Mid-Term

Mid Term

DJ Tate

Film 301

The show I choose for my Mid Term assignment is Star Trek. Star Trek is a show that used to be on a bunch of different channels, but is no longer airing new episodes. You can still catch the old episodes on the Sci-Fi Channel every now and then. Now I’m not really a “Trekie” but I do watch nerd TV like G4 and all that, so I always see things like documentaries and stuff about it. Star Trek takes place in outer space so you wouldn’t think it would have to do anything with globalization, but that assumption would be wrong. In the show there are a lot of different alien races and what not and the show has a lot to do with real world issues and hits on some key points.

The Franchise started in 1966 and ended in 2005. It has been syndicated and re-aired in other countries and still hits on the same issues. I chose this because it was the best example I could think of that has to do with globalization, or at least what I take as globalization.

In the show they touch on topics ranging from racism to cultural migration. The enterprise crew is also made up of many people of different species, which on that show species are basically the races. There aren’t really races among the species as there were no tussles between them, but when it came to people from different planets, what would equal countries in real life, there is usually some sort of tension. A lot of the episodes had to do specifically with economic or political issues at the time the episode was being filmed. Which keep in mind was back in the 60’s and 70’s for some of them, but the more recent episodes have to do with more recent topics (obviously).

I don’t think that each country the show is in changes it at all. The only thing that changes is the language it is in. But I don’t think they have to because the topics they talk about and stuff have to do more than just the U.S., they have to do with everywhere, because racism and that stuff happens everywhere.

I think the show, at heart, is trying to unify people from all around the world to find common ground so there is less arguing. Even though some Star Trek fans don’t really pay attention to the racial undertones, or the political happenings of the show, they are still fans and go to conventions and possibly meet up with the fans that do care about them and might get them interested. I’m not saying this actually happens, but I would bet there has been a case or two of it. So I do believe it really does bring some people together, that would normally would not meet or talk to each other, and it’s a good thing.