Starship Canada

 

At the core of "Star Trek" is Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future. So much of science-fiction is about a dystopian society with human civilization having crumbled. He had an affirmative, shining, positive view of the future. He said the Starship Enterprise was a metaphor for Starship Earth. The strength of the starship is in its diversity. Everyone contributing their best, their vantage points and their unique experiences. Working as a team to face a common challenge. We can prevail if we have confidence in our problem-solving capabilities, in our inventive genius and our innovative qualities.

It's always been a good vision - ambitious, yes, but something we can strive towards.  At our best, it's an ideal Canada can embody.

And while we're on the topic of media metaphors and the resurgence of scifi - it turns out that Justin Trudeau is a Trek fan.  This makes total sense, given that his idea of Canada that also sees diversity as a strength and believes honesty, integrity and the willingness to take risk as attributes that promote innovation.

Of course, J. J. Abrams' Star Wars will be coming out in 2015 - the same year that Canada next goes to the polls.  We all remember who the bad guy was in Star Wars - the Phantom Menace, the fellow who operated behind the curtains as much as possible.  The Emperor delighted in pitting citizens against each other and undermining the fabric of the Republic, all in the name of fostering a safe and secure society.

Wonder whether Harper is more of a Star Trek or Star Wars fan?