Alien Culture
Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 1:25 am
Attempting to bring together a few of the going thread, I thought I'd start a thread discussing the nature and purpose of alien cultures in trek -
Obviously, we've got alien humanoid cultures that are closer to being human than other. Vulcans, Andorians, Denobulans, Klingons, Bjorans, Cardassians. . .the list goes on. Each seems to have been based on some facet of human culture but be made alien - for both story purposes as well as to allow us to explore non human culture, which is part of the joy of being a sci fi fan. I do think that the best of the trek humanoid races - Klingons, Vulcans and Bajorans drew their inspiration from from various human cultures but rapidly evolved into something different and separate from anything Earthly (all the better to explore stories that enlighten human foibles). Vulcan culture is probably the most unique and alien - but does have similarities to Buddhist, Taoists and even - thanks to Leonard Nimoy - ancient Jewish mystics. Although, none of those traditions reject emotion in the way of the Vulcans, making them alien.
I've always thought Andorians, especially in the ENT era, were the intellectual opposites of Vulcans.
Klingons drew their inspiration - I have read - from both Viking and Samurai tribal/feudal culture but have evolved into a fundamentally alien culture - one that provides a rival to the high civilization of the Federation.
I know Ron Moore stated that the Bajorans could be representative of the Irish or the Palestinians or any old culture suffering under occupation - but removed from Earth politics so that the stories could explore implications without stepping on political toes.
Meanwhile, there are the aliens - like the Tholians - that are not descendants of the Preservers. That are far removed from being humanoid - and are therefore more different than the still different non humans.
But I do think that one needs to respect the fact that each of the humanoid cultures that evolved from the seeded DNA of the Preservers needs to be respected as its own, unique culture. Forcing human values/mores on them is merely xenophobia - the kind of which GR rejected over and over. That doesn't make them - or the non humanoid aliens - less valuable or entitled to rights or privileges. Heck, it doesn't even make them less interesting. It makes them more interesting.
*edited to correct the Swedish spelling of bajoran to the proper English one
Obviously, we've got alien humanoid cultures that are closer to being human than other. Vulcans, Andorians, Denobulans, Klingons, Bjorans, Cardassians. . .the list goes on. Each seems to have been based on some facet of human culture but be made alien - for both story purposes as well as to allow us to explore non human culture, which is part of the joy of being a sci fi fan. I do think that the best of the trek humanoid races - Klingons, Vulcans and Bajorans drew their inspiration from from various human cultures but rapidly evolved into something different and separate from anything Earthly (all the better to explore stories that enlighten human foibles). Vulcan culture is probably the most unique and alien - but does have similarities to Buddhist, Taoists and even - thanks to Leonard Nimoy - ancient Jewish mystics. Although, none of those traditions reject emotion in the way of the Vulcans, making them alien.
I've always thought Andorians, especially in the ENT era, were the intellectual opposites of Vulcans.
Klingons drew their inspiration - I have read - from both Viking and Samurai tribal/feudal culture but have evolved into a fundamentally alien culture - one that provides a rival to the high civilization of the Federation.
I know Ron Moore stated that the Bajorans could be representative of the Irish or the Palestinians or any old culture suffering under occupation - but removed from Earth politics so that the stories could explore implications without stepping on political toes.
Meanwhile, there are the aliens - like the Tholians - that are not descendants of the Preservers. That are far removed from being humanoid - and are therefore more different than the still different non humans.
But I do think that one needs to respect the fact that each of the humanoid cultures that evolved from the seeded DNA of the Preservers needs to be respected as its own, unique culture. Forcing human values/mores on them is merely xenophobia - the kind of which GR rejected over and over. That doesn't make them - or the non humanoid aliens - less valuable or entitled to rights or privileges. Heck, it doesn't even make them less interesting. It makes them more interesting.
*edited to correct the Swedish spelling of bajoran to the proper English one