STAR TREK: SCI-FI OR PSY-WAR?

This article appeared in PARANOIA MAGAZINE, Vol4 No.4, Issue 14, Fall 1996. This article was reprinted in The Conspiracy Reader: From the Deaths of JFK and John Lennon to Government-Sponsored Alien Cover-Ups, by Joan D'Arc (Editor), Al Hidell (Editor) Publisher: Citadel Press (January 1, 1999). 

Psy-war, or psychological warfare, is an admitted, if little understood by the public, component of the U.S. military. Other 'powers' are also known to have so-called psy-weapons. Those powers are not limited to governments. Modern media advertising is clearly a form of psy-war, one waged against 'targeted demographics' by major corporations and other institutions. Those institutions include religions.

In Victorian dramas, plays and novels, characters were often given significant names, names that described the character or had a special meaning in terms of the plot. Oscar Wilde's play, "The Importance of Being Earnest," is an example of this; with the title's double meaning. Likewise, the names of the characters in the original television series Star Trek(TM) are pregnant, as the Victorians would say, with multiple meanings. Are these meanings of no significance beyond the spinning of a tale, or do they reveal a hidden, subliminal psy-war attack on a targeted population? In this article I will attempt to show that, because of the core nature of such occurrences, that Star Trek(TM) was a premeditated attack, one whose purpose was to subliminally indoctrinate America into obeying the Roman Catholic Church!

First, let us take up the primary character, the mover and shaker, the guy in charge, Captain James T. Kirk, Commanding Officer of the Federation Starship U.S.S. Enterprise. When we analyze his name, we first notice that that James was the brother of Jesus. James took over the movement founded by Jesus after the crucifixion. The name means 'the supplanter' and is a variant of Jacob, one of the Patriarchs of the Old testament. Kirk's middle name was Tiberius, a Roman General and Emperor. "Kirk" is the most common European language spelling of the word we know in English as "church." Put these all together: (brother of) Jesus, Roman (Emperor), Church; and what do you have? The Roman Catholic Church! It was the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) that was in control of the Enterprise! In the U.S. Air Force a Chaplain is referred to as a "sky pilot," here, in the person of Captain Kirk, we have a church (a kirk) flying through outer space, the abode of God. Just a pun, or a subliminal message?

Who ran Kirk? He took orders from Starfleet Command. If Kirk represents the RCC, then Starfleet has to be God. "Fleet" can refer to a number of ships, it can also mean "swift." Is it not "God" who commands the "stars" in their "swift" passage through the heavens?

Under Kirk were two primary characters. The Medical Officer, Leonard McCoy, and the Science Officer, Mr. Spock.

Let's take up McCoy first. Leonard is Teutonic and it is "-nard," meaning "brave or strong," plus "Leo," the lion. Together they mean "strong in the Lord," or "strong in Faith." No less than thirteen Popes have taken the name Leo. The Lion has been a symbol of Christianity nearly since its inception. Of course, the lion image tracks back to the Lion of Judah, the totem of the Jews.

"McCoy" has two referents to American culture. Recall, if you will, that Spock and McCoy, the emotionless and the emotional, were perpetually locked in a feud. As well as being the archetypal battle of emotion vs. logic, it is also an allusion to an event in American history. In the name and character of "McCoy" we have the power of an archetype welded to the image of the bitter feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys. Dr. McCoy represents The McCoys and Spock stands in for the Hatfields --who lost.

McCoy's second connection to American culture and consciousness is in the phrase: "the real McCoy." It means that the item referred to is the genuine article, not an imitation or fake. Clearly, this attempts to say that the RCC is the true religion while up-start science, championed by Spock, is the impostor. So, Doctor (healer) Leonard (of the faith/faithful) McCoy (true religion), is the emotional (be as the little children, faith is from the heart) winner.

Dualities being the easiest to deal with in a sixty minute format, we also have the equally archetypal battle of Good vs. Evil. If McCoy is on the (winning) side of true religion, then (the losing) Spock, and Science, must be of the Devil. Just so you don't miss which side McCoy is on, his assistant is Nurse Christine (a variant of Christ, Christian) Chapel (a small church). Likewise, to ensure that you saw Spock as the Devil they gave him pointy ears!

Spock has no other names (pronounceable by humans, that is... demons, you may know, have names that humans can summon them by, as well as ones that cannot be uttered by the human tongue). Spock is a miscegenation (a Biblical sin), a half-breed: part human, part Vulcan. "Vulcan" was the Roman god of fire and craftsmanship who lived in the underworld --again, an image of both science and the Devil.

The only name "Spock" could refer to, in contemporary American culture, would be that of Dr. Benjamin Spock, the baby doctor. Perhaps this was intended to subliminally cause the viewer to associate science (only a little over a century old) with infants (in its infancy, as a baby) as a further denigration. Dr. Spock was a secular humanist, a progressive, and an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War, which was just becoming a major shooting war at the time that Star Trek(TM) hit the air.

Mr. Spock, as a half-human demon, associated with Benjamin Spock, the anti-traditionalist, the secularist, the authoritative anti-authoritarian, would have been the very antithesis of what the RCC stood for. Of course McCoy was the Real Thing! ("Coke is the Real Thing" was Coca-Cola's campaign at the time, by the bye). The Christian Church, and particularly the RCC has always been an opponent of rational, free thinking; and a proponent of emotional belief and blind faith. That is what the Inquisition was all about, wasn't it? Mr. Spock, the free thinker, the Faustian Devil, would have been burned at the stake!

In Star Trek(TM) the RCC has won, for both Spock and McCoy were completely under the command of Kirk (church). Capt. Kirk represents a face of the RCC that they would like us to believe is what the RCC is really like. Kirk is kind, almost indulgent of the 'feud' between his juniors, like a loving father, yet firm and forceful when necessary --yet, never too forceful. There are no Inquisitions on the Enterpirse. (Except for the one episode where...)

There were two other principals on the bridge of the Enterprise: Uhura and Scott.

Uhura is a variant of "Uhuru," Swahili for "freedom." Uhura is the Communications Officer, so she could be "freedom of speech" --but she doesn't speak for herself. She is the go-between for Kirk and the universe outside of the Enterprise; especially of the link with Starfleet (God). So perhaps she represents religious freedom. Her "freedom," however, is closer to slavery (did I mention she was black?). She cannot send or receive communications on her own, but only as directed by her superiors (in Orwell's 1984, one of Big Brother's three great truths was "Freedom is Slavery," could this be saying "slavery is freedom?" Or, perhaps, calling her "freedom" was just a bit of 'black' humor?) The message here could be that freedom, particularly religious freedom, is the freedom to be Catholic, to perceive, and receive, the universe with a Catholic mindset; that the universe outside of one's own personal starship is whatever the RCC says it is.

The other main character was the Enterprise's Chief Engineer, Mr. Scott. The industrial Revolution (it can be argued) began in Scotland. Mr. Scott's name is a perfect Victorian novel name that exactly described his personality and his function: the simple mechanic. Mr. Scott would then appear to embody all the elements of the Industrial Revolution that the RCC is willing to accept (useful gadgets without any challenging ideas), and Spock represents those elements that the RCC wishes to crush.

What about Chekov and Sulu, you axe? Sulu appeared early, about the third episode; Chekov, however, was not added until the last episode of the first season. I see no reason to treat them as part of the subliminal message addressed above. They were window dressing. Indeed, Chekov as added in response to viewer complaints that for a ship claiming to represent all of Earth, the bridge had too "All American" a look to it. They simply represent their nationalities, and by extension, the Second and Third Worlds respectively. Note though, that both were completely under the control of Kirk (the RCC). This suggests that the whole world is run by the RCC, or at least, that they intend it to be in the future wherein Star Trek(TM) is set.

The show's starship, the U.S.S. Enterprise with the designator number NCC 1701, had a conspiratorial name as well. We all know that in modern times military operations are given code names like "Desert Shield" and "Desert Storm;" "Operation: Just Cause" and "Operation: Restore Hope." This practice is not entirely new. The Spanish Armada was 'code' named "The Enterprise." What was the failed attempt to invade England by Spain all about? England was then ruled by Queen Elizabeth I. During her reign she encouraged a cult of personality to grow up around her. She, and her inner circle, got into some pretty strange things --like Goddess worship, demon conjuring, and all manner of unCatholic activities. As an example of this, Sir Walter Raleigh's customary court clothing was all black with magical symbols woven in silver thread. The Enterprise was an attempt to dethrone the neo-pagan Queen and retake England for Catholicism.

The U.S.S. portion of the ship's name was defined on Star Trek(TM) as meaning United Star Ship --a transparent play on United States Ship, the designator for all U.S. Navy craft. As for the designator number, today all aircraft are required to display "N" numbers as a form of identification. This number could refer to the year 1701, which was the date of the beginning of the War of Spanish Succession. It was a war to determine who would ascend to the Spanish throne. It eventually embroiled all of Europe, becoming a precursor of the World Wars to follow centuries later. I believe that, in this context, that date symbolized that, with the airing of Star Trek(TM), a new war of neo-Spanish, i.e. Catholic, succession (to the 'throne' of Earth) had begun.

What about the latter generations of Star Trek(TM); the seven movies and two TV shows that followed? Did they follow in this 'conspiracy?' I think not. One can find some interesting meanings in some of the names, and one can arrive at some intriguing interpretations of some of the stories aired; but I don't see this system of hidden messages about the RCC continued.

However, there is the possibility that, with the death of Gene Rodenberry, Star Trek(TM)'s creator, and the changing of personnel over the years, one or more other conspiratorial voices have begun to speak through this format. One episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation(TM) involved the Federation, in violation of its vaunted Prime Directive, sending undercover agents to a planet to shift them from a multi-national political system to a one-world government. The object was to get them to have a single voice so that the planet could then be asked to join the Federation. This could well be 'softing' up of the public. It could be a message from the New World Order crowd (which the RCC seems to have joined). There is a growing movement to consolidate of all the nations of Earth under a single authority, such as the United Nations. While the RCC may have taken a back seat, television programming continues to appear to be population programing; in this case, a 'plot' to move the Earth's population towards accepting a real 'United Federation of Earth' at some point in the near future.

Here's another, perhaps even more 'inquiring mind' out there interpolation: a number of folks in the UFO community have been suggesting for some time that shows like the various generations of Star Trek(TM), "My Favorite Martian," "The 'X' Files," "Third Rock From The Sun," "Alien Nation," etc.; as well as movies like E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind are being used to precondition the public into accepting the arrival of extraterrestrial (who are already here in hiding) as neighbors.

So, was Star Trek(TM) originally an attempt to subliminally convert America to Catholicism? Did it become a vehicle for creating acceptance for the creation of a United Federation of Earth? Was it actually a psy-war operation perpetrated by the Vatican or the New World Order to convert or subvert the U.S.? Or, have I just found series of 'amazing coincidences?' Perhaps I am just being a touch paranoid...