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Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast

Meta Treks is a Trek.fm podcast dedicated to a deep examination of the philosophical ideas found in Star Trek. In each episode, Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison take you on a fascinating journey into the inner workings of Star Trek storytelling, deeper into subspace than you've ever traveled before.
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Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast
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Now displaying: Category: Political Philosophy
Jun 4, 2019

Utopianism in Star Trek.  

The Star Trek universe is sometimes claimed to be a utopia. From technological progress to an enlightened view of human nature and equal opportunity, the vision of the future depicted in Star Trek is often touted by fans as the best possible future for humankind. An often-overlooked aspect of utopianism, however, is that "utopia" literally means "no place," calling into question the plausibility of such an optimistic future. 

From intragalactic wars to power-hungry admirals to secret government organizations, the struggles of the 23rd and 24th centuries are all very familiar to us here in the 21st century, potentially undermining the very notion of human progress for which Star Trek is so famous. With the overall darker tone of Star Trek: Discovery and, to a lesser extent, Star Trek: Enterprise before that, it is reasonable to ask whether fans themselves, when pressed, really do still believe in the Star Trek vision of the future. 

In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling discuss utopianism in the Star Trek universe, whether Star Trek should really be considered a utopia after all, the dark sides of "perfect" societies, and the importance of having an idealistic vision of future human society—a modern-day take on a futuristic Plato's Republic—whether or not that ideal future is possible to achieve.  


Chapters
Intro (00:01:19)
Initial Thoughts on Utopianism in the Star Trek Universe (00:01:55)
DS9 and Criticisms of Federation Utopia (00:06:33)
What Ways is the Society of the 24th Century Utopian? (00:12:50)
The Role of Human Improvement in a Utopian Society (00:19:40)
Non-Utopian Aspects of Society in Star Trek (00:21:48)
Do Fans Believe in the Utopian Message of Star Trek? (00:33:50)
Plato's Republic and the Perfect Society (00:42:23)
Counter Culture Moving Humanity Forward (00:50:11)
Kirk: Destroyer of Utopias vs. Picard: Preserver of Utopias (00:57:50)
Final Thoughts (01:06:07)
Closing (01:09:34) 

Hosts
Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling 

Production
Mike Morrison (Editor) Zachary Fruhling (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Shaw (Associate Producer) Mark Walker (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

Jan 14, 2019

Equality and Equal Rights.  

Equality in the United Federation of Planets is often taken for granted, that alien life forms are entitled to the same rights, privileges, and opportunities as humans. But to which beings does this equality extend? Humanoids? Only sentient life forms? Intelligent androids? Whales? Nanites? And equality in what sense? Political equality? Moral equality? Equality under the law? Equality of opportunity?  

In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss the philosophy of equality in the Star Trek universe, from issues of accessibility for disabled Starfleet officers such as Commander LaForge (TNG) and Ensign Melora (DS9: "Melora"), to the rights of non-humanoid life forms, whether intelligent whales here on Earth (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) or non-human aliens such as the Horta (TOS: "The Devil in the Dark") and the Sheliak (TNG: "The Ensigns of Command").  


Chapters 
Intro (00:01:19) 
Equality - Making a Distinction (00:03:16) 
Political Equality Over Time in Star Trek (00:04:49) 
Moral Equality in the Federation (00:11:22) 
Moral Equality and Future Potential (00:20:25) 
Equality Under the Law, Equal Rights, and the Ethics of Care (00:28:07) 
Equality and Exploitation (00:33:48) 
Deep Space Nine and Equal Opportunity (00:36:34) 
Starfleet and the Federation: Is the Captains Life More Valuable? (00:46:42) 
Our Attitude Toward Other Cultures in the 24th Century (00:55:34) 
Closing (00:58:52)  

Hosts 
Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison  

Production 
Mike Morrison (Editor) Zachary Fruhling (Producer) Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Shaw (Associate Producer) Mark Walker (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

Oct 2, 2017

Philosophical Themes in Star Trek: Discovery, Episodes 1 and 2.   

Every Star Trek television series is a mirror, reflecting and illuminating the moral dilemmas and the political issues of its time. The premier episodes of Star Trek: Discovery, "The Vulcan Hello" and "Battle at the Binary Stars," are no exception. While it is still too early to know yet what Star Trek: Discovery will eventually become, and the ongoing relevance it will have as current events unfold, it is possible, at least tentatively, to identify several philosophical and political themes. From the nature of leadership and political unity, to the gamesmanship of war in a state of mutual distrust, to race relations across political borders, Star Trek: Discovery boldly goes into the social and political unknown, providing 23rd-century commentary on our 21st-century world.  


In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling, fresh on the heels of the premier of Star Trek: Discovery, discuss their tentative interpretations of the philosophical and allegorical themes in "The Vulcan Hello" and "Battle at the Binary Stars."  

Chapters 
Intro (00:01:20) 
Initial Thoughts About Star Trek: Discovery (00:06:16) 
Analogous Ideas and Hermeneutical Interpretation (00:11:20) 
Comparing Klingons (00:16:22) 
Preemptive War and the Hobbesian State of Nature (00:20:13) 
Klingon Messianic Restorationist (00:30:56) 
Nationalism vs. Multiculturalism (00:40:10) 
Touchstones to TOS, ENT, and Kelvin Movies (00:50:49) 
Michael Burnham and the Traumatic Chain (00:58:56) 
Striking Balance Between Emotion and Logic (01:05:25) 
The Contrasting Ethics of Captains (01:12:59) 
Geopolitical Diversity (01:16:05) 
Final Thoughts (01:25:19) 
Closing (01:31:59) 

Hosts 
Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling  

Production 
Mike Morrison (Editor) Zachary Fruhling (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Shaw (Associate Producer) Mark Walker (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

Feb 8, 2016

The Paradox of the Philosopher King.  

In the third-season TOS episode "Plato's Stepchildren," the Platonians claim to have modeled their society on the ideals of the Greek philosopher Plato. Parmen, the leader of the Platonians, even claims to be a philosopher king as described in Plato's dialog, the Republic. In this episode of Meta Treks, find out what the Plutonians got right and what they got wrong about Plato's philosophy.

Hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss Plato's Paradox of the Philosopher King in "Plato's Stepchildren" and other places in the Star Trek universe, such as: General Martok as leader of the Klingon High Council, Commander Riker as the captain who wouldn't sit down in the Big Chair, Captain Picard as the captain who wouldn't become an admiral (or a badmiral), and Quark's brother Rom as the unlikeliest candidate for Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance. 

Chapters 
Welcome to Episode 15 (00:01:07) 
Meta Treks iTunes Reviews (00:02:25) 
The Paradox of the Philosopher King (00:06:56) 
Star Trek and the Ideal Society (00:08:43) 
Not Seeking Power for its Own Sake (00:11:38) 
Philosopher Kings in Star Trek: Martok (00:12:52) 
Captain Picard - Authority from Above or Below (00:15:57) 
Authority and Hierarchy (00:18:25) 
Commander Riker - The Captain Who Wouldn't Sit Down (00:20:24) 
Plato and Forms - Justice in Itself (00:21:48) 
Plato and the Allegory of the Cave (00:29:46) 
Philosopher Kings or Bumbling Fools? (00:35:50) 
Plato's Stepchildren (00:37:22) 
Kirk and Uhura - Social Commentary and Society's Ideals (00:38:39) 
The Platonians - Getting Plato Right and Getting Plato Wrong (00:40:23) 
Rom - The Paradox of the Philanthropist Grand Nagus (01:00:57) 
Final Thoughts (01:05:21) 

Hosts 
Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison 
 
Production 
Dennis Castello (Editor and Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) 

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