To Boldly Go Into Star Trek Culture and History

We have been asked to look at the pilots of different Star Treks and rank them based on which episode was most socially and culturally relevant at the time it aired.  Here is how I would rank them:  (1) “The Cage.”  Star Trek:   The Original Series Aired 1965 as a Pilot. This is the first pilot of the series. I don't feel there would be a Star Trek without this episode. Although a lot is changed after this episode, I feel that the willingness to look at complex issues such as gender sets the tone for the rest of the franchise moving forward.  (2) “Encounter at Far Point.”  Star Trek:   The Next Generation Aired  September 28th, 1987. This is the first pilot and series premier for The Next Generation. For me this was my main entrance into Star Trek Television. I had seen the Star Trek Movies, but leaping even further into the future of Star Trek made me a life long fan so some nostalgia might be warping my judgment on this ranking....

Stardate: 96868.81   In this unit I've been learning about the history of television and its impact on the development of programming.  Our Starlog post for this unit is to examine how the business model of network television both helped and constrain the development of Star Trek. Network executives during the sixties had to find programing that was both appealing to children but also deep enough for parents to enjoy. I am still old enough to remember pre-cable where there were only three major networks and night time became family viewing around the television. Television programs had to appeal to a wide diversity of viewers demographics.  The appeal of the child helped the early development of Star Trek.  The space adventure feel of the program with the distant planets and alien creatures were very appealing to the youthful imaginations of children captivated with current events of the space race of the sixties. The gadgets li...

I'm going on an adventure but this time I'm going into Space....The Final Frontier. I'm taking a new edX Course from Smithsonian titled Star Trek: Inspiring Culture and Technology . This will be my third course from edX. I leaned a lot in my previous course Rise of the Superheroes that I was able to incorporate into my lessons with my own students I teach. I blogged about it at Up In The Sky Look: It's A Bird. It's A Plane.... . I hope to further my learning of culture, history, and ways to incorporate the things I love with the students I teach. This StarLog will serve as my record of things I learn, reflections of ways I can  incorporate pop culture and technology into my classroom, and a place where I can connect with other students taking this course. via GIPHY So as Captain Picard says " Engage " and lets learn about the impact Star Trek hand on America's culture and technology. Current Course Progress: Chief Warrant Officer Rank...