"From Gulliver's Travels to Star Trek - Alternative Realities or a Mirror?" by Mona Leiter
A veteran presenter at O&I, Mona described this, her most recent effort this way:
I really appreciated
having the chance to work on this as I covered some of the things that mean the
most to me - Star Wars, Star Trek, and Twilight Zone. These movies/shows had a
big impact on me and the shaping of who I became. I
definitely appreciate the power of story and the ability of speculative
fiction to help us reflect on where we have been, where we are, and where we
may be headed. – Mona
List of Video Links for “From Gulliver’s Travels to Star Trek – Alternate Realities or a Mirror?”
1. Star Wars Trailer from 1977 (before the movie came out)
a. https://youtu.be/1g3_CFmnU7k
2. Luke Meets Ben (from Star Wars)
a. https://youtu.be/oTV2tS4nRPE
3. The Features of speculative fiction
a. https://youtu.be/LJFBHnFRdHE
4. Frankenstein Part 2 from Crash Course Literature
206
a. https://youtu.be/hRDjmyEvmBI
5. Animated interview with Rod Serling from PBS
Digital Studios
a. https://youtu.be/7ywWdT6IL3o
6. Why Twilight Zone is still relevant (5 Episodes
that prove the Twilight Zone has always tackled the big issues)
a. https://youtu.be/JjyWpoAiXOA
7. Mike Wallace interview with Rod Serling (Serling on
Censorship)
a. https://youtu.be/VQlqjONEsKQ
8. Clip from Star Trek – Let That Be Your Last
Battlefield (Star Trek tackling racism)
a. https://youtu.be/vi7QQ5pO7_A
9. Clips from Twilight Zone: Eye of the Beholder
a. The only way I could find to share segments from
this, my favorite Twilight Zone episode, was through using these series of
clips (a portion of which I did not share in my presentation) Here they are in
order:
1. https://youtu.be/5I1QAHq2vek
2. https://youtu.be/-v__P2CP-3o
3. https://youtu.be/9yV2x990Nqk
4. https://youtu.be/TcwzHcrSX1k
5. https://youtu.be/kMG407LE_I4
6. https://youtu.be/WPgGnGTjfHs
7. https://youtu.be/mIhHYwUhkyY
Mirrors Script for “From Gulliver’s Travels to Star Trek – Alternate Realities or a Mirror?”
1. Titles
2. Star
Wars Trailer
3. George
Lucas and his background
a. As a filmmaker in his late 20s George
Lucas hit the big time when he made the 1973 film American Graffiti – a movie
based on experiences of his teen years – as the tagline says “Where Were You in
62”. George wanted as his follow-up project, to make a film of Flash Gordon –
as he loved watching the 1930s Flash Gordon movie serials on the tv when he was
a child of the 50s. But he could not get the movie rights. So he set out to
make his own “space spectacular” which became Star Wars - released in 1977
4. In
addition to the Flash Gordon inspiration, Star Wars definitely wore George
Lucas’ influences on its sleeve – including Akira Kurosawa films such as Hidden
Fortress. Also throughout you can see touches of westerns, swashbuklers,
fantasy, and even world war ii – the space battle footage at the finale was
staged similarly to world war ii film dogfights.
5. But
George Lucas’ ambition was not to just make a love letter to his favorite
movies and genres – but to make a modern myth for the younger generation. He studied
the work of Joseph Campbell – specifically Campbell’s blueprint of the Heros
Journey – which was based on studies of stories and tales from a variety of
cultures across time. a. Much has been made over the years that the fact Star
Wars came out at a time when we were coming out of the Vietnam War, Watergate,
and gritty, dark movies like Godfather, Taxi Driver, Dog Day Afternoon – and
audiences wanted something more positive where things were more obvious, good
was good, bad was bad – and the good guys won in the end.
6. My
story- well that and the tremendous special effects, may have helped make Star
Wars the blockbuster that at the time became the highest grossing movie of all
time. But I did not know any of that when I went to the theater at age six, I
did not know about what was going on in the world or in the US, I did not know
about what kind of gritty movies had been successful up until that point in the
1970s. I did not know much about film history and certainly did not know about
the myth studies of Joseph Campbell.
7. What I
did know is that I went into see Star Wars for the first time I went in one
person and came out a different one. I have forever after looked at my life as
“Before Star Wars” and “After Star Wars”. You may say that the movie was a like
a spiritual experience for me. Every visual shot, special effect, music,
character, setting, narrative beat, left a huge impact on me. For the rest of
my life I have chased the feeling that Star Wars made me feel.
8. I have
many favorite moments in the movie. But what I choose to share with you is a
rather quiet one – no war in the stars happens in this scene. Honestly, I can’t
remember if this scene impacted me the very first time I saw it the way the
first sight of Darth Vader did when he came through a doorway and you heard his
ominous breathing and saw his imposing figure.
9. But
definitely after the first time of seeing the movie, this scene I am sharing
with you always gave me goosebumps, the perfect bit of acting, the air of
mystery, the hint of history, and most of all the perfect score of John
Williams just all came together for me. Here in terms of the hero’s journey is
when our hero, Luke Skywalker meets his mentor.
10. Scene
with obi wan
11. My
understanding expanded beyond what if
12. Star
Wars had the trappings of science fiction after all it takes place in space and
has all of that advanced technology. But there is a reason George Lucas started
the film with the phrase “a long time ago in a galaxy far far away”. Not much
different from Once Upon a time? Star Wars wasn’t just a modern myth for young
people – it was a space fantasy – a fairy tale.
13. In
August 2021 Simon Dillon wrote on Medium.com “why star wars is not science
fiction” a. I once explained the difference this way. In Star Trek (generally
considered soft science fiction, though it contains some hard elements), the
Enterprise goes to warp speed because of some confusing gobbledegook about
dilithium crystals, quantum tunnels, inertial dampeners, and the warp drive. In
Star Wars, the Millennium Falcon goes to light speed because it can. How it
goes to light speed is utterly irrelevant in a story concerned with fairy tale
themes.
14. So the
childhood stories of fairy tales and adventure explore “what if” especially at
a time when your imagination takes flight all of the time.
15. More
about what is
a. In my
late teens I started to understand that even the most fantastical settings in
stories were sometimes not just asking “what if” - they were reflecting what
is. I especially became enamored with the original Star Trek and Twilight Zone
series. I took in their stories and themes exploring what it means to be human.
And as time went on through reading about the various episodes in books about
the shows I saw the real world influences and what the scriptwriters were
commenting on in their own times.
b. Isn’t
this what books like 1984 or Brave New World did as well? – they were not just
dystopian cautionary tales – those stories were about what had gone on in the
20th century in the wars and political movements of the times- but in some way
the realities faced by the characters in those novels has continued to be
relevant to what many peoples are going through throughout the world on up to
today – it is not some distant future.
c. Now I
want to go back before Star Trek and Star Wars – before 1984 back to 1726 – the
year a new book came out that we still hear about nearly 300 years later.
16. Gulliver’s
Travels
a. Jonathan Swift was born and died in
Dublin Ireland. He was many things including a poet, satirist, and Anglican
Cleric. In 1726 he released Gullivers Travels a fantasy and satirical classic.
Its influence on satire and storytelling in the centuries since is undeniable.
But being satire it was not just generally commenting on human nature but most
likely holding a mirror to the society of the times including being a sort of
spoof of the popular travel books of the day. So it was not just a series of
fantastical outrageous stories – but a way to comment on people and institutions
of the time without doing it directly.
1.
The most famous part of the story is likely Gullivers visit to Lilliput with
all of the little people. In the piece by Harth, Phillip (May 1976). "The
Problem of Political Allegory in "Gulliver's Travels"". Modern Philology.
73 (4, Part 2): S40– S47. doi:10.1086/390691. ISSN 0026-8232. S2CID 154047160.
Harth
notes that the wars between the peoples of Lilliput and Blefuscu in the book
seemed to be like the wars that had happened between England and France. Also
the two political parties in Lilliput could be considered a standin for English
political parties with the Low Heels representing the Whigs and the High Heels
the Tories.
2.
TREADWELL, J. M. (1975). In their article "Jonathan Swift: The Satirist as
Projector". Commented that the part of the book featuring the grand
Academy of Lagado in Balnibarbi is meant to satirize the Royal Society (which
was formed in 1660 and is the UKs national academy of sciences 1. And in the
near end of the book where Gulliver encounters horses that are called the
Houyhnhnm and humans (considered inferior) are called yahoos - Kelly, Ann Cline
(October 1976). "Swift's Explorations of Slavery in Houyhnhnmland and
Ireland". PMLA/Publications of the Modern Language Association of America.
91 (5): 846–855. doi:10.2307/461560. ISSN 0030- 8129. JSTOR 461560.
3.
Ann Kelly describes Part IV of The Travels and the Yahoo-Houyhnhnm relationship
as an allusion to that of the Irish and the British: "The term that Swift
uses to describe the oppression in both Ireland and Houyhnhnmland is 'slavery';
this is not an accidental word choice, for Swift was well aware of the
complicated moral and philosophical questions raised by the emotional
designation 'slavery.' The misery of the Irish in the early eighteenth century
shocked Swift and all others who witnessed it; the hopeless passivity of the
people in this desolate land made it seem as if both the minds and bodies of
the Irish were enslaved."[22] Kelly goes on to write: "Throughout the
Irish tracts and poems, Swift continually vacillates as to whether the Irish
are servile because of some defect within their character or whether their
sordid condition is the result of a calculated policy from without to reduce
them to brutishness. Although no one has done so, similar questions could be
asked about the Yahoos, who are slaves to the Houyhnhnms."
4.
17.
Frankenstein
a. Now we jump ahead in time to 1818.
English novelist Mary Shelley just finished and published what would become the
classic Frankenstein.
b. Over the years some have erroneously
called the monster created in the story as Frankenstein. But in fact, Viktor
Frankenstein was the creator of the monster. And that monster has became a pop
culture superstar for decades thanks to countless movies, tv appearances and
much more including the classic 1931 film starring Boris Karloff, and the 1975
spoof Young Frankenstein starring Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle – monster – pop
culture superstar. Here I want to share part two of an analysis of the
Frankenstein novel from the web series, Crash Course.
18. Rod Serling
a. Writer, producer and host fought in
world war ii and then went on to work in radio and then in tv. In the 1950s He
wrote critically acclaimed teleplays, Patterns, and Requeim for a Heavyweight
but soon became frustrated with struggles with the censors. The solution? Have
a show with a fantastical framework where anything was possible – and he could
comment on issues of the day in a way that would allude the censors. The answer
was Twilight Zone. Rod created and hosted the show and wrote or adapted 92 of
the 156 episodes.
b. Twilight Zone is remembered for its
surprising twist endings along with Rod Serlings inimitable narrative host
segments. Twilight Zone was able to surprise, scare and thrill audiences but
had so much more to say – both to audiences of the day and really to us across
the decades. The next few clips will shed more light on the show and the man
behind it. In the final interview segment featuring Rod look for a young Mike
Wallace (later of 60 minutes fame) he is the one interviewing Mr. Serling.
19.
Twilight zone
20. Gene
Roddenberry
a. was in the air force in world war ii,
for several years in the late 40s he flew for Pan Am, then he worked for the
Los Angeles police dept. eventually resigning in 1956 to focus on his career in
writing. He worked on various series and then eventually created Star Trek.
21. Star
Trek
a. The show had an early pilot (which is
a “first episode” of a series that is used to try and sell the idea of a show)
starring different actors from what would be on the eventual series (the only
one who was kept as his character subsequently was Leonard Nimoy as Spock).
This first pilot was considered a bit too cerebral. A 2nd pilot was made and
this time the show was picked up – though always fighting cancellation for the
three years it was on air. So ironic considering how insanely successful the
show became after cancellation in 1969. The show spawned a cartoon series,
various movies, spinoff tv series, and countless merchandise and dedicated fans
which are called Trekkers or Trekkies.
b. Star Trek was originally pitched by
Roddenberry as “Wagon Train in space”. For the time it was groundbreaking in
that people of color were part of the main crew and main cast – Nichelle Nichols
played communications officer, Uhura who was from Africa. George Takei was the
helmsman Sulu who was a Japanese American. Also during the height of the cold
war, a Russian character ensign Chekov was introduced in the 2nd season (played
by Walter Koenig). This all pointed to a hopeful future where men and women of
different races (or alien species) would work together and find equality.
c. As a child I remember my dad watching
Star Trek reruns and I watched a few myself. I distinctly remember at age 6 while
waiting in the line to see Star Wars, I asked my parents – is it like “Star
Trek” – all because they both had star in the title.
d. It was not until the late 1980s I
myself became a fan of the show through watching Star Trek IV The Voyage Home
in 1987 – the movie is now known as the one with the whales. I loved that movie
so much I became obsessed with watching the old show which luckily at the time
was still shown multiple times during the week so I could catch all 79 of its
episodes. I enjoyed the show and I appreciated that it tackled some important
issues of its day including the cold war – and these issues were still relevant
in the 1980s and even up until now.
e. For me one of the most memorable
episodes was one entitled “let that be your last battlefield”. In it two
characters from an alien planet end up on the starship enterprise. To everyone
around them they look to be from the same species, but conversation with one of
the individuals (played by actor and impressionist Frank Gorshin) shows that he
views things very differently.
22. I do
not much like straight dramas. I find them hitting too close to home.
speculative fiction
a. Helped me to face difficult, relevant
issues because they are dressed up in the trappings of something like sci-fi,
superheroes, or fantasy. Yet there are some classic stories of speculative
fiction I find too disturbing to bring myself to watch the films or shows. But
these all have something important to say.
i.
In 1972 Ira Levin (the author of Rosemary’s Baby, wrote The Stepford Wives. It
was made into a classic, chilling, satirical movie in 1975. In the story the
main chararacter - a vibrant successful woman, suspects something strange has
been happening with the wives in the new town she has moved to. She suspects
the men of the town had turned their wives into robots – to be submissive
ideals. The story tackled many feminist themse including the roles of women in
the home and the issue of consent. All of this was totally relevant in the
1970s during the height of the womens movement. And sadly still remains
relevant.
ii.
In 1985 Margaret Atwood, a Canadian author, wrote The Handmaid’s Tale. I had
never read the book and only began hearing of the story when this was adapted
into the popular and critically acclaimed Hulu series in 2017. The title, The
Handmaid’s Tale is in reference to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. This dystopian
story I found honestly too disturbing and heartbreaking to watch especially
when it came out in the politically charged climate of the 2016 election, and
later the me too movement. In this “tale” certain women are deemed the
handmaids for sex and giving birth to children.
iii.
This story is about an extreme patriarchal society that takes away women’s
agency and reproductive rights. Maybe when it was written in 1985 there was
hope that this was just a cautionary tale and not issues we would still be
dealing with nearly 40 years later.
iv.
In 2017, comedian Jordan Peele – whom I mainly knew from his sketch comedy
series, Key and Peele – wrote and directed the horror movie, Get Out. He won
the Oscar for his screenplay and the script was ranked by the Writers Guild of
America as the greatest screenplay of the 21st century.
b. Lanre Bakare in The Guardian wrote
about Get Out : "The villains here aren't southern rednecks or neo-Nazi
skinheads, or the so-called 'alt-right'. They're middle-class white liberals.
The kind of people who read this (the guardian) website. The kind of people who
shop at Trader Joe's, donate to the ACLU and would have voted for Obama a third
time if they could. The thing Get Out does so well – and the thing that will
rankle with some viewers – is to show how, however unintentionally, these same
people can make life so hard and uncomfortable for black people. It exposes a
liberal ignorance and hubris that has been allowed to fester. It's an attitude,
an arrogance which in the film leads to a horrific final solution, but in
reality leads to a complacency that is just as dangerous."
c. And now I want to end the
presentation with the beginning and ending portions of my favorite Twilight
Zone episode, The Eye of the Beholder. I find this one so poignant, so relevant
and timeless – like the best of stories. This often makes the lists of various
sources’ top twilight zone episodes.
d. Of note, the main female character in this is played by two actresses – Maxine Stuart, when you cannot see the woman’s face, and Donna Douglas – when you can. This episode is from the 2nd season of Twilight Zone and debuted in 1960. Two years later Donna would break out into big fame as the daughter, Ellie May Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies.
e. And now here, from a story written by Rod Serling, is Eye of the Beholder.
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