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tea-earl-grey · 4 days

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i do think it's really interesting to compare the ways Star Trek and Doctor Who succeed and fail as pieces of progressive media because they almost have the opposite problem.

both of the shows are progressive, let's make that clear. while there are exceptions, both shows and worlds consistently critique capitalism, value compassion, solve problems without violence, and at least try to be diverse. there will always be individual episodes (and even eras/arcs) that contradict those values but in general, they are progressive compared to your average procedural or whatnot. but they, by the very nature of their premise, often fail to live up to fully realizing those progressive values. and yes, individual instances of racism or misogyny or any type of bigotry is a product of the bigotry of the writers/creators, but Star Trek and Doctor Who ultimately fail and will always fail to fully embody progressivism.

Star Trek is trapped in its own system of the Federation & Starfleet. for any of the shows to work, we the audience have to believe that the Federation is almost always a good & benevolent force and while criticisms of it are made, those criticisms are the exception and not the rule. the Federation/Starfleet can be criticized but at the end of the story, we must reaffirm that our characters are still good people and it's individual corruption that's the problem. the system can be portrayed as flawed but it must always be better than the alternative. if there is a Star Trek show that would truly dig far enough into how the Federation is a product of imperialism and how the nature of exploring & going where no one has gone before is inherently rooted in racism & orientalism then the franchise would collapse because nearly everything to this point relies on the belief in that a fundamentally good utopian system is possible.

now there's Doctor Who. Doctor Who has a quite different premise in that it is never rooted to one place or time the way Star Trek is attached to Starfleet/the Federation. (there could be an argument that Doctor Who is ultimately rooted in Britain but despite the 2005 series and the UNIT era in classic who, there are large swathes of classic who and the EU that never visit Britain. it's been made an important part of the show (as the show is an important part of British culture) but it's not inherent to the basic premise.) however, because Doctor Who is focused on traveling and seeing the wonders of the universe, its premise essentially becomes "some people turn up to fix a problem and then disappear". again, there are exceptions to this (especially in early classic who), but the formula of the show is almost trapped in the belief of individual action and power to solve systemic problems which... is not how most problems or solutions behave in reality. and just as Star Trek can criticize the Federation but must ultimately forgive it, Doctor Who can criticize the Doctor and portray them as flawed but must still reaffirm their status as a hero.

so we have Star Trek too caught up in its own systems to be able to critique them and Doctor Who too focused on running to portray how complex, long term solutions are needed to solve deeply entrenched problems.

and honestly... i don't think either of these are bad. they're simply the limitations of the shows as they exist and it would be far more worthwhile to develop new premises & find other media that incorporate those types of leftist political values from the start than to try to graft them onto 60 year old media franchises and pretend like they've always been there.

and they do serve a purpose! Star Trek might not be able to adequately portray the flaws of a system but it does give you hope for a better utopian future where people are taken care of and allowed to live however they choose, where there's infinite diversity in infinite combinations. Doctor Who might not be able to portray the complicated solutions to complicated problems that we face today but it tells you that every life matters, that kindness is the most important quality, and that everyone can make a difference in some way.

#anyways tdlr: don't substitute fictional stories for political values or something like that #idk. just spinning this in my head #i think a comparison to Star Wars would be interesting too however i'm way too much of a casual viewer to do that #star trek #doctor who #my posts

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gay-spock · 1 year

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here’s a compilation of why rick berman of star trek fame could have ruined the franchise with his bigotry, thanks to @/thisismewhatevs on twitter:

- rick berman is usually cited by writers as the main reason gay characters were not allowed on screen in TNG/VOY/DS9/ENT even though gene roddenberry specifically wanted gay representation in the 1980s

- notably, he is responsible for demanding female actors be "sexed up" in various ways including jeri ryan's catsuit and padding terry farell's breasts

- when terry farell asked for a reduced contract similar to those of her male costars, she was fired, leading to the sudden death of jadzia dax

- with seven of nine's catsuit, not only was it berman's idea to make her "born sexy yesterday" her original costume pinched her neck so much she kept passing out. rather than change it, berman brought in nurses to administer oxygen between takes

- berman would continually comment on the appearance of female actors to the point that marina sirtis developed an eating disorder. sirtis also mentions how tight her corset and how large her breast padding was under her "uniform"

- berman was left in charge of trek because he was in the right place when roddenberry got sick. He had no experience with scifi previously and didn't really believe in roddenberry's vision of the future:

- In addition to being a dick to denise crosby after pushing her out, he's also the reason for wil wheaton was kicked out for similar contact negotiation as terry farrell

- harry kim was never promoted from ensign since berman hated his actor, garrett wang, according to him

- enterprise was a step backwards in a lot of ways because berman had far more creative control (seasons 1-3) and took a much more hands on writing role. here's t'pol actor jolene blalock discussing his sexualization of her

- as DS9 went on, garak and bashir spent less time together and garak was given zyial as an incredibly gross love interest because andy robinson's portrayal as queer coded made berman uncomfortable

- despite the "equality" promoted on the show, berman hired very few female writers, with less than 30% of episodes having even one female writer during his time

- “Rick Berman is not the only asshole to have worked on Star Trek and he is not the reason for every bad choice from TNG-ENT. However HE WAS the executive producers and show runner in charge of production so much of the sins of that time lie at his feet. When people get confused about how some people seem to "misunderstand" the point of Star Trek and don't know how they can watch/enjoy the "progressive" nature of the show and be such vile sexists and racists, this is how. They let a sexist asshole run the show for three decades. On screen representation is important. It's amazing for people to see themselves in such a hopeful future, but the behind the scenes matters just as much if not more than who is in front of the camera. Representation without responsible storytelling is a tragedy.“ -Deep Space Fine on twitter

this is not to say that TNG/DS9/VOY/ENT are bad shows, or that they shouldn’t be watched, or anything else; but that understanding why these awful choices were made behind the scenes in depicting a “progressive” future. rick berman didn’t agree with this future because he didn’t want others who weren’t white, cis, straight men like him to benefit in the ways he did.

#i wanted this info to be easier to find all-together on tumblr #star trek #rick berman #the next generation #deep space 9 #voyager #enterprise #star trek meta

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merbear25 · 4 months

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Needing someone to hold

On lonely nights, finding comfort in another's warm embrace can soothe a damaged soul. It was on this night that he saught relief in your arms.

CW: SFW, gn!reader, cuddling

Corazon

Stars were scattered across the sky, the waxing moon was the brightest amongst them: your path was lit by them through the forest. Shadows were casted by the tall trees, their branches extending far beyond the forest's floor. Crunches from your steps sounded as you progressed across the frost covered leaves. Winter had come early, and the first snow fall was just starting to dust the landscape.

The smoke from his cigarette blended with your hazed breath as you both trekked in search of shelter. Your legs ached, but you knew better than to complain, especially when Rosinante was harboring so much pain. After telling you about his hopes and fears relating to his brother, you knew you could never tell anyone—the family would be none the wiser. His secret would die with you if it ever came down to it.

A village became visable in the distance. Some of the houses appeared to be abandoned, leaving them at your dispossal. You took it upon yourself to gather what dry wood you could to build a fire. Once you returned, your eyes fell on a hunched over Rosinante, whose face was in his hands and rubbing at his undoubtedly weary eyes.

After finishing the fire, you debated whether to go to him or not. You weren't sure how to ease his mind and alleviate his stress, but you couldn't stand seeing him crumbling before you. When you took a seat by his side, he didn't react—just continued rubbing his face.

Unsure what to say, you thought a friendly touch might be enough; you placed your palm on his back, rubbing the center of it in small circles.

He lifted his head showing a tear stained face, "Sorry, for not helping earlier. Thank you for starting the fire."

"It wasn't anything," you tried not to show conern at seeing his distress. You moved your hand to his, giving it a reassuring squeez. "You should rest. I'll stay up and keep watch for a bit."

When you got up, your hand hadn't been let go of; he was looking up at you as if pleading for you not to go. "Could you stay with me? Just for a little while longer."

"Of course, I can."

Crawling into bed, he pulled you in close to his chest. Wrapping your arms around him came naturally—nuzzling in the crook of his neck was just as easy.

His arms tightened around you, and he balled the loose fabric on your torso in his hands—fearing you'd be snatched from him at any moment.

"I'm not going anywhere." You nestled closer to him, sharing his feeling that you weren't able to get close enough.

Stroking your hair and allowing himself to relax, serenity replaced the anguish that'd been tormenting him. Your breaths deepened while a sense of security blanketed itself over you, allowing you to doze off in each others' embrace.

#corazon #rosinante corazon #donquixote rosinante #rosinante x reader #corazon x reader #corazon x you #rosinante donquixote #rosinante x you #one piece #one piece imagine #x reader #x gn reader #one piece rosinante #rosinante one piece #donquixote corazon #one piece x reader #one piece x you

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alittlehurtwithyourcomfort · 4 months

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The Dragon Prince Whumplist

Character: Callum (voiced by Jack DeSena)

Age Rating: TV-Y7 (FV)

Show available on Netflix

Genre: Animation, Found Family, Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Synopsis: In the magical land of Xadia, magic comes from six primal sources: the sun, moon, stars, sky, earth and ocean. When human mages create a seventh kind of magic -- dark magic -- they start capturing and harvesting the unique magical creatures they need as ingredients, which sparks a war between Xadia and the Human Kingdoms. Three kids from opposite sides of the conflict -- two princes and an elven assassin sent to kill them -- discover a secret that could change everything and decide to join forces and go on an epic journey. That trek could be their only hope of ending the war and restoring peace to both worlds. (Via Google)

Notes: This show is GOOD. If you like ATLA, you'll enjoy this. It gets progressively darker and more violent as the show goes on, so fair warning for that. The relationships between the characters are amazing, and there's also great diverse representation! I highly recommend.

TW's: Violence, mild blood/gore (audio/visual gets worse in later seasons), death, child abuse/neglect, child endangerment, emetophobia (very mild), mild torture

List Key:

bold = most whump, best whump, or favorite whump scenes

~ = a scene break

THIS LIST CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE SERIES!

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1x01: sparring ~~ upset, argued

1x02: teary-eyed, emotional goodbye ~~ knocked around, holding his head ~~ threatened

1x03: betrayed, stressed ~~ manhandled, restrained, voice taken (by magic), heavy breathing ~~ scared, gets voice back and coughing ~~ terrified, shocked and teary-eyed, out of breath

1x04: stressed ~~ held at swordpoint

1x05: stressed

1x06: extremely worried, scared

1x07: emotional conversation, stressed

1x08: scared

1x09: scared, stressed

2x01: sad, stressed

2x02: extremely emotional, sobbing ~~ grieving

2x03: grieving, worried, teary-eyed ~~ sobbing, comforted ~~ betrayed

2x04: stressed

2x05: grieving, stressed

2x06: crying

2x07: glowing eyes, passes out, concern for him ~~ helped to stand, weak

2x08: helped to walk, delirious, weak ~~ in pain, delirious, unconscious ~~ terrifying dreams ~~ concern for him ~~ struggling to breathe, concern for him

2x09: still struggling to breathe, held, concern for him, wakes up gasping

3x01: stressed

3x02: none

3x03: stressed

3x04: stressed

3x05: stressed

3x06: emotional

3x07: out of breath, almost passes out

3x08: frustrated

3x09: stressed ~~ choked, gasping for air ~~ crying, terrified, almost falls

4x01: stressed ~~ startled ~~ solemn, crying

4x02: stressed, startled

4x03: angry ~~ solemn

4x04: angry ~~ scared, choking, half-collapsed, possessed, body puppeteered, glowing eyes ~~ still possessed, concern for him, collapsed, unconscious, held

4x05: crying, choked up ~~ emotional conversation

4x06: stressed

4x07: emotional conversation, "i need you to kill me", talking about possession

4x08: stressed ~~ sleeping spell, weak, collapsed unconscious

4x09: rough awakening, scared

5x01: stressed

5x02: stressed

5x03: stressed

5x04: terrified, worried about his aunt

5x05: stressed

5x06: none

5x07: half-collapsed, magical exhaustion, struggling to breathe, helped to stand, supported, concern for him ~~ tired ~~ hands chained behind his back, chin grabbed/manhandled

5x08: unconscious, chained to a pole, shaky breathing, slowly waking up, scared, threatened, electrocuted/beaten (off-screen)~~ slowly waking up, still chained, blood and bruises on his face, heavy breathing, in pain, chin grabbed/manhandled ~~ scared ~~ manhandled, hands chained behind his back, stumbling, collapsed/forced to his knees, concern for him, weak ~~ extremely worried, yelling, angry, knocked out ~~ chained, struggling, pained voice, collapsed ~~ weak, "blood freezing", choked, gasping in pain, struggling, dropped, struggling to breathe, concerned ~~ sad, concern for him, hugged, guilty

5x09: concerned ~~ slammed into the ground, restrained

#whump #whump community #whumplist #whump blog #whumplists #whump recs #whump list #animated whump

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sirfrogsworth · 4 months

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Thoughts on Live Action Avatar: TLA

I'm sure people are going to hate this. Some for valid reasons. Some because of endless nitpicking that really has no bearing on how good or bad it actually was. Some because they have already chosen to hate it and it's just a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But I always root for things to be good. I want them to succeed. And I always go into everything I watch with the hope and expectation it will be good. I turn off my critical brain and try to just experience the show for what it is. As I said, I saw no trailers. I read no reviews. I knew almost nothing about the production of this going in.

Initially, things were rough... buddy.

And I think that is a longstanding problem with live action TV shows in general. I am always reminded of Star Trek TNG and how it took two seasons (48 episodes) before they figured out what the hell they were doing. Back then shows were able to find their footing and grow and learn. Actors were given time to find their characters and understand them and finally become them.

But now, every show has to be amazing from the start or they get cancelled. And I think people have become very unforgiving of first seasons as well. I feel like not enough people consider the potential of something getting better. And I think that is a shame.

So, yes, Avatar started out rough. They tried to cram all of the exposition into the first 20 minutes. And that was unpleasant. The effects were jarring at first. It is incredibly difficult to translate animation into live action. And please don't say the CGI was "bad." It wasn't. There was just so much that needed to be packed into every frame of this show to make it work, and finding a way to make it all seamlessly blend is a monumental task. I think the artists did an amazing job with the constraints of essentially making an 8 hour movie in the time usually given a 2 hour one.

But as the show continued, the actors seemed more comfortable in their roles. The showrunners seemed to figure out what worked and what didn't. The quality across the board started to improve. Especially when they started to deviate a little bit from following the cartoon. I also noticed that the effects that were jarring in the beginning eventually stopped bothering me and breaking immersion. I got used to them and was able to just focus on the story. And I think they got a little better as well. The bending was much more convincing as the show progressed. And it was a bajillion times better than the slow-motion bending of that movie that shall not be named.

And by the final episode, I was all in. The Avatar monster was really cool. And I was crying my eyes out and having all kinds of emotions. And there were some changes they made to the story which I actually thought made more sense. And I was glad this show was doing a few things to differentiate rather than being an exact carbon copy.

It won me over.

And I know it won't do that for everyone. And perhaps I am forgiving a lot of sins just because I wanted it to be good. The original was my absolute favorite show of all time. I just liked spending time with these characters again.

But I liked it more than I didn't and I'm hoping that is the general consensus, but I fear that is not the case.

Things I really liked...

I thought the actor playing Sokka was really great. They didn't give him enough humorous material. But I think this kid absolutely nailed the role. And if this gets another season, I do hope he can show Sokka's lighter side a bit more.

Ken Leung also did amazing as Zhao. I think he surpassed his cartoon counterpart in villainy. I loved hating him.

The final battle was beautiful. I think they probably dedicated a lot of resources to that. Maybe at the expense of other things. But I think it was worth it to end strong.

In the first season of the cartoon, the trauma was often skipped over or kept very brief. I'm sure the idea of dealing with genocide and war time trauma was not an easy sell to Nickelodeon initially. But they did actually take the time to show some of that trauma, especially with Katara and Sokka. And I cried a bunch.

They seemed to go to considerable effort to have a diverse cast. I am glad they learned that lesson from the movie.

That said, they probably could have brought back Dee Bradley Baker to make the animal noises. This might have been an overcorrection...

I guess this will give the anti-wokesters something to complain about since the original was already super woke and it is probably a challenge to complain about the new thing being woke as well. Though I'm sure they are up to the challenge.

Things I didn't care for...

The compressed timeline caused a few stories to be combined and accelerated. I understand why that was necessary. But there were some important moments of character growth that got lost.

Sokka's missing sexism. I think it is much more useful to see someone grow and change and let go of their problematic traits than to pretend that never existed. Sokka's sexism was a symbol of the conservative views within water tribe culture in general. It was also foreshadowing for the conflict with Pakku (which was also minimized). I just think young viewers seeing a character overcome ingrained ideals has a greater influence than just erasing that aspect from the character.

Things I hated...

Princess Yue's hair. You get the amazing Amber Midthunder to play Yue, and she does an amazing job with extremely abbreviated screen time, but I couldn't stop staring at whatever that was they put on her noggin. I know I criticized people for nitpicking, but that was very distracting. I don't know exactly how it could have been done better, but I worry a great performance is going to get overshadowed by... hair.

In conclusion...

I think the people making this show loved the source material. I can see that love. I think they tried very hard to make the best show possible. And I also know they are probably going to get a lot of hate. I still haven't looked at the reviews because I didn't want to be influenced when writing this. But I can feel the review bombing as we speak.

But this was not a Witcher situation where the writers didn't respect the source material. This was displaying how incredibly difficult it is to convert one of the most beautifully animated shows in existence into live action. Maybe that is an argument for not making live action versions. Though I usually love them when they work and am happy both versions exist.

I really hope people can remember the original still exists and they can completely disregard this and watch the cartoon any time they wish. This doesn't have to "ruin their childhood." These two things can exist and everyone is perfectly capable of ignoring all of the live action material.

But I do hope this gets another season. I think that final episode showed the potential. I think the cast was getting comfortable in their roles and they deserve another chance to show what they can do.

I love Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and I think he was a great choice for Iroh. But Mako's shoes are probably the biggest shoes in the existence of shoes to try and fill. I do not envy the task he was given. But every once in a while I saw that Mako spirit come out in his performance and I think he could use another season to really find that and show us what he is capable of.

This felt a lot like The Phantom Menace to me. There was actually a ton of amazing stuff to love in that movie. But it didn't quite work the way the original movies did. But I think this was good enough to hope for the future.

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fancoloredglasses · 1 month

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Star Trek, part 4: The Next Generation (Making the Federation even more Mary Sue)

[All images are owned by Paramount. Please don’t sue me]

The introduction of the Enterprise-A in Star Trek IV opened up the possibility of new adventures of the USS Enterprise, so when it was announced in 1987 that a new Star Trek television series would be starting, fans were hopeful that the crew of the Enterprise would go from the big screen back to the small screen.

They were very wrong.

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(Thanks to Great80sTV)

Star Trek: The Next Generation (or simply TNG) takes place 80 years following the original Enterprise’s five-year missions. Gene Roddenberry is once again at the helm of the show, though he is assisted by Rick Berman, who would become the official showrunner following Roddenberry’s death.

The Federation of the 24th century is, if possible, even more utopian than before, having signed a peace treaty with the Klingon Empire (even if more than a few Klingons aren’t happy about it)

The latest ship to carry the legendary name, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) is a Galaxy class starship, capable of longer missions into deep space. Warp technology has progressed far enough that the formula for warp speed had to be amended. Now (according to fan publications) the calculation is to a power of 5 (meaning that Warp 5 would be 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5, or 3,125 times the speed of light. Using my Alpha Centauri example from my review of the original series, it would take about 9 1/2 hours at Warp 5 to reach Alpha Centauri from Earth, a much more reasonable time frame.

In addition to better Warp and defensive technologies, the Enterprise had a new technology known as holodecks, that made life-like imagery that the crew could touch and interact with, as a way to keep the crew from going stir-crazy. And the holodecks never, ever, ever had anything go wrong inside. Nope. Never. Not even once. (excuse me as I stifle several giggles)

Two other things that were different than previous Enterprises.

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(Thanks to April 5, 2063)

Since the Galaxy class was designed to go farther out than was previously possible, crew quarters are large enough to allow the families of the crew to join them on board. Because of this, the saucer section can be detached from the Engineering hull to allow the civilian population to be evacuated in cases of extreme peril.

One other change was in the uniforms.

(Thanks to The Hollywood Reporter)

Starfleet has replaced the uniform used for over 70 years with an almost “throwback” uniform with the uniform color matching divisions (though red is now operations and gold is now service; but don’t worry, we’ll still call the doomed security personnel “Redshirts”)

You will note that the uniforms are all onesies. This will be changed by Season 2 (along with several minor changes as the series progresses, almost as if whoever designed the uniform didn’t plan for the comfort of the wearer)

Now let’s meet this new crew…

The Enterprise’s commanding officer is Captain Jean-Luc Picard (played by Sir Patrick Stewart, a Shakespearean actor who had never seen Star Trek before auditioning) Stewart takes the gravitas he learned on stage and brings it to the 24th century, setting the tone of the series to something a bit more thought-provoking and less fist-provoking (just one question: why is a French starship captain talking with a British accent?)

Picard’s First Officer is Commander William Riker, who tends to be more Kirk-like in his command style. He’s not the type to get into a brawl or anything, but he’s more the smooth-talking type who leads his team when danger presents itself. He tends to lead missions that are away from the ship, preferring the Captain stay within the relative safety of the Enterprise.

The Second Officer and Chief Navigator is Lt. Commander Data (played by Brent Spiner, who previously was known as recurring character Bob Wheeler on Night Court), an android created by Dr. Noonian Soong capable of independent initiative. Despite rumors to the contrary, Data earned the rank he holds. His journey of learning to be as human as possible often puts him at the center of humorous situations (like when he tried growing a beard) He (and it’s been confirmed that he is male, with all of the plumbing to match) is incapable of showing emotion or using contractions, and often gets so wrapped up in what he’s saying that he has to be cut off by whomever he’s talking to due to not knowing when to stop spouting facts.

Some time during the series (it’s never explained in or out of canon when or how), Data acquired a cat, which he named Spot (despite the fact that the cat had stripes) There were four different “Spots” throughout the series and NONE of them looked alike (plus Spot’s gender changed at least once) Spiner has gone on record saying he hated doing scenes that included Spot, as they always took three times as long to shoot due to the cat not cooperating.

The Ship’s Counselor and advisor to the Captain is Lt. Commander Counselor Deanna Troi (played by Marina Sirtis), a member of a telepathic race known as Betazoids (she mainly uses her abilities as an empath, preferring not to use telepathy) Troi is actually half-Betazoid. She previously had a relationship with Riker that ended amiably, which comes back into play every now and then.

Her mother Lwoxana (played by Majel Barrett) is infatuated with Picard, much to his chagrin.

The Chief Helmsman (and eventually Data’s best friend) is Lt. (later Lt. Commander) Geordi La Forge (played by Reading Rainbow host LaVar Burton) La Forge is blind (due to a blind girl wanting a role model on Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry having an ironic sense of humor by making the pilot blind) The object that looks like a banana clip (because that’s what it is!) is a VISOR (Visual Instrument and Sensory Organ Replacement), which is connected to implants on La Forge’s temples that feed his brain sensory data, including infrared and ultraviolet emissions. Starting in Season 2 (following Season 1’s “Chief Engineer of the Week”), La Forge is transferred to Engineering where he remained through the remainder of the series and beyond.

Lt. Worf (played by Michael Dorn) is the first and (thus far) only Klingon to serve on a Starfleet vessel. He was the last survivor when the Romulans attacked a Klingon outpost when he was a boy. A Starfleet crewman found him and raised him. He is still very much a Klingon warrior, though tempered by Federation ideals.

He serves on the Enterprise as…well, I’m not entirely certain what his duties are at the start of the series other than to be the Token Klingon.

[FUN FACT: The prosthetic Dorn wore in season 1 was stolen after the season ended, so a new one had to be crafted but wasn’t an exact replica, which is why he looks different from Season 2 onward]

The Chief Medical Officer is Commander Dr. Beverly Crusher (played by Gates McFadden) Unlike Dr. McCoy, she doesn’t have any memorable catchphrases. Her husband was killed under Picard’s command years prior. She and Picard have unresolved romantic tension throughout the series.

Since families are allowed on the Enterprise, Dr. Crusher is allowed to bring her son Wesley (played by Wil Wheaton, who was previously known for Stand by Me) aboard. Wesley is a child prodigy who…

Look, I’m just gonna say it. I never liked Wesley (though I’ve gotten a lot of respect for Wheaton since he left the series) because he was pretty much a Mary Sue. He knows more about every aspect of the Enterprise than officers who’ve spent years to earn their posts. Despite being a teenager, he refers to the crew as “grown ups” rather than “adults” and (at least in the early parts of the first season) threw tantrums when the people in authority wouldn’t let him get his way.

That being said, he managed to somehow gain the respect of the crew (especially Captain Picard)

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(Thanks again to April 5, 2063)

Last, but certainly not first, we have Head of Security and Tactical Officer Lt. Tasha Yar (played by Denise Crosby) Yar comes from a colony that had broken down, now ruled by the strongest. At times it seemed like there could be romantic leanings between Yar and Worf (and there WAS a sexual encounter with Data!) however, this never came to fruition as the season 1 finale will explain.

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(Thanks to Frustrated Idealist)

It turns out that Denise Crosby had the same issue that Nichelle Nichols had (her role was essentially window dressing), but unlike Nichols, Crosby didn’t have a famous comedian to urge her to stay so she left the series. With Yar’s death, Worf was moved to her position (which really should’ve been the case from the start, given he’s a Klingon)

In addition to Wesley’s field commission and the transfers of Worf and La Forge (oh, and Riker grew a beard), there were two casting changes for season 2.

Backstage tension between Gates McFadden and the show’s head writer (who had gotten more authority as Gene Roddenberry started stepping back) caused McFadden to be fired. In canon, Dr. Crusher was reassigned to Starfleet Medical (though Wesley stayed aboard for some reason)

Replacing Dr. Crusher is Lt. Commander Dr. Kate Pulaski (played by Diana Maldaur (who had appeared in an episode of the Original Series and was best known for falling down an elevator shaft on LA Law) Dr. Pulaski was far more gruff than Dr. Crusher (more similar to Dr. McCoy, but without the catchphrases), and proved to be unpopular. She was replaced when the writer left and Rick Berman asked McFadden to return for season 3.

Finally, we come to the other Nichelle Nichols story she enjoyed telling.

There was a young black girl who saw Uhura and was amazed there was a black woman on TV who wasn’t a maid (this was the 60s, so that kind of thing was almost unheard of) She would be inspired to become a stand-up comedian, and eventually a popular movie actress. When TNG started, she went to Roddenberry and told him she wanted a role on the show…ANY role!

That little girl’s name?

Whoopie Goldberg, who was given the role of Guinan, the bartender of the Enterprise’s Ten Forward lounge. Guinan is of a race with cosmic-ish abilities (when the Enterprise is involved in a temporal event that changed history, Guinan was the only one who knew something was amiss)

Also over the course of the series we got interactions with Original Series crew members...

Admiral McCoy (retired, now over 130 years old)

Captain Scott (retired, who was suspended in time for over 70 years)

...and Ambassador Spock (well, Vulcans do live over 200 years)

It’s the interactions between the cast members that sets the series apart from the Original Series, and it truly is an ensemble cast; every cast member is given their chance in the spotlight on a number of episodes (particularly Data (in his quest to try to be more human) and Worf (as he tries to find his place between two cultures))

With the Klingons more-or-less friends, Starfleet needed more recurring alien threats to deal with (the Romulans were still around, but were quiet during the early seasons)

The Ferengi are a race that personify the absolute worst a capitalist society can be, prioritizing profit above all else (they even codify it in their code of “ethics” known as the Rules of Acquisition) Unfortunately, rather than being the threat they were intended they turned out to be little more than comic relief.

The Cardassians are a militaristic race bent on conquest (there are certainly a lot of those hanging around in the galaxy, aren’t there?) They tend to be cruel to those they conquer. However, to prevent a war the Federation ceded a number of Federation colony worlds that once belonged to the Cardassians, leaving those who chose to stay to fend for themselves against their new rulers (this may be the first crack in the utopian facade the Federation shows) Many Federation citizens (including a number of Starfleet personnel) formed a resistance group known as the Maquis, who are dedicated to freeing the colonies left to the Cardassians. Both the Federation and the Cardassians treat the group as terrorists.

Q (a member of the Q Continuum, played by John deLancie) is an omnipotent entity who appears occasionally to attempt to teach the Enterprise (and more importantly Captain Picard) about the fallacies of humanity and the dangers of What Lies Beyond. Many times his antics are played for laughs, but unlike the Ferengi there is always a dangerous undercurrent to Q’s games. Unfortunately, his antics have gotten Q in trouble with his fellow Q, and at one point he had been stripped of his powers and made human for a brief period.

Q is directly responsible for introducing the Federation to the gravest threat to the galaxy…

The Borg.

The Borg are humanoid beings that have been enhanced with cybernetics and, due to their hive mind, are able to adapt quickly to dangers (a phaser will down a few Borg, but they will quickly adapt and be able to repel future blasts on that light frequency) Any time they encounter a new species, they assimilate the species and their technology into their Collective.

The series ran for 7 seasons, beginning and ending with Q putting the humanity on trial (with the crew of the Enterprise playing the role of defendant for the entire race) The series laid the groundwork for two spin-off series set in the same era (plus at least one that debuted after 2010, so I won’t be covering it), but those are tales for future reviews.

If you would like to watch the series it’s available on Paramount+, PlutoTV, or behind your favorite paywall. If you would like to see an episode reviewed, please let me know!

One quick note before I go: I would like to show the tale of the first Meeting of the Generations (which occurred during the filming of Star Trek V), as told by Wil Wheaton.

[DISCLAIMER: This is told entirely from Wheaton’s perspective, and I’m sure William Shatner has a different take on it, but given all the stories about Shatner over the years, I’m inclined to think this is closer to the truth]

youtube

(Thanks to Eric Webb)

#star trek #the next generation #patrick stewart #jonathan frakes #brent spiner #michael dorn #marina sirtis #gates mcfadden #levar burton #wil wheaton #denise crosby #diana muldaur #whoopi goldberg #uss enterprise #fan colored glasses

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thesassypadawan · 6 months

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Under My Tree *part 1* (Knight Obi-Wan x RealWorldFemReader)

Summary: It’s Christmas Eve. Your knight is nowhere to be found and all you want is a cozy rendezvous under your tree. (Pairs well with *NSYNC’s song Under My Tree)

Warnings: A lot of the fluffy and just a little bit of the dirty talk.

Note: Wizard *part 2*

It was Christmas Eve. Stars twinkled merrily in the night sky, as snow fell softly to the ground. All so magical, all so romantic…but it wasn’t the same without him.

You had held out the hope that your knight would have joined you this evening. However, as the party progressed on, it was clear that he was not.

You understood that there were certain duties he had to attend to and, let’s face it, crossing between your realms wasn’t exactly the easiest of feats. But that didn’t mean you still weren’t heartbroken over his absence…especially at times like this.

None the less, you had a nice time. You laughed with new and old friends. Caught up with relatives that you rarely got to see. Indulged in some delicious treats. You even enjoyed a cup of good cheer or two.

Such a wonderful gathering. You were sad when it finally came to an end, and you had to make the lonely trek back home.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dusting the stray flakes off yourself, you pushed open the front door and was met with…

Nothing. No music. No twinkling lights. No happy, warm greeting. Not even a worn cloak or pair of boots in the entryway. Absolutely nothing.

With a heavy sigh, you shrugged off your coat and made your way to the living room. Maybe a cheesy holiday movie would help lift your spirits.

As you reached for the switch, the room magically came to life.

The tree shone brightly. All around you candles flickered. A familiar Christmas tune played. Even a fire crackled in the hearth.

And there…tucked beneath the branches…surrounded by a bunch of fluffy blankets and pillows…wearing a Santa hat…posed rather sexily was… “Hello there.”

“Well, hello there yourself,” you giggled, a surprised look on your face.

Offering you a glass of wine, Obi-Wan asked enticingly. “Care to join me for a cozy rendezvous?”

“Just relax, enjoy the view?” You reply playfully, accepting the drink and cuddling up with him inside the little Xmas nest.

“I’ll show you how good it could be,” Obi hummed, wrapping a strong arm around your waist.

“I wish that Santa could be here… Oh, wait, he already is.” You mischievously gave his beard a tiny tug.

Obi-Wan jokingly made a “oof” sound and pulled you in closer. “Careful now, darling; that’s how you’ll end up with your stocking filled with coal.”

Leaning your head against his shoulder, your grinned up at Obi not so innocently. “Then I’ll be sure to do it a few more times tonight.” And gave another tug.

“Such a naughty little girl,” he teased into your ear, fingers trailing lazily down your arm.

“You’re one to talk, Kenobi Claus,” you purred, shivering at his touch. “I know that’s not a candy cane I’m feeling in your pocket.”

Emphasizing your point with a flick of your hips.

“True,” he groaned, trying to keep his composure. “However, it’s a much better gift than what you think.”

“Oh, and what would that be?”

“Close your eyes,” Obi-Wan whispered huskily. “And no peeking.”

Doing as he said, you felt an invisible hand snake between your bodies. Tenderly caressing down your back, eliciting a small moan from you, before disappearing into his pocket.

You squirmed in anticipation, from the feathery strokes along your posterior. Your mind was abuzz with excitement for what would come next. Except, nothing could prepare you for…

“Open them.”

…a box hovering in the air. A ring resting inside. “Obi,” you muttered softly.

“Attachment is forbidden for us jedi, it’s said to lead to the dark side. I was once a firm believer in this, until you came along. Although our meeting wasn’t normal or logical by any means, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I know nothing about our relationship has been easy, but we’ve made it work so wonderfully. You’re the light of my life, the other half of my heart. Will you marry me?”

Obi-Wan’s words hung heavily in the air.

This man that you cared for dearly. Your precious knight that you loved so deeply. He wanted to…

“Yes,” you said shakily, tears of joy in your eyes. “I will marry you.”

Nuzzling your neck affectionately, he murmured. “Extend your left hand, dear one.”

Doing just that, you watched as Obi used the force to place the silver-colored ring on your finger.

“I realize it’s not the fanciest, but I made it myself,” he explained. "The band is a piece of my padawan braid encased in carbonite and the jewel… Well, it’s a sliver of my lightsaber’s kyber crystal.”

Tilting your hand, you admired how the blue twinkled in the tree’s lights. “It’s perfect,” you said happily. “Just like you.”

Looking back, you twisted yourself around in his hold. With a flash of a tiny grin, you pounced on top of Obi-Wan. Sending you both crashing back into the mound of pillows.

You gave him a passionate kiss, which he returned tenfold. Obi even went as far as to roll and capture you beneath himself. Showering your face and neck with kisses, until you were a laughing mess.

“O-Obi! Stop! I-I can’t breathe!” You squealed, trying to stop the barrage from his lips.

“Sorry, sweetheart, but I can’t help it,” he chuckled, pressing his forehead to yours. “You just made me the happiest man in both galaxies.”

Gazing deeply into each other’s eyes. You lace your fingers together. Both whispering, “I love you”. And, in that stolen moment, nothing else mattered. It was a very Merry Christmas…it was truly beautiful under your tree.

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thedreadvampy · 10 months

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watching the good series of Disco is good but it is making me like SNW less if I'm being honest

like this is a Star Trek which follows through on the Trek ethos of progressive casting and storytelling and that feels both true to the franchise and genuinely of its time in a good way - relevant to current social questions with an underlying ethos of hope and social progress. it doesn't shy away from being explicitly anti-capitalist and pro-cooperation, and although it misses the mark sometimes (as does every Trek) it feels earnest.

and it's made the most of the withdrawal of the Berman era nix on queerness and followed through on the stuff that was straining to get out in TNG/DS9 era Trek. this is a Star Trek where people are gay and trans! People are nonbinary! Main characters can be two gay men, their genderqueer adopted child and that child's transmasc boyfriend! Women have wives! Men have husbands! Transness and gayness and bisexuality exist not just as metaphor or throwaway lines or the sole preserve of villains and immortal worm symbiotes but as things regular people have in their regular lives! There are older women who haven't had 50000 antiaging facial surgeries and fat people and more on the main cast.

I do like SNW but honestly coming out of Discovery which is taking the opportunity to really move forwards with casting and characters the same way both prior Trek generations pushed forwards what was represented into this blandly pretty heterosexual apolitical Star Trek bridge is a bit of a bucket of cold water to the face. WHERE? ARE? THE GAYS???

Show me ONE queer character in Strange New Worlds other than the Evil Duplicitous Nonbinary Character. Also show me where it's willing to engage in any kind of criticism of militarism or move away from the idea that (culturally North American) humanity is unassailably the Best Thing Ever.

I think SNW is good Trek. (And to be entirely clear I thought 90% of the first season of Discovery was absolute unending shite, I truly found little to like outside the quality of the cast - SNW deserves the same grace to find its stride.) But it's safe Trek. It's a fun space time with very little interest in pushing any boundaries or questioning anything about the universe. and as a DS9 guy that's just disappointing to me.

#red said

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mothmans-wedding-photographer · 1 month

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Mothman's Buffy rewatch: Season 3, episodes 3 and 4, "Beauty and the Beasts" and "Homecoming"

Beauty and the Beasts

Lmao is she reading to Oz

Xander's turn!!

I do not understand the Monty reference

Xander don't fall asleep on the job (this reminds me of Mike from getting FNAF movie)

I love when the intro spoils part of the episode (I just saw Xander getting attacked by werewolf Oz)

Yo Scott!!

Damn did Oz kill a man

Angry Giles

Poor Oz :( it must feel awful

Who is this guidance counselor man

"You can fight demons" I think she knows that

Oz is so straightforward I love him

What the fuck wild animal Angel

My dad called him Angle

Is the theme of this episode feral boyfriends

Ouchie Faith's fist probably hurts

Ok a hell torture dimension is a bit much even for someone who doesn't like Angel

Aw Scott is kind of sweet. I don't think he's interesting enough to date Buffy long term but he's fine

IM SORRY ITS SO SILLY WATCHING THIS GROWN ASS MAN ACTING LIKE AN ANIMAL

Buffy pouring his heart out to a corpse. Rough 😭

Is the boyfriend on magic drugs?

Ah what the hell what's his face doing

Oh shit I feel so bad for Debbie she's in an abusive relationship and she can't leave

Allegory for boyfriends who get violent when drunk huh

"You know you shouldn't make me mad" walk into traffic

Oh now she has to comfort HIM. Kill this man with hammers ❗️❗️🗣🗣

Oz is clear yippee

Omg jazz band mentioned!!! (I used to do jazz band)

Oz should rip him apart fr

"He does love me" :(

His werewolf form reminds me more of a monkey

Got Giles in the behind

I hope this man dies horribly (I don't remember his name)

Did Debbie die? If she did ill cry she didn't deserve that abuse only to not be freed

WILLOW GRABBED HIM BY HIS PATHETIC LITTLE TAIL IM CRYING

Got all the monster boyfriends fighting each other lmao

Angel's back yippee(?)

Cordelia believing the birth control story I'm crying

Buffy poet???

I googled it Debbie did die :(

Homecoming

I like Buffy's hair

Oh she gave Angel a shirt! He's still not buttoning it up but progress

"They wouldn't understand that you're better" why not? Why wouldn't they that's not a wild thing to believe, Buffy already told them that Angelus was back to Angel before he got stabbed 😭😭

Angel whipping his head around when he finds out she's dating someone

SCOTT BROKE UP

Who are these people watching Buffy

Is this the Slayerfest episode?

This guy is obsessed with cleanliness but he is also very threatening. I do not care for this representation

I love the picture montages it really shows off their personalities

Xander is definitely giving lesbian fetishier with that comment. That being said, Fuffy is a good ship

Simply take each other to the dance Buffy and Faith

Ouch her favourite teacher doesn't recognize her

Awaken the prom queen within ❗️❗️

Silly yellow guy with spikes like a stegosaurus

I thought the cowboy vampires died is this a new one

WILLOWS DRESS IS SO PRETTY

I thought Willow and Xander were going to kiss for a sec please don't do that

NOOO THEY DID KISS FUCK

Willow you're better than this (Xander you're not)

Buffy gets abandoned

What the hell did he get pull out of his arms

"I'm a rabid dog who should be shot" 😭

Buffy guilt tripping Willow I'm crying

Dad says there was a deep cut star trek reference in this episode but I don't get it

Cordelia what the fuck "I have two parents, unlike some people"

DONT FUCKING KISS AGAIN IM KILLING YOU WITH HAMMERS

They put Buffy and Cordelia in time out

The car driver putting in earbuds. Unsafe driving he's gonna crash

Ouch singing the song he wrote for Willow right after she cheated on him

She threw the fucking bear trap at him I'm gonna cry

Oh my gosh Faith fucking over Scott to get revenge for Buffy I love her

Willow I love you but I cannot defend the cheating you need to fess up to Oz

"He grows on you like a chia pet"

Buffy opening her heart I hope she gets prom queen. It makes sense she'd feel that way since she's likely to die young

"Cordelia, the spatula"

Rip that yellow bastard

I was wondering how those two vampires got invited in and then I remembered it's a public school

THEY KILLED HIS WIFE IN FRONT OF HIM SJDBDJ

Cordelia bullying the vampire I'm crying

Why did they let him live

They got trackered rip bozo

Trick guy gets hired by the mayor

Oh it's both of them

NEVERMIND ITS TWO RANDOMS I'M CRYING

#mothman's buffy rewatch #buffy the vampire slayer #btvs #buffy summers #willow rosenberg #rupert giles #xander harris #faith lehane #angel btvs #oz btvs

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punkbxt · 1 year

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the people in charge of nutrek dont care about the ideals and premise of star trek and star trek: picard is its biggest tell. its a story that would have been much better if they hadnt brought back legacy characters but also would have been much better had it not been written at all because nobody wants more space cops

the moment picard decided to wash his hands clean of the romulan android situation was the moment i knew that oh this isnt the picard everyone has come to know and love. at his core who he is someone that would not let anyone die if he could help it. like thats his thing if he has the power to help he will!! and yeah sure thats shown in pic too but he literally was like ‘fuck you federation im not gonna help u ignore the romulans cries for help’ when he fr coulda just asked for forgiveness after helping with the power he had as a respected captain or whatever he is. something EVERY oldtrek captain has done time and time again

and yes! characters and their ideals change over time but not fucking like THAT

pic takes a tragedy, a genocide, and takes the romulans, a species that has for the most part always been the enemies of the federation and makes them easy prey. it makes them evil except for those that defected or disguised themselves (look up white passing and what it was actually for and why its a thing). and to put it into more understandable words:

lets say the federation is usamerica (bc for all intents and purposes thats literally what it represents) and that the romulans represent people of color and jews. pic serves for us on a platter that the genocide was just another thing that happened and “its okay they died anyways. romulans have never been on the side of the federation and never wanted to be anyways so no loss” this is what the federation believes

pic has been severely affected by white supremacist and antisemitic ideology and like while yeah science fiction is used to discuss and challenge the oppression we experience today, youd think a franchise that has always preached about diversity inclusion and acceptance would finally get over mass genocide of a “lesser” race as a form of storytelling. its uncomfortable and not in a way in which it makes you think but in a way that shows that even hundreds of years in the future vitriol prevails and it fucking sucks. its harmful towards people of color and jews when even in science fiction we cant escape that someone out there wants us dead

we’ve had enough of white supremacy and antisemitism taking a lil seat at the table to cause ruckus there are 100% other things that could have created and interesting dilema. the federation is literally on some cristobal colon shit n the more nutrek that gets made the less star trek holds up the ideals of diversity inclusion acceptance and love that it preached from its inception. we are instead given a narrative that yeah no matter how long you fight no matter how hard you fight you will NEVER win because systemic racism always wins in the end. its a tired and weak narrative and just goes to show if you dont have any other engaging stories to tell just stop telling the stories and stop ruining characters by making them do things they absolutely wouldnt even stand for

we r stuck with characters that suck up to other characters just because of their legacy and the writing when everyone deserves to be way more mad at picard. sidenote all of the genuine progress that has been made in television with diversity and representation has gone like 20 steps back when it comes to portraying people of color bc not ONE from the main crew passes the paper bag test (again ive only seen season one) which further goes to show white supremacist ideals subtly shining through

the point of star trek is that there will be a better more welcoming loving kinder future than the present and the past. and yeah theyve never been good at portraying that exactly because hope cannot exist without despair. but if you do not learn the mistakes of the past you are bound to repeat them and clearly these writers have not been studying the source material

hope this helps idk man i just b saying shit sometimes sorry if some stuff is repetitive

#inspired by @trillscienceofficer ‘s liveblog of stpic #havent watched since season 1 so if some stuff is inaccurate whoops #and this doesnt even cover my issue with seven as a character but #i cant really say much bc id want to watch the whole thing to make more inferences abt her #tng has also already established the whole are androids sentient thing with data which just feels redundant in pic #star trek picard

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marlinspirkhall · 2 years

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"It wasn't progressive for the camera to cut away from Hikaru and Ben's reunion in Star Trek: Beyond and show Kirk smiling in approval. They don't need his approval to-"

Kirk was smiling approvingly at them because he and Sulu are exes on good terms and he is supportive of his ex partners; hope this helps

#Kirsulu #Ben/Hikaru Sulu #I can't read this scene any other way #Hikaru is clearly one of his old academy boyfriends who got married to his *other* academy boyfriend #Star Trek: Beyond #Ben Sulu #Hikaru Sulu #James Kirk #the article that said this made a good point‚ but anything in star trek can be fixed with Background Polycules™

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cantsayidont · 6 months

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A common apologia for STAR TREK — particularly TOS, but extending to the newest shows as well — is that it wants or tries to be progressive, but is tripped up by the writers' unconscious biases or the ostensibly more backward social attitudes of its time (whatever time that may be). This argument is somewhat perplexing because STAR TREK has never been what you'd call subtle in expressing its liberal imperialist values, either in 1966–1968 or now.

The core of STAR TREK, which is explained clearly in Roddenberry's pitch and the TOS writer's bible (excerpted at some length in Stephen Whitfield's THE MAKING OF STAR TREK, inter alia), is a hybridization of Horatio Hornblower, the C.S. Forester adventure novels about a heroic British naval officer during the Napoleonic wars, and the American Western, a genre that still dominated a big swath of American TV drama in the period when STAR TREK was conceived. Roddenberry himself had previously written for some of those shows, in particular HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL, and his pitch line for STAR TREK was "WAGON TRAIN to the stars."

To its credit, STAR TREK ended up being about more than just that, but Roddenberry was very clear that at heart, the series was about extending the conquest of the American frontier to the stars. Of the Enterprise and the other ships of its class, Roddenberry said:

In addition to the twelve Starships, there are lesser classes of vessels, capable of operating over much more limited distances. They are involved in commercial ventures, survey work, archaeological expeditions, medical research, and so on. The Starships are the heavy cruisers, the ones which can best defend themselves as they probe farther and farther out, opening new areas … and then the others follow. [Whitfield, 204; emphasis added]

Because TOS avoids saying anything very substantive about civilian life and government outside of Starfleet, we actually know very little about factors may be driving this wave of colonialism. If Earth in the TOS-era is a post-scarcity paradise (which, it should be noted, the original show does not ever actually say), why leave home for a riskier, hardscrabble life on worlds like Rigel XII ("Mudd's Women") or Cestus III ("Arena")? Part of it is plainly capitalist interests: There are explicitly opportunities to strike it rich discovering or exploiting valuable resources (or fleecing those who have or hope to, as Harry Mudd does). The Federation is also keen to cement its political hold on worlds that are near the borders of rival empires; the plot of "The Trouble with Tribbles," for example, hinges on the Federation's determination to colonize Sherman's Planet, which is also claimed by the Klingon Empire.

However, these plot details are to some extent beside the point: The premise of STAR TREK, and of most Westerns, is that the importance and heroic necessity of colonizing and "developing" the frontier, bringing (white) civilization to the "savage" wilderness, is self-evident.

Much of STAR TREK is predicated on concepts of "social evolution," the idea that there are a series of consistently defined hierarchical stages from the primitive to the advanced. TOS often states this quite explicitly, but it has remained a key feature of the STAR TREK premise up to the present. This process of advancement is described as both natural and a matter of moral urgency: Kirk rails against the "stagnation" of less-advanced societies, and on multiple occasions argues that the importance of reversing stagnation (or devolution) justifies violating the Prime Directive with dramatic interventionist action to put a civilization back on what he considers the proper track.

The concepts of social evolution STAR TREK espouses are fundamentally racist — it's a philosophy that rationalizes colonial exploitation (and in the real world even slavery) — and play into the franchise's virulent anti-indigenous attitudes. Indeed, STAR TREK frequently takes an openly contemptuous view of "primitive" peoples, who in TOS are often presented as simpletons, either kindly child-men (e.g., "The Apple") or dangerous savages driven by quasi-animal cunning (as with some of the characters in "A Private Little War"). Probably the ugliest example in TOS is "The Paradise Syndrome, where Kirk loses his memory and falls in with a society of American Indians transported centuries earlier to a distant planet; the story emphasizes that, even deprived of the knowledge and technology of his century, Kirk is still the intellectual superior of the people around him (who of course are played by white actors in redface). However, this a recurring theme throughout STAR TREK: Indigenous species are consistently presented as something less than people unless their stage of advancement approximates that of 20th century Earth (as with the Roman proconsul in "Bread and Circuses," who is one of the very few indigenous "primitives" to be credited with any kind of intellectual sophistication). The application of the Prime Directive (which is wildly inconsistent and honored more in the breach than in the observance) is based not on respect for cultural differences, but on a patronizing desire to "protect" indigenous pre-warp civilizations from ideas that their primitive minds can't yet handle.

STAR TREK pays lip service to the idea of cultural and racial diversity, and the Vulcan slogan (in the third season of TOS) "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations." However, what it most consistently espouses is the importance of ensuring the march of social evolution along orthodox lines and the eventual absorption of other races, cultures, and species into the Federation's (white American liberal) ideas of socioeconomic and technological progress. As Kirk says to Ayelborne in "Errand of Mercy":

KIRK: Gentlemen, I must get you to reconsider. We can be of immense help to you. In addition to military aid, we can send you specialists, technicians. We can show you how to feed a thousand people where one was fed before. We can help you build schools, educate the young in the latest technological and scientific skills. Your public facilities are almost nonexistent. We can help you remake your world, end disease, hunger, hardship. All we ask in return is that you let us help you. Now.

"Errand of Mercy" is notable in that Kirk's condescension toward the Organians proves to be ill-founded: What he and Spock assumed was a stagnant, primitive society is actually a kind of backyard bird feeder maintained by a vastly more advanced species that is trying very hard to be patient as Kirk and the Klingons strut around making pronouncements. At the end of the episode, Kirk admits openly that he's embarrassed at how badly he misread the situation. However, this doesn't ultimately lead him to question his presumptions about social progress; he simply admits that in this specific case, they were misapplied.

The result of "Errand of Mercy," as revealed in the second season of TOS, is a peace treaty between the Federation and Klingons that makes the show's endorsement of colonialism and economic imperialism that much clearer: As we're told in "The Trouble with Tribbles," under this new treaty, if there is a territorial dispute over a newly discovered or colonized world, "one side or the other must prove it can develop the planet most efficiently," with the ostensibly benevolent and freedom-loving Federation and the ostensibly "brutal and aggressive" Klingon Empire vying to determine who will be permitted to exploit that world and its resources. The exact role of the Organians in the framing of this treaty is unclear — they have no need of or interest in Federation-style economic development, and nothing in "Errand of Mercy" suggests that they see much value in it, although the Organians do say they find the prospect of a shooting war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire both morally objectionable and "intensely painful" — but its result is to more firmly establish the Cold War conflict between the Federation and Klingons as the competition of two rival colonial powers for control of valuable territory and resources. Their conflict is a primarily economic one, not really substantively based on what Kor calls the "minor ideological differences" between the two empires, which both Kor and the Organians regard as incidental. (Kirk takes issue with that contention, but as previously noted, Kirk has more than once used the explicit threat of planetary genocide to get what he wants, so Kor probably has a point here!)

Later STAR TREK shows are sometimes more self-conscious about these values, but they seldom actually question them, and there's really only so far that STAR TREK can move these load-bearing narrative elements without becoming something really fundamentally different than it is. Moreover, DISCOVERY, STRANGE NEW WORLDS, and PICARD have seemed committed to doubling down on many of the franchise's more disturbing ideological elements, while attempting to paper over viewer unease with appeals to nostalgia, faux-patriotism, and sentimentality.

#teevee #star trek #star trek tos #the making of star trek #gene roddenberry #stephen whitfield #errand of mercy #organians #the paradise syndrome #anti-indigenous racism

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startrekfandomh8speopleofcolor · 10 months

Note

SNW has left me scared. It is going to take time to heal.

In the 1960s we saw all these characters Spock, Uhura, Kirk, Chapel,Pike, Scotty. Regardless of what you thought about gay couples, if you believed in tolerance Spirk gave you hope from watching Star Trek in the 1960s.

The Spirk pairing is the grand dad of slash. If you did not like slash and wanted to pair spock with a girl. Uhura>>>>>>>>>Chapel. Finally, There was a black girl in the 1960s who people were willing to pair with Spock or Kirk over any other girl. A black girl who was not a maid or a slave on TV, but a black female character that was shown to be the beauty and the brains . This was groundbreaking. Still is.

We did not need the JJ Verse films to push a spock/uhura romance, we can just compare the Spock/Chapel and Spock/Uhura scene from TOS to realise Uhura was the better female character to pair Spock with, if you did not se as gay for Kirk.

This was in the 60s when gay marriages or even interracial relationship were still illegal, frowned upon. Yet Trek chose to be progressive in the 60s by floating the idea of a gay and interracial pairing that fans can play with.

Fast forward 2023, we are now backwards to the 1950s were it is about worshiping the hot blonde woman that society has been doing for hundred of years. A woman who Spock already rejected in the 1960s. The woman Spock would never have been with even if he had the chance. the woman that was not even a big part of spock's life like the main crew he still carried photos off till his death.

I am a minority,a person of colour. I knew how important Uhura meant to women of colour and why she was the lead female in TOS and all the guys liked and respected her.

Since when is Chapel, sexy? can fight Klingon and Gorns? She is meant to even be a nurse.

SNW claims it is progressive but all what the show has done is take a lot from the black girl (Uhura) and the potential gay guy(Kirk) and merged their traits into SNW Chapel, all to push the spock/chapel thing that fans and writers already rejected in the 60s.

I feel a lot of black fans, especially black female star trek fans who watch SNW are going to be traumatised- because again, we are seeing society and hollywood still pushing the narrative that the hot blonde woman will always win, always get the guy, always be the status quo.

In the 1960s TOS Uhura challenged this narrative as not necessarily the truth. This is the reason she was far more popular as a character than Chapel. Nearly 60s years later SNW has told us ....yes, that is the truth. the hot blonde women still wins the war, you women of colour only win battles.

As a trek fan who came to respect the spirk pairing and the spuhura paring because they did not represent the status quo-as both pairing been a gay and interracial couple. I am not sure I can ever look at TOS the same again, knowing how the prequel has re-written the narrative. spock should not even be paired with Uhura in SNW either but please anyone but Chapel.

I am sorry but the spock/chapel pairing is an assault and an insult to gay and interracial couples

honestly I don't know about most of this but "I am not sure I can ever look at TOS the same again, knowing how the prequel has re-written the narrative. spock should not even be paired with Uhura in SNW either but please anyone but Chapel."

I cannot stand by that statement. Its frankly disgusting that you are praising TOS!Uhura but still shitting on SNW!Uhura.

Personally I ship T'Pring/Spock and I think that Chapel doesn't even know what she wants (but that she doesn't want to be tied down to anyone at all, like she's even reluctant to have The Talk with spock).

Frankly I think its unfair of Chapel to be playing with spocks feelings (that song about wanting her freedom? hello) but also I'm willing to wait to see if we get a new take on TOS after SNW. I think they should do it just so that we can get justice for Sulu and Uhura (who lets face it were basically sexy lampshades in TOS).

But again your comment that Spock shouldn't be with Uhura... is plain misogynoir. I'm willing to wait for a slow burn romance. And right now they're solidly in the friends phase and I would love to see it blossom into the flirty/romantic gazes we see in TOS (if they opted to redo the original show). I think that spock is figuring out his shit right now but as much as I'm angry that they turned Chapel into a manic pixie dream girl I don't think its an assault to gay and interracial ships.

Like in my mind I can see Spock getting traumatized by Chapel and being afraid to pursue Uhura towards the end of SNW even though he has great respect for her because Uhura is his subordinate.

But if I see you come back in my inbox with this divisive bullshit again I'm just gonna delete you. We don't need these goddamn shipping wars. We're not running this blog so you can spew your misogynoir unchecked.

mod laina

#star trek #strange new worlds #star trek: strange new worlds

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