Star Trek: The Human Frontier

Plot

In a world that has been shrunk by modern communications and transport, Star Trek has maintained the values of Western maritime exploration, and the discovery of Strange New Worlds in space. This Starry Sea has become a familiar metaphor in the 30-year history of Star Trek, providing a backdrop to the relentless questioning of human nature. The progressive politics that underpinned the original programme is still very much a part of Star Trek's overall philosophy. The earlier series of Star Trek shows a faith in science and rationalism, and in a benign, liberal leadership. This modern order is now in decline, as we can see in the introduction of religion, mental illness and fragmented identities in Deep Space Nine and Voyager.