There’s always something new to appreciate about Star Trek, even for people who have only minimally dipped toes into the mythology of the series and the movies they inspired. For me, there’s one episode I constantly refer to: “The Trouble with Tribbles,” which is I believe largely considered one of the weakest “Trek” moments. (I guess this makes Tribbles to Star Trek what Ewoks were to Return of the Jedi -but maybe that’s a post for another time.) Tribbles are a metaphor for something that seemed innocuous, but grew rapidly out of human control. But I suspect if I were more of a fan of “Trek” the way I was a fan of “Star Wars,” I’d begin to see lots of Jewish notes in the characters and the situations they encounter.
Famously, the most Jewish part of “Star Trek” is the “live long and prosper” Vulcan salute gesture, suggested by Leonard Nimoy and derived from the gesture made by members of the Jewish priestly class during a blessing. But as the Jewish Journal’s GeekHeeb blog shows us, there are at least four other moments in the series that seem to be Jewishly inspired, and one moment in another popular series which was inspired by both “Star Trek” and the Jewish journey.
Check out the Top 5 here and tell us if they missed any. Also, for those of you seeing the J.J. Abrams reboot of the film series, tell us: what kinds of vestiges of Jewish culture and narrative have been incorporated into the new film?