The USS Enterprise, a starship in the Starfleet, which is the military service of the United Federation of Planets, parallels the American army and navy during the nineteenth century. Even though the Enterprise is a military ship, it is framed as participating in a peaceful five year mission to explore new worlds in hopes of seeking out life and civilizations. Sarantakes shows how the Star Trek ship mirrors the primarily scientific focus of the US army and navy during the examined timeframe, saying, “Many fans have argued that this mission makes Starfleet a scientific service rather than a military organization, but the assignment is similar to the role that the U.S. Army and Navy performed during most of the nineteenth century”.
Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the series, memorably summed up the power of science fiction, saying: “Today in TV, you can’t write about Vietnam, politics, labor management, the rocket race, the drug problem realistically.” In other words, due to the politically correct and nationalistic culture of the time, artists and television shows could not openly complain about American policies. By turning to science fiction and fantasy writing, television and fiction writers would veil their political commentary by asserting that they were discussing a mythical time and place. This would allow them to take controversial stances without censorship or backlash and spread their views to the public.
Writers’ projecting their political stances into fictional media is not exclusive to Star Trek. A recent and memorable example would be Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire. The movie, pitched as an emotional and engaging story following an observant, albeit poor boy through the streets of India, could also be interpreted a scathing critique of class segregation, poverty, and violence in poor areas in the third world nation. While it would be politically incorrect and controversial for Boyle to make a public statement on these issues since he has never faced them, by building his stance into his move, he was able to show viewers his beliefs.
The Rhetoric of Containment 