. They would not align with the Prime Directive and actively work against it.

Kirk Battles the Gorn Captain

Occasionally, the crew would encounter a superior alien culture that would challenge them. The Metrons, for example, directly interfered with the Enterprise's mission in "Arena" (Season 1, Episode 18) and put Kirk and the Gorn captain on a planet to fight one-to-one to decide the fate of both ships and crew. This could be seen as a direct violation of the Prime Directive, but it was out of Kirk's hands to do anything about it. This situation would seem very barbaric by Federation standards, and it was being instigated by a so called advanced society. 

The People

The Main Cast Members

At the center of it all was the captain and crew of the Enterprise. The main cast is beloved, and they were a key factor in the show's success. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy were the core characters that were involved in many of the stories, but the rest of the crew were essential too. Even the extras who were in the background working in engineering, on the bridge, or eating in the lounge contributed to the show's success.

There were also the amazing guest stars who came and went, and many made lasting impressions on the audience. As a kid I sometimes worried about the fate of the main characters because they were in dangerous situations, and the guest actors made it believable due to their acting skills. 

Legacy

Exemplary Leaders

The lasting legacy of Star Trek TOS is multivalent – it touches generations of people all over the world. Roddenberry's enduring vision for a better tomorrow spawned multiple TV series, movies, video games, books, and merchandise. The overall message to reach out and find other people and to understand differences in culture and traditions is profoundly reassuring.

What we take away from our love of the TOS and all that followed in the overall Trek universe is that there should be respect and recognition for all people. That we can only survive as equal partners on the planet that is our home and eventually on planets that we visit with curiosity and compassion. 

This message got to me as a kid in my pajamas watching with fascination and wonder, and it stays with me now and will forever be with me as I know it remains with many other fans around the world. Yes, we may boldly go to new places, but only with an open hand to extend a greeting of peace and understanding. 

When I dream now, I beam down to a planet's surface, meet a new race of people, raise my hand, spread my fingers in the Vulcan salute, and say, "Live long and prosper."  That's the legacy of TOS and what Roddenberry started all those years ago, and what a marvelous and wonderful thing it is for all of us to have now and forevermore.