Living Through War and Star Trek
You Should Watch Star Trek
For weeks after one of my dogs died, I needed music, especially ska music, to numb the pain. When the war started, I needed to spend more money on myself. And as the war raged on, I needed Star Trek.
I got into Star Trek this year. I’m no expert. My prior knowledge came from sitcom jokes about how Trekkies are mistaken for Star Wars fans. I was a fan of The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror, other thought-provoking, speculative fiction series, but I didn’t even know that Star Trek fell into a similar category. I assumed the series was just another sci-fi fantasy adventure where good always triumphs. Star Trek is more than that tired genre. The episodes leave you uneasy, joyous, contemplative, laughing, scared, and maybe, even, a bit turned on.
I began Star Trek with The Original Series (TOS), the campy, yet epic, beginning from 1966. Upon realizing what the show represented, wild “what if” scenarios, emphasis on speeches, avoidance of conflict, and a low bar for visual effects, I was hooked. I moved on to Lower Decks, an ongoing series that aired fifty-plus years after TOS. By the time I started Deep Space Nine (DS9), my favorite series, I was so hooked that I had to shout it to the world.
If you’re craving new content to binge, consider that it would take around four weeks to watch all of the Star Trek TV shows, without taking any pee breaks. Eighteen months of obsessively binging the show still left me with web series, comics, games and other content to consider. DS9 alone has 176 episodes. Currently, there are 14 series of Star Trek, 13 movies, and two new series on the way. If you live outside US (or have a VPN), most Trek series are available on Netflix.
Keep reading if you want to know why Star Trek meant so much to me during a time of war, or if you need more convincing to watch one of the greatest series of all time.
KIRK: Your creator is dead. You have mistaken me for him. You are in error. You did not discover your mistake. You have made two errors. You are flawed and imperfect and you have not corrected by sterilization. You have made three errors.NOMAD: Error. Error. Error. Examine.The Effects of Star Trek on My Mental Health
If you only know Star Trek from pop-culture references, like Futurama, Community, or podcast nerds, you may have missed the deeper philosophy woven into the show. Star Trek constantly explores ethical dilemmas, pitting collective versus individual, deont. versus util., moral relativism versus universal ethics, and spirituality (faith) versus science (evidence). Our heroes frequently rely on the Harm principle, creative military tactics, and speculative science to solve the seemingly impossible. Star Trek fans debate over the Primary Directive, which captains may or may not follow.
In 2024, the world feels overwhelmed by depression, addiction, and endless scapegoating. Both ultra-conservatives and ultra-liberals engage in vicious rhetoric, blaming one another for societal collapse. Propaganda infiltrates at-risk communities, even glorifying suicide as a heroic escape (see The Guardian and Russian social media posts glorifying Aaron Bushnell). Messages of resilience—like those found in Star Trek—are more important than ever. No matter how dire the situation, we must march forward. Fear is human, but to surrender is not an option. We should applaud our healthcare workers and teachers, but we should applaud ourselves too. Keep moving no matter the odds stacked against us.
Back in Sep 2024, around 3:30 AM, a drone exploded three blocks from my home. The blast shook my building, knocking pictures off the wall. Yet, I had work the next day. So, by 4:00 AM, I was back asleep, just like my neighbors. This mentality is essential for millions who have to focus on mental well-being, despite living in war-torn areas. We know that giving up on our ambitions is the greatest threat. Resilience is key to survival. Nobody embodies resilience like the heroes in Star Trek. Interspatial wars are just another day for them.
Some cynics may chalk this work ethic up to the horrors of capitalism. However, Star Trek presents a future where money is largely unnecessary (due to technology like replicators). Even in a post-scarcity society, both non-Capitalistic Earthlings and the ultra-capitalist Ferengi find reasons to press forward. The key lesson to life is that we must go forward… "where no one has gone before."
Picard: Shall I tell you what true evil is? It is to submit to you. It is when we surrender our friends, our dignity, instead of defying you.Finding Parallels to My Life
In 2025 I’m updating this with three coincidences so strange I still can’t believe them:
1. DS9, Past Tense - I watched the episode for the first time on August 29, 2024. The characters travel back in time to August 30, 2024! The episode originally aired in 1995. I literally screamed when I realized the date lined up exactly.
2. Voyager meme episode - In early 2025, I was writing about Zionism and Star Trek as a follow up to this very essay. I saw the episode famous for the meme where an alien asks if two characters are friends (one says yes, the other no). Curious, I looked up the actress, Sandra Nelson—only to find she had posted pro-Israel messages that very day. The timing was uncanny. (I’ve followed her since, though I haven’t seen her post more advocacy.)
3. Enterprise and WMDs - In May 2025, I started watching Enterprise, the “post-9/11” Star Trek. Its second season revolves around Earth facing a WMD threat, political debates about preemptive defense, and public backlash against those confronting a very real danger. It was almost identical to the leadup of the June 2025 war between Israel and Iran, when the same arguments dominated the news. Days before my apartment in Tel Aviv was hit by a missile, I watched an episode where Florida—where one hero and I grew up—was destroyed by a weapon. The parallels were chilling, right down to how the show distinguishes ordinary people from the rogue actors leading their governments.]
[Back to the original essay from 2024:]
Deep Space Nine (DS9) offers a unique reflection on war and post-war ethics. It is deeply symbolic, with the heroes working for the Federation, an allegory for idealistic liberal values—much like a utopian version of the US or EU. Despite this utopian veneer, the Federation often finds itself in brutal wars. You can’t help but interject personal feelings, especially when topics dive into slavery, colonialism, kangaroo courts, social injustice and so much more.
DS9’s wars showcase the show’s real strength: the moral complexity of war and peace.
Nobody wants war.
I will repeat it again for the virtue signallers: Nobody. Wants. War.
Living through war myself, I found DS9 to be incredibly relevant. There are no easy answers when survival is on the line. Even the most principled people are forced to defend themselves by way of power. Like the Federation, Israelis and Jews do not seek war. We love life. We simply have no choice but to fight back when our lives are threatened. Star Trek reflects this hard truth: there is imperfection of ethics in times of war.
To make this comparison even grander, consider that DS9 purposefully parallels post-World War II realities, blending real world cultures into different alien species. People tend to know the Cardassians represent the Nazis, while Bajorans represent recently liberated Jews. There are endless clues: Bajoran emphasize civility, peace, trials, and have mixed feelings over an ancient religion, while finding importance in its rites.
Despite all the horrors that the Bajorans faced under Caradassian rule, an even more evil enemy comes: The Dominion. The Dominion are an expansionist and totalitarian regime, like the various Islamist factions that threaten the Jewish people today. They emphasize a death culture, like Hamas, PIJ, ISIL, Hezbolla, Islamist State, Houtis etc. They claim divine righteousness but focuse solely on building weapons and asserting dominance, even at a cost to their own people. No matter the pleas from rational actors for peace, The Dominion/Islamist groups crave unlimited power. They kill for petty reasons. For both the Dominion and these real-world death cults, human life is secondary to the pursuit of power. Surrendering means suffering.
Despite all the horrors the Dominion/Islamists have done to my people, I just feel bad for them. They’re born to die and proudly scream it. Their leaders, their so-called supporters, encourage death any chance they get. It’s naive to do anything but listen when they preach a hierarchical system which leads to endless persecution and civil rights abuses, culminating in their own people and leaders defecting. Despite all this, despite people seeing that the life under Dominion/Islamist rule is pure horror, these terrorizers still receive support under a fantasy that complete submission will prevent suffering.
INB4: Note on the moronic take that Bajorans represent Palestinians:
There are people who insist Bajorans represent Palestinians. I don’t buy it. The individuals making such claims try to make EVERYTHING about Jewish erasure, even Superman and content explicitly about Jewish erasure. This is 100% a claim from people who work hard to distort Jewish history, who start responses with “You’re not the victim! I am!”
The show writers have alleged multiple Bajorans inspiration, but I can not believe that Palestinians were one of them.
Consider that Bajorans suffered under Cardassian occupation. They were not the people who supported them. The Palestine identity didn’t emerge as a result of Ottoman or British occupation, but rather as a way to combat coexistence of Christians and Jews with Islamist Arabs.
Consider how often DS9 begs Bajorans to forgive their oppressers. When have anti-Israel groups called for forgiveness from Palestinians? Can you point to a single example of them telling Hamas, Hezbolla, or any other Islamist faction, “You should forgive the Jews”?
The Palestine and IRA narrative was mentioned in TNG, as well as how the Federation feels about the Palestine and IRA narrative. [Spoilers ahead]:
1. In TNG’s The Ensigns of Command, Data makes an entire speech mocking a people for sacrificing their lives for land. The Federation, Bajorans and Jews clearly value life over death. Palestine rhetoric is explicit about valuing death and martyrdom in the name of land. Putting land before life is an abhorent idea to me and Trek writers.
2. In TNG’s The High Ground, the Ansata people represent a popular terrorist group, much like the IRA (the episode was banned in the UK) or Palestinians. Ansata blow up busses and reaks havoc on cvilians. I don’t know whether Ansata intentionally near rhymes with intifada, the period known for terrorists blowing up busses and reaking havoc on civilians. Maybe it’s a coincidence! But we do know the Ansata praise death, while their enemies, The Rutians, praise life. An Ansata leader even says, “A dead martyr is worth 10 posturing leaders.” [The Ansata are the bad guys.]
3. In TNG’s The High Ground, the Federation’s explicit stance is to not get involved with foreign affairs (their directive).. However, they do favor the Rutians, giving them more aid and noting their medical advancements. They are willing to support the Ansata as an act of good will, and upon doing so the Ansata kidnap Federation members and hold them hostage, insisting that they are righteous for kidnapping people who are trying to help them. Sounds familiar?
4. In TNG’s The High Ground, we see the Ansata rely on child soldiers! You’d think the Federation would respond, “Hey that’s f-d up!” Yet only Riker protests, “Maybe the end begins with one boy putting down his gun,” which may have been inspired by the famous Golda Meir line, "If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence.” Unfortunately, like the US today, far too few are willing to speak up about the horrors of using child soldiers.
Diane Duane: When governments murder those who speak the truth, it is time to get new governments.Exploration vs. Colonialism
One of the most intriguing points of contention surrounding Star Trek is its depiction of space exploration. In today’s world, exploration, and even alliances, are often criticized as colonialism. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine began with complaints of NATO. The mere idea of entities partnering was deemed a threat. Many on the far left and far right converge to challenge the ethics of venturing into new worlds, suggesting it is inherently tied to conquest.
Star Trek portrays exploration as something far more noble and necessary. Exploration is key to life.
Exploration in Star Trek represents curiosity and pursuit of knowledge. The crew of the Starships don’t seek to exploit new worlds; they seek to learn and build alongside them. They provide medical aid and innovation. They save species from extinction, sometimes by displacing them. They get involved with multiple wars. And our protagonists come out as the righteous, despite the prevelance of isolationist attitudes in the real 21st century.
Still, our heroes technology annoys some societies. Radicals would call the Federation’s mission “colonialism,” despite their emphasis of diplomacy, respect for different cultures, and the avoidance of violence. Much of the Voyager series centers around how the distant people distrust our heroes. Attempts to make peace are doubted by those who have never known peace. No amount of good will can change this perception. Good is thought to have ulterior motive.
Exploration of science, space, and ideas is, in my opinion, a moral imperative. History has shown that new frontiers can lead to progress and cultural evolution, raising life spans, bringing joy and innovation. As a Jew and an Israeli, I see the importance of exploration for survival. Israel began as a second chance at life for the Arab world’s dimmis, people left to rot in concentration camps and others who only lived thanks to their pursuits. Western countries give hope to those desperate for a new start. Israel, like many other Western states, developed previously uninhabitable land, not through conquest, but through resilience and innovation. They tried to make peace with their Arab neighbors. When this failed, they continued to til the soil and explore, as the people who turned down peace regressed.
Today, there are probably Star Trek fans rooting for the Dominion to take the Federation, alongside Hamas taking Israel. They value the underdogs who represent anti-Western values, because it offers a party to blame. The anti-exploration ignore oppression within their own societies, pointing fingers instead to those who seek progress. Many seek validation in unstable communities, that lack a moral compass, unable to imagine different cultures united. Thought of seeking knowledge and fostering mutual respect scares them.
Exploration and trust lead to invention and alliences.
Spock: Change is the essential process of all existence.Technology in Star Trek
Another captivating element of Star Trek is its futuristic technology—from replicators to transporters—devices that could only arise from scientific exploration. While some of this technology seems far-fetched, the thought experiments they inspire are wonderful. What does it mean to transport someone across space? Is the person who arrives the same as the one who left? Does their soul get lost or can it be duplicated?
We’ve seen glimpses of Star Trek’s technological future in our world. We travel faster than ever imagined. Rich people want to colonize Mars. 3D printers resemble replicators, offering a future where we can create necessities like food, clothes, or even medical devices. Modern science might scoff at changing energy to permanent matter, or it might find a way to do it. “3D-printed martinis” are closer than we think.
Technology could revolutionize the way we handle humanitarian crises from famine to war. The phaser, for example, could allow us to neutralize threats without lethal force, providing a solution to many of today’s violent conflicts. Today, the best option to target militants alone is to blow up devices only militants are supposed to have. In Trek world, the bad guys are stunned, neutralized without harm for the NYTimes to criticize. Imagine we could beam hostages out of dangerous areas, people away from fire and natural disaster, or criminals straight into confinement.
Then again, Star Trek doesn’t even pretend any of this is possible. Even with light years advanced tech, accidents happen, from transport mishaps to friendly fire.
Star Trek also warns against over-reliance on technology. The Federation uses advanced tech for nearly every aspect of life, but even they face ethical dilemmas about its consequences. Low tech species can defeat more advanced species. The message is that technology can aid us, but we must never let it dictate our humanity.
Captain Sisko: Muñiz, the runabout crew, your soldiers, they’d all still be alive if we had trusted each other.Star Trek’s Vision for the Future
The most enduring lesson from Star Trek is its vision of a future where diplomacy, unity, and curiosity triumph over violence. The Federation of Planets is a beacon of hope, an ideal model for global governance. Instead of creating new nations that fuel conflict, we should strive for unification. Alliances like the EU and the UAE offer glimpses of how cooperation can provide safety and progress. Alliances can turn hellscape into utopia.
Peace is not achieved through pogroms or splitting land right in two. It comes from cooperation and compromise.
Star Trek often solves conflict through speeches, trade, and other forms of diplomacy, rather than brute force. When violence does occur, it is presented as a tragic but necessary last resort. This is a lesson we must apply today: true strength lies not in our ability to destroy but in our capacity to unite. Strong leaders allow their people to dissent and protest, and they don’t kill their own without trial.
In the two-part DS9 episode Past Tense, which takes place in August 2024, the show eerily predicts social and political issues we face today. The episode focused on how the U.S. mishandles homelessness and psychiatric disorders, and the way political elites attempt to ignore systemic problems. The episode’s core message, however, is the importance of peaceful protest and the use of communication networks to raise awareness over situations. In today’s world, where social media can shape global opinion, Star Trek reminds us of the importance of empathy and action.
Those who insist solely on violent means to ends, shutting down debate to get what they want, will never win.
Commander Sisko: Dying gets you off the hook. Question is, are you willing to live for your people, live the role they want you to play?"Unused Quotes and Images
Rules of Acquisition: Sometimes the only thing more dangerous than a question is an answer.Spock: We will find hope in the impossible.Miles O'Brien: It's not you hate I hate, Cardassian. I hate what I became because of you.Picard: It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life.Crusher: My thoughts created this universe. Can they get me out of it again?
Computer: That information is not available.
Crusher: I'm not talking to you.Data: Do you consider your position so weak that it cannot withstand debate?Rom: Have Doctor Bashir examine you when he gets back from the Gamma Quadrant!
Quark: Bashir? How good could he be? He doesn’t even charge.Rom: When you see how much your body is worth, you're gonna wish you died years ago.Sloan: Doctor, you've been a beacon of light to me. You're living proof that ideology is a poor substitute for kindness and decency, and that at the end of the day, it's our actions, not our beliefs, that define who we are.Chakotay: Our conflictive nature, our individuality. Seven of Nine said that we lacked the cohesion of a collective mind. That one day it would divide us and destroy us. And here we are proving her point.
Janeway: I'll tell you when we lost control of the situation, when we made our mistake. It was the moment we turned away of each other. We don't have to stop being individuals to get through this. We just have to stop fighting each other.Chakotay: I wish it were as easy to stop hating as it was to start.Lower Decks: They put a paywall on a bomb?!Relevant Images and Memes
Star Trek inspired many a meme. Too many to share. Here’s just a few faves:
Sisko IS the best cap'n and it is not up for debate. He is The Sisko.
Want to read more about Star Trek? Why not read my followup rant about Star Trek and Zionism! Or comment what you think makes Star Trek so amazing, even when it’s not.
