This section of NeonFunJungle.com is here because of my love for science fiction. It all started with time travel. No, not that I claim to travel in time! My interest in science fiction stories about time travel began during my teenage years when I read a classic novel by Isaac Asimov.

Years later, I was very fortunate to meet and interview Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry when I worked in Hollywood rock and roll radio.

If there is any person who has earned the right to be called “the next Roddenberry,” it is Ron Moore. He is another of my television heroes in Los Angeles. He was responsible for the Battlestar Galactica series (2003-2009) on NBC Universal’s science fiction cable channel now known as Syfy.

If you, like me, are a devoted follower of science fiction, you will love what I’ve got for you here. The word trekology is used on more than one website, but notably it was used since the 1990s on my website named Trekology.com.

The science fiction television and movies commentaries and analysis I wrote about brave people and their courageous adventures in space formerly appeared on that site and on BeyondOneFarStar.com. My commentaries on these subjects are now available all in one place here at NeonFunJungle.com instead.

I intend for the word trekology to mean the study of Star Trek. This word is similar to other coined words appended with the suffix “ology” to signify “the study of…” as in cosomology, the study of the origin and nature of the universe. This Trekology section of NeonFunJungle.com explores science fiction television and movies, not just Star Trek.

If you respect Star Trek as much as I do, you will want to watch Trek Nation, the 2011 documentary about Gene Roddenberry and his creation made by his son. I believe that this is the very best documentary about Star Trek ever produced.

 

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Battlestar Galactica vs. Star Trek vs. Space: 1999

For those who want to dig deeper into the subject of the power of science fiction on television and in movies to persuade audiences, I am making available my original research work that I completed at Indiana University Bloomington in fulfillment of the academic requirements for my doctoral degree in communications. The original 1979 copyright was renewed. Copyright © 2005. All Rights Reserved. You can view all pages of my research as pdfs that display quickly right here on your screen.

My research study compared the original Battlestar Galactica series (1978 – 1979) with the original Star Trek series (1966 – 1969) with the British sci-fi series Space: 1999 (1975 – 1977). I discovered that of the three, only Star Trek showed evidence that the producers and writers had employed the necessary ingredients to succeed in transmitting persuasive idea content to change the opinions and values of audiences. The original Battlestar Galactica and Space: 1999 were designed to emphasize entertainment only, and therefore they both lacked the powers to influence and alter viewpoints of audience members as the original Star Trek series did so well.

The 25-page introduction to my original study in 1977 is here: chapter 1
My Star Trek chapter (60 pages) is here: chapter 2
My Space: 1999 chapter (46 pages) is here: chapter 3
My chapter on the original Battlestar Galactica (46 pages) is here: chapter 4
And, the conclusions that I reached (6 pages) is here: chapter 5
My list of sources for this research is here: bibliography

I certainly welcome your comments about my research. Thank you!