Star Trek: A Look in the Mirror

A reoccurring theme in the films viewed so far has been about governmental bodies abusing their power, as it has been referenced by several of our films, such as Brazil, Metropolis, and now Star Trek: Insurrection, by taking advantage of our archaic fear of those in power running wild. As with most of the others, the implications of this intrusion are unclear, initially it is Picard acting on behalf of the federation who spies and intrudes on the peaceful Bak’u people taking their “hostages” back from them. Where could they have gotten the idea of a government acting on behalf of its own interest and starting a war the people truly aren’t behind? Because they obviously didn’t provoke it, other than through their tree hugging, energy saving practices of course. The shadowy figures behind this are made clear from the beginning due to the dimly light, ominous settings they are found in. This is in stark contrast to the brightly lit (enlightened?) scenes in which Picard and his crew come to consciousness as to the reason for their visit. All the while being monitored by the shadowy figures who themselves are simply dummy figureheads for an even more veiled leadership.

 The actions of the shadowy leadership behind the Son’u reminded me of theories of ultra-governmental powers actually controlling and puppeteering the rest of the world. They are willing to stop at no ends for this invaluable resource they have underneath them; willing to go so far as sabotage Picard’s team and try to eliminate them and the threat of their knowledge spreading. Their knowledge was not that the energy source had been found, because as we know people who return with vital resources are rewarded with large sums of money, but that force on innocents would be used to get it. And as history as told us, those who return with resources tend to be handsomely rewarded, but those who return with resources with the public knowing of the “methods” in which they were obtained are often.. handsomely rewarded as well actually..

And then they...

Turned him literally into Gold

                All too often the slogan of doing this for the greater good is used as justification, it’s an archaic concept that is finding greater meaning as our needs have grown. Similar to our last film, Brazil, the use of propaganda by those in power is used, but unlike in Brazil where the end result was inaction, in the action packed Trek World it was used as a tool for rallying the consciously blind soldiers. In general the dystopic end depicted in Star Trek Insurrection followed similar elemental guidelines as previous movies, such as Metropolis, through our fear of being manipulated by the powerful that potentially we are in fact the guinea pigs of something larger. In Star Trek it was the Enterprise for the perverted Federation to attain the energy source to power life, and in Metropolis it was to keep in place their labor energy source that drove life. Yet, sadly, the least relatable part of Star Trek’s journey was the end result; which is interestingly in contrast to the 1920’s resolution to this dilemma in Metropolis, which ended in the laboring class returning inexplicably satisfied.  But all too often we don’t hear stories of those in the Enterprises position taking the moral road and winning, and they are left to our imaginations as stories.  

The People Have Ceded Control in Brazil

                In Tyler Gilliam’s Brazil, he portrays the future satirically in a classically Orwellian light. The movie follows Sam Lowry after he is assigned to rectify a governmental error that led to the detainment of a Mr. Buttle instead of a Mr. Tuttle. This leads him on an adventure in which he tries to save the woman of his dreams, Jill, from being locked away as a terrorist for attempting to further investigate the disappearance of Buttle. In the opening scenes of the movie the discontinuity of Brazil from the real world is readily apparent when a terrorist attack occurs right in front of Sam, yet hardly a shred of notice is given to it or the wreckage it caused. Rather, the world of Brazil depicts a satirical portrayal of what could happen if the masses yield too much power to the government and those who are meant to protect us.

                In the post wreckage scene, a public service announcement is being issued from the Ministry of Intelligence about the string of terrorist attacks plaguing them for the past several years. The official stance of the government as far as the attacks was simply a baseless affirmation to the people that the terrorists are simply sore losers who “can’t stand to see the other guy win.” By completely devaluing the magnitude of the attacks the government, although implementing massive measures to “protect”, simply puts out meaningless slogans that are audibly heard by the people.

                A scenario like that of Brazil could only come about as a result of a people who have been completely subdued into passivity and no longer question the decisions being made around them. The passivity of the people is clear when the detainment of Mr. Buttle results in no questioning to the initial officers or Sam from the wife or family, rather it takes the angelic passer-by Jill to question the legitimacy of the arrest. Any questioning of the motives or decision-making of the government is met with immediate suspicion, which ultimately led to Jill’s bounty. In this way the Ministry of Intelligence is like the ducts, always connected with the citizens and subduing them to inaction (because the lack of action is not true inaction; replacing the duct with a different colored duct exemplifies this idea) , yet never allowing them any access in return.  The ducts served as a motif throughout the film to remind us of the constant government intrusion taking place in Brazil, subtly visible in the background of the homes and all other walks of life. 

In this way, it serves as a warning to not be led to passivity and inaction regardless of if it is in the name of security. Although it is in issue that only came about after the movie, Brazil reminded me of the ongoing battle in modern times as to the role government should play in the corporate world, especially in those such as utilities. The fear of some today about the ever growing reach of government, literally, into our homes, whether through internet safety or the current NSA fiasco, is echoed through the analogy of the ducts. How much access we allow and how much access we are allowed in return should not be taken for granted, as made evident in Brazil.

The Final Threat to Humanity... Technology

Wall-E is a story about a dystopic future in which Earth has become lifeless due to unsustainable levels of trash. Unaware of the situation on Earth, the cruise ship the Axiom leads the last sliver of humanity on a numbing space cruise with no foreseeable return date. The background to the dystopic setting is never explained and is meant to be an axiomatic element of the story; interestingly, it is the Axiom which drives the story and allows Wall-E to embark on his adventure. From the axiom that is presented to us, the ideas the film is meant to provoke can be analyzed.

Within the Axiom, the last of human life has lived in complete isolation from the world around them, which because they are now in space is nothing, and have become completely numb to communication that isn’t the screen directly in front of them. Although the scenario is nonsensical in many ways, such as where is the food source for the ship or how have new generations of humans been brought up in such a manner, it forces us to examine our ever growing relationships with the screens in front of us. The quintessential human drive that has led to the growth of civilization is lost upon those on the Axiom. Those on board are pacified to the point that technology is no longer dependent on humanity for existence, but rather humanity has become dependent upon technology for their continued existence. Although those onboard are given every avenue to escape their solitary lifestyle, whether through the infinite banks of knowledge accessible through their screens or the gyms available to them to exercise [potentially their options..], but instead remain stooped in passivity to continue life in the same mechanical fashion.

Only those who come into contact with life are able to escape the repetition they are caught in. Within the movie, though, the humans on board can’t truly be considered life since they are stuck in the same autonomic cycle as the Axiom, rather the only life is that on Earth, Wall-E and the cockroach. From them the seeds of humanity are once again planted within what’s left of society as a result of the new-found plant. Upon first contact with life, the characters gain the highly contagious free will that makes us human. It forced the cleaning bot to deviate from its set path, caused John and Mary to abandon their screens and communicate face to face, and of course it allowed the Captain to break his autonomic routine and begin to question the world; which is an essential human characteristic. By doing this, Wall E juxtaposes the ever increasing amount we communicate with technology with the corresponding decrease in interpersonal communication. The screen was the mode of pacificity for the people onboard the Axiom and once removed the blinders on them seemed to disappear. By making the technology the vehicle through which interpersonal communication is resumed, though, Wall-E doesn’t attempt to demonize technology as the cause of the problem. Rather, human over-dependence on technology is highlighted as the cause and cooperation between the two the resolution. 

A Modern Metropolis

            In Fritz Lang’s futuristic film Metropolis the relationships that shape society are examined. Metropolis is set in a future society where the population is divided into two groups, the workers and the thinkers. Both groups, though, are oblivious of the existence of the other and go about their daily lives as such; the thinkers live a life of luxury, while the workers live a life of indentured servitude. Joh Frederson, the architect of metropolis, is aware of the existence of the workers, and works tirelessly to ensure that others, especially his son Freder, do not know.

            Both societies exist dependent upon the other; therefore Joh attempts to maintain a social equilibrium between the thinkers and workers in order to maintain the status quo. An interesting parallel I drew while watching Metropolis was that to the story of the Buddha that I recently learned about in World Religions. In the same manner that the Buddha was sheltered by his father in order to shield him from the other side of the utopic bubble he resided, so to does Joh attempt to shield Freder from the existence of the workers. Once aware, both become inspired and moved, and in this way Freder is the heart that connects the brain to the hands. The idea of ascension for the Buddha or Freder descending to the depths both describe the coming of a conduit for the unintelligent masses attempting to enlighten them to their current situation.

            In the end, though, the masses never become enlightened and eventually return to toil in the depths. Their initial desire to move up and leave their roles as workers is eventually subdued. Although not his initial purpose, Freder, unintentionally, restores the social equilibrium his father had set up by becoming the mediator between the brain (thinkers) and hands (workers) and restoring peace to the interdependent parts. Similar to the architects of today’s society, Joh attempted to skew the intentions of the faith leader of the workers, Maria. In the end, Joh’s attempt to abuse the faith of the masses leads to the workers affirmation of their role in society, as evidenced by the final handshake between Joh and the worker.

            With this in mind, the message of Metropolis has become clearer with the passage of time due to the added relevance it has today. Metropolis doesn’t end with the working class rising and gaining equality, rather they return to the depths and their initial role with a false sense of accomplishment. Similarly, in modern society fluidity between classes has become less and less achievable, while the masses continue to put faith in those sent to deceive them as many would say is the case in American politics today. And this is all done with instruction from the architects of society to maintain the present society; just as Joh attempted to maintain the social order within Metropolis.