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Just A Television Show?

-The Myth Of Star Trek-

A study on the development, the contents, the ideas and the meaning
of an American phenomenon with focus on the original series (1966 - 1969)

by Daniel Zimmel

original date of publication: 2000/03

© 1998

revised HTML version      [PDF-File]

CONTENTS

1 PREFACE: A Piece of American Popular Culture
2 STAR TREK: CONTENTS, IDEAS AND MEANING
2.1 DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION
2.1.1 Approach to Gene Roddenberry
2.1.2 The Idea: "Where no man has gone before"
2.1.3 The Production: Rejectment and Second Chance
2.1.4 The Public Opinion: Reviews and Reactions
2.2 GENERAL IDEAS AND PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACH
2.2.1 American Thoughts Displayed In Star Trek
2.2.1.1 The Pioneer Spirit and The Frontier
2.2.1.2 The Necessity of Peace and Progress
2.2.1.3 Pluralism and the Can-Do Spirit
2.2.1.4 The Aspect of Non-Interference
2.2.2 The Future Revealing the Presence: Star Trek and the Sixties
2.2.2.1 Political Situation
2.2.2.2 Racial Tensions
2.2.2.3 Fear of Communism and Cold War Period
2.2.2.4 The Vietnam War
2.2.3 Social Themes and Human Values
2.2.3.1 Genetic Engineering in "Space Seed"
2.2.3.2 Racism in "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"
2.2.3.3 Overpopulation in "The Mark Of Gideon"
2.2.3.4 Immortality and Humanistic Values
2.2.4 The Unquestioned American Ideology
2.2.5 The Fan Movement
2.2.6 Star Trek: Science Fiction, Modern Myth or Utopia?
2.2.6.1 American Myths and Classic Myths
2.2.6.2 Shakespeare as a Model
2.2.6.3 The Perfect Society of Utopia
2.2.6.4 The Unfulfilled Potential
2.3 CONTINUING POPULARITY - STAR TREK AND THE SEQUELS
3 CONCLUSION: Entertainment And Intellectual Stimulation
4 Bibliography & Further Reading
Daniel Zimmel 2007 | automatically validated by PSGML  | last modified 04/01/04 (22:32)