"Star Trek: The Next Generation" Thread (Off-Topic)

by Leviathan , Hotel Zanzibar, Monday, December 09, 2013, 10:21 (4008 days ago) @ Cody Miller

Please tell me you are trolling.

How rude.

One thing Star Trek has reinforced in my mind is respect for others' perspectives. I loved Enterprise.

Really? Lol. The federation is based on the fact that your society has to have certain values and liberties to even JOIN the federation. Sounds like the opposite, where the goal is to create the best monoculture.

Not always huge fan of the Federation really, and TNG and many of the other shows sometime show its faults from time to time, which I've always enjoyed, but I don't view it as a monoculture at all (Starfleet might approach one though).

There's some common ground between the various societies, of course, but Klingons, Humans, Romulans, Andorians and others are vastly different in their practices and beliefs. The Federation holds them together through co-operation, not by dismantling their various perspectives. Since the shows mostly focus on a crew, yes, you're going to see a lack of uniqueness, as you would in any army/navy/air force crew, as its efficient and required for keeping the ship alive. But in the down time you see Picard studying his books, Worf burning and killing shit, a Vulcan meditating, or Odo sitting in a bucket.

Picard has repeatedly chastised other civilizations who believe in Gods, calling it superstitious nonsense. There's respect to the point where it starts to cause harm, and liking Enterprise definitely causes harm :-p

Picard sometimes did get frustrated over those things when it came down to certain dangerous situations - but he also spent much time deliberating on whether or not the ship should get involved at all, as well as spending most episodes preserving old, strange, and new cultures and religions. In fact, you could say his love for archaeology and new frontiers is completely founded on a deep interest for something different than the usual perspective, whether he believed in it or not.

He was also a great friend to Worf and respected his spiritual beliefs and traditions. You don't have to agree with someone to respect them.

Asking someone if they're trolling or if they're serious when they announce their opinion can imply that you think their view isn't worthy of being serious. It can come off condescending and disrespectful if you don't have any context clues to the tone in which it is said.