Star Trek & Lincoln

[DannyW]

Ok I realize this may be a silly post but I watched the original series of Star Trek recently. On the last disc there was an episode titled “ The Savage Curtain .” Captain Kirk & Spock were on this planet & the people or beings inhabiting the planet were demonstrating the concepts of good & evil . All of a sudden President Lincoln appears to demonstrate good . So, he along with Captain Kirk , Spock & other crew members did battle with the evil inhabitants. Said all of that to say this , I just think it shows the impact of President Lincoln & how well he is thought of in the American psyche & also world wide.

[David Lockmiller]

(08-24-2023 11:19 AM)DannyW Wrote:  Ok I realize this may be a silly post but I watched the original series of Star Trek recently. On the last disc there was an episode titled “ The Savage Curtain .” Captain Kirk & Spock were on this planet & the people or beings inhabiting the planet were demonstrating the concepts of good & evil . All of a sudden President Lincoln appears to demonstrate good . So, he along with Captain Kirk , Spock & other crew members did battle with the evil inhabitants. Said all of that to say this , I just think it shows the impact of President Lincoln & how well he is thought of in the American psyche & also world wide.

This episode was on MeTV a couple of weeks ago. The concept of good and evil was being tested. Spock had is own "Lincoln" (Spock said: "Greetings, image of Cerak.")

At the end of the contest, the volcanic alien said that he saw saw no difference between good and evil. And, Captain Kirk then pointed out the difference in motivation. He and Spock fought to save the lives of the Enterprise crew; the villains had been promised immense wealth and power.

"Point well-taken. Go in peace." was the response of the advanced alien culture.

[David Lockmiller]

Another Star Trek connection to President Abraham Lincoln:

Nichelle Nichols caused a sensation in the 1960s for her role as Lieutenant Uhura in the classic television series, "Star Trek." It was one of the first times a black woman was cast as a main character in a major television show. But Nichols almost quit the show to pursue other dreams.

Ms. NICHOLS:

Well, I grew up in musical theater. To me, the highlight and the epitome of my life as a singer and actor and a dancer/choreographer was to star on Broadway. And as my popularity grew once the show was on the air, I was beginning to get all kinds of offers. And I decided I was going to leave, go to New York and make my way on the Broadway stage. And a funny thing happened.

I went in to tell Gene Roddenberry that I was leaving after the first season, and he was very upset about it. And he said, take the weekend and think about what I am trying to achieve here in this show. You're an integral part and very important to it. And so I said, yes, I would. And that - on Saturday night, I went to an NAACP fundraiser, I believe it was, in Beverly Hills. And one of the promoters came over to me and said, Ms. Nichols, there's someone who would like to meet you. He says he is your greatest fan.

And I'm thinking a Trekker, you know. And I turn, and before I could get up, I looked across the way and there was the face of Dr. Martin Luther King smiling at me and walking toward me. And he started laughing. By the time he reached me, he said, yes, Ms. Nichols, I am your greatest fan. I am that Trekkie.

And I was speechless. He complimented me on the manner in which I'd created the character. I thanked him, and I think I said something like, Dr. King, I wish I could be out there marching with you. He said, no, no, no. No, you don't understand. We don't need you on the - to march. You are marching. You are reflecting what we are fighting for. So, I said to him, thank you so much. And I'm going to miss my co-stars.

And his face got very, very serious. And he said, what are you talking about? And I said, well, I told Gene just yesterday that I'm going to leave the show after the first year because I've been offered - and he stopped me and said: You cannot do that. And I was stunned. He said, don't you understand what this man has achieved? For the first time, we are being seen the world over as we should be seen. He says, do you understand that this is the only show that my wife Coretta and I will allow our little children to stay up and watch. I was speechless.