Everything I Needed To Learn In Life, I Learned From “Star Trek”

by Katy on May 5, 2009 · 10 comments

 

In the name of Star Trek hype, the following is a reprint of a previously published blog. Enjoy. 

I am a geek.

I am in fact a super geek. Not only do I think that everything related to frugality is fascinating. (Have I told you about my homemade laundry detergent? Really, I already did? Can I tell you again?) I have about zero interest in being cool. Clothing, makeup and even popular music hold little interest for me. (This has been frustrating to my friends, who think I could be so pretty if I “just wore a little bit of makeup.”)

My lack of the cool gene is actually quite freeing.

Because I’m free to pursue interests others wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. For example:

Star Trek.

I have rediscovered the different Star Trek series’ through the library, (The Next Generation, Voyager, Deep Space Nine and Enterprise) and have felt great watching these shows with my sons. I came to realize that the ethics I’m trying to impart to my kids are perfectly mirrored within the various series.

Higher Education: All the officers worked hard to go to Star Fleet Academy. It was hard work, but worth all the studying.

Conflict Resolution: The crews of the various ships are constantly trying to find diplomatic resolution to conflicts. 

Non-Consumerism: Future Earth has done away with money. The one species obsessed with profit, (the Ferengi) are seen as greedy and unattractive.

Tolerance: The main mission of the Federation is to, “Seek out new life and new civilization.” Accepting and embracing each another’s differences is the whole point of the show.

Intellectual Curiosity: The characters are always striving to learn new things.

Environmental Responsibility: The various starship crews are always very aware of environmental concerns. Whether that’s prevention, or helping a planet to reverse damage.

So go ahead and call me a geek, you can even go so far as to call me a Trekkie. Just don’t call me a money grubbing Ferengi. That would simply be going too far.

Live long and prosper.

Please confess your geeked-out Star Trek stories in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

 

{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }

Jinger May 6, 2009 at 6:02 am

My only connection to Star Trek is that one of my former students, who is now at Paramount, worked on the movie!!!! And he was and is, truly a geek….and a very gifted one at that!

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Kristen @TheFrugalGirl May 6, 2009 at 6:04 am

Katy, this is one way we are very different.

Sci-fi and The Frugal Girl just do NOT mix. lol

I’m glad that you derive enjoyment from the show, though.

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Angela May 6, 2009 at 10:24 am

No kidding- I attended the 30th anniversary Star Trek convention with my husband in 1996 in Huntsville, AL. It was a two-day geek fest, and one of the best things I’ve ever done. He was the Star Trek fan, I was there as an observer. At the convention I came to see the beauty in what these people believed in, the tolerance and hope for a better and more equitable world.

It was the last time all the original principle actors were together. I love the post and totally agree with your conclusions.

Have you watched the documentary “Trekkies?” It’s very entertaining.

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marianne May 7, 2009 at 3:10 am

warp drive may come soon! this has to be compacty somehow.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090506/sc_space/startrekswarpdrivenotimpossible

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Tracy May 7, 2009 at 1:57 pm

Embrace it, Katy! You’re right, the crew does embody all of those attributes!!

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Kristin @ klingtocash May 9, 2009 at 1:52 am

We saw the new Star Trek movie tonight (with coupons, of course). It was fantastic. I was really shocked by how good it was.

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totalchangeofheart June 1, 2009 at 12:54 pm

Oh, Katy, I’ve been reading this blog all day long, and I knew I liked you – but now, now that “like” has turned to “love.”

I agree COMPLETELY with EVERYTHING that you’ve said here. Star Trek is the embodiment of the human potential for goodness, and we too watch it with our children (now 3 and 5, so they don’t quite get ALL of it yet) to impart some of those ideals onto them.

We are fanatical, proud, and loyal Star Trek geeks, and I’m so glad to see a post about the qualities of Star Trek here on your simple living blog. You are marvelous!

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Carrie September 21, 2009 at 1:51 pm

Hi,

Thanks for this. Love Star Trek – so does my brother. Some of this is going into my speech for his wedding!

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Mand01 September 8, 2016 at 10:19 pm

Yep – this is me as well. I’m starting to introduce my youngest to the beauty of Trek now. It’s a wonderful thing.
True story: when we were broke, we entertained ourselves by watching TNG on VHS (!) borrowed from the library and playing Monopoly. We had no money to do anything else. Good times.
Not really – but we did love TNG!

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Dev September 9, 2016 at 3:41 pm

I love all the Star Trek series. I renamed our dogs 2 of 9 and 4 of 9 primary adjuncts to unimatrix 1. Their birth order in a litter of 9.
I love the optimism of the show.

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