Complex Numbers

Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations

Today's 30DBC prompt is delayed, and I would like to get back to what I do best (drinking), so I'm just going to rant a bit until I see the prompt.

So my thing these days has been going back through episodes of Star Trek that, in some cases, I haven't seen in decades. Right now, that means the Animated Series. I did this sort of thing a few years ago with Doctor Who, which has been around slightly longer, so some of my observations still apply.

This is not just for funsies, either. A writer needs to... well, write, first and foremost, but also read and watch what other writers have done. Trek has lasted as long as it has for reasons, and I'm trying to tease out what these reasons are.

It certainly wasn't consistent quality. I mean, yes, absolutely, some of the episodes of the original series, and even some of the animated episodes, were excellent.

Most were not.

And yet, it's still around.

What I can figure from this so far is: character matters. That is, maybe you have crap stories, but as long as you keep your characters true to themselves, those can be sort of forgotten.

Also, worldbuilding matters. In the case of Trek, it's not just one world but an entire galaxy's worth. DW, on the other hand, spans "all of time and space," and hoo boy I can't imagine trying to plan all of that, or even keep it consistent over nearly 60 years.

The writers solve this by not worrying too much about consistency. After all, when you indulge in time fuckery, continuity can go right out the window.

Anyway. Just some random thoughts until the prompt shows up. Which just happened.

PROMPT September 13th

Write about friendships that are more like family. What makes a great friend?

Okay, this is one of my hot-button topics. I'd tell you to buckle your seatbelts, but neither the Enterprise nor the TARDIS has those.

You've heard the expression "blood is thicker than water." Most people, I think, take that to mean something equivalent to "family first." Specifically, "genetic relatives first."

This is bullshit.

First of all, the full expression, as noted by this site   and others, is: “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” That particular link goes on to explain: "This actually means that blood shed in battle bonds soldiers more strongly than simple genetics. Although we commonly use it to suggest the strength of family ties, it doesn’t refer to family at all."

I'll leave it to more religious readers to specify chapter and verse. I can't be arsed. Somewhere in the NT. But whatever the source, the point is, we get it wrong.

The site I linked gets it wrong, too. "It doesn't refer to family at all" is patently untrue. It does refer to family - and rejects family in favor of those with whom we share other bonds.

So, when it comes to "friendships that are more like family," I take exception -- friendships, those relationships that we choose, are far more important, in my opinion, than accidents of birth. This is especially true when one's family is poisonous. I'm not saying mine was, but I see so many people with not just issues, but entire collections of National Geographic, who refuse to break ties with their relatives because "but they're family."

So what?

Which is not to say that you should only hang out with people who agree with you. No, you should only hang out with people who genuinely care about you -- and for that, DNA is irrelevant. A good friend won't always agree with you, nor should they -- and vice versa. A good friend will stick with you when times are bad, do stuff with you when times are good, and, most importantly, accept you for who you are while at the same time supporting you should you want to change.

Family can do all that too, sure, but they don't always.

I've mentioned before that I was adopted as an infant. My parents -- the people who raised me -- did the best they could, supported me almost to a fault. As a result, I've never had more than passing curiosity about my birth parents. No need; one set of family drama is more than enough, thank you.

Ironically, the latest incarnation of Doctor Who, which I mentioned above, carries this idea. I say ironically, because I mentioned it before I got the prompt, but it ended up fitting so well. And Trek? Well, Trek has always been about the bonds between people who found themselves on a starship together, family notwithstanding.

To put family on a pedestal, to buy into that myth that "blood is thicker than water," is to hold the wide range of diversity of culture, expression, ability, and opinion as a lower priority than the accidental bonds of close kinship, and I think that might be one of the things wrong with the world today.

As the Vulcans say, "infinite diversity in infinite combinations." Sure, it's a fictional alien race in a fictional SF series that was sometimes really, really cringeworthy, but what is fiction if not aspirational? An actual, living human being came up with that idea, and I assert that it's a good one.

Your opinion, of course, may be different. But that's part of diversity.