Is Star Trek Utopia? - by Sebastian Stoppe (Paperback)

About the Book

"Star Trek has transcended science fiction through its integration of elements that also have crucial roles in the classical utopian tradition. New technologies change a civilization, a miniature society unfolds on a spaceship, and an android teaches humanity. Star Trek has been answering many questions about our own world for over five decades, and since the days of Captain Kirk, the franchise has become one of the world's best-known pop cultural phenomena. In six sections, this book documents what the Star Trek franchise has in common with classic utopias. Chapters analyze how technology changes society and how the Federation embodies utopian ideals. Also explored are the political relations among alien species that reflect past and present conflicts in our real world and how the Borg resembles an anti-utopian society"--

Book Synopsis

Star Trek has transcended science fiction through its use of elements that have crucial roles in classical utopian tradition. New technologies change a civilization, a miniature society unfolds on a spaceship, and an android teaches humanity. Star Trek has been answering many questions about our own world for 50+ years, and since the days of Captain Kirk, the franchise has become one of the world's best-known cultural phenomena.

This book documents what the Star Trek franchise has in common with classic utopias. Chapters analyze how technology changes society and how the Federation embodies utopian ideals. Also explored are the political relations among alien species that reflect past and present conflicts in our real world and how the Borg resembles an anti-utopian society.

Review Quotes

"a very fascinating combination of fan culture and research..."--Prof. Dr. Lars C. Grabbe, University of Applied Sciences, Münster

"This book expands on existing literature of Star Trek as a utopia, and as a political utopia, and does so in a nicely nuanced way. It will be useful to scholars for some time."--Matthew Wilhelm Kapell, Pace University

About the Author

Sebastian Stoppe is a media scholar and project manager at Leipzig University Library. He has published several works on Star Trek, other television and film studies, especially on film scoring, and on computer game studies. He lives in Leipzig, Germany.