2007-08 ASM Star Trek (1965-2005)

Star Trek is far more than a TV-series. It is a cultural phenomenon with enormous ramifications marked by substantial plot developments, and it is a powerful piece of fiction due to its wide range of cultural, philosophical, aesthetic and political allusions. The original series became a cult classic, the Star Trek universe it created does in retrospect bridge generations and popitical gaps such as the cold war east/west-confrontation (mirrored within the series by disruptions of original interstellar confrontations).

The seminar could deal with

• plots of the original series which can be seen in the contexts of philosophical, social or political debates.
• character developments (the actors were in fact quite able to create and develop their own characters during the twenty years they belonged to the Star Trek universe),
• developments of the fictional settings (with the different ramifications of the series),
• developments of the fan community,
• the merchandising of the Star Trek universe.