There’s no doubt that Trek is a big part of our culture. The Libertarian Enterprise, one of my favorite sites for a different take on popular culture, goes under the geeky URL of http://www.ncc-1776.org/

Extra hit points for knowing what the USS Enterprise call numbers have been. lol

JIm, I agree with you: in my book, To Seek Out New Life, I discuss extensively all the points you raise. My praise of Star Trek must be taken in the context of most other science fiction shows, of which Firefly/Serenity (not yet in existence when I wrote my book) is a prominent and welcome exception.

If you want to see my take on the latest Star Trek, which also includes a more general judgment on the whole franchise, visit these links: Set Transporter Coordinates to… and We Now Interrupt Our Regular Programming…

Star Trek is always about a militaristic society in which exploration is done by a hierarchical military organisation. The government is the dominant power in the “federation of planets” and rebellion when it is portrayed (and it rarely is) is regarded as foolish. Although there is a pretense at benevolence, the government is frequently harsh, hostile to change or innovation, and concepts like “replicator rations” suggest that perhaps the unlimited possibilities of replicator technology are, well, rationed.

It gets much worse. Property ownership is often reviled. Yankee traders are regarded as the worst sort of scum. Privacy is regarded as depraved. Individual liberty is disregarded. Many of the military characters slaughter alien life forms or impose dramatic and coercive changes on alien cultures with impunity. Fire phasers, full speed ahead, photon torpedoes, let’s crush some foes.

The jingoism in the original Trek had an internationalist flavor to it, but it was still mindless jingoism. Our side is good and right, their side is evil and vicious.

On the whole, I prefer Firefly or Serenity.