Lucas Stopper: Star Trek and the timelessness of the hero's journey

 After discussing the Star Trek episode “Darmok,” I began to think much more about just how impactful the influence of the hero’s journey on a person and on a culture truly is. I thought it was fascinating how truly impacted Picard was by his own journey and how he was incredibly receptive to the Tamarians and their culture, whereas the other crew members aboard the ship were angry and antagonistic towards the Tamarians. Of course, part of this is due to the constant battles that the crew aboard the USS Enterprise must fight, but this can also show how the hero’s journey is one of transformation and healing. Picard was not as antagonistic toward the Tamarians because he had gone on a journey of self-reflection and purging of his negative views. Through another lens, this episode showed us how the hero’s journey is timeless: Picard embarked on a hero’s journey and also learned about figures in Tamarian culture who embarked on the same kind of journey as him, likely thousands of years prior.

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