Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock Sneak Into the Oscars

                  One of the most popular television shows in my generation was Star Trek.  In the year 2256 (“Star date 1207.3”), a multi-racial crew plunges into space to “boldly go where no man has gone before.”  In some episodes, they find portals through which they can go back in time. More than once they would visit specific periods in American history like the Wild West or the “Roaring Twenties.”  Before beaming down to earth, they would have to dress in a way that they would not be conspicuous when they arrived. They’d be transported down to materialize in some carefully chosen time and spot. They’d then explore, observe, and discuss how people were behaving – something like interstellar anthropologists. When their reason for being there was fulfilled, they’d beam back up to the Enterprise and to the future in which they lived.

I watched most of the Academy Awards this past Sunday.  I’d seen some but not all the movies. As the ceremony progressed from category to category, I became aware of the wide variety of themes, issues, and emotions in our contemporary culture that were represented and tried to make sense of it as a whole. As I continued to puzzle over this, I began to imagine what it would be like for some outsiders like Kirk and Spock to show up at this year’s ceremony.  What would they think of our culture in 2024?

To begin with, I realized they would not have to create disguises. They could materialize in some alley near the theater and then boldly walk the red carpet dressed in their Star Fleet uniforms.  They’d pause for fashion photographers – Kirk smiling and Spock stone-faced — and the press would become desperate to know who designed their costumes.  Unlike other such visits, Spock would not have to cover up his pointed Vulcan ears – that would probably become a new fad.

I imagined them sitting through the entire 3 ½ hour show. Here’s a sampling of what they would have seen:

1. Oppenheimer: a morally complex story of the creation of the atomic bomb and its potential to both win a war and destroy the world.
2. Barbie: a pink and pastel depiction of what the Barbie Doll has meant and how contemporary feminism can transform it into a message for liberation.  They’d see two Barbie songs performed: “What Was I Made For” describing the yearning to find one’s true identity, and “I’m Just Ken,” an over-the-top, extravagant musical number lamenting the limitations of life as a Ken doll.
3. The Killers of the Flower Moon: based on a true story of the careful systematic murder of Osage Native Americans by greedy white men who want to steal their oil. They would watch a live and powerful of an Osage drum-circle ceremony. (“Wahzhazhe” – “A Song for My People”).
4. Poor Things: a surreal fantasy of a young artificially created woman who comes of age in terms of her sexuality and personal identity.
5. Zone of Interest: a group of privileged Nazi families living adjacent to Auschwitz and ignoring the suffering and incineration of countless innocent people while tending their gardens.
6. Maestro: a portrayal of the musical tour-de-force genius of Leonard Bernstein, with a focus on his complex sexual identity and relationships.
7. Nyad: the true story of an extraordinary female open-water swimmer.
8. Perfect Days: a Japanese man finds spiritual peace and meaning as he earns his living cleaning public toilets.
9. 20 Days in Mariupol: the suffering of the Ukrainian people as the Russians needlessly invades their country.
10. The Last Repair Shop: the dedication of a small of people determined to keep music education alive in Los Angeles public schools.

They would see other vignettes that may have been a bit puzzling: a nude wrestler hiding behind a partition holding an envelope like a fig leaf, an apparent message criticizing the show’s host from the country’s former ruler, and constant shots of a dog named Messi sitting in a theater seat watching the show with greater focus than many of the humans.

I imagine Kirk and Spock skipping the Governor’s Ball and beaming back up to discuss and share their findings.

“What’s human life like on Planet Earth in 2024?” they’d be asked.

• It’s full of darkness and tragedy, cruelty and violence.
• It’s full of courage and heroism, a longing for justice and a yearning for peace.
• It’s full of humor and delight.
• It’s full of visual and musical creativity.
• People are constantly trying to find meaning in what they do and who they are, and find many ways people to deal with their desires and duties.
• It’s a wild and complex world with many moments of tender feeling and transformational insight.

The Enterprise had navigators, communication officers, engineers, scientists, security forces, and medical personnel.  But I don’t remember any intergalactic spiritual counselors. If there was such a person, and he or she was asked what they made of this world, they might say:

“Human beings seem to be very complex creatures.  In their best moments, they’re magnificent beings. In their worst moments, they’re beasts.  It’s hard not to have compassion for them, and I wish we could give them guidance on how to live in peace and mutual respect.  But our Prime Directive prohibits us from intervening in the natural development of other civilizations.  Let’s hope they can figure it out.”