Since Discovery, despite the Star Trek writers repeatedly beating us over the head with this, I still somehow didn’t catch onto the pattern. If there is a through-line to all the new shows, the notion that acknowledging one’s own vulnerability is a sign of individual strength, and that showing support when others are being vulnerable around you, is also a sign of individual strength.
This may not feel “woke” in the way it’s usually understood, but I really think it’s pushing a long overdue envelope, and one that is arguably more important to our times than a half-black half-white face representing the “illogical” nature of racism.
For example: when I read the angry tweets about the new series (ie; the “pussification of men”, etc.) I can’t even force myself to see them as coming from anything other than weak, scared people who are too afraid of what the world would think of them if they expressed their authentic selves. They want to scare the rest of us into being as scared as they are, because they believe it will make them feel less alone. But loneliness can only be fixed by showing vulnerability.
And that’s the root of the problems in our modern era, isn’t it? Deeply insecure people hurting others in a desperate effort to not be hurt themselves. They haven’t always portrayed this concept in a graceful way, but kudos to Star Trek for keeping up the tradition of asking its audience: “What is it you’re so afraid of?”
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Why are you even listening to the opinions of CHUDs?
The problem with new trek isn’t “wokeness”, too little or too much. It’s that they abandoned what made Trek so unique: It’s supposed to be a time after humanity has dealt with all of the stupid in-fighting and conservative BS. It’s supposed to be about a time when the drama doesn’t come from inside the house. When humanity is exploring the stars, not having a moment.
It’s just a complete lack of imagination. It’s not like Trek has ever been wanting for drama. They just decided to write new Trek in the lamest, same-old Hollywood way possible.
The problem is it’s action and drama scifi now, and not a real vision of a better future. It’s no longer unique or enlightened. It’s just drama with Trek paint.
It’s supposed to be about a time when the drama doesn’t come from inside the house. When humanity is exploring the stars, not having a moment.
I agree 100%, but I’m also saying that’s exactly what’s happening and we’ve (at least I) just been too blind to see it until SFA. This current era is portraying a future where “strength” doesn’t mean swallowing your pain in order to conform and being ashamed of what makes you different. Real strength is the ability to be your true self, and (more importantly) the strength to radically accept others for being their true selves.
TOS taught us there’s no need to fear people with different skin color. SFA is teaching us that there’s no need to fear someone for exposing their vulnerabilities and expressing their emotions in a healthful way. It’s a radical concept for our time.
EDIT because I want to reply to this:
Why are you even listening to the opinions of CHUDs?
If by “CHUDS” you mean the people I described as being “insecure and afraid” then the answer is I listen to them because they are human beings in pain. As Star Trek is trying to teach us, real personal strength comes from being able to listen with our whole hearts.
Star Trek has always been about accepting others for who they are. They make that explicitly clear many times in their interactions with other species and cultures.
I certainly won’t disagree with that
You seem to have almost completely missed the point of allegory and metaphor in TOS. “Time after humanity has dealt with” as you put it is just a literary device to soften the impact when the show was inevitably confronted or viewed by real racists. It was never a really view of the future. It was always a reflection of our present through the lens of futurism, a clever narrative framing device. That narrative framing device could not possibly remain unchangeable through multiple generations without loosing everything that made it work. Attempting to do so, i.e. keeping the storytelling framework completely unchanged and not adapting to new generations and new social dynamics, would have shown a lack of creativity and imagination.
The show was from a time when the U.S. thought they had beaten fascism (past tense, done, a part of the past) and would soon beat racism, classism, etc. From a time when imperialism was seen as a fundamentally good social force by most of the imperialist public. Today we (mostly) know better. We will probably never truly erase any of them. They are things we’ll have to remain vigilant for. A show today patronizing us with their perfected utopian society which remains VERY imperialist without shining a light on that contradiction just would not work. A show lacking any interpersonal drama also would not work and it’s not even something that was really true for TOS, just a weird kink Roddenberry got into when producing TNG. That’s the context of the way Star Trek has changed and it matters.
The show was from a time when the U.S. thought they had beaten fascism
I think all the time about how early TNG largely reflected the falsehoods we were being sold at the time - that all of these things were Past Problems.
I don’t have a problem with “nu-trek” being “woke”. Star Trek has always been “woke” (I really hate that word). My issue is it just feels dumb now. all of it. it doesn’t challenge the viewer anymore.
TNG had that in spades. a problem would arise before the intro even rolled and it challenged the viewer to figure out what’s going on. That was most of the fun. Like the episodes where all the damn clues were right in front of you and it wasn’t until the end with the “ooooh of course!” moment. Primary example of this is the episode when the Enterprise kept blowing up and Data had to keep going back to try and figure out how to avoid it. Or the episode where Barclay, Picard, and Data were trapped in the Holodeck and they didn’t even know they were in the Holodeck. And there were clues all over the place like Geordi using his left hand for something when he’s right handed. I want more trek like that.
Fucking this. What happened to “show don’t tell”? If I wanted a narrator to tell me what to think I would watch Grey’s Anatomy.
This is an interesting take! I’ll admit, I was concerned about whether there will be enough wokeness in Starfleet Academy, and in upcoming seasons of Strange New Worlds. But you’re right, the foundation of what we need is a sense of shared humanity. And when you put it that way, I see how new Trek is showing us that. Thanks!
But I’d still be delighted to see another episode on unionizing!
Hah! Sign me up for a unionizing episode too. And thanks for reading!
Actually, I like the inhumanity in SFA. So many of the extras are aliens, it’s great. I’ve had enough of Starfleet being mostly humans
The most recent SFA episode was brilliant with that
I like DS9 for that too. There are lots of scenes where I’ve though, “Oh hey, there are no humans in this scene!”
For a more serious critique of new Trek that you might find more interesting than the angry tweets you refer to, consider this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB5DroolqFU
As if Star Trek wasn’t corporate from the beginning!
Every major difference between the original pilot ‘The Cage’ and the original series / TOS was rooted in corporate priorities.
The bright, primary coloured uniform tunics, bright colourful flashing lights on the bridge and other sets were designed to promote NBC’s ‘Living Color’ television broadcasts.
Kirk was younger, physically more vigorous and less cerebral than Pike, no matter what Roddenberry wanted. Action adventure hero, romancing women, was what the network wanted no matter that Roddenberry wanted Kirk to be a ‘stack of books with legs’ and for Yeoman Rand to be the original third principle character and long term romantic interest.
Sure they were subject to all the constraints of commercial prime-time TV, but as that video discusses in some detail with respect to DS9, the writers still had freedom within that corporate framework to tell woke anticolonialist stories beyond the classic sci-fi adventure fare of TOS which itself often explored what was new ground for commercial television at the time. Under some other corporate masters it might’ve been possible for the new crew to find similar freedom today, if things had worked out differently — and if any of them have the ability to do it and the willingness to try. But Larry Ellison and the forces he’s standing in for seem far more alert to the subtleties of it than they used to be. There’s bigger money involved now and they’re keeping it on a tighter leash.
Is there any evidence at all of the writers of the more recent series not having “freedom,” or of corporate interference in the shows?
I don’t know. It just seems like one plausible explanation for what’s been produced. To me it has that feel to it.
Skydance only bought Paramount this past summer after production of SFA season one was well advanced and SNW was largely done seasons four production.
While there is genuine reason for concern regarding future Star Trek, it’s very hard to make the case regarding anything in pre production before 2025.
Thanks, I enjoyed that.
I’ve definitely maintained that the overarching theme of Discovery was valuing mental health, and so far that seems to be getting carried forward by Academy. I think that aligns with what you’re saying. I’m not sure it applies quite as much across all the other Trek shows. Probably yes, but to a lesser degree.
Most of the discussions of “wokeness” I see break down into a grievance with white men not being the overwhelming majority of characters, so I never really thought of it in those terms, but it makes sense. It’s definitely something the world needs more of but large chunks seem actively opposed to.
Thanks for the thoughtful response. I think Discovery walked so SNW and SFA could run. TOS/TNG showed us a future where people wouldn’t be ostracized for their race/gender. The newer series are showing us a future where people won’t be ostracized for being their authentic selves.
I though the main criticism of the new shows was the lack of lighting? I really miss the lighting in the older shows… :(
Well, the main criticism is probably too few Kelpians…
Agreed
and carpets
