It’s recently come out that Stephen Harper likes Star Trek [ej] and in fact is a huge fan of the original show. Some people are even saying he should start using his geek factor in ads [ws]

Again — where are the ads? Doesn’t the nerd vote matter? I know a lot of males who live in their parents’ basement and never have sex (with others, I mean), who would be thrilled to hear this about Harper.

My friend Don Iveson [di] has a wonderful commentary about how he’s aghast to learn that Harper likes Trek, since as a big Trek fan himself he was always more inclined to believe that left-wingers loved the Trek and right-wingers loved the Star Wars [di].

After all, Star Wars at its essence is about the triumph of the rugged individual over tremendous repression imposed by an evil big government. You can easily imagine Darth Vader siphoning off sponsorship funds destined to prop up the Empire’s tarnished brand on some secessionist planet; it has Jedi Harper written all over it.

Meanwhile, in brilliant contrast, Gene Roddenberry et al. imagined an egalitarian society administered by a peaceful interplanetary democracy, a society where each individual — freed from want — can fulfill their potential; not exactly the stuff of your usual Conservative stump speech.

Apparently he’s none too keen on Star Trek: The Next Generation which is understandable. I mean you’ve got Picard lusting after his dead friend’s hot MILF wife, Crusher’s hot girl on trill girl kiss, Wesley’s droppping out of military school to become some sort of magic intergalactic hippie and the sex planet of Risa where family values is a position not a platform.