Kurt Vonnegut's Star Trek Stance Was Refreshingly Upbeat - Even Though He Wasn't A Fan

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Kurt Vonnegut, the author of whimsical, cynical, deeply wise novels like "Cat's Cradle," "Slaughterhouse-Five," "Breakfast of Champions," and "Slapstick," passed away in 2007 at the age of 84. So it goes. 

Vonnegut was a deeply sardonic, bitter man who saw the world as darkly absurd. He felt wholly ambivalent about human existence, feeling a deep, abiding sympathy for the gentle, intellectual outsiders, but outwardly mocking — and being moved to despair over — the financial and political insanity that continued life provided. And through it all, he was funny. Vonnegut used humor as a polish, allowing us to digest the flimsiness of American society, able to laugh and hate simultaneously. Some would call him the best American author of his generation. 

In the 1999 book "Future Perfect: How Star Trek Conquered Planet Earth," author Jeff Greenwald spoke with Vonnegut about Gene Roddenberry's famed show, and found Vonnegut to be bitter about the future (natch). But Vonnegut was pleased to support anything that brings us a means of retreat. He noted that humans continue to wage wars and pollute the environment because, to use his words, "people hate life. They find it embarrassing, terribly uncomfortable, and they wouldn't care if it ended tomorrow." 

Vonnegut also admitted that he doesn't read sci-fi books. He didn't think much of human endeavors to reach the stars in real life either. He understood that the space between stars was far too vast to actually travel, so the space race was invented just to keep the aerospace industry humming. But he also understood that all humans are longing for a sense of family, and if a fictional utopian future posited by "Star Trek" fulfills that, then it can't be a bad thing. 

Regarding space technology, Vonnegut said: "It's entertainment, like the O.J. Simpson case, or anything else. We're here to be entertained." Jeff Greenwald noted that actor Michael Dorn, who played the Klingon Worf on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," expressed similar viewpoints. This led Greenwald to describe "Star Trek" in detail to Vonnegut. Vonnegut claimed he didn't read sci-fi, and certainly didn't watch "Star Trek" in any of its iterations. When Greenwald pointed out that "Star Trek's" view of the future was daringly optimistic, Vonnegut replied: 

"Well, that's fine! It cheers people up. [...] Look, these things happen because there's a terrific hunger for family. It explains the Deadheads, too. But it's family, family, family. Charles Manson was able to pick up quite attractive, reasonably intelligent young women on the roadside because they were ravenous for family. Politicians and television stars pretend to be relatives. Geraldo Rivera is our brother, our big brother. And it works!" 

Vonnegut said that devotion to any kind of person, star, or piece of pop media is born of humans' lack of extended families. When talking about Trekkies and Deadheads, Vonnegut added: "They're good people in any case. [...] I think that people attracted to either one of those families are kind."

This tends to be true. "Star Trek" conventions are warm, welcoming places, and the stars of the various shows also tend to be welcoming and happy to answer questions from fans.

As the interview went on, Kurt Vonnegut only became more cynical. His worldview was even more bleak in 1999 than it had been in the past. Jeff Greenwald wanted to ask about "Star Trek" some more, but he observed that the franchise held almost no interest for the star author. Greenwald tried to squeeze a tiny bit of optimism out of Vonnegut, but he would not capitulate. When asked what the solution is for a bitter world, Vonnegut said: 

"Retreat. [...] Get away from it — if you can. You talk about 'Star Trek'; well, there are all these little clusters of people who have invented a life for themselves — and have done a pretty interesting job of it, usually." 

So Vonnegut wasn't a Trekkie, and certainly didn't agree with Gene Roddenberry's summation that the future of humanity is bright, free of war and money, and devoted to peace and exploration. But he did at the very least appreciate that a pop culture object can serve as a balm for lonely souls in turbulent times. It's a bittersweet observation at best, but at least Vonnegut didn't hate the TV shows outright. 

Once again for the people in the back, Vonnegut claims that he doesn't read sci-fi, despite the fact that many of his books have sci-fi themes. "Slaughterhouse-Five" involves time travel and space aliens. "Cat's Cradle" surrounds a dangerous, apocalyptic, ice-like compound created in a lab. "The Sirens of Titan" and "Cat's Cradle" both won Hugo Awards, which are given to sci-fi novels. Of course, if you thumb through Thomas Marvin's book "Kurt Vonnegut: A Critical Companion," you'll find (unsurprisingly) that Vonnegut resisted being called a sci-fi author and resented labels. 

The "Breakfast of Champions" movie bombed, sadly. So it goes.