Monday, April 21, 2008

Let That Be Your Last Battlefield ...

... is one of my favorite episodes of the original Star Trek series.

Click here to watch it on-line.
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4 comments:

Unknown said...

Back in the 80s a group of nerds had a theme party where you had to dress as your favorite Star Trek character BUT also had to incorporate some Hawaiian theme. Two friends, one black and one white each colored half their face the opposite color. Their shirts were custom made with little images of the NCC1701 blasting through palm trees. All the nerds bowed to them.

4/22/2008 6:25 AM
Alan said...

Not one of my favorites as a kid because it lacked a certain level of action and drama, but as I got older I appreciated it.

The money part:

Bele: It is obvious to the most simpleminded that Lokai is of an inferior breed.

Spock: The obvious visual evidence, Commissioner,
is that he is of the same breed as yourself.

Bele: Are you blind, Commander Spock? Well, look at me.
Look at me!

Spock: You're black on one side and white on the other.

Bele: I am black on the right side.

Spock: I fail to see the significant difference.

Bele (w/ disgust): Lokai is white on the right side. All of his people are white on the right side.


Though there are achronisms, such as using the term "breed" instead of species or ethnic group.

Also in another part of the episode, Bele displays astonishment that some of our people beleive we have descended from apes (demonstrating that even in the 23rd century, the idea of evolution is controversial).

Spock responds using another fallacy -- "The actual theory is that ail life-forms evolved from the lower levels to the more advanced stages".

This is the idea of "advancement" or "progress" that many mistakenly think of when they think of evolution. SJ Gould makes a good refutation of this argument in his book Full House.

4/22/2008 12:02 PM
Hume's Ghost said...

Yes, Michael Ruse has also written an excellent book on the effect of evolution on teleology - Darwin on Design - which touches on our conceptual diffuclty in doing away with the notion of teleology.

4/22/2008 4:42 PM
Hume's Ghost said...

Darwin and Design, I meant.

4/22/2008 4:43 PM

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