We may not admit it but we are influenced a lot by our favourite TV Shows and fictional characters. TV shows can inform, inspire and challenge us on many levels. One of such great shows is Star Trek. Robert Frost, who works in Flight Operations Directorate at NASA and a top writer on Quora, mentioned that he decided his career path by watching Star Trek. Today I want to discuss what I’ve learned by watching Star Trek.
Image:MOVIEPLOT.com
Balance
The balance between intellect and emotion. Spock and McCoy represented the two facets of humans. It told us to seek balance between those two and respect them both. While teaching them through wonderful characters it also showed the blind spots and how easily one can lose balance between the two.
Friendship
It’s more important than anything. Phasers, photon torpedoes and even the Enterprise. If you have good friends you can accomplish any task, find an escape route from any situation and defeat any enemy—and laugh together when everything is over.
Self-discipline
All the characters have high self-discipline and are emotionally mature. Although abundant food and entertainment are available via the replicators, no one overindulges. You wouldn’t see a character on the show having trouble with oversleeping. The characters are even disciplined in their thoughts to the degree that they can feel comfortable around telepathic beings who can read their minds. Their public and private personas are congruent. They have little to hide.
Diversity
Start trek represents our hope for the future i.e how should human society look like. It has mixed-sex, racially integrated, multinational crew which includes an alien. It taught us to be racially indiscriminate and diverse. Star Trek’s Kirk and Uhura share TV’s first interracial kiss.
Leadership & Management
There are many lessons about leadership in Start Trek, that there is an entire book about it. A leader is respected by his virtues. Picard a leader loved by all is the representation of a perfect balance between Truth, Intellect, Logic and Emotion. Smart ones may not become great leaders eg: Spock and Data.
Communication
It also showed us how management works. Communication is often one-sided and middle management is the worst. Even good managers like Kirk and Picard commit mistakes. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few—or the one”.
These lessons not only shape children’s behaviour and character they also help adults in their life to make wise decisions. As Spock says