astro picture for the day/ fear,evasive language in Star Trek - demonizing

NGC 1672: Barred Spiral Galaxy from Hubble
Image Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, NASA, ESA; Processing & Copyright: Daniel Nobre

In a latest chapter of my findings on fear, irrationality, and evasive langauge/logic, I've found this in Star Trek.  I'm going to back up though for those who maybe seeing this for the first time.

I found the following quote in a book "The Ancient Engineers" by l. sprague de camp

 Bishop of Constantinople Gregorius of Nyssa noticed this type of thinking and complained,

"People swarm everywhere, talking of incomprehensible matters, in hovels, streets and square, marketplaces, and crossroads. When I ask how many oboloi I have to pay, they answer with hairsplitting arguments about the born and the unborn. If I inquire the price of bread, I am told that the father is greater than the son. I call a servant to tell me whether my bath is ready; he rejoins that the son was created out of nothing."

I'm tempted to say that a quote from the "The Day the Earth Stood Still' back in the 1950s maybe made me take this quote which goes back to the 400 A.D. more seriously.  It was "I am concerned when people substitute fear for reason." A lot of people mention fear; but, how many really understand it?  I noted the quote above from the "Ancient Engineers", and started noticing it in both fiction and real life situations.  I've made many blog posts about this.  Maybe, almost surprisingly, I haven't made a blog post about fear and evasive language in Star Trek!

I'll link to my previous blog posts about fear and evasive language in the replies section.  So, getting onto the Star Trek examples I've found.

The two Star Trek movies that I found examples of this are "The Search for Spock" and "The Voyage Home." 

In the "Search for Spock", Klingon Commander Kruge finds a young Vulcan Spock, a Vulcan woman scientist, Saavik, and Captain Kirk's son on the Genesis planet.  Klingon Commander Kruge demands, not just asks, but demands the secrets to the Genesis torpedo.  Saavik begins with the Genesis experiment is a failure. But, the Klingon Commander Kruge is not interested in the Genesis device for peace, he's interested in it for military purposes. He tells Saavik, "you will tell me the secrets to the Genesis device."  Saavik says "I have no such knowledge."  

Saavik is actually being evasive and fearful here; but, more empathetic.  See my post about fear and empathy in the replies section.

Klingon Commander Kruge then replies, "then I hope pain is something you enjoy."  Klingon Commander Kruge then beams up to his ship when he hears a Federation Starship has entered the solar system space.  After some initial shots between them, Captain Kirk and Commander Kruge have this exchange.  

Captain Kirk says, "you're presence here is an act of war."  For which the Klingon Commander Kruge replies, "do not lecture me about treatise. the Star Trek Federation are criminals.  He then lets Captain Kirk no that he has prisoners on the Genesis planet.  He says he will execute them as "enemies of intergalactic peace."

I wasn't able to find a youtube of the first two examples, so I had to describe them.  This last example has Klingon Commander Kruge beaming down to wrestle the Genesis 'torpedo" knowledge out of Captain Kirk, if he can.

Klingon Commander Kruge beams up everyone as prisoners except Captain Kirk.  Captain Kirk says "you should beam up the Vulcan boy(young, regenerated Spock, due to the Genesis planets magic).  Commander Kruge says refuses.  Captain Kirk asks why, for which Kruge says "because you wish it." Then, Kruge and Captain Kirk go back and forth on giving the knowledge of Genesis "Torpedo" for beaming up Spock. Captain Kirk then points out that the Genesis experiment is a failure; saying, "you fool, look around you."  Kruge says "exhilerating, yes."  Captain Kirk says, "if we don't help each other, we'll both die here."  Kruge replies "then that's exactly what will happen!"  At that point, reason is out the door, and Captain Kirk has to fight him physically.

This last example is in the next Star Trek movie 'the Voyage Home."  To tie in with "the Search for Spock" a Klingon embassador goes to the Federation about the events that happened at the Genesis planet. The Klingon embassador begins by calling Captain Kirk the devil, renegade, and terrorist.  He's taking advantage of the fact that Captain Kirk did break some rules to go and rescue Spock. He calls the killing of Commander Kruge "murder" whether he understood the events that happened between Commander Kruge and Captain Kirk.  The embassador then portrays the development of the Genesis creation as developing a weapon and test detonated by Captain Kirk on a secret base, from which they can use to strike against the Klingons!

Spocks father comes in to set him straight.  Saying the Genesis device was created to create life bearing worlds. And that the embassador just spun the context around to make it seem a weapon, to get rid of an inconvenient Federation Captain Kirk.  The embassador says Spocks father is biased because his son was saved by Captain Kirk.

Overall, what we see here is everything is demonized.  Truth is demonized, some mistakes, whether by mistake or on purpose by Captain Kirk, are taken advantage of to further demonize Captain Kirk.