I have to say that, as great as GR's vision was... he didn't get everything right. Remember what was happening in the US at the time, and you may see why the "non-military" emphasis of Trek is so strong.Originally posted by Brad:
Playing a marine character may not follow Roddenberry's wishes to the letter, but through creative narrating and mature roleplaying, marines can add a whole new dimension to the LUG universe.
It's almost as if Starfleet is trying to deny it's nature... we wear uniforms, have a rank structure and chain of command, use deadly force in defense of our nation and it's interests and are the primary organization tasked with that defense. But we're not military.
Even VULCAN has a military fleet arm, and a small ground army... then there are the Andorians.
Remember that throughout human history military men have been the primary explorers... the military provides a baseline of training and discipline, and exploration operations use many of the same logistical skills that the military is familiar with... as do disaster relief, peacekeeping and law and order operations.
Starfleet is a military organization... or at least a paramilitary one. It's ideology doesn't even prevent that... the US military's primary mission is deterrance. By docterine, if the US military has to fight it has failed it's primary mission. How is that different from Starfleet?
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"I'd rather die standing than live on my knees..."
Shania Twain