Every other article about the new “Star Trek” reboot linked the movie to hope … to change … and the Age of Obama.
BTW, shouldn’t an Age actually get a year or two under its belt before we label it as such?
But the film reveals something a bit different – a surprising conservative streak. Or at least a few red meat moments for the disheartened GOP crowd.
Two scenes in the new movie come to mind.
First, James T. Kirk (Chris Pine standing in for William Shatner) tosses off a line about the folly of diplomacy when dealing with intergalactic vermin.
SPOILER ALERT …
Later, when Kirk and Spock (Zachary Quinto) appear to have the upper hand on an enemy, Kirk suggests showing some mercy as a way of winning hearts and minds.
But Spock will have none of it.
Now, a conservative might latch onto these moments as a rare example of his or her philosophy making it onto the big screen. I suspect something less ideological at play. It could simply be blockbuster movie pandering or just a way to nudge the story forward.
Ultimately, labeling the film conservative for those moments is nearly as foolish as slapping the Age of Obama tag on a movie sight unseen.
UPDATE: Slate’s reliable left-leaner Dana Stevens chimes in, ignores the facts on the ground and shares a little love for The One – OK, a lot: (hat tip: Kyle Smith)
Yet in a weird way, Star Trek’s cheerfully square naiveté makes it the perfect film for our first summer of (slimly) renewed hope. It’s a blockbuster for the Obama age, when smarts and idealism are cool again. In fact, can’t you picture our president—levelheaded, biracial, implacably smart—on the bridge in a blue shirt and pointy ears?
(Photo: Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine play the iconic roles of Spock and Kirk in “Star Trek.”)
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I'm an award-winning journalist and film critic with more than a decade of experience in newspapers, magazines and the Web. I'm a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association and the Denver Film Critics Society.
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It’s not necessarily a celebration, but it at least shows that conservative principals, no matter how it’s masked, solve problems. Many movies have that. The movie business alone is one big capitalistic, money-hungry, greedy venture.
@Christian Toto
It’s funny that you ask if the “Star Trek” prequel is conservative since I’ve begun to notice certain right-leaning elements in the franchise overall. While pretty liberal in terms of sexuality and economics, Star Trek is quite conservative in other areas.
*The Federation has a “hope for peace, prepare for war” midset. Thus, though the USS Enterprise is an exploration vessel, it is still well-armed to confront known and unknown dangers. National security conservatives love that idea.
*Episodes in its various Star Trek series have flatly condemned such practices as assisted suicide, euthanasia, and genetic engineering of humans. (Clearly, the Federation would frown on President Obama’s support of embryonic stem cell research.) So, ST would appeal to social conservatives.
Hence, Star Trek could be considered more moderate than purely liberal as sci-fi goes.
Star Trek is liberal, and always has been. I enjoy it the same way I enjoy most TV shows and movies – simply ignoring the liberalism.
However, Star Trek in particular has always had this amusing little extra. For all the blahblah about diplomacy, understanding and nuance, ultimately, problems get solved by blowing stuff up. It must drive the scriptwriters nuts.
Must crappo politics infest everything like cholesterol in a MacDonald’s Mega Bacon Cheeseburger? Who gives a pint-sized photon phaser blast on stun who fictional characters, pursuing other fictional characters, would vote for? Maybe in their fictional future no one votes, they just listen to smooth reassuring orators on their wired-in televiewers promising new and better runabouts and daily free gaacck – and simply elect them with a press of a button.
…Hmmm…what’s maddeningly familiar about that?
In all fairness, I took Newsweek to task last week for claiming that Obama is Spock and I really don’t care for someone trying to “re-cast” the movie in a conservative light, either. Let’s enjoy the entertainment for what it is–good (hopefully) entertainment! Not everything has to be about politics; and I find myself looking for outlets that are more-or-less politics-free so I don’t drive myself crazy beating my head against a wall because of the latest idiotic, socialist policy of Obama and/or Congress.
D Jones – I wrapped this post with a similar sentiment. Recast a movie to fit your own ideology and you’re heading for trouble – sometimes.
And yeah, I often seek out ideology-free outlets. It gives me a break from politics, and frankly it’s often the way things should be. When I pick up GQ, I wanna read about issues pertaining to men, not the latest anti-Bush diatribe.
Star Trek, to the extent it represents the vision of its creator, Gene Roddenberry, is more “Old Left” than anything else. Reflecting the politics held by most Democrats prior to the 1960s. Roddenberry was a Navy fighter pilot in WWII, and developed his political ideas within the Democrat mainstream of the 1940s and ’50s — a contradictory mish-mash which included both a Marxoid disdain for “dirty commerce” and individualist sentiments in matters of free expression and race relations. And a heaping-helping of militarism to ram it all down everyone’s throats — combined with a “non-intervention” rule applied to primitive societies.
So it is hardly remarkable that both modern liberals and conservatives can find things to like about Roddenberry’s vision, even in this “rebooted” version.
I must say, i have not paid to see or purchased a movie since hollywood went Bush crazy. Those highly enlightened, so much smarter than everyone have lost ALL of my business. Very tired of agendas and America bashing until the socialist got in and now all is right with the world. America is over and done with. Surely, now they must be all be happy.
The original series had liberal and conservative elements, depending on the writer, but one very conservative episode was the one where Kirk and Spock are tested by aliens trying to understand “good and evil.” Kirk and Spock are on a good team with Abraham Lincoln and the pacifist founder of Vulcan civilization. The other team has history’s meanest conquerors and criminals. The pacifist Vulcan is kiiled. Good ends up winning by thrashing the bad guys. The aliens naturally ask what is the difference, since the same methods were used…violence. Kirk says, “What did you offer them if they won?” The answer: “What they wanted most…power.” Kirk says, “You offered me the lives of my crew.” The alien says, “I perceive.” If only we could perceive.
Actually, here is a link to the Newsweek review of the film saying that it isn’t “progressive enough”. Ha, i hope this film makes a ton!
http://www.newsweek.com/id/196005