Rep. Foley (R-FL) Works to Save Star Trek!

UPDATE (October 2006): Due to the large number of links to this blog, I felt it necessary to distance myself from Rep. Foley. While I was thrilled to see the letter get signed, I am disgusted by the allegations regarding his sexual advances on Congresional Pages. I didn't know Rep. Foley before he signed the letter and was only brought into contact with his office after his staff responded to my lobbying efforts on behalf of Star Trek. I would like to publicly distance myself, this letter and Star Trek from Mr. Foley, while still remaining thankful that we found Congressional support on behalf of saving the show.


It took hard work, but we got the letter signed!

March 2, 2005

Mr. Leslie Moonves
Co-President, Co-Chief Operating Officer
CBS Television
7800 W Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Dear Mr. Moonves:

As legislators who greatly admire the ideals and values found in the Star Trek franchise, we are writing you to express our concern and dismay at the decision to end what has become an American and worldwide cultural phenomenon over the past forty years, the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise.

We are aware of the competitive nature of broadcast television and understand the need for networks to balance quality entertainment with revenue-generating programming. However, the decision to end a television show that is among the very few that exemplify the values of freedom and showcase the best qualities of humanity is both saddening and sets an alarming precedent for future programming.

Over the past four decades, Star Trek has truly gone where no show has gone before. First airing in the 1960’s, Star Trek was the first show on television to feature an ethnically diverse cast of main characters and center itself around current events with story lines paralleling the issues of the times. Always challenging viewers to think and reexamine their perceptions, Star Trek stands in sharp contrast to the abundance of shows currently based on ever-sinking standards of values. As the show has moved through the years, Star Trek has evolved not only into a strong source of revenue for the networks, but into a symbol of hope for our future.

The Star Trek franchise has earned hundreds of millions of dollars in theatrical motion pictures, television series and animated cartoons that have inspired generations of children to increase their focus on science and mathematics, giving them a very real opportunity to reach for the stars. And as a shining tribute to the show’s influence on American life, NASA’s first Space Shuttle was named after the spaceship central to Star Trek, the U.S.S. Enterprise.

It is our sincere desire and hope that you and the studio will strongly reconsider your decision to cancel Star Trek: Enterprise. An end to the show would leave a gaping hole in one of America’s most recognizable icons, and extinguish an era that was started even before humanity first set foot on the Moon.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Rep. Mark Foley
Member of Congress