There's little doubt that the anti-Semitic stereotypes which developed during the Middle Ages will persist into the 21st century. And it seems they're also following humans into space or at least one science fiction version of space.
"Star Trek" fans have been busy lately debating what's behind some disturbing images in the two current spin-offs of the series: "The Next Generation" and "Deep Space Nine." Causing the concern are the Ferengi, a race of space creatures appearing in both spin-offs.
As originally conceived by the late "Star Trek" creator, Gene Roddenberry, the Ferengi were squat, deformed creatures with huge ears and genitalia, whose primary motivation is profit. In both series, they have been portrayed as venal, cowardly, lecherous, miserly and greedy. A recent episode of "Deep Space Nine" concerned the expansion of the Ferengi business empire. "I couldn't believe what I was watching," said Lukas Kendall, 18, a student at Amherst College and publisher of the magazine Film Score Monthly. In a computer-network debate on the subject, he added: "There was no denying the anti-Semitic attributes embodied by the Ferengi."
Some of the people involved in making the shows agree. "Substitute big noses for big ears," Brannon Braga, a non-Jewish story editor for the "Next Generation" series told The Jerusalem Report, and you get a bunch of little Shylocks running around the universe greedy little Jewish men."
The producers of the two series, Rick Berman and Michael Piller, are both Jewish, and story editor Braga "doesn't believe" there was ever any anti-Semitic intent.
"But the Ferengi exist as symbols, as a powerful, timeless archetype. What makes this particularly scary is that a lot of people in this country take their behavioral clues from this show."