Star Trek was a science-fiction show from the late 1960s that spawned an animated series in the seventies, a series of movies from 1979 onwards, as well as a number of later television shows, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. Despite its technological trappings, the various incarnations of Star Trek focused mainly on social and political issues, as well as more general tales of adventure and discovery.
Off-topic: Pod Bay One
Our old speculative fiction podcast
Back in 2018, Josho Brouwers, Matthew Lloyd, and Joshua Hall started a podcast and website on speculative fiction called Pod Bay One. The website (and podcast) no longer exist, but we do get the occasional request to make the episodes available again, so here they are!
Living witness
Constructing the past on Star Trek: Voyager
One of Josho’s favourite episodes of the science-fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001) deals with the problems inherent in reconstructing the past, how the past influences the present, and how it paves the way to the future.
The modern Odysseus
Odysseus’ performs many ill-deeds on his twenty-year journey from Ithaca to Troy and back again. In the modern world, we are often enraptured by the details of his journey, but we can also be deeply ambivalent about the complicated man himself.
Odysseys in space
A cornerstone of world literature, the main idea behind Homer’s epic poem the Odyssey has been recycled as the basis for a few science-fiction TV shows.
Star Trek and the Classical world
There a number of episodes of the original 1960s Star Trek TV series that are clearly influenced by Classical myths and history. Josho Brouwers explores the subject in greater detail.