There is now a class for anyone who understands the reference “photon torpedoes at the ready, Captain” or “make it so, Number One.”
The U approved a new course for Spring Semester8212;Star Trek: The Quest to be Human8212;that uses the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” television series to discuss questions about what it means to be human and whether people are born human or learn to be human. The series is a sequel to the original “Star Trek” that stars Captain Picard instead of Captain Kirk. Instead of tackling issues of diversity and equality, “The Next Generation” delved deeper into broader themes about humanity.
“The question of what it means to be human is a question that has been asked and pondered since Homo sapiens (were) capable of higher thought,” said Esther Rashkin, a French language professor who will teach the class.
Rashkin said she got the idea for the course when she was channel surfing and stumbled across “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
“I was grabbed by the episode called “The Host,’ ” a fourth-season episode that has different characters play host to an alien symbiote, she said. “It was energizing with questions of gender and species identity8212;questioning not just the nature of identity and what makes us human, but it crossed barriers.”
Through a character such as Data, the android, the class will discuss what it means to be human, she said.
In the series, Data was one of the most popular characters. As an android, he always wanted to become more human. In many of the episodes that feature him, he tries to become more human by doing things like a human, such as learning to paint, play musical instruments and act in a play.
On the other hand, the ongoing villain in the series, The Borg8212;an organization of alien races that are transformed into mindless, robotic drones8212;are a counterpoint to how humans can lose their humanity.
Other characters, such as Deanna Troy, the chief psychiatrist aboard the Enterprise, will be used to discuss the relationship between the mind and brain and also the relationship between mother and offspring.
The class hasn’t begun, but it is already receiving mixed reviews.
“I think some of the topics in “Star Trek’ are strong points for deep conversation,” said Chuck Wight, dean of the graduate school. But Wight also said the series might be too topical and not serious enough.
Jordan Hill, a sophomore in chemistry, said looking at what it means to be human through “Star Trek” episodes would be interesting to study, but there are more important subjects to study and pay increasing tuition for.
“ ”Star Trek’ ethos is very interesting,” said Doug Parkin, a junior in political science. “These TV programs are not simply entertainment, but social-political statements of their creators.”
