The teaser for the new Star Trek movie is out! JJ Abrams’s prequel in the hugely popular series is starting to have an internet presence with the offical teaser and tons of fan made ones as well.I’ve been a Star Trek lover since I was a little girl and started watching the show. As I got older and would revisit the show, I was struck by some of the cheesiness, but I was more struck by the political metaphor. In the world of Star Trek: The Next Generation (fellow trekkies who know the other versions of the show well should jump in and talk about them) everything is governed by “the prime directive” and in a sense the show itself functions as a result of this directive.

The prime directive basically states that as explorers, the people on the Enterprise have a responsibility to help as many folks, of all different species, races, classes etc.. as possible while at the same time allowing said creatures to continue on their natural path of development. The choices the crew of the Enterprise make when they come across different creatures on different planets are some of most poignant discussions on foreign policy that I’ve ever seen.

Read more on the wikipedia entry for “the prime directive”

Go to http://www.spacecamp.com/ to help get a young person you know on their way to becoming the next Captain Picard or Janeway, and to help a young person get a scholarship to Space Camp.