Starfleet Judge Advocate General
Encyclopedia
Law in Star Trek refers to the legal procedures and processes as seen in the Star Trek
fictional universe
. In several TV episodes and films since its inception in the 1960s, Star Trek has used fictional legal constraints and consequences as a plot device both as a parable for contemporary society in the real world, and to explore the society and politics of the future.
A discussion of this subject by Paul Joseph and Sharon Carton in the University of Toledo Law Review examines how this fictional set of laws deals with controversial issues in American law, such as the right to life
and privacy
, as well as the law's response to sexual orientation
. The details and application of these laws, and the ways in which these reflect real-world legal systems, are further examined in the Adventures in Law and Justice: Exploring big legal questions in everyday life by Bryan Horrigan and Star Trek Visions of Law and Justice edited by Robert Chaires and Bradley Chilton. The former discusses the possibility of applying a comparison between law and a part of popular culture to the teaching of national and international law.
federal republic stressing the importance of sentient rights, respect for life, and non-aggression. The government resembles a representative democracy
. A legislative, judiciary, and executive branch are present. The Prime Directive
, a controversial guiding principle of the Federation, states that there should be no interference with the development of any pre-warp alien civilization.
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
. In several TV episodes and films since its inception in the 1960s, Star Trek has used fictional legal constraints and consequences as a plot device both as a parable for contemporary society in the real world, and to explore the society and politics of the future.
A discussion of this subject by Paul Joseph and Sharon Carton in the University of Toledo Law Review examines how this fictional set of laws deals with controversial issues in American law, such as the right to life
Right to life
Right to life is a phrase that describes the belief that a human being has an essential right to live, particularly that a human being has the right not to be killed by another human being...
and privacy
Privacy
Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively...
, as well as the law's response to sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
. The details and application of these laws, and the ways in which these reflect real-world legal systems, are further examined in the Adventures in Law and Justice: Exploring big legal questions in everyday life by Bryan Horrigan and Star Trek Visions of Law and Justice edited by Robert Chaires and Bradley Chilton. The former discusses the possibility of applying a comparison between law and a part of popular culture to the teaching of national and international law.
United Federation of Planets
In Star Trek, the Federation is depicted as a utopianUtopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
federal republic stressing the importance of sentient rights, respect for life, and non-aggression. The government resembles a representative democracy
Representative democracy
Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...
. A legislative, judiciary, and executive branch are present. The Prime Directive
Prime Directive
In the universe of Star Trek, the Prime Directive, Starfleet's General Order #1, is the most prominent guiding principle of the United Federation of Planets...
, a controversial guiding principle of the Federation, states that there should be no interference with the development of any pre-warp alien civilization.
Further reading
- Adventures in Law and Justice: exploring big legal questions in everyday life by Bryan Horrigan, Univ. New S. Wales Press 2003, ISBN 0868405728
- Star Trek Visions of Law and Justice by Chaires, Robert (EDT) & Chilton, Bradley (EDT), Texas A & M Univ Pr, ISBN 0966808029, Copyright 10/1/2002
- The Ethics of Star Trek by Judith Barad and Ed Robertson, Harper Perennial (November 27, 2001) ISBN 0060933267