Alien Monstrosity: The Practice of Technology and “Race” as Technological Construct in Star Trek: Voyager
Alongside class, gender and age, race as an elementary category in modern science fiction is particularly apparent in the Star Trek franchise. The television series Star Trek: Voyager (USA 1995–2001) presents race as a cultural construct that depends on the specific depiction of technology and how i...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
European Association for American Studies
2021-07-01
|
| Series: | European Journal of American Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/16943 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1841558258420023296 |
|---|---|
| author | Nils Jablonski |
| author_facet | Nils Jablonski |
| author_sort | Nils Jablonski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Alongside class, gender and age, race as an elementary category in modern science fiction is particularly apparent in the Star Trek franchise. The television series Star Trek: Voyager (USA 1995–2001) presents race as a cultural construct that depends on the specific depiction of technology and how it is used. This article analyzes several episodes of Voyager in order to explore how the series connects alien otherness with a certain practice of technology. It is this practice that determines the extent of the aliens’ monstrosity; this practice either conforms with or deviates from the humanist values associated with technology and its use. Calling the universality of these values into question, the series presents a specifically posthuman depiction of race as technological construct. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-71ac97c0ea854c63b9c5f2e88ac5a869 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1991-9336 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | European Association for American Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of American Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-71ac97c0ea854c63b9c5f2e88ac5a8692025-01-06T09:08:36ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362021-07-0116210.4000/ejas.16943Alien Monstrosity: The Practice of Technology and “Race” as Technological Construct in Star Trek: VoyagerNils JablonskiAlongside class, gender and age, race as an elementary category in modern science fiction is particularly apparent in the Star Trek franchise. The television series Star Trek: Voyager (USA 1995–2001) presents race as a cultural construct that depends on the specific depiction of technology and how it is used. This article analyzes several episodes of Voyager in order to explore how the series connects alien otherness with a certain practice of technology. It is this practice that determines the extent of the aliens’ monstrosity; this practice either conforms with or deviates from the humanist values associated with technology and its use. Calling the universality of these values into question, the series presents a specifically posthuman depiction of race as technological construct.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/16943cultural studiesgendergenreracetelevisionposthumanism |
| spellingShingle | Nils Jablonski Alien Monstrosity: The Practice of Technology and “Race” as Technological Construct in Star Trek: Voyager European Journal of American Studies cultural studies gender genre race television posthumanism |
| title | Alien Monstrosity: The Practice of Technology and “Race” as Technological Construct in Star Trek: Voyager |
| title_full | Alien Monstrosity: The Practice of Technology and “Race” as Technological Construct in Star Trek: Voyager |
| title_fullStr | Alien Monstrosity: The Practice of Technology and “Race” as Technological Construct in Star Trek: Voyager |
| title_full_unstemmed | Alien Monstrosity: The Practice of Technology and “Race” as Technological Construct in Star Trek: Voyager |
| title_short | Alien Monstrosity: The Practice of Technology and “Race” as Technological Construct in Star Trek: Voyager |
| title_sort | alien monstrosity the practice of technology and race as technological construct in star trek voyager |
| topic | cultural studies gender genre race television posthumanism |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/16943 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nilsjablonski alienmonstrositythepracticeoftechnologyandraceastechnologicalconstructinstartrekvoyager |