Klingons and Romulans as Indians
Star Trek: A Phenomenon and Social Statement on the 1960sAccording to David Gerrold, just as America was supposed to be the policeman for the world, Star Trek is the policeman for the galaxy, all at a time when it was being questioned whether or not America should play that role (Gerrold 156). Starfleet's originally scientific mission becomes one to "spread truth, justice, and the American Way to the far corners of the universe" (156) as well as to defend the Federation against its cancerous adversaries.
William Blake Tyrell in his essay "Star Trek as Myth and Television as Mythmaker" compares the Klingons and the Romulans to the Indian tribes the U.S. fought in the western part of the country. The Klingons are the "Magua--sly, perfidious, and fallen" while the Romulans are the "Chingachgook, the noble warrior ever outside the white man's world" (Tyrell 712).
11 comments:
Writerfella here --
First of all, one only has to see STAR TREK -- THE MOTION PICTURE to hear Jerry Goldsmith's score for the Klingon attack segment. It is pure "Indian attack" music that must be seen as music in any motion picture western, complete with flute and whistling that implies that the Klingons were 'Native aliens' in STAR TREK's timescape. After all, STAR TREK originally was sold to NBC as "Wagon Train To The Stars." That means that Gene Roddenberry, whom writerfella eventually came to know personally, saw his outer space drama as a 'western.'
Yet, Native Americans never were introduced as characters in STAR TREK's universe until the third BAD season, only being recognized as ancient refugees saved by benevolent aliens who wanted to save 'endangered species.' It took writerfella to put a Native crewman aboard the USS ENTERPRISE, and the episode, "How Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth" ended up winning STAR TREK the only top-echelon Emmy Award that any STAR TREK series ever has received. Rob may be tired of hearing about that feat but then Rob has done nothing himself to approach such an accomplishment. The new STAR TREK FILM, still called STAR TREK 10, may spawn a new ST television series, and writerfella with his good name with the company most definitely will be writing for that series...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
I imagine all our readers are tired of hearing about "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth" whenever someone mentions Star Trek.
I don't need awards to validate my existence, thanks.
Since the new Star Trek movie will be the 11th one in the series, I doubt anyone is calling it Star Trek 10.
Writerfella here --
Call up the website STARTREK.COM and find that the next motion picture is STAR TREK 10. Write about something that you know personally and then compare it with reality, Rob. Then your 'opinion' might be changed...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
I searched StarTrek.com and didn't get any hits for "Star Trek 10." Which isn't surprising since the next movie will be the eleventh one. In case you're as ignorant of Trek lore as you sometimes seem, here are the previous ten:
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered
Country
Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek: Nemesis
Incidentally, is your ego so fragile that you have to boast about your accomplishments constantly? Judging by the evidence, yes.
You're lucky I don't delete your repetitive postings about the Emmy you won for children's programming. Too bad you haven't won an Emmy for adult writing yet.
Actually, the animated series won an Emmy. You didn't win one individually. Here are the details:
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Animated_Series
In 1975, the series won a Daytime Emmy Award in the Area of "Best Children's Program" for the 1974-1975 television season, the only Emmy ever won by Star Trek. It beat out Captain Kangaroo and The Pink Panther. Lou Scheimer accepted the award. The episode submitted to the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for consideration of the show was "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth."
Writerfella here --
In actual point of fact, STAR TREK's various franchises took other Emmys, for Art Direction, Costumes, and Makeup, all minor categories. And writerfella has archived STARTREK.COM pages that call the still-aborning new movie (being shot as writerfella speaks) STAR TREK 10. He took the website at its word, as he himself nowhere near obsesses about every tiny detail about one single topic in a forty-year career. It simply is that his responses and postings are produced by, and are in keeping with, what is presented here in this blog...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Russ Bates
Writerfella here --
POSTSCRIPTUM: unlike many TV or comic fans, Rob, writerfella only works in the STAR TREK universe -- he doesn't live there...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
The website I quoted was referring to the Emmy for best series, obviously. Anyone who read through the site, or who knew his Trek history, would know that. I didn't quote the rest of the site because it wasn't necessary for my purpose, but I'll do it now:
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Star_Trek's_awards_and_honors#Emmy_summary
Star Trek: The Animated Series is the only Star Trek series to have won a major Emmy Award. It won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Entertainment Children's Series in 1975. Both The Original Series and The Next Generation were nominated for Best Dramatic or Drama Series, TOS in its first two years and TNG in its last, but neither won. Among actors, only Leonard Nimoy has ever been nominated--for supporting actor in a drama or series--and he was nominated three times. But he never won.
Unsurprisingly, most of Trek's nominations have been in the technical categories, most prominently visual effects, but also for make-up and hairstyling. Other categories where Trek has chalked up wins include music, main costume design, art direction, editing, sound mixing, sound editing, and title design.
Since Memory-Alpha.org is a Wikipedia-style site, I updated the paragraph I quoted to read "the only best-series Emmy." Satisfied?
Incidentally, you may be interested in the following:
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Animated_Series#Summary
With the release of The Animated Series DVD release, the studio appears to have changed its stance, and is leaning towards the animated series being part of established Star Trek canon. Previously,The Animated Series was not considered part of established Star Trek canon by Paramount Pictures. References from the series have gradually become more accepted in other Star Trek series, most notably on Deep Space Nine and Enterprise (see the "background" section below for the complete list of references). Gene Roddenberry said that if he had known there would be more live-action Star Trek in the future, the animated series would have been far more logical and "canonable," or he might not have produced the animated series at all.
You worked in the Star Trek universe 30-plus years ago, you mean. Other than posting your old screenplay and story, what have you done lately?
As for your sighting of "Star Trek 10" on StarTrek.com, I'll believe it when you give us a URL and I see it for myself. Perhaps someone made a typo ("10" instead of "11") and you didn't catch it. Or perhaps you were imagining things.
Wrierfella here --
Albert Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. But imagination encompasses the world."
writerfella's IMAGINATION outstrips yours, Rob. Else, why are you asking questions to which you already know the answers?
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Which question are you referring to, o vague one? "What have you done lately?" You're right...I'm pretty sure I know the answer. You haven't done anything worth noting in the Star Trek universe lately.
As for "writerfella's IMAGINATION outstrips yours, Rob," what a worthless opinion that is. Yeah, I can tell what a great imagination you have by how you think Apocalypto and Bury My Heart are flawless gems. Unlike the critics (including me), you can't conceive of a better movie. Which is probably why you can't write a better movie.
I'm not sure about your imagination, but I know your ego is bigger than mine. That's why you keep braying incessantly about your achievements and awards as if anyone cares. Try to get this straight, friend. Newspaper Rock is the blog "where Native America meets pop culture," not where we fawn over Russ's mediocre Star Trek story.
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