Gene Roddenberry designed the original Star Trek series, which was broadcast on the NBC television network from 1966-1969, to focus more on relatable characters than on futuristic technology and sci-fi hardware, a format preference which most of the subsequent space adventures consistently fail to follow. This dichotomy is played for its ability to compel viewers to compare the crew of the starship Enterprise with themselves and other genuine people.

There are three lead characters that head a highly credible cast on Star Trek. Captain James T. Kirk (center) is played by William Shatner. Leonard Nimoy plays Mr. Spock, the half-human, half-Vulcan science officer (right). Medical doctor Leonard McCoy (left) is played by DeForest Kelley. Most cast members and guest stars on this series serve as examples of a wide range of human qualities that can be identified and accepted by viewers. Even though the stories of space exploration adventure function on one level as escapist enjoyment, there is a clear, yet covert undercurrent of persuasion at work in Star Trek, particularly in its characters. Also see: Reverse engineering Star Trek characters. The characters and the stories in which they are involved on Star Trek communicate clear, identifiable ideas to think about so that the audience can be enlightened and persuaded. This persuasive power does not necessarily continue to other productions in the Star Trek television and motion picture franchise after the 1960s ended.

In the original series, the frisky Captain Kirk is intensely motivated by a strong “risk is my business” value system. His hardy fascination with action and adventure typically smothers any hint of restraint or uncertainty, making him the ideal starship captain. What defines him especially well is his blend of patriarchal leadership abilities with a preference for flowing with his inner feelings. He often falls easily into outward passion for his career as well as into quickie one-night stands with numerous females, never worrying at all if his partners are human or alien.

At the same time, Kirk behaves as one who is peace loving, well trained, and capable of transmitting the political and social values and ideologies of his employer, the United Federation of Planets. He is the prime emissary for the central, prescriptive value system in Star Trek, the so-called “IDIC philosophy,” in which the truly advanced life forms are those who take “great delight in the infinite diversity which comes from infinite combinations” in all living things. Kirk regularly demonstrates for viewers that many of our highly valued qualities—-love, heroism, curiousity, ingenuity by themselves are not sufficient for a successful life. Moreover, he proves that true excellence in human existence requires much more than merely using sophisticated technology.

Discover the “Trek TOS Twelve“–the one dozen most representatives Star Trek episodes from the original series.

Time and again the use of the Enterprise weaponry and other hardware cannot by itself save Kirk and his crew from danger. Instead, the basic values associated with learning how to advance ourselves philosophically, spiritually, and culturally prove to be essential for human safety and survival.

In “The City on the Edge of Forever,” as an example, Kirk cannot make much use of futuristic technology because he, Spock, and McCoy have been transported back in time to the comparatively primitive 1930s on Earth. McCoy has changed history in that time period by saving the life of Edith Keeler, a pivotal antiwar activist. If Keeler lives, she will prevent the U.S. from entering World War II for a brief period, and thus give the Nazi alliance time to develop their own atom bomb and ultimately be victorious. In turn, no United Federation of Planets will develop, and there will be no starship Enterprise. None of the technology and hardware can assist Kirk as he must insure that Keeler is killed in an accident in order to save life as they know it in the Star Trek universe. Kirk’s painful sacrifice of this woman with whom he has fallen in lust (love?), is the only thing that earns him and his crew safety.

Likewise, Spock is involved in conveying particular viewpoints about many desirable human qualities. He is first of all a model of high personal integrity and strong will. Struggling constantly for self-esteem and to fit in somehow with the rest of society, Spock supresses his human side and emotions, opting instead to be ultra logical as all Vulcans are. Not surprisingly, this causes him much trouble because, by dealing with emotional humans using only pure logic, Spock’s basic drive for top efficiency in his career inevitably begins to suffer.

In “Journey to Babel,” for example, Spock’s logic blinds him to the motivations of passion and greed that are behind an assassination attempt on Kirk. This same logical preference precludes Spock from being able to balance his need to serve his parents while also serving his mission. Spock nearly allows his father to die for lack of a blood transfusion that only Spock can give because logic dictates that his command duties must supercede personal problems.

In “Amok Time,” no matter how valiantly Spock tries to suppress his violent Vulcan sexuality, he has to allow those powerful inner drives and passions to explode as they must. Such inner turmoil provides Spock with a highly unique individuality. No sci-fi character since has so credibly developed such stunning contrasts between alien versus human nature. And yet, Spock also represents gentleness, fairness and intelligence, each portrayed as worth emulating. Much to the credit of Leonard Nimoy’s acting abilities, Spock stands out as a significant illustration of how a television character can entertain and persuade using a strong underlying sentiment that clearly defines the beliefs, customs, and behaviors of society.

The dependable Dr. McCoy is significant for the viewpoints he exemplifies as well. His easily ignited temper is well balanced by old family doctor compassion and ingenuity. He fusses and sputters a lot about how impersonal all the medical technology has made caring for patients. And yet, he clearly represents a basic humanitarian sensitivity and respect for life that are what really make the futuristic hardware of his profession useful to him.

Both of these qualities, for example, make him decidedly unmilitaristic when compared to his fellow starship officers and crew members. In “Bread and Circuses” he has great difficulty even defending himself in a Roman-style gladiatorial bout into which he has been forced. And, the price of McCoy’s strong dedication to his mission is a basic loneliness that points out to viewers how personal sacrifices are sometimes needed if one is to be effective. For instance, “For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky” is an episode that explores the doomed love affair between a terminally ill McCoy and the lovely high priestess, Natira of Yonada. How McCoy copes with his own slow death is set against the struggle to convince Natira that her world is also soon to end when it collides with a heavily populated planet. While McCoy and Natira grasp for every precious moment together, the story makes a strong statement about how people can bolster each other’s strengths to survive.

Certainly, of course, there are flaws in the viewpoints conveyed in Star Trek. The Western-world-biased mission of the Enterprise is perhaps the most important shortcoming of Star Trek’s persuasive entertainment. The dominant Federation bullyishly prevails over weaker and nonalligned planetary societies as if everyone chooses to ignore the Federation’s Prime Directive of noninterference. This communicates an American chauvenism-–an unreasoning, blind devotion to the principle that democracy must be preserved in the galaxy, that conformity to this majority view will be maintained, even if it must be forced upon the nonconformists and defended with force and violence.

The episode “Errand of Mercy” underscores this value system as highly advanced aliens known as Organians bring the Enterprise crew and archrivals the Klingons into an unwanted peace treaty. The Organians try to teach Kirk, Spock, and McCoy—-unwilling pupils all-—that any civilization which tolerates force and violence in itself is self-defeating and doomed to failure. This creates a sharp argument for facing our future with something other than our present-day political and social values.

Despite of its limitations, however, Star Trek is a compelling prototype for persuasive storytelling on television. Since this series broke away from the industry’s standard of offering only light fare with little or no idea-orientation, the staying power of Star Trek perhaps should not be such an enigma. Many of the now 40 year-old persuasive viewpoints in Star Trek remain nonetheless freshly relevant in the face of rapidly changing political and social concerns of today. This itself is undoubtedly the most important lesson that viewers and scholars alike can learn from Star Trek. Since the viewpoints in the series as a whole live on long after many of the mid-sixties production techniques and storytelling conventions became outmoded, Star Trek merits viewers’ awareness of what is possible to accomplish in dramatic entertainment.