To Boldly Go...

My older brother was 11 when Star Trek premiered on September 8, 1966. It was a perfect time, and it was the right age, for him to be swept up in the original series. As it debuted a few months before I arrived on the scene, you can say that I was born into a household already watching. Though it was already in syndication by the time I knew the difference, I too was enamored from an early point in its message: a positive, hopeful future for humanity exemplified by diversity in the crew, daring to address difficult social issues in a meaningful yet approachable way, and the idea that imagination, intelligence and compassion trump brute force, ignorance and bigotry every time. A righteous message from the turbulent ‘60s that rings even louder today.

On reaching its 50^th anniversary, others have also written about the impact that Star Trek has had on pop culture and technology – from Spock using the priestly benediction hand position from Jewish tradition as a gesture of greeting to the inspiration for flip phones & iPads. Two of my favorite legacies from the show (and its offspring series and big screen movies) are found in the narrative lore that has emerged. One is the *Prime Directive* by which the Federation cannot interfere in the internal affairs or history of another species or indigenous society it encounters. This honors self-determination – culturally, politically, socially. The other, which I recall I first found in one of the many ST novels I read between my teen years and college, is the Vulcan concept known as IDIC – Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. This cornerstone concept of Vulcan philosophy “celebrates the vast array of variables in the universe.” Though this novel (The IDIC Epidemic) was published in 1988, it is based on ideals that helped found the entire Star Trek enterprise (no pun intended; well, maybe). From the outset, it has been a champion of progress and progressive values.

So today, and most days, I get to geek out in marking this momentous anniversary. And in the long run – take a group of compelling characters, add some interesting aliens, throw in some very exotic locales, plot twists, and challenges, mix well with an all-time great theme song – voila! Science fiction masterpiece. May Star Trek continue inspiring us to boldly go where no one has gone for generations to come.