A man either lives life as it happens to him, meets it head-on and licks it, or he turns his back on it and starts to wither away.
Gene RoddenberryRead
We stress humanity, and this is done at considerable cost. We can't have a lot of dramatics that other shows get away with - promiscuity, greed, jealousy. None of those have a place in 'Star Trek.'
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of humanity and higher values over negative traits in storytelling.
Gene Roddenberry highlights that 'Star Trek' aims to portray humanity's best qualities rather than indulging in dramatics that showcase negative human traits such as promiscuity, greed, and jealousy. By prioritizing positive representations and moral integrity, the series sets a standard for what narratives should aspire to reflect about humanity's potential.
Themes
HumanityValuesStorytellingMoralityStar Trek
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote in a discussion about moral storytelling in film and television.
More from Gene Roddenberry
All quotes →'Star Trek' episodes always insisted that humanity is on its bumpy way to what will be a glorious future in the 23rd century, in which we will have left most of our old selfishness - and old hatreds and prejudices - far behind us.
Gene RoddenberryRead
The network told me to get rid of Number One, the woman first lieutenant, and also get rid of 'that Martian fellow'... meaning, of course, Spock. I knew I couldn't keep both, so I gave the stoicism of the female officer to Spock, and married the actress who played Number One. Thank God it wasn't the other way around. I mean Leonard's cute, but...
Gene RoddenberryRead
For me science fiction is a way of thinking, a way of logic that bypasses a lot of nonsense. It allows people to look directly at important subjects.
Gene RoddenberryRead
Star Trek says that it has not all happened, it has not all been discovered, that tomorrow can be as challenging and adventurous as any time man has ever lived.
Gene RoddenberryRead
I believe in humanity. We are an incredible species. We're still just a child creature, we're still being nasty to each other. And all children go through those phases. We're growing up, we're moving into adolescence now. When we grow up - man, we're going to be something!
Gene RoddenberryRead
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