Bold Steps Forever and Ever

"To boldly go where no man has gone before," is narrated as the start in every Star Trek show and movie. The quintessential hero story of our time. Folklore is created as we tread along.

How many stories are there that explore the fantasies of the future? About things that we can attain, strive for, that someday could be in reach. Space travel sounds too far-fetched? Not in the minds of 7 billion fans across the globe.

Star Trek started in 1966 with a series about the realms of space fantasy. The first shows were 79 in number and evolved to nine more series and motion pictures. There is the original series plus the Animated Series, Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, Discovery, Short Treks, Picard, Lower Decks, and the new Prodigy. With a whopping 802 total episodes and 38 seasons of television. Plus movies of cinematic greatness, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982) , Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), Star Trek Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), Star Trek Beyond (2016). Exampling the fascination of viewers young and old. There is another movie pending for 2023 and I can hardly contain myself.

Star Trek is the ultimate fantasy world, in my opinion, because it combines personas in unique characters. It gives breadth to the meaning "alien." They are not just new species, they have their personalities and values. Their own cultures, civilizations, histories, and planets. As individual fantasy worlds within one construct of discovering. They relate to one another. Enemies are clearly defined along with their own story to tell. Complex storylines keep the interest going.

Aliens include the Vulcans, Klingons, Borg, and I'll bet you didn't know this there are 300 alien species throughout the Star Treks. At one time I tried to compare alien characters to Jung's (the psychologist) personality types theories, just for fun. Too mighty of a task with the sheer numbers of aliens. No longer reserved for a cult following, they now have a place in pop culture. Heck, there is even romance amongst the alien races. Klingons have their language that you can take a course in! Plus, Star Trek aliens have even been in Time magazine as well as many other articles and clips.

The scope of all faculties is the reason to tell the stories. A crew on an advanced ship that represents the Federation. Whose mission is to explore worlds of outer space, fantasy all combined. In essence, the crew is in the constant pursuit of learning by means of discovery. From planet to planet they learn of new species, technology, and interrelationships. While avoiding evaders or enemies. The pursuit of science in fantastic futuristic tales.

Who designed this enormous piece of work that is ongoing to this day? Gene Roddenberry was the creator and writer of Star Trek. A hero in his own time for advancing writing and creation into a whole new realm. Pushing people's thinking and imagination. Inspiring an entire genre of books and film forever. Roddenberry added definition to the term "alien" in this context. Before that, the original definition was people or persons of foreign countries or nations. The meaning extends to extraterrestrials and wow what a collage. The attention to every detail of the possible future was tended to himself and if you watch even a few of these shows or movies you will appreciate the complexity of his endeavor. His perspective when creating was that it would be an adventure story, not science fiction. In that way, it is fantasy in the many worlds he created. His stories have turned into theories for those inclined and there are even Star Trek courses offered in universities and then there are, of course, Star Trek conventions.

I remember as a child watching the older shows on television with fascination and a bit of a crush on James T. Kirk. I am not a big television watcher though until life threw me into viewership again. As I was caring for my elderly father who was recovering from hip surgery his favorite thing to do was to watch television. He loved Star Trek and I was thrilled to find a science fiction channel that, yay, played Star Trek every day. We were both excited about that. It wasn't long before I realized that there is not much better than these shows.

Don't ever tell me that television or movies are a waste of time. As a form of entertainment, it is tried and true. It cultivates interest. It provides a topic of conversation. It not only gives relaxation it can make life interesting for a little while. Who better to share a fantasy world with than your good 'ol dad and a crew of men and women exploring worlds.

There are people aspects to the stories that some might not realize. The characters are very interesting, all of them are. Making it much more than a science fiction show. Star Trek offers everything a fantasy tale could offer. Entertainment, variety, things to learn about, drama, unique people, and storylines and if you have even just the barest of imagination, your mind will soar in wonder.

Poems I, by Lisa A Lachapelle, Indie Published:

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By Lisa Lachapelle, Writer, Author. More of her work here and here.