Sci-fi is full of stereotyped "warrior races," but the fact is that a "warrior race" makes about as much sense as a "bus driver race."
~~Christopher L. Bennett commenting in the ST:TNG Rewatch on Tor.com
I have often thought the idea of all Klingons being warriors was silly (or all ancient Vulcans in the discussion that inspired the quote). Perhaps they might have compulsory military duty or some such for a time in their lives. The Swiss (a decidedly un-warlike country) have such a system. But by and large you can't have an empire made up of "warriors." Now, that's not to say warriors and a warrior culture might not be venerated by such an empire.
We're a nation of warriors, and most of us don't have a war.
~~Robert Brockway speaking of Americans on Cracked.com.
This post is not a comment on gun control, I am only highlighting a tendency in fiction (and some MMOs).
You could have all warriors if you got your technology to a point where it was self sustaining and provided everything you needed. War is so destructive though, that a warrior society would destroy itself or be ceremonial. A sport race would make more sense.
ReplyDeleteI've typically always assumed that there were different classes to those societies, maybe even genetically modified ones. The people in power would be warriors, but then the other classes would support them.
I had actually always assumed the same about Klingons. You even see Klingon scientists occasionally in Trek; however, they are not looked upon very highly, apparently. I was always kinda like, "They've got warp-capable battleships. No warrior built that."
DeleteI think it's mostly about what a society holds in high regard. E.g., in our society, being knowledgable is being held in high regard (you need a diploma for almost everything). In many ancient societies, the warrior had a high esteem. It's a culture thing. I agree with you, the reality isn't that black-and-white, but often people do only think in stereotypes. The viewpoint of a Starfleet ship and the situations they end up with, makes it more likely to often just encounter Klingons superficially, and then you'll only see the warrior stereotype. After all, it's not a Klingon soap.
ReplyDeleteThere are some times that Star Trek tries to de-stereotype a bit, for instance with the conflicted character of Worf. I agree that it isn't always all that realistic, but hey, me and my friends need something to laugh about when watching some Trek together! ;)
It's getting more and more like that in the States, as well. Even in the military, officers are required to have Bachelor's Degrees; and most high-ranked enlisted do, as well. Plenty of Master's Degrees, too.
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