Would Star Trek’s James T. Kirk have been a Republican?

Would Star Trek’s James T. Kirk have been a Republican?

ICYMI: My Ultimate Fantasy Crew For The New Star Trek Series

Star Trek has always been political in its themes and storylines but that was part of what made it so great. It seems even now, politicians are using the message of Star Trek to try and get their agendas across. The current Republican Primaries have been some of the most viciously fought political bouts in recent years with the frontrunners using any means to attempt get a few extra votes. Ted Cruz looks to have tried one of those tricks recently by announcing that Captain James T. Kirk would have been a Republican. He spoke to The New York Times Magazine and offered some theories to try and back up his claims:

"“It is quite likely that Kirk is a Republican and Picard is a Democrat. Let me do a little psychoanalysis; If you look at Star Trek: The Next Generation, it basically splits James T. Kirk into two people. Picard was Kirk’s rational side, and William Riker was his passionate side. I prefer a complete captain. To be effective, you need both heart and mind. Kirk is working class; Picard is an aristocrat. Kirk is a passionate fighter for justice; Picard is a cerebral philosopher. The original ‘Star Trek’ pressed for racial equality, which was one of its best characteristics, but it did so without sermonizing.”"

There is probably nobody better qualified to answer that question than William Shatner himself, as he played the no-nonsense Captain on screen for almost 30 years. The Washington Post got the opportunity to ask him recently and Shatner had some interesting words:

"“If you could define what ‘Republican’ and ‘Democrat’ means nowadays, I might be able to enter into that discussion, but the roles seem to be mixed. And what defines a Republican and certainly what defines a Democrat is so blurred, I don’t quite know where anybody’s standing.”"

It looks like he took an evasive maneuver on that one. But suffice to say, it looks like Shatner isn’t a Ted Cruz fan, given his views on global warming and the environment.

"“There was all kinds of interest in flying vehicles and health and the state of the world among science fiction writers 50 years ago, that we wouldn’t be melting away, into the sixth extinction. It would be a much more pleasant. Peaceful. Humane world. Than it is.”“The technology that worries me is the old technologies. The technology of uses of energy and the spilling of toxins into Mother Earth, and we’re killing our Earth and nobody is irate about it enough. And not enough people are irate about it. People like yourself — young people like yourself should be screaming at the top of your lungs to the people who lead.”"

Would you vote for President William Shatner?

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