Nazi Star Trek episode finally broadcast in Germany
ST:SS aired after watershed
German television has finally aired an episode of Star Trek, which was previously held from broadcast due to a Nazi theme that ran throughout.
Filmed in 1968 for the second season of the original series, Patterns of Force features Kirk and Spock dressed in Nazi uniforms, trying to blend into a planet overrun by aliens that look and act exactly like Hitler's henchmen.
The locals, taught Nazi order by a renegade Star Fleet officer in a bid to make the trains run on time, end up adopting the full spectrum of bad authoritarian behaviour, including intolerance, despotism and racism, and set themselves on a mission to destroy neighbouring planet Zeon. Hmm.
When Star Trek was first aired in Germany, TV channel ZDF held the rights and though there were no laws banning the episode's broadcast, the station decided Patterns of Force should not be shown.
Now, 43 years later, the same station has changed its opinion, broadcasting Patterns of Force dubbed into the local lingo. Even then, though, it was played after 10pm, with viewers strictly warned that no one under the age of 16 should watch it.
The episode has apparently only previously been offered to German audiences by means of a 1995 VHS release. ®
COMMENTS
Remind me, have they shown the Next Generation one in Britain that mentioned in passing that Ireland was reunited in 2024 due to a successful terrorism campaign?
No, it is not.
A book, video or game can be put on what we call the index.
In that case stores are still allowed to sell them, but no active form of marketing is allowed, not even putting it on the shelves. Therefore these items are sold from under the counter if somebody specifically asks for them.
I always hated those Star Trek episodes
..where to save money they raided the props department to do episodes that looked like lame westerns/WW2 movies/gangster epics, etc.
However, I have to chuckle at the picture above with the classic shirtless-and-oiled-up Kirk with his glistening chest.
Now, if they really want to test German sensibilities, they need to bring back Baywatch and do a Nazi episode :)
A common complaint these days (and a couple of decades backwards) is that because of anti-Nazi laws being interpreted as "not showing Nazi stuff at all" instead of "not showing Nazi stuff in a good light" has been that a good bunch of people do not know how bad they were, and some Germans don't even know there *was* a Second World War at all! The missus was shocked when she discovered this.
"with viewers strictly warned that no one under the age of 16 should watch it."
And thus INSTANTLY attracting the attention of every under 16 year old in the country as to why these guys were so "important" that they couldn't be shown to children.
Talk about unintended consequences. If you'd just broadcast the damn thing in the middle of children's TV and parents *hadn't* made a fuss, nobody would care about it whatsoever. But by "banning" it and provide stark warnings about it not being suitable for children, you have just intrigued an entire generation.
I still say that Germany (and France) should have called all toilets "Nazis" and marked them on signposts / doors with the symbol of the Swastika across the entire country. Just how many Nazist lunatics do you think you'd get worshipping the name/symbol then, instead of how many you get now that you've "banned" it's use?
