The film Star Trek:
Insurrection was the first ever film that I viewed within the Star Trek
franchise. I had heard various opinions on the films throughout my life which
gave me an idea of what to generally expect from this semi-dystopian film. One
major feature of the movie that caught me off guard was the fact that a great
majority of the setting didn’t take place in the stars at all; instead a great
deal of the film took place on the Planet of Youth. I initially expected to see
an endless, drawn out battle between space shuttles and characters that never
leave the confines of their own ships; however, I was pleasantly surprised by
the ability of film to allow the plot to go beyond outer space.
One distinct feature that this film offered that differs
from almost every other movie I’ve critiqued is the fact that on the Planet of
Youth, the citizens choose not to take advantage of the opportunities technology
can offer them in their daily lives. The
majority of the futuristic/science-fiction movies I’ve critiqued in this blog
have presented societies which have been corrupted by technology and are
battling the consequences of what their “advancements” did to them. It is
admirable that the Planet of Youth chooses to ignore the use of advanced
technology in their lives, despite the fact that they are more than capable of
taking advantage of such technologies. They believe that using technology to
make Man’s life easier ultimately “takes away from the man”. Perhaps their views
on the abuses of technology are what have allowed them to survive peacefully on
their planet for so long (and the fact that they are immortal helps).
Speaking of immortality, it is the concept that ultimately
drives the entire plot of the movie. The bad (dystopian) guys hope to take over
the Planet of Youth, while the good (utopian) guys just want to stay on their own
planet and live peacefully as they have for hundreds of years. Hey, why can’t
we all just live forever and be happy? This concept of immortality is
interesting because it is usually dealt with in Halloween-like movies with
witches, werewolves, or vampires (the multi-million dollar Twilight saga) who
have lived for thousands of years. The concept can also date back as far as the
Bible where God closed the Garden of Eden to Adam and Eve which held the Tree
of Life. Some speculate that we would all have the ability to live forever if
Adam and Eve hadn’t deceived God and caused the everlasting tree to become
forbidden. Within the film, the question of, “who deserves to live forever?” is
one the audience should ask themselves. Does anyone truly deserve to live forever?
Does the fact that the citizens of the Planet of Youth were there first mean
that they are the only ones who should be allowed to be immortal? Is it morally
right for them to keep outsiders from experiencing the luxury of immortality
that they have the ability to experience? I personally don’t think I would live
forever if I was given the chance. Life would seem meaningless and become a
bore. If the characters in the movie thought more like me, perhaps they would
have avoided such troubles.
I too thought it was interesting how the cultures other than the Bak'u all were intent upon showcasing their techonological skill, yet within their daily lives they seemed to not have incorporated the same level of advancement. But the aspect of the abuse of technology as far as its place in the film is interesting, because it is those who decided not to pervert themselves with technology that have the immortality which others seek. Not only this, they also hold the key to the immortality, technologically, that the others so desperately desire; potentially to continue their search for immortality. As always, the answers seem to come to those who aren't even looking.
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