When our first color television set lit up the living room, "Star Trek" quickly became our favorite series to watch....and watch....and watch. We became so familiar with the dialogue that we could actually parrot the words many of the characters spoke.To this writer, the most memorable episode was and is, "Let This Be Your Last Battlefield" (v.1969). The plot involves two solitary inhabitants of a planet far, far away. At first glance, the characters look like identical, "monochromatic" twins. But then, as they both are quick to tell the crew of the Starship Enterprise, they are decidedly dissimilar.
One, you see, is white on the right side of his body, while the other is white on the left. That makes not just a world, but a galaxy of difference, and is at the roots of an immortal conflict. They absolutely abhor one another. Call it sibbling rivalry, run amuck. Despite repeated efforts by Captain Kirk to establish a truce, the duelists continue to inflict punishing, painful cosmic zaps to each other. The realization by both combatants that neither has the power to dispatch the other does nothing to dissuade them from trying; trying throughout all eternity. As first officer Spock observes, "To expect sense from two mentalities of such extreme view points is not logical."
Gene Rodenberry, the executive producer of the series, was a visionary. Doubtless, he saw in Last Battlefield a parable of huge dimension and implication for this troubled star-base of ours. Every passing day, for the last two weeks, has been riddled with lead stories about the conflict along the Gaza Strip. The Israelies (white on the right) have every right to protect what is theirs. Meanwhile Hamas (white on the left...bank?) wants to protect the sovereignty of the Palestinian state. Both sides are showing a "no quarter given" approach to on-again-off-again negotiations. Both sides have inflicted huge pain and suffering on the other. While the leaders of both countries talk the good talk, there is far less willingness to walk the good walk. Each accuses the other of breaking treaties and accords.
Since it achieved independent statehood in 1988, Palestine has been an irritant, at best, to its neighbor, and the feeling is mutual. The two opposing sides can't seem to acknowledge that way back when, they were of the same ancestry. Both Jews and the Muslims can trace their lineage to Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael, so the bible says. They have occupied the same corner of the cosmos for a couple of mileniums; veritable brothers under the skin. Yet today, much of Jerusalem has been reduced to rubble by a conflict without end. Dead and wounded bring mounting measures of grief. Sadly, cease-fires have the life expectancy of wind-gusts.
In the final scene of Last Battefield, the Enterprise departs the far-away planet; leaving the two adversaries to continue their titanic mano-a-mano tussle. Unfortunately, we are all confined to Starbase Earth, and for this country and these circumstances there is no place, but home. We are morally obliged to stay the course, and provide diplomatic help whenever it's requested..... even by mentalities of extreme viewpoints. There should be nothing more offered, as long as the principle players insist on re-enacting this episode.
