‘It seems a pity to waste them on outer space. We need them right here on earth,’ wrote reviewer Cleveland Amory on Star Trek in 1967. The show offered a vision of the future in which the Cold War did not lead to mutual destruction, but rather cooperation. Now Star Trek is a vast franchise spanning decades and generations. Audiences may not always agree with Star Trek’s vision for the future, but then the franchise has so many different, often contradictory, parts. 

Might it ultimately be more important that Star Trek asserts an overall belief in a future in which humanity – and the earth – not only survives, but thrives amongst the stars? Is Star Trek on to something when it markets itself as the optimistic myth, saga and legend of our age?

BIO

Dr Djoymi Baker is a Lecturer in Screen and Cultural Studies at the University of Melbourne. Her research looks at genre in screen media and popular culture, particularly science fiction, the epic, children’s television, and documentary hybrids. Dr Baker is the author of To Boldly Go: Marketing the Myth of Star Trek (2018) and the co-author of The Encyclopedia of Epic Films (2014).

6:30 PM @Bar Ampere, 16 Russell Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000

Entrance over 18  |  The venue is wheelchair accessible.

Also speaking at Bar Ampere at 8:30 pm is John Postill