Raoul’s Two Cents: February 6, 2026

The Final Frontier

If you don’t want to ponder, move on to the Jokes.

I watched a few episodes of the original Star Trek series the other night. Did you grow up watching Star Trek? Like many of you, my siblings and I looked forward to the weekly episode back in the 60s. There were no videotapes then, so we were at the mercy of the TV network’s schedule and had to stay up past our early bedtime. We only had black and white TVs so now, watching it in color, I noticed how gaudy and colorfully horrendous the costumes were. Who let that drag queen costume designer out? Why did I stay up for this crap?

Low Budget

The bridge of the Starship Enterprise (where Captain Kirk barked his commands with authority) now looked so tacky. I noticed the painted plywood walls, the Christmas-light circuit boards, the automatic sliding doors — they all looked so cheap from a 21st century perspective. And they used the same high-pitched, quirky, modulated, nauseating, “hi-tech,” sound effects whenever they could.

The limited budget produced background scenes that were small, confining and haphazardly put together with fake trees and fake boulders — which explains why there were a lot of posing, talking and standing — the camera could only move forward and backward and not from left to right. The fight scenes were awkward, studied and laughable. (Now I understand why my jaw dropped when I watched Star Wars for the first time — George Lucas made the costumes and space ships look authentically dirty and used.)

Endearing Characters

I still enjoyed the overly dramatic Captain James T Kirk — the legend, the ever-insightful commander, the ladies man! Despite his lack of acting abilities, you gotta hand it to William Shatner — he made the series fun. And his supporting cast (Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, Scott, Lieutenant Uhura, Chekov, Mr. Sulu) all had this amazing camaraderie both on set and in real life. I laughed when I saw the extra/actor who was wearing the red shirt. I knew he was going to die.

Creativity

We may laugh and criticize the low budget production but no one can deny the impact it made to our culture. Somehow, the show challenged the norms of our society. (I believe the first inter-racial kiss between a Caucasian and an African American on TV was between Kirk and Uhura). And if you compare them with many modern AI-generated formulaic movies, Star Trek’s only fault was the package. The message was always brilliant and original.

I still marvel at storylines that tackled profound themes like: duty and responsibility over self, human emotion vs. logic, and appreciation for the diversity of cultures and ideas. The plots have withstood the test of time and are still relevant today. Kudos to the writers and Gene Rodenberry (the Air Force pilot and LAPD cop) who introduced Space as the new frontier and allowed our imagination to “boldly go where no man had gone before.” (I remember my English teacher criticized that phrase: “It should be ‘to go boldly!’” he said. He was right but nobody cared. The bad English sounded better.)

Not everything new is better

I don’t know why but this appreciation for an old TV series reminded me of my Christian faith. Some people cannot understand why Christians believe in the Bible. They say it’s old fashioned. But I think they only see the package. The message within its pages are as vibrant and relevant as they have always been. What could be more profound than the final frontier — discovering the true relationship between God and man?

But this is just me. TGIF people!
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Quotes of the Week

“Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its 5-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” — Captain Kirk

“Live long and prosper.” — Spock

“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.” — Spock

“Make it so.” — Captain Picard

“Resistance is futile.” — The Borg

“Highly illogical.” — Spock

“When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” — Spock

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” — 2 Timothy 3:16-17

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” — Hebrews 4:12

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” — Matthew 24:35

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, California.

Parting Shots

Thanks to James of Los Angeles, CA

Thanks to Fred of Long Beach, CA

Thanks to Jennifer of Los Angeles, CA

Thanks to Richard of New Manila, Philippines

Thanks to Norm of Encino, CA

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

I found these:

My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with these.

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