Did the Indian ‘Captain Vyom’ fail to appreciate the science of Star Trek?

One can’t be sure about the number of Star Trek fan following in India, especially about people who would enjoy the flying colors of the franchise’s original series.

Now, may what be the case, it can be said for sure that the popular television in India had once attempted to launch a series on close heels with the ‘The Original Series’ (popularly known as TOS) of the Star Trek Franchise.

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And that was the legend of ‘Captain Vyom‘, brought to life by the one and only Milind Soman. Very much like the TOS, that was set in the 23rd century, series Captain Vyom was premised in the 22nd century.

However it should not go unnoticed that while Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the TOS (an evergreen character played by William Shatner) who commanded the ‘Starship’ – ‘Enterprise’ of the USS Federation of Planets, Vyom was given the impression of the intergalactic warrior.

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The ‘Indian’ Star Trek however, drew several parallels from its American counterpart and the original idea.

While the USS Federation of Planets was an unabashed extension of the current United States’ complacency of being the ‘World Police’, the opening scene of Captain Vyom’s first episode declare Delhi as the headquarters of world government conglomerate!

Reminding of the popular opening scene of the TOS – “To go boldly where no man has gone“, the first scene of Captain Vyom gives an introduction to Earth in the year 2123, as one among the ’11 planets’ in the  Solar System!

The first episode of the series, which was aired in 1998, shows the progress of space technology as a flight control tower prepares for the launch of spaceship that is headed for Mars. However a clear lack of the scientifically founded plot and fervor of human endeavor seems to have marred the prospects of the series in taking it off in the minds of then television audience.

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The actors in the series also failed to amuse the audience unlike those in TOS who on the other hand, for the rest of their lives were known for the respective roles they played in the American Sci-Fi drama.

Captain Kirk, science officer – commander Spock, ship’s surgeon -Commander Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy, ship’s chief engineer – Commander Montgomery Scot, Lieutenant Pavel Checkov, helmsman – Lieutenant Sulu, communications officer – Lieutenant Uhura turned to be the finest of fictional characters world television has ever seen.

Meanwhile, an unjustifiable absence of scientific aspiration and appreciation in the minds of the audience could also be accounted for the failure of Captain Vyom.

‘Captain Vyom’ despite being a Indian version of TOS, would have still captured the minds of an audience which was amply prepared to appreciate science and progress of humans in reaching the ‘seemingly’ distant stars.

Does that lack of such an appreciation still haunts our society? Are the cultural and conventional dogmas still holding us back from thinking science? For a country with population like that of our own, the ability to appreciate science and progress needs to colossal and unparalleled.

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