Star Trek - Community based society (short video)

bjorb

The Living Force
FOTCM Member
Captain Picard explains to people from the past what has chanced over the course of 300 years. Apparently in the 24-century we eliminated the need for possessions. Material needs no longer exists and hunger + disease has been made nonexistent.

Seems like a society that is community based. For some people in the comment-section it even sounds so alien that they compare it to evil communists propaganda.

https://youtu.be/jp3OhC3NoMk ( I tried to embed the video out of consideration but that's out of my abilties)

Star Trek NG always was somewhat fascinating. Series from the past always tended to put more energy on dialogue and deeply thought out content. Instead of the instant gratification we have today of non-stop action and explosions. Films and series from the past where also highly or at least way more optimistic in their depiction of future humanity from what I remember.

Today we have mad-max and other future dystopias that rule the movie screens. Hope I suppose for a bright and wonderful future for humanity is unrealistic or just doesn't score. Only entropy and destruction sells tickets.
 
bjorn said:
( I tried to embed the video out of consideration but that's out of my abilties)

When you click on the youtube link, right click the video and select 'copy embed code', then click on the 'insert video embed code' button (the blue button w/the white triangle just above the wink/cheesy smiley's) and paste the youtube code inbetween like you would a quote or hyperlink, and voila! You have successfully inserted a video like this one. ;) ;D


https://youtu.be/Gc1yBSUev7g
 
[quote author= Turgon]When you click on the youtube link, right click the video and select 'copy embed code', then click on the 'insert video embed code' button (the blue button w/the white triangle just above the wink/cheesy smiley's) and paste the youtube code inbetween like you would a quote or hyperlink, and voila![/quote]

It worked. Thanks !! I had some tutorials which explained that I needed some lines of codes to insert at certain places but I couldn't differentiate and read it. But apparently you can copy it all. :D


https://youtu.be/jp3OhC3NoMk
 
bjorn said:
Star Trek NG always was somewhat fascinating. Series from the past always tended to put more energy on dialogue and deeply thought out content. Instead of the instant gratification we have today of non-stop action and explosions. Films and series from the past where also highly or at least way more optimistic in their depiction of future humanity from what I remember.

Yes, that was the vision of Gene Roddenberry, and he was very adamant that this "conflict-less" and positive view of future humanity will be maintained at all times while making the series. Many of those who worked with him had a very hard time operating with this kind of level of restrictions, primarily because "lack of conflict" between characters doesn't make for good TV. After all, how can you write a scenario of an episode, where most of the conflict and struggle that your main characters are going through is inside their minds!

But this is what variety of "aliens" is there for. Roddenberry's view of the Universe was expressed in Vulcan basis of philosophy: "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations". And apparently using this setup he was able to get away with a lot of "inflammatory" material!

Here, take a look at this video too:


https://youtu.be/kjk7ECPiprY

But as you can see from recent new Star Trek movies, his message was completely demolished. And his philosophy was replaced by CGI and slick outward appearances.

Roddenberry also said:

The strength of a civilization is not measured by its ability to fight wars, but rather by its ability to prevent them.

Seems like our own civilization gets further and further away from this vision. :( But it is a good vision non the less. Here's another video about the "future economics" according to Star Trek.


https://youtu.be/8MUVGTdXkzk
 
[quote author= Keit]But as you can see from recent new Star Trek movies, his message was completely demolished. And his philosophy was replaced by CGI and slick outward appearances.[/quote]

It was really meant to enrich and inform. But now his message is nowhere to be found. It's even gone backwards. :(

Thanks for the other videos and info !! Really makes you think about alternatives in contrast as how our society functions.
 
Besides the creator Gene Roddenberry, I think some credit should go to some of the other writers who were involved. Science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon is one of my favourite writers, principally for his many short stories. He wrote the screenplays for the Star Trek episodes "Shore Leave" 1966 and "Amok Time" (1967) and came up with the Vulcan greeting "Live Long and Prosper". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Sturgeon
 
Thanks to Star Trek I still do believe that a better humanity and existence is possible (somewhere in some alternate universe). Star Trek is certainly one of the reasons why I am here in this forum. I have always appreciated the "science", "explorer", "community" and "betterment" aspects of the stories. Unfortunately, many episodes and basically all the new movies are defective in that respect. As happens often, when Roddenberry died, Star Trek died too.

The "secret ingredient" that made Star Trek a success is not really science fiction. Roddenberry said:

https://www.sott.net/article/291711-A-message-from-Gene-Roddenberry-to-the-world said:
We believed that the often ridiculed mass audience is sick of this world's petty nationalism and all it's old ways and old hatreds, and that people are not only willing but anxious to think beyond most petty beliefs that have for so long kept mankind divided.

So you see that the formula, the magic ingredient that many people keep seeking and many of them keep missing is really not in Star Trek. It is in the audience. There is an intelligent life form out on the other side of that television too.

The whole show was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but to take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in life forms.

I have to agree with him. Star Trek moved many ordinary folks. Thus we can see that the "lifeforms in front of the TV" can be influenced towards 'good' and 'bad'. TV is not neccessarily all bad as it is portrayed today. This thought, the C's brought up in the following session (my emphasis), and mentioned "Thor's Pantheum" and Gene Roddenberry:

21 September 1996

Participants: ‘Frank’, Laura, Jan, Terry

Q: (Laura) Hello. And who do we have with us this evening?

A: Toyjiia

Q: (L) And where are you transmitting from?

A: Cassiopaea.

Q: (T) Is there any significance to the ID4 movie?

A: Sure.

Q: (L) What was the primary intention of the makers of this movie? The primary message that they attempted to convey?

A: Infuse thinking patterns with [planchette swirled a few times here] concept of aliens.

...

Q: (L) Infuse. Just the concept, the concept of aliens in general. OK…

A: Part of a larger project.

Q: (L) And what is this project?

A: Called “Project Awaken.”

Q: (L) And who is behind, or in charge of, this project?

A: Many.

Q: (L) Who are the primary group, groups or individuals? I’m sure you’re not going to give us individuals, but just the grouping.

A: Thor’s Pantheum.

Q: (L) And what is Thor’s Pantheum?

A: Subselect trainees for transfer of enlightenment frequency graduation.

Q: (L) What is enlightenment frequency graduation?

A: Think!

Q: (L) Enlightenment frequency graduation… so, subselect trainees…

A: Self explanatory.

Q: (L) Well, is this group STS or STO?

A: Both.

Q: (L) OK… (T) Are they working at cross purposes?

A: No.

Q: (T) They’re working together? Bipartisan?

A: No.

Q: (J) Are they aware of each other? Working on this?

A: Yes.

Q: (J) Are they screwing each other up? (L) No, that’s going in the wrong direction…

A: There is more to all of this than you could dream.

Q: (T) There’s more to all of this…were you referring to… Who are they? Thor’s Pantheum. And they’re subselect trainees…That’s the group behind this movie; OK…

A: An army of Aryan psychic projectors.

Q: (T) Well, that explains a lot more than Thor’s Pantheum of subselect trainees! An army of psychic projectors. (L) And what do they project?

A: Themselves… Right in to one’s head.

Q: (T) Into one’s head… this is better than ‘Must See TV!’ (L) Project right into one’s head… is anybody subject to this projecting?

A: Yes.

Q: (L) And, when they project themselves right into someone’s head, what does that someone perceive?

A: Inspiration.

Q: (L) To do something, and to understand or perceive something, is that it?

A: Yes.

Q: (J) To believe something? (L) Yes. So, how many are in this army?

A: 1.6 million.

Q: (L) When they’re doing this projecting into someone’s head, where are they projecting from?

A: Mostly subterranean.

Q: (L) Subterranean, so these are the people of the tunnels, the underground bases and all that sort of thing. Are they 3rd or 4th density beings?

A: Both.

Q: (T) Let me back up to a question here. If they can do all this projecting on their own, what was the point of the movie?

A: No, you misunderstand… This is an intense activity, directed towards influencing the high level creative forces.

Q: (T) Projected against? Because this movie, if you’ve been following the reviews and the people talking about it, this movie has had more repeat business than any movie in years and years and years and years. People have seen it ten and twenty times! (L) Was there something subliminal in the movie? That opened something? (J) That’s a good question!

A: Sure.

Q: (L) And was this subliminal activity with the movie designed to create an opening for this further…

A: Not for you, but for others.

Q: (L) Why? Do you mean me, personally, or us as a group? (T) Well the movie didn’t affect me.

A: Group.

Q: (L) What made us immune?

A: You already have the knowledge.

Q: (T) The movie wasn’t meant for us; we already know. The movie was meant for all of those who don’t understand.

A: Say hello to Gene Roddenberry.

Q: (L) Is Gene Roddenberry present?

A: No.

Q: (L) In other words, say hello to him because he was doing that sort of thing a long time ago?

A: Yes.

Q: (L) Is Gene Roddenberry one of these people from Thor’s Pantheon…

A: No.

Q: (L) Why did you bring up Gene Roddenberry? (J) Because he was doing it in Star Trek?

A: Yes.

...

Q: (L) What are these high level creative forces that are needing to be influenced, or desirable of being influenced?

A: Those in the creative arts.

Q: (L) So in other words, I see, this group is using their projecting ability to influence those in the creative arts to do creative things that will therefore influence the people on the planet. Is that it?

A: Yes.

...

Q: (J) Can we say that they are stimulating people in a negative way?

A: Maybe.

Q: (L) So, there’s probably a little of both. And you say that we are immune to it because we already have knowledge. Now, when you say we have knowledge, do you mean just knowledge in particular about aliens and alien realities and alien potentials and so forth?

A: Yes.
 
Gene Roddenberry really was something: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek#cite_note-Whitfield128-13

Roddenberry intended the show to have a progressive political agenda reflective of the emerging counter-culture of the youth movement, though he was not fully forthcoming to the networks about this. He wanted Star Trek to show humanity what it might develop into, if it would learn from the lessons of the past, most specifically by ending violence. An extreme example is the alien species, the Vulcans, who had a violent past but learned to control their emotions. Roddenberry also gave Star Trek an anti-war message and depicted the United Federation of Planets as an ideal, optimistic version of the United Nations.[8] His efforts were opposed by the network because of concerns over marketability, e.g., they opposed Roddenberry's insistence that the Enterprise have a racially diverse crew.

His show/message did inspire many I think, inspiration such as that can set a lot in motion. His vision of humanity is somewhat that should come natural to all of us. (psychopaths excluded)

Sadly it's all perverted now by galactic war and mindless action and drama. The series was meant to be to opposite of that, it was meant as a depiction of what would happen if we ended war/violence !! What a shame, but that's not entirely the fault of the producers, they just deliver what the audience wants to see. People apparently rather see flashy laser beams killing other persons instead of being inspired by something actually progressive. The show only adjusted itself to the sign of the times.
 
Data said:
I have to agree with him. Star Trek moved many ordinary folks. Thus we can see that the "lifeforms in front of the TV" can be influenced towards 'good' and 'bad'. TV is not neccessarily all bad as it is portrayed today. This thought, the C's brought up in the following session (my emphasis), and mentioned "Thor's Pantheum" and Gene Roddenberry:
...

Thank you Data, that session was a fascinating read. This "Thor's Pantheum" reminds me of what Steven Pressfield wrote in "The War of Art" (thread) about inspiration by the gods:

The War of Art said:
INVOKING THE MUSE, PART TWO

Before I met Paul, I had never heard of the Muses. He enlightened me. The Muses were nine sisters, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, which means "memory." Their names are Clio, Erato, Thalia, Terpsichore, Calliope, Polyhymnia, Euterpe, Melpomene, and Urania. Their job is to inspire artists. Each Muse is responsible for a different art. There's a neighborhood in New Orleans where the streets are named after the Muses. I lived there once and had no idea; I thought they were just weird names.

Here's Socrates, in Plato's Phaedrus, on the "noble effect of heaven-sent madness":

The third type of possession and madness is possession by the Muses. When this seizes upon a gentle and virgin soul it rouses it to inspired expression in lyric and other sorts of poetry, and glorifies countless deeds of the heroes of old for the instruction of posterity. But if a man comes to the door of poetry untouched by the madness of the Muses, believing that technique alone will make him a good poet, he and his sane compositions never reach perfection, but are utterly eclipsed by the performances of the inspired madman.

The Greek way of apprehending the mystery was to personify it. The ancients sensed powerful primordial forces in the world. To make them approachable, they gave them human faces. They called them Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite. American Indians felt the same mystery but rendered it in animistic forms — Bear Teacher, Hawk Messenger, Coyote Trickster.

Our ancestors were keenly cognizant of forces and energies whose seat was not in this material sphere but in a loftier, more mysterious one. What did they believe about this higher reality?

First, they believed that death did not exist there. The gods are immortal.

The gods, though not unlike humans, are infinitely more powerful. To defy their will is futile. To act toward heaven with pride is to call down calamity.

Time and space display an altered existence in this higher dimension. The gods travel "swift as thought." They can tell the future, some of them, and though the playwright Agathon tells us,

This alone is denied to God:
the power to undo the past

yet the immortals can play tricks with time, as we ourselves may sometimes, in dreams or visions.

The universe, the Greeks believed, was not indifferent. The gods take an interest in human affairs, and intercede for good or ill in our designs.

The contemporary view is that all this is charming but preposterous. Is it? Then answer this. Where did Hamlet come from? Where did the Parthenon come from? Where did Nude Descending a Staircase come from?

[...]

TESTAMENT OF A VISIONARY

Eternity is in love with the creations of time.
– William Blake

The visionary poet William Blake was, so I understand, one of those half-mad avatars who appear in flesh from time to time — savants capable of ascending for brief periods to loftier planes and returning to share the wonders they have seen.

Shall we try to decipher the meaning of the verse above?

What Blake means by "eternity," I think, is the sphere higher than this one, a plane of reality superior to the material dimension in which we dwell. In "eternity," there is no such thing as time (or Blake's syntax wouldn't distinguish it from "eternity") and probably no space either. This plane may be inhabited by higher creatures. Or it may be pure consciousness or spirit. But whatever it is, according to Blake, it's capable of being "in love."

If beings inhabit this plane, I take Blake to mean that they are incorporeal. They don't have bodies. But they have a connection to the sphere of time, the one we live in. These gods or spirits participate in this dimension. They take an interest in it.

"Eternity is in love with the creations of time" means, to me, that in some way these creatures of the higher sphere (or the sphere itself, in the abstract) take joy in what we time-bound beings can bring forth into physical existence in our limited material sphere.

It may be pushing the envelope, but if these beings take joy in the "creations of time," might they not also nudge us a little to produce them? If that's true, then the image of the Muse whispering inspiration in the artist's ear is quite apt.

The timeless communicating to the timebound.

By Blake's model, as I understand it, it's as though the Fifth Symphony existed already in that higher sphere, before Beethoven sat down and played dah-dah-dah-DUM. The catch was this: The work existed only as potential — without a body, so to speak. It wasn't music yet. You couldn't play it. You couldn't hear it.

It needed someone. It needed a corporeal being, a human, an artist (or more precisely a genius, in the Latin sense of "soul" or "animating spirit") to bring it into being on this material plane. So the Muse whispered in Beethoven's ear. Maybe she hummed a few bars into a million other ears. But no one else heard her. Only Beethoven got it.

He brought it forth. He made the Fifth Symphony a "creation of time," which "eternity" could be "in love with."

So that eternity, whether we conceive of it as God, pure consciousness, infinite intelligence, omniscient spirit, or if we choose to think of it as beings, gods, spirits, avatars — when "it" or "they" hear somehow the sounds of earthly music, it brings them joy.

In other words, Blake agrees with the Greeks. The gods do exist. They do penetrate our earthly sphere.

Which brings us back to the Muse. The Muse, remember, is the daughter of Zeus, Father of the Gods, and Memory, Mnemosyne. That's a pretty impressive pedigree. I'll accept those credentials.

I'll take Xenophon at his word; before I sit down to work, I'll take a minute and show respect to this unseen Power who can make or break me.

He further writes about the process, taking the Odysee as an example:

The War of Art said:
INVOKING THE MUSE, PART THREE

Artists have invoked the Muse since time immemorial. There is great wisdom to this. There is magic to effacing our human arrogance and humbly entreating help from a source we cannot see, hear, touch, or smell. Here's the start of Homer's Odyssey, the T. E. Lawrence translation:

O Divine Poesy, goddess, daughter of Zeus, sustain for me this song of the various-minded man who, after he had plundered the innermost citadel of hallowed Troy, was made to stray grievously about the coasts of men, the sport of their customs, good and bad, while his heart, through all the sea-faring, ached with an agony to redeem himself and bring his company safe home. Vain hope — for them. The fools! Their own witlessness cast them aside. To destroy for meat the oxen of the most exalted Sun, wherefore the Sun-god blotted out the day of their return. Make this tale live for us in all its many bearings, O Muse. . . .

This passage will reward closer study.

First, Divine Poesy. When we invoke the Muse we are calling on a force not just from a different plane of reality, but from a holier plane.

Goddess, daughter of Zeus. Not only are we invoking divine intercession, but intercession on the highest level, just one remove from the top.

Sustain for me. Homer doesn't ask for brilliance or success. He just wants to keep this thing going.

This song. That about covers it. From The Brothers Karamazov to your new venture in the plumbing-supply business.

I love the summation of Odysseus' trials that comprises the body of the invocation. It's Joseph Campbell's hero's journey in a nutshell, as concise a synopsis of the story of Everyman as it gets. There's the initial crime (which we all inevitably commit), which ejects the hero from his homebound complacency and propels him upon his wanderings, the yearning for redemption, the untiring campaign to get "home," meaning back to God's grace, back to himself.

I admire particularly the warning against the second crime, to destroy for meat the oxen of the most exalted Sun. That's the felony that calls down soul-destruction: the employment of the sacred for profane means. Prostitution. Selling out.

Lastly, the artist's wish for his work: Make this tale live for us in all its many bearings, O Muse.

That's what we want, isn't it? More than make it great, make it live. And not from one angle only, but in all its many bearings.

Okay.

We've said our prayer. We're ready to work. Now what?
 
I think I haven't got too much to add to this thread because I've just discovered the world of Star Trek.

What I have to say? Just WOW! The philosophy contained in the series is absolutely fascinating! And as Data (the forum one :P) said, it really brings hope that humanity could be something totally different from what it is now.

I really enjoy learning about how the members of the crew are all working together towards one aim, and they have protocols, yes, yet they are friends, even family. They care for each other, and they form healthy bonds. They try to resolve conflicts as they go, as a group. They are true to their values and they serve others the best they can; they are always considerate towards others. They value all life forms. They value differences, and what these differences can bring to enrich the group, each member has qualities that complement the crew, each member has flaws too, from which they learn in every episode.

Some episodes are also remarkable in how they deal with difficulties, different values from other species; they show the importance of being "wise as serpents and innocent as doves" sometimes, to have a clear aim as well.

It's really extraordinary, yet, something that resonates inside many as something that humanity (or at least some part of it) probably wishes as a future. And, since we are to "become the change we want to see in the world", I see it as a good educational series that teaches me how I can be this change in small aspects of my life. It's truly inspiring. :love:

And yes, there isn't any of that in the new movies IMO.

I just wanted to repeat Data's words in one episode: "I am learning, with your help" and I thank you for that. :flowers:
 
Sadly it's all perverted now by galactic war and mindless action and drama. The series was meant to be to opposite of that, it was meant as a depiction of what would happen if we ended war/violence !! What a shame, but that's not entirely the fault of the producers, they just deliver what the audience wants to see. People apparently rather see flashy laser beams killing other persons instead of being inspired by something actually progressive. The show only adjusted itself to the sign of the times.

I agree, the newer content is garbage now.

Today, I came across this video, and was brought to tears when Picard said at 3:43 "Your whisper from the dark has now become a plea"
I guess it reminds me in some ways of all the hidden tragedies we share our lives with and if we could just pay closer attention we could pursue justice.


Haha the BBC banned this fragment of the series. They don't like the idea that people will rebel against the state or colonies (Ireland) seeking independence. And they are always so eager to talk about so called censorship in China, Russia etc.

I love how Data seemed uncomfortable by acknowledging that confusion is part of the human condition.
 
Like a lot of people here, I was influenced by Star Trek heavily as a kid. My family would watch TNG every weekend it came on broadcast TV. It helped me develop a sense of curiosity, to value knowledge and logic, showed me how adults and professionals should act towards each other. Gave me hope for the future. So much wisdom and lessons to learn through Star Trek. Here is a recent compilation of fantastic lines and speeches from Star Trek. Truly an example of how the medium of Television can be used to the benefit, rather than to the detriment, of it's viewers.

 
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