Thing of it is, the aliens are just there to symbolize some aspect of humanity. I don’t have a big problem with that, but it’s the attendant sanctimony that always irritated me, as in the case of the Ferengi’s first appearance when Riker tells a third alien “Centuries ago, we were like them…” I don’t mind a greedy alien, but it’s way beyond suspension of disbelief to suggest ungreedy humans. It’s as if every emotion was sucked out of the human race and scattered throughout the universe.
This is why I love DS9 so much. Its characters are three dimensional and flawed unlike the paragons of virtue that Picard and crew are made out to be. You also have the aliens showing true personalities instead of just being the epitome of their race.
Quark was a pariah among the Ferengi for his less than 100% greedy business dealings; Odo believed in justice; Rom didn’t care about profit at all; Nog joined Starfleet; Ziyal was one of the nicest characters written and so on.
It was quite refreshing after being talked down to for seven years.
It’s like my mother always told me, for a Vulcan, the forbidden zone is the limit. For a Klingon, the limit is the forbidden zone.*
TellMeI’mNotCrazy gets my respect. I always understood the line (saw Rock perform that material live at Bally’s in Vegas where I sat right near Tiger Woods!), but I thought it was misworded. Using TellMe’s interpretation, the line actually makes literal sense. Good job.
- Never have I seen such an aggregious hijack in the history of the SDMB! Chris Rock to a Star Trek nerdfest? NICE MEANDER!
It’s not that “aggregious”. If Rock wants to make a point about the limitations imposed on blacks in America, it’s not a far reach to debate how blacks are portrayed in the media. Why do some people find it odd to see a dark-skinned Vulcan? Similarly, why do old movies with crowd scenes set in New York City only show white people? The fiction, created by Hollywood casting practices, ends up creating the perception and not the reality.
OK, back to the OP.
My first thought on reading this is the stereotype that black people are unwilling to fly. I had never heard about it until I started watching some stand-up on BET, but quite a few comedians have commented on it.
Chris Rock isn’t really known for his philosophical takes on life, is he? I think this explains the joke better than the above Star Trek discussion 