Despite my strong feelings against censoring television (I believe this is a responsibility of parents; not TV stations or content providers) I do believe that TV can influence people, especially kids. As an only child enrolled in year-round school, I spent my intersession mornings watching TV shows such as “The People’s Court”, “The Price is Right”, and “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. While “The People’s Court” influenced my interest in law and “The Price is Right” influenced my interest in winning tons of shit, it was Star Trek that I think gave me the most variety of skills and ideas that I think I use everyday.
1) Under-promise, Over-deliver
If I were Geordi LaForge, I’d have quit Starfleet for Reading Rainbow within the first season. This guy was in charge of fixing everything from the warp core to the toilets, and despite giving realistic estimates, he was always forced to do what should take days in the space of 5 dramatic minutes.
PIcard "Hey Geordi I know you're busy but can you stop the ship from blowing up? 3 days you say? How about in 20 seconds? K thanks!"
I think Geordi had figured out rather early in his career that a Captain’s sense of time does not actually exist in normal space-time, and thus, adjusted his estimates accordingly. Not only that, he always had a penchant for getting that warp core to go just a little faster, make those shields a little stronger, and even played with Data’s head on his spare time. AND he was blind (though his visor came in handy for seeing plot elements the rest of the crew couldn’t)
I think this is something most people figure out pretty early on in their careers; or at least whenever they are given discretion to make their own timelines.Too bad Geordi fell victim to what every IT worker deals with, too technically essential for their own good and always passed up for promotion.
2) Nobody likes a know it all
Data represented a feat of human technology – a fully sentient artificial life form that did not actually want to destroy humanity. Data was faster, stronger, smarter and all around the most capable crew member that ever existed. Despite this, in order to fit in he had to try and be an idiot with feelings like the rest of his crewmates. He could provide precise estimates down to the nanosecond, but was constantly cut off mid-sentance when he did this. He was ridiculed for never using contractions; and despite his ability to recreate the styles of every great artist, he was constantly told he was just copying. Data could have been creating cures for diseases; finding ways to go past warp 10; or at the very least preventing his Holodeck programs from going apeshit. Instead, he chose to spend his career hanging around a bunch of smuggy jerks from the bay area who were constantly trying teach him a lesson, rather than the other way around.
No shit Sherlock
It is true though, whenever you have some great ability, you will always attract critics, so modesty and some thick yellow skin comes in handy. If Data had feelings though, I’m pretty sure he’d have been taking hyposprays of prozac and recording suicide notes in his log. Jerks.
3) Empathy is a Superpower
There were a few episodes where some of the crew would play poker together. While I could argue that Data probably won a few games, I’m pretty sure Deanna Troi hustled the beard right off of Riker most nights. She wasn’t just telepathic, she was empathic; she could feel emotions even before other people could. The most common emotion she must have felt was probably everyone being uncomfortable around her; but then maybe that’s why she stopped wearing that miniskirt and boot combo in the first season.
I sense a fart coming
The one problem with her being an expert on reading people is that it gave everyone else on the ship an excuse to be as dense as a quantum singularity. Her job was to be the ship’s counselor; you know, listen to the crew bitching about how lonely space is and hand out pamphlets. Instead, she was constantly on the bridge telling Picard that “yes the Ferengi are lying assholes” and “yes you just insulted that Klingon’s honor”
It really doesn’t take a superpower to exercise the ability to listen and empathize with people, just patience and an open mind. Often just understanding another point of view is enough to compromise on a given situation; even if you don’t agree with it.
4) Go to happy hour
Having a bar on a starship wasn’t just a way to get Whoopi Goldberg in the ship, it was a way to show that the crew weren’t just a bunch of workaholic math nerds in lycra uniforms. While the crew of the Enterprise preferred synthahol over shots of Patron, Ten-Forward provided the proper setting to show that even in the most ideal workplace, everyone needs a beer and a place to bitch after work (or in Worf’s case, prune juice). Here Geordi illustrated the pickup lines of the 24th century, Data learned that getting drunk is the true meaning of being human, and Troi brought credibility to the idea of a chocogasm. More ominous was what happened to crew members that didn’t go to happy hour at Ten-Foward: away missions to dangerous planets the next day.
Nothing like civilized discourse between coworkers at the local watering hole
Socialization in the workplace is just as important as the work itself. Granted, unlike your friends, you generally don’t get to pick your coworkers, but that doesn’t mean they are mutually exclusive. Despite all the technological and societal advances TNG flaunts (warp drive, tricorders, talking computers, world peace etc) The most optimistic concept of the entire show was the fact that not only did everyone enjoy their work, but they also enjoyed everyone they worked with. The harmony between all the crew members was the true science fiction, and I don’t think I’m being cynical by saying that (everyone has a bad day, everyone gets moody and not all personalities match up). That being said, it’s an ideal I do keep in mind.
Conclusion
Have anything you learned from TV? Send me a communiqué.
