Thank you. Actually, of you think about it. The ideals outlined in the US Consitution are not “American,” but rather, human. Let me explain before y’all go meshuggah on me…

Here is what is in there…

Limited Government- The Government cannot do certain things

Separation of Powers- It set up three Branches of Government designed to prevent any one from gaining control

The Bill of Rights- Ten Amendments that outline rights from Freedom of Speech/Religion/Press/Assembly/Petition to the Rights of the States.

All that is based on IDEALs that started with the Magna Carta in 1215 (Limited Power of Government) to the English Bill of Rights (outlining the Rights of Man); clearly English documents.

You’ll find lots of John Locke and other “Social Contract theory” in there and in the Declaration of Independence.

One could even say that the US Constitution does not “give” anyone rights, but rather outlines those that all Americans, and I should say all HUMANITY, have been given “by their Creator. (Th. Jefferson Declaration of Independence 1776)” It is held in great esteem in the United States, where it is the Supreme Law of the Land. Also, many people know little about it other than the first few lines; than leads to misunderstanding and, saddly, abuse.

Also…
By the way, if I may be so bold, y’all have the St. Andrew’s Cross in the Union Jack, thus there is no Great Britian without Scotland…eh?

Like it or not, one of the brilliant things about TOS is that it was able to comment on issues of the day–yet remain relevant in pointing to issues of the future.

It is pretty much beyond argument that Ronald Tracey’s actions/desires on Omega 4 and Kirk’s “…they must apply to EVERYONE, or they mean nothing!” also apply to present day American political situations. Roddenberry, et al, realized how flawed government (and its servants) could be. No system is perfect, but from time to time we need strong reminders about a leaning toward corruption.

Politics aside, I LOVE this episode, as the principals were so comfortable in their roles, the music cues were spot-on for effect (ex. the transition from Exeter’s engineering section to the bridge / Kirk’s reading of Yang holy words / Tracey’s “…and they came” scene) and overall, a very grim piece sans even some of the light humor associated with season two.

Morgan Woodward…what can one say? He’s a powerful actor and in my view, one of the Trek franchise’s greatest guest stars, because he’s so darn believable as Tracey–one moment cool, the other sinister, and another, downright brutal. Highly effective. As for Shatner? Shat-tastic. Only he could read the so-called holy words and successfully keep the viewer “in” the meaning for the plot.

Oh. As for Exeter’s registry? Whatever is on screen counts (I guess we all understand this by now). Books and other media do not count….so take THAT, Star Wars Exapnded Universe fans!! ;)

All true. The direction may be stilted and the dialogue clumsy, but the intelligent themes behind “Forbidden Planet” (very loosely based on Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”) still hold up well today, and while the sets and special FX reflect the era when it was made, it’s a fact that TOS was never able to equal them on a television budget. Roddenberry never had any problem acknowledging it as a huge influence, which is reflected in the pilots’ production design including the saucer-shaped spaceship, transporters, laser pistols and energy cannon; and in the character relationships, particularly between the captain and the ship’s doctor. Not to mention even the basic concept of Earthmen as part of a galactic union of planets, exploring the universe.

For his part, Leslie Nielsen once said that he was honored to be the one who played “Kirk’s ancestor” in the film. Anne Francis also looked back with some pride at “Forbidden Planet in interviews,” but Earl Holliman, who played the unfortunate part of the ship’s cook who got drunk with Robby the Robot, really hated to talk about that movie (and I reallyI can’t blame him). There’s been talk of doing a remake off-and-on for decades, with the names of various directors including Oliver Stone (!) attached to the project, but so far nothing has managed to come together. Which suits me just fine, as I like it just the way it is.

I watched this movie on DVD for the first time just a few weeks ago. I was expecting it to be another silly (and lame) 50’s era sci-fi flick, but instead I was really amazed just how good it was! It’s obvious to me that all future “space based” science fiction television and movies (including Trek) borrowed heavily from this groundbreaking movie.

If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to rent it at your local blockbuster, but keep an open mind when you view it. The movie was made in the mid fifties so don’t expect the special effects, and especially the dialouge, to be on par with today’s movies. Having said that, I found it to have an intelligent story, and the sets and special effects were excellent and way ahead of their time.

For me the biggest problem with Forbidden Planet, or should I say it’s biggest distraction, was it’s star Leslie Nielson. While watching Forbidden Planet I kept thinking that Nielson was going to say of do something really funny or silly, but of course that never happened. Many forget that he was a dramatic actor up until the 1970s, long before he started making hilarious comedies such as the Police Squad movies.

This movie truly is the forerunner of Star Trek and Star Wars, and marked the beginning of contemporary “space based” science fiction filmaking and television.

Mike :o

With all due respect, you keep citing Horatio Hornblower as if Roddenberry’s childhood affection for that series and his acknowledgement of it as an obvious influence really meant that all that was involved in the creation of Star Trek was substituting a tin can in space for a Royal Navy frigate. Sorry, but that’s no more true than saying that “Master and Commander” was based on Trek because the captain and his chief medical officer had a very similar relationship.

Yes, naval ships did engage in some scientific exploration on occasion, but that was entirely secondary to their role in defending British interests, whereas the situation with the TOS Enterprise (or the TNG version, for that matter) was precisely the opposite. Starfleet was supposed to be a paramilitary organization, not a military one, as described in “The Making of Star Trek,” written during the show’s second season, long before Gene’s revisionist utopianism kicked-in. As for “Wagon Train,” many years ago Harlan Ellison noted in an introduction to his original script for “City on the Edge of Forever” that this often-cited “inspiration” was simply Gene’s shorthand method of explaining his show’s premise to “idiotic” network execs in a way they could understand. For truly, what is “Wagon Train” about TOS? Aside from the idea of pushing back the boundaries of the frontier (and the western vibe you get from “Mudd’s Women”), not much–you could actually argue that TNG, with its families along for the rewards and dangers of the trip, is actually a closer comparison.

Trek was never supposed to really be “Hornblower” or “Wagon Train to the Stars,” not from the very first, however much Gene Roddenberry liked or was inspired by them. (He was also clearly inspired by Forbidden Planet, but no one that I know of is claiming that the new movie will suck if the writers don’t look to Fred Wilcox or Will Shakespeare.) If Star Trek had been intended to be those series dressed-up in space drag, “The Cage” would have had a very different ending, most if not all of the shows that followed would have played very differently, and millions would not have found their own inspiration in Trek’s promise of a better future.