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“Who is your favorite Star Trek character?” Feel free to discuss any character from the franchise. Why is this character your favorite? Is it someone you personally connect with? Is it someone who played a particularly powerful role in the franchise? How is this character grounded in the social or political time of his or her creation?" 

My all-time favorite character is Dr. Phlox. He's a Denobulan served as the Chief medical officer on the Enterprise NX-01. I like him because he's of a nutreul voice of reason that many confide in. Due to his scientific approach he never seems to be surprised by the many various emotions many of his patients are feeling and has a way of explaining personal mattters from both an informative and education perspective. These explanations are helpful the the inquiring staff and audience too. I personally relate to this character because human connection, function, social constructs are a passion of mine. I also have many people that confide in me due to my 'neutral' approach and I have learned very much by that method. I enjoy seeing the show explore human nature and connection.

Dr. Phlox is aired on the Enterprise series which is often over looked. Although the character writing did not start off strong, it developed into a show that doesn't get enough credit. His character is not associated with what might traditionally be considered powerful but I appreciate the the crew acknowledges the importance of his role on the ship, both personally and professionally.

To put it lightly, canon can be a tricky thing. There are many variables that make it arguably acceptable (or not). Overall, I think remaining canon is very important and agree with Judith Okuda in the previous video when she described it as perimeters.

Whether a story is told strictly text, as in a novel, or a tv show, defining the parimeters, and or rules, is the foundation of understanding the world and characters within a imaginative universe. Often times when something is off canon it can conflict with previously established informaition which can be extremely distracting to the audience.

Where canon could be useful is when writers may want to take a different, creative approach. In this sense, paramiters could limit and or restrict creative efforts. I'm fairly new to the Start Trek world and have not encountered uncanon content yet. Where I do have more experience is Star Wars and Marvel comics. Those world have expanded so much that it can start to feel like anything goes. Many character personalities unpacked personal histories feel less interesting with the bigger the changes are made. That's hard to enjoy and stand by as a fan. In fact, now the term canon is used by fans as a definition of acceptance or rejection of any newly release content and whether it's worthy to be considered in alignment with original work.

"To what extent did the business model of network television enable Star Trek: The Original Series to appeal to such a wide range of audiences? In ways did that same model constrain it?"

Star Trek's pilot episode would set the tone in many ways with it's knack for intriguing, and often abstract approach to individual and sociological topics woven into the tapestry of science fiction storytelling. This unique combination is what established fascination in fans for decades to come.

Unfortunately, there were some commercial hurdles that needed to be addressed before network television greenlit the show: casting and asthetics were a big selling point. These changes brought more vibrancy to the show but also required the show to be more cognizant of making the shows digestible for a family friendly audience.

Hello, my name is Terri and this is my first course at edX. There's a ton of interesting topics at this website and I really looking forward to taking more!

First, I'm a late blooming Star Trek fan. My whole life I've been a big fan of Star wars and just science-fiction in general. When Covid kicked off I started watching TOS. It really hooked me. As a preface, I am currently earning my bachelors in sociology (and ulitimately, clinical social work). A long time interest has been people- how they function individually and in a group setting as well.