Where no NDP leader has gone before

Yes, this is NDP leader Jack Layton (circa 1991 at a Trekkie convention) and we thought we'd throw this picture up in honour of the Star Trek movie opening this week in Ottawa and other major markets.

I asked Olivia Chow about the costume today and she told me that she had one too -- she and Jack had them custom made by a tailor. "Very form fitting," she said. And they even had the special beam-me-up badge affixed to them.

Chow told me that she and Layton are still devoted Trekkies, but they're not going to the movie opening. "Too busy," she said. "We have to work."

Update: Credit where credit is due: the photographer here can be found at

http://www.flickr.com/people/scotteh/

This credit should have been stated up front; the fault is mine. I was so worried I'd been sent a photoshopped picture that I sought first to verify it, worried about the author later. I send credit and plaudits to the photographer.

Comments

[Devin Johnston]

I think I just fell a little more in love with Jack Layton.

[Cathy F]

I know who I'm voting for in the next election!

[Mark]

shouldn't he be wearing the orange suit?

Or is he admitting that he's really a red at heart?

[Devin Johnston]

Well, red is the traditional colour for most socialist and social democratic parties throughout the world. The only reason the NDP doesn't use red in Canada is that the Liberals beat us to it.

[Doug]

I knew his economic ideas were from outer space. This explains it.

[Daniel Quinn]

"Politicians should read science fiction, not westerns and detective stories." -- Arthur C. Clarke.

Looks like Jack's got the right idea.

[Gordon]

I wonder what TV shows Harper likes.

Probably 24 and endless YouTube playlists of his past election commercials.

[Werner Patels]

I suppose there's hope for him yet. Who would have thunk it?

[Typh00n]

Here's the definition of a "red shirt" from Wikipedia:

A redshirt is slang term for a stock character whose primary purpose in the plot of a story is to die soon after being introduced, thus demonstrating the dangerous circumstances faced by the main characters. The term originates from the science fiction television series Star Trek (The Original Series) and is taken from the red shirts worn by security officers. On Star Trek, anonymous security officers often accompanied main characters on dangerous missions where they would invariably meet their death.

[P.F. Kay]

The red also represents the fires below the crust of the earth, blue is the heavens above and orange is, well, oranges?

[SB]

The term "red shirt" as defined by Typh00n, comes from the original series, when security wore red, and command officers wore gold. However, this picture is from 1991, by which time TNG had come along and they'd change it around, in TNG, DS9, and Voyager, command wore red and operations officers wore gold. The change is commented on in the DS9 season 5 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations" but as far as I know never actually explained... sorry for geeking out on you but i just thought y'all should know that Layton isn't some redshirt, he's the captain! :D

[Kralizec]

I resent Star Trek and most other works of science fiction for the obstacle they together present to persuading students of political philosophy that Frank Herbert's Dune series might have something to offer them.