Is Starfleet Actually a Military?

The Star Trek company line, beginning with franchise creator Gene Roddenberry, has always insisted that Starfleet is not a military organization. But the actual depiction of Starfleet in the various Star Trek shows and films paints a very different picture.

▶Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/steveshives/join

▶Watch more Trek, Actually videos at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-LSnSBNInfrr7MDRuXmfk1LJ_KjvaXt

▶Watch our Star Trek: Deep Space Nine watch-along series, Trek Reluctantly, at: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-LSnSBNInet_lODHGxmTqOdJGaD4k7i

▶Listen to our Trek-themed comedy podcast, The Ensign's Log:
▶RSS: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/playlists/soundcloud:playlists:432476748/sounds.rss
▶Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/lemme-listen/sets/the-ensigns-log-podcast

▶Read my photo comic, Star Trek: Nemeses: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yC3Jib6hNQLdsKpd7

▶Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/steveshives
▶PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/SteveShives
▶Venmo: https://venmo.com/thatguysteveshives
▶Twitter: https://twitter.com/steve_shives
▶Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thatguysteveshives
▶Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steve.shives/

Listen to the Late Seating podcast:

▶RSS: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/playlists/soundcloud:playlists:109169217/sounds.rss
▶Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/lemme-listen/sets/late-seating

Listen to The Ensign's Log podcast:

▶RSS: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/playlists/soundcloud:playlists:432476748/sounds.rss
▶Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/lemme-listen/sets/the-ensigns-log-podcast

▶Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
01:58 - The Real-World Origins of Starfleet
03:39 - Is Starfleet Like NASA?
05:32 - The Uniformed Service Analog
06:41 - Six Qualities of a Military
07:34 - 1. Sanctioned by a Sovereign State
08:43 - 2. Ranks and Chain of Command
09:14 - 3. Specialized Divisions and Agencies
11:17 - 4. Special Laws and the Uniform Code of Justice
13:48 - 5. Armed Personnel
15:15 - 6. Providing Defense and Fighting Wars
18:23 - Starfleet’s Flipped Priorities
21:14 - Why Does the Definition Matter?
21:59 - Nicholas Meyer’s Militaristic Star Trek
24:25 - The Contradiction in The Next Generation
26:40 - The Dramatic Potential of the Tension
29:15 - Star Trek as a Reflection of the Real World
31:34 - Conclusion: Be Damned for What We Really Are
32:57 - Shoutouts, Plugs and Announcements

#StarTrek #Starfleet #TrekActually #SteveShives #VideoEssay #SciFi #StarTrekTNG #StarTrekDS9 #Federation #GeneRoddenberry #StarTrekLore #SciFiAnalysis