Jon Stewart Cites Star Trek (& Star Wars) At Rally To Restore Sanity October 31, 2010
by Anthony Pascale , Filed under: Conventions/Events/Attractions, Humor, TOS, Viral Video/Mashup/Images , trackback
Yesterday Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert held the "Rally To Restore Sanity and/or Fear" in Washington DC. Part of the 3-hour event included a debate between the two on reason vs. fear and Star Trek (and Star Wars) played key parts. Watch the video below.
Jon Stewart uses Star Trek & Star Wars to argue against fear
Stewart made up a fear of "corbomite" in drinking water to instill fear, then admits he got the idea from the Star Trek episode "The Corbomite Maneuver", noting how Kirk invented corbomite to bluff Balok. Stewart and Colbert also then showed geek cred by pointing out the continuity error in the episode of having Uhura wearing command gold with a science patch! Later Stewart used Star Wars’s R2-D2 to make the point not all robots are evil, at which point R2-D2 joined them on stage.
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It was great
The trash can made some good points. Is he running for office?
;)
hahah – R2 nearly fell on stage…
I was waiting for R2 to fly off (fall off) at the end. It would have been funny.
again a reminder to not use this site to air your political or partisan grievances
I’m not going to talk politics.
All I can say is that Trek is such a deep and abiding influence on society because much of it stands for something good. Whether we know it or not, Trek espouses the importance of ethical behavior, which in this day and age should be first and foremost in the minds of all citizens.
Starfleet is bound by a military-like code — not just of honor, but a real code with real regulations that are rigorously enforced. Does anyone think that such a code could work among our elected officials, whether right or left? No, and the fault for this is ours.
We, the people, have allowed people to abuse simple ethical rules — as simple as “Do not lie,” — and have rewarded them for it by electing them to office.
This is not a political matter, fundamentally, but one of ethics and willingness to abide by standards of behavior that civilization has established throughout history.
I admire Stewart and Colbert for playing the role of gadfly, much as Socrates did, casting the image of society upon a multimedia mirror. And now they have taken this to the logical end, rallying support for a better future.
In that both Trek and the view they espouse are dedicated to improvement of the human condition, I can think of no better reason that Trek is cited, and I think it is a mutual honor that Trek finds such currency amongst perspicacious minds in these trying times.
Was is mind-blowing to me is Jon Stewart using ‘corbomite’ in front of a large audience in the nation’s capitol!!
Don’t fret about “corbomite”. The REAL worry is DHMO…
See for yourself.
http://www.dhmo.org/
@8: Haha, I love that gag! :D
@6: Post of the week, right there. Love it.
I’m not going to talk politics either, but I have made one observation: every pic I’ve seen from this rally has at least one person smiling and/or laughing.
I have never seen anyone laughing at a Tea Party rally. Ever.
Take from that what you will.
I like to see it shown that many of us view life through a Star Trek lens.
I’ve always liked that Jon Stewart is an equal-opportunity guardian of rhetorical logic, pointing out fundamental stupidity in ANY party line or social caste, simply calling it as he sees it. Any given week he burns on both sides of the political fence–which face it, puts him right in line with me. Some of us may admit to straddling the fence politically, but I’m ALWAYS gonna shoot down those “How can they possibly think they’re gonna get away with that?” offenders.
R2D2 one of the good guys? He’s way more selfless than C-3PO, risking life and wheel casing for his buds. The good of the many, and all that.
#6
Well put, Hat Rick.
If there’s anything in society worthy of satire, it’s politics—both right and left. “Restoring Sanity” probably won’t sway the election in the slightest way, but it’s always good to sit back and, as Picard once said, “…bow to the absurd.”
@5 Uh-oh, someone’s been drinking the DHMO again!
Colbert >>> Stewart
that is all
“I have never seen anyone laughing at a Tea Party rally. Ever.”
Maybe that’s because we’re really concerned about our grandchildren’s future. The national debt is nothing to laugh about.
I just thought it was great to see corbomite get the “calll-out” it well deserves (and ingeniously and in the right context). And it was a great show in a reasonable political way.., Yes, sanity. Thanks Jon and Steven. And R2! The most common sense of all SW characters.
15,
This event proves that the folks responsible for that debt ARE something to laugh about. Might be all we can do, in fact.
again, let’s not turn this into a partisan polical bs debate
if you feel the need, go to a political site…or even better go and vote on Tuesday
#8 – Yes sir, we can’t forget the constant threat of DHMO. We’ve gotta remain vigilant against communist infiltration and commie indoctrination. That’s how your hard core commie works Mandrake. We will prevail, in peace and freedom from fear, and in true health, through the purity and essence of our precious, natural bodily fluids. :P
- 24thCRS!
@19 It’s too late! Didn’t you hear already how every cancer known to modern medicine contains tremendous amounts of DHMO!?!?
Anthony, I admire your efforts to keep this non-partisan, but I frankly think a thread like this — about a political rally, for heaven’s sake — is a lost cause.
Folks are gonna get political. Maybe we could just agree to keep the dialogue civil: no generalization, no demonization, no name-calling. How about that? It’d be great if people on all sides of the spectrum could learn to discuss politics in a level-headed and civilized manner. The country would benefit!
@5
I’m sorry Anthony. My enthusiasm for Jon Stewart got the best of me. Anyway great article and work on the video. I’ve read there were over 200,000 at the rally. (NY Daily News article on atttendance below)
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/10/31/2010-10-31_jon_stewarts_rally_to_restore_sanity_drew_200000_beating_estimated_attendance_at.html
The whole point of the rally was that politics are dominated by partisan namecalling and that is what I dont want to see. I am sorry but political discussions eventually descend into that and so it is best to skip it
go vote, participate, etc….but lets not create more divides here. we have enough trek debates to bicker about.
No one really cares what side of what debate you are on and no one is going to change anyone’s mind, just end up getting people riled up.
so, the stop with the politics rule still applies, sorry
Anthony, name calling and finger pointing are bad habits that are very hard to unlearn. Good luck. And good luck to Stewart et al. I too remember America as a nice place to live. It’d be great to see her that way again.
Well I am not going to politic tonight, but I got to say, I laughed in astonishment when they were pointing out the Error of Uhura’s uniform.
#19
“You’re gonna have to answer to the Coca-Cola Company.”
—Col. Bat Gauno, soldier, philosopher
:D
@#5
This site airs it’s own partisan politics enough for the rest of us, unfortunately. Time to return to Star Trek news.
@10: I’ve been to a Tea Party Rally and I saw most people were good-natured and having a good time with lots of laughs and smiles.
Politics aside, I think that sometimes even the media (whether right leaning or right leaning) have an agenda to make the Tea Party movement seem more negative than it is?
I think it’s like an avalanche. Once it starts with the negative reports, nobody wants to report to the contrary that it’s not — only to protect their own reputation and not because it’s necessarily politically motivated.
I would have liked to go to this. Hopefully it will air on TV at some point somehow. I learned long ago how not to talk about most politics in public. I worked for Broward County (FL) during the Obama/McCain election and we were under extremely strict orders to remain neutral and not share opinions, just help people vote and move along. You wouldn’t believe some of the opinions people carry with them, especially so openly at polls. Things I wont discuss here, but actually scared me as a human being. Politics are one of the few things that could literally turn friends into enemies and tear apart whole communities. It’s best to just keep some opinions to one’s self.
Besides, there’s Star Trek to be discussed with is by far a much better subject, as it actually offers the hope of a better future. Something real life politics could take note of.
The worrying thing is that politics doesn’t just affect day-to-day lives. If you believe the science media these days, we are at, or very close to, a pivotal point in the ecology of the planet.
Our economic situation is now dictating where funds are allocated for things like scientific research and education.
The wrong policies at a time like this could lead to profound disaster down the road, whether you believe that to be economic, ethical and moral, or ecological disaster.
I’m desparately trying to remain non-political, but given those possibilities, I know which one I’d rather bank against.
I think that may be the problem with politics. It’s not just about how people think a certain set of circumstances should be handled. It’s become invested in what religion you are, and how much money you have, and how much money you stand to lose.
Politics should be dictated by morals and compassion, but most people who make it into power seem to forget that, and so do most of the people who vote for them.
29. Wow! I am from NZ and I cannot ever recall having people air their political opinions while they are waiting to vote. Most just wait quietly until a booth is ready, go and vote, and leave quietly. Nobody wants to know your opinion. That is what voting is for.
It is not that people do not express their political opinions at other times but just not on voting day. I am not aware of any law that says a private citizen, in other words, someone who is not a candidate or any party official or affiliate, cannot say anything. It is just that we don’t. It seems kind of rude really.
KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
(i’m still pist that their not including khan in the trek sequel)
@ 19
Dr Strangelove FTW!
So much for not getting political on this site.
Anybody wanna talk Bajoran religion? I’ll give you a topic: The Bajoran d’jarra caste system was a direct result of the expedient nature of the First Republic.
No takers?
I got such a nerdy belly laugh and a thrill from this, those guys are great.
R2 ran over my foot! lol Not many people will get to put that in their memoirs.
Funny stuff. I’m sure there was a point in there somewhere but i was just looking for the laughs – hey, its before 7am Monday morning in rocking downtown England, so i can’t be bothered with political points right now
:-D Have a good week gang!
Interesting!
Depends on your point of view, Bill…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IHAZeqwQvA
Okay, I see Dr. Strangelove references here. Yes, Vultan, I get your reference. Okay it’s time for Dr. Strangelove fun. I MISS THE SIXTIES AND STAR TREK.
Video no. 1. You can’t fight in here… this is the war room!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAeqVGP-GPM
Video no. 2. Um, Dr. Strangelove has trouble with his right arm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9ihKq34Ozc
I wouldn’t say Uhura’s uniform is an error so much as it’s a reflection of the fact that it took them a while to decide what the exact insignia would be. In the two pilots, it was common for the same color uniforms to have different assignment patches. See here:
http://st-spike.org/pages/uniforms/2245-2265/divisions.htm
nitpicking the nitpicking….now that is what Star Trek talk is all about!
Dang! I was at the rally and forgot to contact Anthony after the Corbomite and R2-D2 bits. Well, actually the networks were so overloaded (215,000 people tend to have a LOT of electronic devices), that I was having major connectivity issues. Glad other readers were on the ball!
It’s amazing that just the fear of talking about politics stops people from speaking out.
What I think we need is a television show that would transcend those fears and give a voice to these issues we are facing. One that would talk about politics, war or other issues we face with being afraid to take on these issues for the simple fear that just by doing so prevents others from talking back or in support.
I think everyone is missing the most important thing. Stewart and Colbert said that the The Corbomite Maneuver was Season 1, Episode 10. What were they thinking! Everyone knows that it’s episode 3!
Forget poiitics. This is a disaster!
#43. Exactly! We need “Star Trek.”
I wouldn’t say that the rally was political but more of an observation of how politics has descended into fear mongering and name calling.
For example one of the signs displayed stated,
“I may not agree with your opinion but i respect your right to state it”
There was a great duet with Ozzy Osborne and Yusuf Islam (aka Cat Stevens) and vibe of the rally was a chilled out afternoon with a lot of laughs in the Autumn sun.
@43 what a show like Crossfire? lol
Those types of shows soon end up as a slanging match and the point gets lost
@44 – I guess it depends on whether you’re talking about what order the episode was shot or when it was aired. While it’s listed as episode 3, and was likely shot early, it was not aired as the 3rd episode. I’m at work, so I don’t have it in front of me…but it’s likely that you’re both right. :)
@48
Bah! Who needs airdate order when you can watch the show in its proper production order.
I think after many political stories (in canada), i’ve come to get really sick and tired of politics, because as anthony mentioned above, the partisan-effect. Either you a liberal or a conservative, etc… This problem has also crept into Canada too recently. I must admit its really turned me off from Canadian politics and i can imagine Americans being turned off by politics too recently. Good rally though.
Now the question arises…. did anyone really care about the issue that they were discussing and will people sorta think about it, or is it “back to business” as usual ?
Well, Star Trek had a “customer-hit” with 215,000 people plus whomever watched on TV/The Interwebs.
The mainstreaming of geekiness continues: “Yes! We’re ALL individuals!”
I never noticed that Uhura was wearing a science division badge in “Corbomite”. I feel like I have to turn in my geek badge…
Hmmm. An inclusive, moderate rally hosted by the brilliant Jon Stewart which mentions a sci-fi franchise depicting a 23rd/24th century Earth with a single global government based on secular & pluralistic humanitarian ideal, a culture which provides free education, healthcare, food, clothing and housing for everyone as basic human rights, and eventually involves a charismatic & eloquent African-American commander who also happens to be broadminded about a “foreign” religion.
There must be some connection between Star Trek and certain ongoing hyperpartisan political events involving certain other rallies and their key figures, although I can’t quite put my finger on it……;)
[joking]
^^”secular & pluralistic humanitarian ideal”
“ideals” — plural.
Oh, and very well said Hat Rick, re: #6. Succinctly argued, and one of the best posts I’ve read on the matter here or anywhere else for quite a while.
Just got back from DC and I was thrilled to see this article. I was surrounded by thousands of people but I was the only one who laughed at the mention of corbomite in the area I was in. My wife teased me about it for the rest of the weekend.
Great trip!
#29
It aired live Saturday on both C-Span and Comedy Central.
@52
Same here. I thought it was just the uniform color that was off.
@10…That’s because most of them were probably high and almost all of them don’t have a clue what is going on in the country. They were there for a laugh and the tea party are for serious things, not jokes. Of course all of the kids can live at mommy and daddy’s house for ever and have them pay for their health care, food, phone, etc. No responsibility..must be nice…
ok..gotta say this and it will probably get me booted off but here goes…if political debate..which is another thing being “PC” has made as something wrong to do in this country..was not intended by this article, then what is? a reference to trek or not this was a political rally!
The problem I have with Stewart, Colbert, and for that matter Beck and Limbaugh, is that these guys are all entertainers first, who operate with political themes. The lemming-like audiences don’t want to take the time to educate themselves, so they show up at these so-called rallies feeling they have done something for the process, when in fact they have done nothing. Honestly, I don’t care of someone agrees with my political worldview or not, I can have a conversation with someone and at least find some common ground that we can work from. What this country needs is smart, dedicated individuals who can work on the real problems instead of this psudo-process, when talking heads who say nothing rule the day.
59.
Can you provide some specific examples of political content at that rally?
@58
We were there. There were ages 18-80 there. I, myself am as old as Trek.
Funny, not a whiff of pot!
really, just lots of responsible people that got a laugh and could appreciate a bit of Trek humor/shout-out.
We were calm, despite HUGE lines at the Subway that snaked this way and that. Self Queuing! And a big $ donation for the National Mall to boot (which is in need of much repair). We actually saved some tax dollars.
In attendance- Lots of old high bracket TaxPayers like me. A few of us even had graduate degrees we paid for ourselves! We were there to basically stand up in support of the idea that people can disagree in a calmer, more rational fashion.
In other words, I may disagree with you- but I’m pretty sure your’re not Hitler.
Leave the stereotypes behind- and let’s move the bar.
Hey Phil in #60,
I agree with you. Especially this point – “Honestly, I don’t care of someone agrees with my political worldview or not, I can have a conversation with someone and at least find some common ground that we can work from. ”
Just letting you know, I went to the rally. 200,000 or so people also went, and would agree with what you said.
Actually Jon Stewart would also agree with you as well! His reference to the Lincoln Tunnel nails the point of the rally – *despite* how TV tends to portray people with opposite viewpoints or origin, people still work together every single day. It’s actually pretty “Star Trek” in spirit.
:)
Thanks, 54 (Jai). I’m glad we agree.
“Cobert/Stewart ‘12″ That’s my new bumper sticker.
Make that “COLBERT/STEWART “12″
Not Stewart/Colbert? And do you mean Jon or Patrick?
Happy voting, everyone! Remember, only Ferengi abstain.
RE: what is the intent.
Well that should be self evident. The intention of this article was to show an amusing instance of Star Trek in the zeitgeist. Something TrekMovie does on a regular basis and is a pet project. Like when we show Trek references on TV shows and elsewhere in the media.
And u guys do a great job of it and much more Anthony–thank you from all us fans! Politics in general are pretty depressing anyhow-doesnt really matter whos in charge they all seem to worship n bow down to similar gods n nothin ever changes anyway-Trek is a respite from the madness n dares to let us dream of a better future for all races,peoples n planets–may we all somehow make it so–the humanitarian peace keeping armada as in speak softly n carry a biiig mother of a stick for defense only of course hahah
Actually its kinda nice that stewart/colbert appreciate the absurdity of politics n use n realize treks place in the desired unified future we all want
Colbert has referenced STAR TREK dozens of times on his show, yet still was able to spend an entire interview with Leonard Nimoy discussing photography.
Most of the nerdy goofiness (as shown by his ‘reaction’ to R2D2) comes from his show, and not Stewart’s.
Here goes – the phrase “humanitarian, peace keeping armada” is a contradiction. My dictionary says that an armada is a “fleet of warships, esp. that sent by Spain against England in 1588 [Sp. f. Rmc armata - army]” (Concise Oxford English Dictionary).
I’m afraid that phrase has always had us smiling rather sardonically. If that phrase does not seem encapsulate American Foreign Policy (from our point of view), I don’t know what does.
I see a confusion here and a serious one at that. I do not think that Starfleet should be described as any sort of armada, unless war is what Starfleet is really all about. Somehow, I don’t think that was a Gene Roddenberry’s vision, anything but. It is certainly not my vision for Star Trek.
#72 i think that phrase would have benefited from there not being a Writers strike being on. Unless i’m mistaken? It certainly was clumsy.
“Captain Kirk” Douglas of the Roots, was also referred to as such during the rally.
So, that’s two Trek references.
’The government that governs best governs least’ – Thomas Jefferson
Yeah yeah, I know. Get out and vote.
@ 75 Phil.
Nope. That’s actually a quote from Henry David Thoreau, not Thomas Jefferson.
Don’t fall for the FUD. ;)
@72 Upon further review, it seems that the Armada that Pike was in charge of was preparation against further Narada-like attacks. In that regard, it certainly had been designed to ‘keep the peace’. We can only imagine the heightened fear in the UFP in 2233 after the Kelvin incident!
i am getting sick of people ignoring
John from Cincinnati, posts deleted and banned for a week for political trolling.
#58
@10…That’s because most of them were probably high and almost all of them don’t have a clue what is going on in the country. They were there for a laugh and the tea party are for serious things, not jokes. Of course all of the kids can live at mommy and daddy’s house for ever and have them pay for their health care, food, phone, etc. No responsibility..must be nice…
Hey Saddened,
A lot of my friends from Virginia, ( I live in Los Angeles) went to this rally. I’ve known them from High School. Not one of them was high nor do any of them live in their Parent’s house. ( I guess the “living at their parent’s house” was a slam at Trekkies, which none of them are). I am , however. a Trekkie who has not lived at home since I was 19 years old. If I had the time and money I would of attended this event. I think the spirit of the event was what was important. It was about Sanity and Reason in the midst of so much political bickering. Star Trek has always stood out as a Prime example of how we could live in a Reasonable and Sane world. I’m glad Stewart used it as an example, even if it was in jest.
Also, your attitude is quite judgemental. I’ve viewed clips of Tea Partiers with oxygen tanks and yelling “keep your government hands of my Medicare”, evidently not realizing that it is a government program and it probably paid for that oxygen tank. I also saw a woman having her head stepped on by Tea Partier. Now, Am I supposed to judge all Tea Partiers by these actions. No, I shouldn’t judge them all as you are evidently doing to those that attended the Stewart Rally.
Should Trekkies rise above this kind of narrow thinking and go for a more enlightened approach? I say Yes!!!
i guess its “back to business” as usual.
i noticed the mythbusters were there. i wonder if grant imahara was running R2.
I really like it when I see fellow geeks who are public and famous talk shop. Even I’m not that nitpicky about Star Trek in regards to Uhura’s uniform, but that’s just refreshing to see in the mainstream.
Even in Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, he was able to distinguish and criticize a Windows screensaver running on a mockup Mac that also used a Windows shutdown sound effect.
My hero.
61..did you not listen to stewart’s speech?
but it was a waste of time answered by last night’s mark in history
@83
Waves crest and recede.
Also, at least one pundit has adjusted his hyperbole because of the rally. So, not a waste of time.
They pulled twice Glenn Beck’s crowd and really did not say much of anything.
I was heartily disappointed.