View From the Phlipside - Star Trek

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, Radio, the Movies and more.  I love them and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View From the Phlipside.

I have no idea how this one slipped by me last week.  I can only offer that I am deeply ashamed and remorseful that I failed to get it done in a timely fashion.  Yes, last week marked the anniversary of the debut of the original Star Trek series.  And I missed it.  

That’s a big deal for me.  I’m a life long trekkie.  The fact that I say trekkie versus trekker shows how old school I am.  I own a Tribble and a phaser and the plans for the original Enterprise.  And I keep them all on display in my living room.  I am a Star Trek geek.  So missing this anniversary was a major faux pas on my part.

Beyond my geekish adoration why should anyone care?  Because there are very few television shows that can run with Captain Kirk and crew when you’re talking long term influence on popular culture.  First let’s deal with the fact that the show continues to retain popularity and create new story lines including last year’s hit movie.  40 plus years later name any other show that has had even a similar run.  It’s added catch phrases to the language.  It has offered important moments in social history like the first interracial kiss on network TV.  The characters are icons.  Once upon a time folks had trouble differentiating between Dr. Spock and Mr. Spock (it’s true, I swear).  Today a large percentage of people have no idea who Benjamin Spock even was.

And it’s not done yet.  Yes, there will no doubt be yet another sequel movie.  But I’m talking about a whole new field to be conquered.  Opera.  This past weekend in the Netherlands saw the debut of the Klingon opera U, which tells the story of Kahless the Unforgettable, the first Klingon emporer.  The opera will run later this month in Germany.

Yes, you can mark this off as the ultimate form of nerdery but think about it.  40 plus years, cartoon versions, multiple film versions, characters that are familiar to pretty much anyone who has kept even the lightest contact with popular culture.  It’s easy to shrug it off as “Wagon Train to the stars” but this is a legend that continues to “boldly go where no man has gone before”.  So I will offer my tribute to Star Trek in Klingon.  Qapla’!

Call that the View From the Phlipside.
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY.  You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010