Kraith
Encyclopedia
The Kraith stories are a set of inter-connected works of Star Trek
fan fiction
. The earliest were written by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
(also creator of the Sime - Gen Universe
books) beginning in 1969 and continuing through the first few years after the cancellation of the original TV series
. As such, Kraith represents some of the earliest Star Trek fan fiction. The stories are named after the kraith, a goblet or chalice used in the performance of certain Vulcan rituals, featuring prominently in several of the stories in the sequence.
The first few stories were published in the T Negative fanzine
, under the editorship of Ruth Berman, beginning with Spock
's Affirmation in T-Negative 8. As interest grew, later stories were published in a wider range of outlets, and other authors began to make contributions to the sequence of stories. Over fifty amateur and professional authors have now contributed to Kraith.
The universe portrayed in Kraith is not canon
Star Trek, but its emphasis on stories with sociological, psychological and emotional plotlines had, and continues to have, a substantial impact on Star Trek fan fiction. A high proportion of early contributors to the Kraith storyline were women, and this has continued to be reflected in the high proportion of female fan writers.
The story of Kraith is ostensibly "Spock finds a wife," but this is only a trivial incident compared to the thoughts and ideas presented in the series. The central premise concerns the fact that in the original Star Trek, humans were portrayed as the dominant race throughout the galaxy. In many episodes, Kirk was shown as imposing not just human values, but his particular version of human (that is to say, white, male and 20th-century American) values, on a number of alien cultures, supposedly for their own good or to save them from being conquered by the Klingon
s. Lichtenberg presents this imposition as reflecting the overall attitude of the Earth-dominated Federation toward unaffiliated and member worlds. How would alien races respond to such treatment? How would they feel about the aggressive capitalism practiced by Earth companies, the influx of human residents on their worlds, the influence of human cultural values, and the eventual threat to their cultures as a result? Even if they were happy to have their world belong to the Federation, what would happen when their young people tried to join Starfleet, only to find that starships like the Enterprise are designed with only human comfort in mind?
Vulcan, with its monoculture
derived from the Reforms of Surak
, has been deeply affected by contact with other races. Many Vulcans feel the changes are not for the better, and a major plot arc in Kraith concerns a proposal that Vulcan secede from the Federation. It is officially voted down, but there are still many who agree with the idea. Lichtenberg's goal was to show that the Vulcan culture we saw on the show was not perfect, and that contact with other civilizations would help post-Reform culture evolve from its present, static form, to "what it ought to become". The friendship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy became a microcosm reflecting these changes.
Lichtenberg tackled these issues in depth and with complexity. She is on record as having believed at the time that most people were incapable of accepting the ideas she proposes, because they were far too radical or ahead of their time. Today, readers might see them as postmodern, or at least as bearing the seeds of critical race theory
and critical cultural studies
, or perhaps in terms of accommodation.
Kraith took a different turn with the input of Sondra Marshak as Lichtenberg's chief collaborator. One of Lichtenberg's plot arcs concerned the idea that James T. Kirk
, having been in contact with a number of telepathic alien species, had begun to be telepathic himself. To learn control and proper use of his new abilities he came to Vulcan to attend a psychic school. For this and other reasons, some politically complex, he was adopted by Sarek
and educated in the Vulcan
way of life. This education had occasionally involved a "Warder-Liege compact" between Kirk and Spock, in which Kirk accepted Spock as his mentor and obeyed his commands (or vice versa, as in the Kraith novel Federation Centennial). Marshak evidently saw further plot possibilities in the Warder-Liege, and revived and expanded on its implications. Later Kraith stories are rife with BDSM
undertones, and in one unfortunate entry, Joan Winston's "The Maze" (published in Metamorphosis 2), Spock is depicted as giving Kirk a sound spanking for disobeying an order (in favor of saving Spock's life) while under Warder-Liege restrictions.
Although the classic Kraith stories are not slash fiction
, some commentators have seen Kraith as a precursor to some forms of slash: hurt/comfort themes, and themes of emotional and mental closeness, as well as the BDSM implications later in the series, are clearly closely related to themes found in many slash stories.
Lichtenberg is perhaps best known for her Sime-Gen series, which she began writing in 1969. She also worked on Marion Zimmer Bradley
's Darkover
series. As of 2010, she is at work on a series of original vampire
slash novels with Jean Lorrah
.
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
fan fiction
Fan fiction
Fan fiction is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator...
. The earliest were written by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Jacqueline Lichtenberg is an American science fiction author.Many of her early novels are set in the Sime - Gen Universe, which she first described in a short story in 1969. Her other writings have dealt with fantasy and occult subjects, including articles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer...
(also creator of the Sime - Gen Universe
Sime - Gen Universe
The Sime~Gen Universe, created by Jacqueline Lichtenberg, involves a future where humanity is divided into two subspecies or "larities". Gens look like ordinary humans and produce excess quantities of a life energy called selyn. Simes, who have tentacled arms, must take selyn from Gens in order to...
books) beginning in 1969 and continuing through the first few years after the cancellation of the original TV series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
. As such, Kraith represents some of the earliest Star Trek fan fiction. The stories are named after the kraith, a goblet or chalice used in the performance of certain Vulcan rituals, featuring prominently in several of the stories in the sequence.
The first few stories were published in the T Negative fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
, under the editorship of Ruth Berman, beginning with Spock
Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
's Affirmation in T-Negative 8. As interest grew, later stories were published in a wider range of outlets, and other authors began to make contributions to the sequence of stories. Over fifty amateur and professional authors have now contributed to Kraith.
The universe portrayed in Kraith is not canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
Star Trek, but its emphasis on stories with sociological, psychological and emotional plotlines had, and continues to have, a substantial impact on Star Trek fan fiction. A high proportion of early contributors to the Kraith storyline were women, and this has continued to be reflected in the high proportion of female fan writers.
The story of Kraith is ostensibly "Spock finds a wife," but this is only a trivial incident compared to the thoughts and ideas presented in the series. The central premise concerns the fact that in the original Star Trek, humans were portrayed as the dominant race throughout the galaxy. In many episodes, Kirk was shown as imposing not just human values, but his particular version of human (that is to say, white, male and 20th-century American) values, on a number of alien cultures, supposedly for their own good or to save them from being conquered by the Klingon
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
s. Lichtenberg presents this imposition as reflecting the overall attitude of the Earth-dominated Federation toward unaffiliated and member worlds. How would alien races respond to such treatment? How would they feel about the aggressive capitalism practiced by Earth companies, the influx of human residents on their worlds, the influence of human cultural values, and the eventual threat to their cultures as a result? Even if they were happy to have their world belong to the Federation, what would happen when their young people tried to join Starfleet, only to find that starships like the Enterprise are designed with only human comfort in mind?
Vulcan, with its monoculture
Monoculture
Monoculture is the agricultural practice of producing or growing one single crop over a wide area. It is also known as a way of farming practice of growing large stands of a single species. It is widely used in modern industrial agriculture and its implementation has allowed for large harvests from...
derived from the Reforms of Surak
Surak
Surak is a fictional character in the backstory of the Star Trek television series and franchises. He is portrayed as the most important philosopher in the history of the planet Vulcan...
, has been deeply affected by contact with other races. Many Vulcans feel the changes are not for the better, and a major plot arc in Kraith concerns a proposal that Vulcan secede from the Federation. It is officially voted down, but there are still many who agree with the idea. Lichtenberg's goal was to show that the Vulcan culture we saw on the show was not perfect, and that contact with other civilizations would help post-Reform culture evolve from its present, static form, to "what it ought to become". The friendship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy became a microcosm reflecting these changes.
Lichtenberg tackled these issues in depth and with complexity. She is on record as having believed at the time that most people were incapable of accepting the ideas she proposes, because they were far too radical or ahead of their time. Today, readers might see them as postmodern, or at least as bearing the seeds of critical race theory
Critical race theory
Critical Race Theory is an academic discipline focused upon the intersection of race, law and power.Although no set of canonical doctrines or methodologies defines CRT, the movement is loosely unified by two common areas of inquiry...
and critical cultural studies
Cultural studies
Cultural studies is an academic field grounded in critical theory and literary criticism. It generally concerns the political nature of contemporary culture, as well as its historical foundations, conflicts, and defining traits. It is, to this extent, largely distinguished from cultural...
, or perhaps in terms of accommodation.
Kraith took a different turn with the input of Sondra Marshak as Lichtenberg's chief collaborator. One of Lichtenberg's plot arcs concerned the idea that James T. Kirk
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
, having been in contact with a number of telepathic alien species, had begun to be telepathic himself. To learn control and proper use of his new abilities he came to Vulcan to attend a psychic school. For this and other reasons, some politically complex, he was adopted by Sarek
Sarek
Sarek is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. He is a Vulcan astrophysicist, the Vulcan ambassador to the United Federation of Planets, and father of Spock...
and educated in the Vulcan
Vulcan (Star Trek)
Vulcans, or sometimes Vulcanians, are an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. They were the first extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek...
way of life. This education had occasionally involved a "Warder-Liege compact" between Kirk and Spock, in which Kirk accepted Spock as his mentor and obeyed his commands (or vice versa, as in the Kraith novel Federation Centennial). Marshak evidently saw further plot possibilities in the Warder-Liege, and revived and expanded on its implications. Later Kraith stories are rife with BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
undertones, and in one unfortunate entry, Joan Winston's "The Maze" (published in Metamorphosis 2), Spock is depicted as giving Kirk a sound spanking for disobeying an order (in favor of saving Spock's life) while under Warder-Liege restrictions.
Although the classic Kraith stories are not slash fiction
Slash fiction
Slash fiction is a genre of fan fiction that focuses on the depiction of romantic or sexual relationships between fictional characters of the same sex...
, some commentators have seen Kraith as a precursor to some forms of slash: hurt/comfort themes, and themes of emotional and mental closeness, as well as the BDSM implications later in the series, are clearly closely related to themes found in many slash stories.
Lichtenberg is perhaps best known for her Sime-Gen series, which she began writing in 1969. She also worked on Marion Zimmer Bradley
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley was an American author of fantasy novels such as The Mists of Avalon and the Darkover series. Many critics have noted a feminist perspective in her writing. Her first child, David R...
's Darkover
Darkover
Darkover is the focus of the Darkover series of science fiction novels and short stories by Marion Zimmer Bradley and others published since 1958. According to the novels, Darkover is the only human-habitable of seven planets orbiting a fictional red giant star called Cottman...
series. As of 2010, she is at work on a series of original vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
slash novels with Jean Lorrah
Jean Lorrah
Jean Lorrah is a science fiction and fantasy author. She has produced several Star Trek novels and often collaborated with Jacqueline Lichtenberg. Her most recent work with Lichtenberg is on the Sime - Gen Universe...
.
External links
- Kraith Home Read the first six volumes of Kraith Collected on line. These are the stories written by Lichtenberg and by other Kraith writers, printed in the correct order of their occurrence. The essay Understanding Kraith and the Kraith Creators' Manual are also provided.
See also
- SpeciesismSpeciesismSpeciesism is the assigning of different values or rights to beings on the basis of their species membership. The term was created by British psychologist Richard D...
- XenophobiaXenophobiaXenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
- Normalization (people with disabilities)
- Social role valorizationSocial role valorizationIn psychology and social work practice, Social Role Valorization is the name given to an analysis of human relationships and human services, formulated in 1983 by Wolf Wolfensberger, PhD, as the successor to his earlier formulation of the principle of Normalization...