STATE OF THE UNION

You know, I thought about giving a sort of point by point analysis of King George's speech for a while: "can you believe that bullshit?" or "like that's going to happen," or "oh, my god, this is getting creepy," or some such. But the more I reflected on our monarch's call to arms, the more I thought about a moment in one of my favorite episodes of Star Trek (the original series, of course). "Patterns of Force" has always and still is known affectionately in my mind as "the Nazi episode." It's one of those parallel Earth stories that were so common during the second season: an Earth anthropologist named John Gill goes to study a race of people on the planet Ekos and somehow, in a forbidden social experiment gone terribly wrong, ends up as the leader of a world wide fascist government, complete with jack boots and swastikas. When I located the teleplay on the internet, I quickly found the climactic scene of which last night's SOTU address reminded me. The parallels are almost too amusing (or too creepy) to be true. The scene centers around a demagoguery-laden speech made by Gill-as-fuher; a crowd watches and cheers while Kirk, Spock, and McCoy observe and comment:

The Fuhrer's speech.

- Hail Fuhrer! - Hail Fuhrer!
- Hail Fuhrer! - Hail Fuhrer!
- Hail Fuhrer! - Hail Fuhrer!
- Hail Fuhrer! - Hail Fuhrer!

Ekosians ...the job ahead is difficult. It requires courage and dedication. It requires faith.

(Applause)

The Zeon colony has existed for nearly--

Watch his mouth.

If we fulfill our own greatness, that will all be ended. Working together --

Captain, the speech follows no logical pattern. Random sentences strung together.

He looks drugged, Jim, almost in a cataleptic state.

...reach our goal, And we will reach that goal.

- Yay! - Yay!

I've got to have a close look at him.

...must be decisive. Every thought...directed toward a goal. This planet ...can become a paradise, if we are willing to pay the price. As each cell in the body ...works with discipline and harmony for the good ...of the entire being –

Gentlemen, I want a picture of you two with the Hero of the Fatherland listening to the Fuhrer's speech. Get that light over there, please. Get this light around here. Smile, gentlemen. Turn around, smile, and -- Now.

- Hail Fuhrer! - Hail Fuhrer!

Hail Fuhrer!

- Hail Fuhrer! - Hail Fuhrer!
- Hail Fuhrer! - Hail Fuhrer!

The Fuhrer has given us our orders, and we pledge him our lives in this sacred task. Death to Zeon!

- Death to Zeon! - Death to Zeon!
- Death to Zeon! - Death to Zeon!
- Death to Zeon! - Death to Zeon!
- Death to Zeon! - Death to Zeon!

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Unfortunately, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy do not seem to be waiting in the wings ready to perform a Prime-Directive-friendly coup d'etat. Big drag...

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