Boldly Seeking Change

I didn't get the chance to talk about this in my Star Trek review (which, if all goes well, could actually be online this week, details forthcoming), but I think that Star Trek is the perfect blockbuster to kick off the Obama Presidency.

What's at the heart of Star Trek (standard caveat: I'm not a Trekker, but I've seen most of the movies, I just get bored by the TV shows) is Roddenbery's upbeat view of a future where human ingenuity has overcome our baser instincts. Earth unites under a single governing body and racism and sexism are no longer problems. Its an idea that I'm sure seemed pressingly relevant in 1964, as did the notion of a future where we had a robust fleet of spaceships committed to exploring new worlds. Unfortunately, pretty much everything that has happened since has pretty much made that notion seem ridiculous. There's been the Vietnam War, Watergate, Reagan, 9/11, and George Bush have created a world more polarized and divided than ever, racism and sexism are still major problems, and America's interest in scientific discovery and advancement has been replaced by religious fanaticism and the Grapple. Star Trek has been having problems since the waning days of The Next Generation and there are all kinds of reasons why: the nerd stigma that became attached to the series, the hopelessly complex mythology that mortals had no hope of grasping, the lack of writing, and the stodgy refusal to let the series naturally grow and move forward are all to blame. However, on a deeper level, Star Trek was dying because it didn't speak to the world we lived in.

But the election of Obama has changed that. Not only is it a big step forward for civil rights, but it makes me feel less foolish for hoping for a truly better world. And, looking at what really matters, it created a situation where an optimistic view of the future could come into vogue again. I think its no accident that the first trailer for Star Trek featured a speech from John F. Kennedy or that Kirk's joyride is underscored by a Beastie Boys song. Star Trek can be our world if we want it to be, and there's something very exciting about that.

There are, I think, a number of factors behind Star Trek's big opening weekend (which hopefully won't lead to a second week cratering like Wolverine deservedly got) - including J.J. Abrams' populist bent and the fact its suddenly cool to be a geek - but I think it says something about the national mindset that, a year after obsessing over the paranoia and bleakness of The Dark Knight, that we're finally ready for a movie that makes us feel good about our future again.