Star Trek is About Diversity

Moses Maimonides, who lived nearly 900 years ago, wrote a book called The Guide for the Perplexed. In it, he said: "The human race contains such a variety of individuals that we cannot discover two persons exactly alike in any moral quality or external appearance. This great variety and necessity of social life are essential elements in man's nature." These are the same principles, the same philosophies, which are inherent in "Star Trek." 

But let's go back to what "Star Trek" really is. It started out as a television show - a good television show, but, nonetheless, a television show. Seventy-nine episodes of a series made for the purpose of selling toothpaste and soap. But it came from the heart and imagination of a very evolved human being. And the result is a very evolved television show of which we are all very proud. 

"Star Trek," the legend, is very different: it embraces peace and love and unity, and it says that civilization will reach maturity on the day it learns to value diversity in life and ideas. As Gene once put it: 

To be different is not necessarily to be ugly; to have a different idea is not necessarily to be wrong. The worst thing that could happen is for everyone to look and think and act alike. For if we cannot learn to appreciate the small variations between our own kind here on earth, then God help us when we get out into space and meet the variations that are almost certainly out there. 

Think about these words of Gene's. And also: 

What a terrible, boring world it would be if everyone agreed with everyone else. And if there weren't different shapes and colors and ideas. . . . My test for a wise human is when they [sic] take a positive delight when someone says, "I disagree with you because. . . ." 

What an opportunity this opens! 

Rodenberry's philosophy was to respect and cherish diversity.