Star Trek, American Military Policy, and the Developing World

Abstract

In the preceding chapter, I outlined how a progressive ontology/teleology informs the Star Trek franchise. Nevertheless, there is a notable shift in Star Trek that occurs between the original series and The Next Generations. This chapter focuses on this shift. Importantly, the original series sought to directly comment on US foreign policy and the Cold War, whereas The Next Generation explicitly forewent these issues. Moreover, while the original series hinted at the clash of civilizations between the Federation, the Klingons, and the Romulans,1 The Next Generation centers its narrative on this clash, and the idea that the world system is inherently unstable—as are the politics of the developing world. Very significantly, The Next Generation expands on the original series’ notions of social justice and universalism.