How Star Trek Positively Effects My Life/Cheers Me Up (Love: a Mega Dork)

[Crylie]

So I’ve liked Star Trek since I was a kid and everything, but right now it’s doing a very, very, VERY good job at cheering me up. I have always really liked the fatherly-ness of the character Leonard McCoy in the show; how he remains somewhat nurturing (despite grumpiness) because he’s a doctor and seems to be the humanitarian type, and how he misses his own daughter (probably every day) who is far, far away from him.

Within the last year my own father has decided to stop talking with me and seeing me altogether, for reasons unknown (perhaps just general disinterest) and it really, really is taking a toll on my emotions. So, when things get really, really bad internally and I am home all alone, I watch a couple Star Trek episodes before bed and I am comforted by the good morals/general good feelings Star Trek contains in its episodes. I am comforted by the character of Dr. McCoy because it makes me remember that there are plenty of men in this world like McCoy that do care very much about their daughters and that their lives would contain much suffering if their child were not with them.

Family has always been a very important symbol to me. There is nothing I look forward to more than having my own family in the future; I probably think of it every day. The thought of raising children in itself is enough to cheer me up. I become confident and I feel a sense of purpose and empowerment when I think of how differently I'll treat my children than my father has treated his--I want to give them something I had difficulty getting all of my young life. In a way, I'd like to mirror Dr. McCoy's passion for family unity and I'm very glad that his character displays it in the show.
There are many other reasons Star Trek cheers me up, but this is probably by far the most important instance for me; Star Trek makes me happy!

Are there any shows, films or music or books that have a similar effect on you?
I'd love to hear about them! c:
I know it may sound like a pretty weak way to cheer up in the darkness of anxiety, but certain books, shows, films and music can sometimes ease many pains for me, especially if I find relateable or inspiring characters within them.

[life]

i to like star trek, but i prefer THG, what i like about startrek is where (mostly) people care for other people (aliens), there non judgmental, they try to live and let live. I like the human society of star trek because there is no hunger, starvation, and people are not exploited, education and self improvement (for its own sake) is highly valued. Earths environment is well cared for, wildlife is not exploited, animals are rarely consumed (food and other products) tbh id rather live in a world like TNG rather than todays human society, i think startrek is a good ideal for the direction i think human society should follow.

[Inscrutable Banana]

I find Gene Roddenberry's vision of humanity in the future to be a bit too utopian and that the series as a whole has a tendency to put humanity on a pedestal compared to most of the other species that inhabit its universe. That being said, a lot of that stuff is certainly worth striving for even if we never fully reach it—assuming we don't drive ourselves to extinction before we reach parity with Star Trek's timeline, at any rate. ¬_¬

I'll admit that I've never really sat down and given the original series a fair chance, but I don't much care for it. Too much of a product of its time for my taste, and I didn't grow up with it so I don't have nostalgia coloring my judgement of it. I'll go back and give it a shot at some point, but it's not currently a priority. I quite enjoy The Next Generation, though. TNG has its fair share of bad episodes, but I'd say there's more good than bad and it has a few that really shine ("The Measure of a Man" being one of my favorites, among others). I didn't like Deep Space Nine when it originally aired, but I've been slowly going through it on Netflix and I'm mostly enjoying it despite feeling that Avery Brooks' acting as Sisko leaves something to be desired. Voyager is largely underwhelming but it has its moments, and I didn't watch that much of Enterprise nor did I feel compelled to really try.

[Crylie]

I find Gene Roddenberry's vision of humanity in the future to be a bit too utopian and that the series as a whole has a tendency to put humanity on a pedestal compared to most of the other species that inhabit its universe. That being said, a lot of that stuff is certainly worth striving for even if we never fully reach it—assuming we don't drive ourselves to extinction before we reach parity with Star Trek's timeline, at any rate. ¬_¬

I'll admit that I've never really sat down and given the original series a fair chance, but I don't much care for it. Too much of a product of its time for my taste, and I didn't grow up with it so I don't have nostalgia coloring my judgement of it. I'll go back and give it a shot at some point, but it's not currently a priority. I quite enjoy The Next Generation, though. TNG has its fair share of bad episodes, but I'd say there's more good than bad and it has a few that really shine ("The Measure of a Man" being one of my favorites, among others). I didn't like Deep Space Nine when it originally aired, but I've been slowly going through it on Netflix and I'm mostly enjoying it despite feeling that Avery Brooks' acting as Sisko leaves something to be desired. Voyager is largely underwhelming but it has its moments, and I didn't watch that much of Enterprise nor did I feel compelled to really try.

I totally get what you're saying. I suppose I'm a sucker for corny hopefulness. I just like that, while it is a product of its time for sure, it was very ahead of its time in other ways. The fact alone that in the early sixties there was a strong, black female character--and that the supporting character, Spock, was in fact a 'man of another race'--really seems like it was pushing envelopes back then. I like the fact that the overall moral to every story is 'Show Compassion'. It could have just been another campy, 60s crap show with easy laughs and no character development in its all-white cast....so I really do appreciate how far it went with its ideals. And, of course, like I said in the OP I sort of latch on to specific characters because of their personalities. I find a lot of relatable characters within the show, and I suppose that does it for me, too.

I do wish that they didn't push Earth Man Morale on every planet they encountered because in certain episodes it does seem like an "Earth Man Burden" type of thing. But I guess I'm forgiving because I understand the time period and I do only care about the people of Earth in reality. I'm not sure if that's it...They talk a lot about the morality of Man and it speaks to me because, really, there are no Vulcans or Romulans, Klingons or Orions to understand in our reality--all we can comprehend right now are morals from Earth (I don't know what else to call it), and I'm sure that the creators of the show had a bit of trouble trying to make Earth seem like it isn't the center of the Universe. I'm sure more people than not, even today, still register themselves as the only importance of the Universe because they can't prove that there are other beings or civilizations to worry about. Despite all that, I think they did a pretty good job with the show. If it doesn't speak to the rest of the Universe, it definitely speaks to our planet, and I suppose, for right now at least, that is important.

I LOVE The Next Generation! I love Deanna Troi and Data. I really like the episode where they sort of catch a Borg "baby" and he becomes more "human" as opposed to an object (which I feel makes the Borg so scary/intimidating to us people--even in war, dehumanization makes it easier to hate--though I don't know too much about this subject to say more than what I've only noticed) which immediately makes his fate more difficult to decide. I thought it was a complicated and well-written episode; I found there were a few of those types of episodes in TNG. I definitely find TNG cornier in a way compared to TOS (don't ask me why lol) but by the end of most episodes I find that I have new things to think about (yes, even if it still is about our own humanity) and that's what cheers me up

As for Voyager, Deep Space Nine, Enterprise and the likes, I don't care for them, really. Voyager is OK but I really don't like any of the characters. I could give it another try, though, who knows.

[Crylie]

i to like star trek, but i prefer THG, what i like about startrek is where (mostly) people care for other people (aliens), there non judgmental, they try to live and let live. I like the human society of star trek because there is no hunger, starvation, and people are not exploited, education and self improvement (for its own sake) is highly valued. Earths environment is well cared for, wildlife is not exploited, animals are rarely consumed (food and other products) tbh id rather live in a world like TNG rather than todays human society, i think startrek is a good ideal for the direction i think human society should follow.

I really like it for many of the reasons, too! I love that it promotes education in lieu of ignorance to alleviate much of the fear we have today. That everyone is pushed to be aware of everything else in the Universe. I love that everything has its place and racism is "universally" frowned upon. I just really like, even if it's overly ideal, the fact that the show promotes Peace throughout, despite the races or dynamics of the different peoples. It's just so nice after an anxiety-ridden day to watch something that really is quite "Nice" in all aspects.

It's a very stimulating series of show, in my opinion. At least, for me it is. :3

[Chantellabella]

So I’ve liked Star Trek since I was a kid and everything, but right now it’s doing a very, very, VERY good job at cheering me up. I have always really liked the fatherly-ness of the character Leonard McCoy in the show; how he remains somewhat nurturing (despite grumpiness) because he’s a doctor and seems to be the humanitarian type, and how he misses his own daughter (probably every day) who is far, far away from him.

Within the last year my own father has decided to stop talking with me and seeing me altogether, for reasons unknown (perhaps just general disinterest) and it really, really is taking a toll on my emotions. So, when things get really, really bad internally and I am home all alone, I watch a couple Star Trek episodes before bed and I am comforted by the good morals/general good feelings Star Trek contains in its episodes. I am comforted by the character of Dr. McCoy because it makes me remember that there are plenty of men in this world like McCoy that do care very much about their daughters and that their lives would contain much suffering if their child were not with them.

Family has always been a very important symbol to me. There is nothing I look forward to more than having my own family in the future; I probably think of it every day. The thought of raising children in itself is enough to cheer me up. I become confident and I feel a sense of purpose and empowerment when I think of how differently I'll treat my children than my father has treated his--I want to give them something I had difficulty getting all of my young life. In a way, I'd like to mirror Dr. McCoy's passion for family unity and I'm very glad that his character displays it in the show.
There are many other reasons Star Trek cheers me up, but this is probably by far the most important instance for me; Star Trek makes me happy!

Are there any shows, films or music or books that have a similar effect on you?
I'd love to hear about them! c:
I know it may sound like a pretty weak way to cheer up in the darkness of anxiety, but certain books, shows, films and music can sometimes ease many pains for me, especially if I find relateable or inspiring characters within them.

Sorry to hear about what your dad did. I also believe Star Trek was way ahead of it's time. I was around when the original series first started and Gene Roddenberry wasn't even allowed to sign Uhura up on a contract in that first season. This was around the time of equal rights marches, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and JFK. But Gene fought long and hard to get her equal pay and billing and by the third season was even going for mixed race relationships.

Star Trek pretty much showed the world that decency wasn't such a hard thing after all.

[Inscrutable Banana]

I'm almost done with my run through TNG (just started the final season) so I'll probably give TOS a shot next. I agree that it was definitely ahead of its time in various ways, so I'll I'll just have to look past past the elements I don't care much for.