To what Extent is the Star Trek Consumer Culture a Form of Contemporary Religion?

To what extent is the Star Trek consumer culture a form of contemporary religion? Discuss
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Contents Introduction. 3 Background. 3 Critical Analysis. 4 Lifestyle Segmentation. 4 Birth of Social Classes. 4 Religion and Culture. 4 The Star Trek Show.. 5 Star Trek’s Impact on Culture and Society. 5 Birth of the Trekkies’ Subculture. 6 Conclusion. 8 References. 10
To what extent is the Star Trek consumer culture a form of contemporary religion?
Discuss
Introduction
Society has always been governed by beliefs regarding people’s existence and their interactions. Each community practiced spirituality in which they believed in a supreme being as the determining figure of their existence. While religion has evolved, societies have also evolved in choosing what to believe (Coyne, 2012). This statement is espoused in the fandom that has grown up around the Star Trek movies and television series. The entertainment industry has created a consumer culture that can only be equated to the contemporary religion. The adherents of the Star Trek consumer culture have unique norms and beliefs that set them apart from the rest of the population.
Background
Films, movies, and other literary forms have served as entertainment and inspiratory pieces by presenting narratives in visual forms. Consumer culture has continued to grow in its influence and has transformed into a dominant force in several areas of the contemporary society. As this discussion seeks to show, consumer culture, akin to popular culture, draws upon religious themes. This entertainment sector plays an essential role in advancing this consumer culture. Consequently, films, such as the Star Trek, have promoted a consumer culture that can be compared to religion (Jindra 1994). The resultant consumer culture is associated with a form of fetishism, in which society members are obsessed with living a certain lifestyle dictated by the films. Like in the religious context, people are willing to go to any extent to satisfy their desires in a manner that regarded as worshiping a form of a lifestyle.
Critical Analysis
Lifestyle Segmentation
Lifestyle is the most holistic segmentation approach based on the fact that it attempts to consider almost anything to help marketers in identifying their target markets. The traditional lifestyle analysis markets products based on various variables that range from social sciences to demographic descriptors, such as gender, race, and age. The underlying premise that guides this categorization is that it perceives consumers as being similar in terms of attitudes, opinions, motivation, and access to resources, interests, and opinions (Ahuvia, Carroll & Yang, 2006). Consequently, lifestyles are chosen depending on how people choose spend their time and money. There are those who use their time and money to generate more money and there are those who use their time and money to have fun.
Birth of Social Classes
This classification resulted into three different classes of people. There are those who struggle to sustain themselves on their daily living. This group has a set of rules and guidelines that govern how they interact and how they live life. The second group is the middle class, who oscillate between the rich and the poor. This group of people also have set rules on how to behave and how to handle their time and money. They strive to balance between using their money to enjoy themselves and investing. Finally, there is the rich, who have no limits in terms of when to use their money and when to work. This group, too has its guidelines on how to live their lives.
Religion and Culture
Religion has a similar classification as culture, which refers to a system of values and beliefs that govern how a group of people interact. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines religion as an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules that a group of people use to worship their Supreme Being or beings. This definition is comparable to that of a lifestyle since both refer to the beliefs and rules that different people use to govern their lives. It refers to the manner in which people work out a combination of their personal, familial, social, and other relationships concerning both their public and private life.
The Star Trek Show
Star Trek is a unique science fiction multimedia franchise that originally debut in 1966. Since its production, it has been one of the most successful television series in the world and is widely regarded as having a significant influence in popular culture. As Howell (2018) notes, the tagline of the series “… to boldly go where no man has gone before,” the program has served as an inspiration to many of its followers. The franchise replicates the adventures of crews on the USS Enterprise, which narrates life on space stations. The program treats humanity as only one of the vast number of the alien species that participated in a quasi-military organization known as Starfleet, whose main objective was to explore the universe for scientific research. The program was created by Gene Roddenberry, a WWII veteran pilot who pursued his passion in freelancing as he also worked as a police officer in Los Angeles.
Star Trek’s Impact on Culture and Society
While it is difficult measuring the cultural and social impact of TV shows, Star Trek presents numerous evidence of the influence that the program had on many people’s lives. The influence of the program is evident from the manner of inclusion in mass-market dictionaries of the words and phrases that were initially invented for the program, to the testimonials by several people who claim that the show influenced their career and lifestyle choices (Kozinets, 2001). The show is inclusive in the same way that religion includes people from different races. The author envisioned a multi-ethnic crew that included an African-American women, a Scotsman, a Japanese American, and an alien individual, Mr. Spock, who was half-Vulcan. The second season included a Russian crew member at a time when the United States was embroiled in a cold war with the Soviet Union. The film also presented blacks and women as scientists. The inclusion of people of all races and gender shows the a...