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By Daniel W. Rasmus from Serious Insights
All science fiction shows reflect their time more than they do the future they purport they depict. Star Trek has been a symbol of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, well, you get it. All the way to the 2020s. So far. Three Star Trek books from Insight Editions/WeldonOwen offer deep insights into the processes and practices that made Star Trek. But read carefully—they offer lessons for today’s leaders who seek improved performance, a vision of quality, and new paths toward innovation.
Unlike Star Trek, which often dealt with imagined future threats like rogue computers, aggressive non-human species, and nearly omnipotent beings, these books deal with the practical, day-to-day making of a television show. But because they are about Star Trek, they all three weave a thread of inclusivity and hope that formed the core of Gene Roddenberry’s vision.
From threads to tabletops, from chairs to chemise, from animation to artifacts, these books explore the detail and care given to the show, its actors, and its audience, so that the medium truly did become the message.
Marshall McLuhan’s theory of media looked at both content and the medium through which it is transmitted as being a pair of influential pathways for information exchange. If the original Star Trek engaged audiences not just through the medium of television but through the medium of color television, enlightened with its vibrant technicolor pallets, then Star Trek the Animated Series proved a new tactic for communicating the inclusive message that sat at the foundation of Gene Roddenberry’s vision.
Star Trek: The Official Guide to Star Trek the Animated Series offers insightful analysis of this quirky 1970s Saturday morning cartoon that, despite its air time, was not entirely intended for children. Some of the more progressive thinking about the future, however, may still live in those who encountered this show during its brief original run.
With so many channels available, leaders need to hone-in first on a meaningful message and then work diligently not to allow that message to be caught in the whirlwind of possible ways it could be communicated, often sacrificing substance for flash, likes, or comments, or other metrics that may not reflect the respect the message deserves. The medium can dilute the message.
Sometimes, however, the medium will offer feedback that the message does not resonate with the audience to which an organization targets it. Good leaders will then encourage reflection and, perhaps, course correction. They may also believe they are too early or using the wrong medium but will stick to their story even if it means cancellation and rebirth as something new, but with its heart still intact.
In Star Trek: Designing for the Final Frontier, authors Dan Chavkin and Brian McGuire demonstrate how the hopeful, forward-looking design of the 1950s and early 1960s found their home in Star Trek. Rather than drawing inspiration from mid-century architecture, art and furniture, many of the actual artifacts of those decades found their home on the set of Star Trek, in a way fulfilling their design goals.
For leaders, however, the book demonstrates how design matters…
Continue reading the full article to find out how design matters and Star Trek's impact on business leaders: Star Trek Books: 3 Books, 9 Takeaways for Business Leaders
About the author:
Daniel W. Rasmus, the author of Listening to the Future, is a strategist and industry analyst who has helped clients put their future in context. Rasmus uses scenarios to analyze trends in society, technology, economics, the environment, and politics in order to discover implications used to develop and refine products, services and experiences. He leverages this work and methodology for content development, workshops and for professional development.
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