Star Trek in the 1960s
Liberal-Humanism and the Production of Race
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4107856 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Daniel Bernardi (0000-0003-4495-2575, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1997 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | Part 2 |
| Pages | 209-225 |
| Publication date | 1997-07-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Science Fiction Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0091-7729 • E-ISSN: 2327-6207 |
| Publisher | University of California Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1525/sfs.24.2.0209 |
| OpenAlex | W4409426046 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
This essay uncovers and critiques the relationship between the meaning of race and the liberal-humanist project in Star Trek. While there are no doubt many factors informing this relationship, it concentrates on the activities of institutions and decision-makers responsible for the making of the series. This includes NBC, the network on which the series aired, Gene Roddenberry, the creator and executive producer, as well as various writers, directors, and actors. These "authors" were consciously and thus intentionally involved in a liberal-humanist project very much mindful of such 1960s experiences as the civil rights movement, the anti-war movement, and the Cold War. Contrary to what is commonly said about this sf series, the essay argues that Star Trek's liberal-humanist project is exceedingly inconsistent and at times disturbingly contradictory: it often participates in and facilitates racist practice in attempting to imagine what Gene Roddenberry called "infinite diversity in infinite combinations." (DB
Art · Art history · Astrophysics · Economics · Humanism · Literature · Physics · Production (economics) · Race (biology) · Sociology · Star (game theory) · Star trek · Theology · Gender Studies · Gothic Literature and Media Analysis · Literature, Film, and Journalism Analysis · Philosophy · Religious studies · Utopian, Dystopian, and Speculative Fiction
| Citations per year | 0.16 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2007 - 2024 (18) |
| Highly cited | No |