Although we rarely acknowledge it, mythology is still an important part of our culture. Folklore has evolved significantly, as America’s legendary heroes have been frontier hunters,
cowboys, policemen, soldiers, masked men, with capes
superheroes and sci-fi action men
as Buck Rodgers, Flash Gordon, Han Solo and
of course … Captain Kirk of the starship
Company.
Replacing Indians (of the Native American type), “communists” and Nazis with aliens as baddies and foreign lands as unknown planets, from September 8, 1966 to September 2, 1969, Bill Shatner kicked aliens butt for 79 episodes using Judo and Jujutsu from WWII.
Amazingly, with all the advanced technology
phasers, photons and other variety of high-tech
trash they could have used to save the day, Kirk
and his boys often returned to the
close combat moves they must have learned
of his great-great-great-great-grandparents.
(That, or in the future the military really
bought a track and decided to start teaching what
it really works again!)
Now whether you have pointed ears
“Trekkie” or not, definitely watch an episode
or two next time you surf for sci-fi
channel.
You will notice that the aliens that the crew
encountered were often physically dominant and
sometimes much bigger and stronger, therefore
calling for a smarter and more effective approach
to combat the wildly thrown “tedder”
punch.
While actual terms like melee, martial
arts, Jujutsu or Judo were left out of the list of
script, the informed observer
immediately recognize where the devastating edge is
of hand blows, brutal and ferocious kicks
the shots come. In the famous episode “Arena”, Captain Kirk has
to fight an enemy’s reptilian commander
ship in one-on-one combat. Kirk attacks the
alien with a flurry of punches including all those
found in WWII military combative systems that
to teach.
In “Day of the Dove”, Kirk and the rest of his
The crew engage Klingon warriors in
hand-to-hand combat, as both sides are restricted to
their own respective warrior codes as a guide.
My personal favorite, “Bread and circuses”,
Kirk, Spock, and McCoy use fists, swords, and
anything and everything else they can get
hands on for technologically advanced battle
Novels
Although there is no real Vulcan neck pinch, Gene
Roddenberry and the others who helped create
Star Trek were products of a generation that knew
How to fight. In fact, Roddenberry himself
experience in law enforcement and piloted in B-17 in
the Pacific during World War II.
During this time, the United States Army
practiced close combat training based on
than taught by WE Fairbairn and others
pioneers of REAL hand-to-hand combat. After the war,
many military veterans became Hollywood stunts
and when the fight sequences were set up, what
it was natural to win a fight …
real fight.
While many fight sequences from the 1960s were still
choreographed in classic western style
bar fight, only Star Trek used these
authentic and proven combat methods in most
of his scenes.
As time went on and the world turned
“shaving”, martial arts shown on television shows and
the movies drastically changed to appear
most impressive to the audience. After all,
nobody likes to see the hero drop his opponent
just a few “ugly” moves (except maybe Austin
Power’s recent “Judo Chop” … Anyone on the verge of hand?).
No, they want high-flying wires, you drunk
monkey nonsense, and ridiculous
high split kicks in the crotch of my pants.
But given a real, drag, no restrictions,
I’d fight for your life, put my money on Kirk and
his “Crew” unlike Neo, Morpheus and the
rest of those Matrix computer fanatics any day of
week. (And Kirk would have hit the boogers
of that ladybug wielding a flashlight, Vader too)