I love Star Trek. I watched the original TV series (yes I’m that old) and then later the Next Generation and Voyager, and of course I’ve seen all of the movies (even that terrible one with the whale LOL). Having read excerpts from this week’s readings, on this rainy day I’m wondering, is it possible to go just a little too far? Maybe it’s the rain dragging down my attitude, but I’ve also watched the movie Trekkers, and although it was a while ago, I remember thinking: they are over-the-top! But what’s wrong with that, if it results in the type of gains that we’ve seen, whether it’s Star Trek, Harry Potter, or some other lens, if you’re getting results then it should be celebrated.
In an incredibly timely tweet this week from Mashable, I read about how “President Obama reveals himself as the most powerful 'Star Trek' fan on Earth”. In the article, Obama references several pop culture sci fi, including Minority Report, the Matrix, and the Martian, however his main focus was Star Trek (which as you may already know is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year!). His full interview transcript with MIT and Wired is found here entitled Final Frontiers, discussing the future of technology and role of government, there’s also an embedded video clip of the interview. If you scroll about ¾ of the way down you can watch a second embedded video clip, with Obama discussing how Star Trek shapes the future, or click here for a direct link to that video clip (4:16). Further to this interview, Obama guest-edited a special edition of Wired – called Frontiers. Week 6 Required Readings: Karen Anijar. Teaching Toward the 24th Century: Star Trek as Social Curriculum (Pedagogy and Popular Culture). New York : Falmer Press, 2003. Access through library collection: http://books1.scholarsportal.info.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/viewdoc.html?id=/ebooks/ebooks2/taylorandfrancis/2013-03-10/1/9780203011300 Reading: CHAPTER 4 “Klingon as Curriculum: Militias, Minstrel Shows, & Other Language Games”; and CHAPTER 5 “Resistance Is Futile: You Will Be Assimilated into the Predatory Jungle”; (Pp 142-170)
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