The Far Future

[Cessna]

Aedh-

As I alluded to in my post above, most Science Fiction - and especially Star Trek - is often a metaphor for the zeitgeist of the culture that produces it. (Look at all of the “Cold War” plotlines in TOS Trek.)

Note that this is neither positive nor negative. Sometimes this can be good, reflecting the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of a culture. Sometimes it can be bad, showing the fears, prejudices, and hatreds of a culture; one particularly egregious example is the 1930’s “Flash Gordon’s” “Ming the Merciless,” a thinly veiled metaphor for the “Yellow Peril” anti-Asian prejudice of the times.

I wonder if my earlier posts about the “far future of the Federation” are just a reflection of my worries and fears about the future of the United States? Does my viewpoint show up my fear of the "Ugly American factor," the censorship of “political correctness,” the increasing bureaucratization of the government, and the erosion of personal freedoms imposed by technology?

Also; I always considered the Bajor/Cardassia situation of DS9 to be a metaphor for the Middle East – the clashes of religions, the Arab/Israeli/Palestinian situation, the “wormhole” as a metaphor for oil (a newly discovered invaluable resource focuses superpower attention on a previously neglected backwater)…

[Michael Brinkhues]

The future of the UFP - what future?

If I take the drift of the DWS that the "UFP wants to return to pre-war ways" and the UFP behaviour after the first borg cube as a sign, by the 29th century the situation will be:

Earth is destroyed by whoever destroyed the UFP. Done so in a decap raid early in the war.

Andoria, Tellar and some other worlds form a trade and defence alliance (maybe even called the UFP) with a strong defensiv fleet and martial provess

Vulcan has isolated itself from the rest of the universe and retreated behind mine fields and defence drones

The Klingons, weakened by prolonged contact with the UFP have been conquered by the Romulans

Bajor and Cardassia form another strong, small trade and defensiv nation with the wormhole heavily guarded and frequent incursions from the Dominion

Orion / Breen / Ferengi pirats ply the spacelanes

Michael

[Phantom]

Aedh-

Never thought about it in those terms, but historically I guess you have a point about the races being analoges. Fascinating.

[Michael Brinkhues]

As for the political system of the UFP. Why don't you ask a german After all we let loose Marx and Lenin on this world and invented Socialism and Social Democrats (the real ones)

The UFP is quite similar to a GDR (East Germany) style socialism because:

The state owns all the heavy production maschinery (Replicators, ship docks etc)

Private ownership of single ships or single house private ventures (like Siskos) still is allowed

The state cares for schooling (good&free), medical care, housing and basic food in exchange for little to no productive work

You can vote but it doesn't change much since the UFP is one big bureaucracy

Social pressure to conform to a certain behaviour exists (mandatory counseling for anti-social behaviour[1])

A movement to get rid of money as a goal exists

It's a centrally controlled system.

Political parties still exist so it can't be a communism

Now, don't get me wrong. I found the GDR realisation of the system flawed, not the system itself. So the basic idea of the UFP is great. It's just that their "Gutmenschen" are overdoing it.


As a side note. The UdSSR member states and former WP states aren't trying to join the USA because they are bussy joining the European Union. If the USA wants to join to it's quite easy. Just tell the British that 1776 was a mistake and you have been talked into it by the French and their german lackeys. Voila - instant EU membership


Michael

[1] What is anti-social? My grandfather would have considered Elvis Presley anti-social.



[This message has been edited by Michael Brinkhues (edited 06-11-2001).]

[Cochrane]

Klingons = Russia, Mongol Empire, Vikings, Zulus

Romulans = Roman Empire, Japan, China

Cardassians = Nazi Germany

Bajorans = Jews

Ferengi = Dutch in the Age of Exploration

Vulcans = Ancient Greeks, Modern Scandinavians

Andorians = ?

Tellarites = Scottish

Centaurans = Canadians

Betazoids = Irish

Bolians = British

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The Trekkie Formerly Known As Surak, AKA The Coch, Humble Creator of the Bwuutut and Mensaeans, Aba and Zwickau, and the Perseus Federation, Guy Who Still Hasn't Actually Played The Game, And Who Finally Decided To Use A Signature.

[Phantom]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">
Centaurans = Canadians
[/B]</font>

Uh, Cochrane...How did you come up with this?

[AslanC]

Canadians = Centaurans

Irish = Betazoids

Ah Cochrane...as an Irish-Canadian...I don't feel particularily enamoured of ancient Greece, I am not fond of chocloate, do not have any telepathic powers and would appreciate it if everyone at my wedding wore clothes...so can you please explain those connections to me?

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Aslan Collas
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RPG_Trek; http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rpg-trek
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Ferengi Rule Of Acquisition #76: Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies.

[Aedh Rua]

Y'know, here is a can of worms, but has anyone noticed the resemblance between Federation prejudice against the Ferengi and certain historical prejudices?

I had a Russian friend who once said, "You know that the Ferengi are Jews, right?" He did not mean, of course, that the Ferengi resemble real Jews, any more than they resemble anyone else in the real world, but that they are the complete image of a lot of anti-Semitic stereotypes.

When you think about it, it makes a weird kind of sense. A lot of the alien races in Star Trek seem to based (loosely)on various Terran ethnic groups, as seen through the eyes of Middle American prejudices.

So, in the Cold War/TOS period you have the Russians (Klingons), Chinese (Romulans), Arabs (Orions), Germans (Tellarites),and Jews (Vulcans). The Federation stands in for the "Free World" generally, and so is fairly diverse and decentralized.

By the TNG and DS9 periods, American prejudices have changed slightly, and so have Star Trek races. So, you have the Russians (Cardassians), Chinese (Romulans), Jews (Ferengi), Americans (the Federation itself), Hindu Indians (Bajorans), among others.

The later situation is given added complexity by the addition of aliens who represent social movements and trends, or who have taken on their own identity. Thus the Klingons emerge as a weird combination of African-American culture, bikers, and Vikings. The Dominion represents the "New World Order". The Borg represent many people's fear of computers, and the Betazoids are sort of the New Age Middle Class self-image.

Highly amusing, no?

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Slan agat!

[Aedh Rua]

I don't know about the Irish Betazoid thing, but the Centaurians=Canadians thing is easy to explain. Canadians are just like Americans, only sane, ethical, and basically nice people. Centaurians are just like Humans, only sane, ethical, and basically nice people.

This is, of course, a silly rabid stereotype, with just enough trace of truth to be amusing.........

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Slan agat!

[AslanC]

Hey does anyone else here realize except for one reference to Zephram Cochrane there are no other mentiones of the Centuari in Star Trek. How did they become canon?

Is this a leave over from FASA Trek?

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Aslan Collas
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RPG_Trek; http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rpg-trek
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Ferengi Rule Of Acquisition #76: Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies.

[MikeC]

There is one footnote to this discussion that needs to be considered: Gene Roddenberry's true intention vis a vis the Federation.

According to various non-approved Trek sources (such as the excellent book CAPTAIN'S LOGS), Roddenberry's vision of the Federation FROM DAY ONE OF TOS was much more in line with what was promulgated in TNG; namely a socialist utopia where mankind had overcome their tribal tendancies and prejudices. This was, for me, a revalation, because one of the things that I took away from years of devotion to TOS was that mankind could achieve greatness and wisdom without a wholesale re-arrangement of human nature that Gene apparently envisioned. This aspect of TOS apparently came from the mind of Gene L. Coon, who mixed Roddenberry's less-than-realistic views with some basic common sense (as he saw it) and managed to generate something of lasting power (heck, it's 35 years later and we're still talking about it).

The book CAPTAIN'S LOGS goes on at length about how Gene's unyielding philosophical views (among other things) greatly hampered the first two seasons of TNG. The best example of his stubbornness biggest one was the season one ender with the parasite things: the original draft featured a conspiracy of Starfleet officers, which Gene nixed with a simple "They simply wouldn't do that". It is only once Gene was removed from day-to-day operations, replaced by Rick Berman, that things got better. Though many decry him based on the hash that VOYAGER became (IMO), he was the guiding force for the better episodes of TNG, and for DS9.

MikeC, popping in for a visit

[calguard66]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by REG:
Personally, I'd rather they not do that, but instead form a coalition similar to the United Nations but retain their own sovereignty.

To join the Federation would make the Klingon, Romulan, and other great sovereign powers subjugated under the Federation law, which may not be a good thing, IMHO.

</font>

The same as the Andorians, Vulcans, Bolians, etc, etc...

And remember, today's UN became a true world government here on Earth...

[Cochrane]

Andorians = Ancient Celts, Japanese, Native Americans

I connected Betazoids to the Irish simply because of Daphne Moon on Frasier. I wanted to assign associations to everyone, and this is all I could think of.

Aedh was right on the money about the Centauran-Canadian thing.

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The Trekkie Formerly Known As Surak, AKA The Coch, Humble Creator of the Bwuutut and Mensaeans, Aba and Zwickau, and the Perseus Federation, Guy Who Still Hasn't Actually Played The Game, And Who Finally Decided To Use A Signature.

[Lt.Khrys Antos]

Anyone think that the Tal Shiar resemble in many ways the K.G.B. of the U.S.S.R.?

[KlingonZ]

Yes. The Tal Shiar and even the Obsidian Order of the Cardassians are just like the K.G.B. and Section 31 is like the C.I.A. I think in 29th Century Trek Section 31 will play an even bigger part.