nemorathwald (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nemorathwald) wrote2009-01-20 08:19 pm
nemorathwald) wrote2009-01-20 08:19 pm
The Inaugural Address and Star Trek: Insurrection
After listening to the Obama inauguration speech, I rewatched Star Trek: Insurrection and noticed a serendipitous resonance of themes.
The most powerful political entity fears decline, so its leaders violate its founding principles in secret. Individuals take personal responsibility to sacrifice in support of ideals which, while undisputed, had been compromised for expedience.
One scene depicts a band of figures, very different from each other, standing shoulder to shoulder on a hilltop in defense of a weak nation not their own. It worked very well with some of the heroic imagery I was reading in the speech transcript. I don't really have a point, I just liked how it worked out.
There is an episode of The West Wing in which Josh tells a staffer not to wear a Star Trek pin at work, and she says "Starfleet and the whole Star Trek series is about honor and loyalty and civic duty." He tells her it's fine to be a fan, but don't make it a fetish. Of course he's right, and I don't make it a fetish, but on the other hand, this sort of thing is the reason that maybe it makes sense that Josh also says in the episode that he watches Star Trek.
By the way, if you're interested, here is an article about Obama's Sam Seaborn, Jon "Favs" Favreau.
The most powerful political entity fears decline, so its leaders violate its founding principles in secret. Individuals take personal responsibility to sacrifice in support of ideals which, while undisputed, had been compromised for expedience.
One scene depicts a band of figures, very different from each other, standing shoulder to shoulder on a hilltop in defense of a weak nation not their own. It worked very well with some of the heroic imagery I was reading in the speech transcript. I don't really have a point, I just liked how it worked out.
There is an episode of The West Wing in which Josh tells a staffer not to wear a Star Trek pin at work, and she says "Starfleet and the whole Star Trek series is about honor and loyalty and civic duty." He tells her it's fine to be a fan, but don't make it a fetish. Of course he's right, and I don't make it a fetish, but on the other hand, this sort of thing is the reason that maybe it makes sense that Josh also says in the episode that he watches Star Trek.
By the way, if you're interested, here is an article about Obama's Sam Seaborn, Jon "Favs" Favreau.