Our editor, Frank Parker, shares his thoughts on toxic opinions and false stories in the Star Trek franchise.
It’s never been a better time to be a Star Trek fan! We have unprecedented access to the creative team and the cast, we have a plethora of shows coming, and we even have Patrick Stewart getting back into the Picard saddle!
It’s never been a better time to be a Star Trek fan! Star Trek: Discovery is going from strength to strength with season two ditching the dark undertones of season one and becoming a “traditional Trek show”. Captain Pike has been a breath of fresh air!
It’s never been a better time to be a Star Trek fan! We have YouTubers, Bloggers, and Podcasters all creating content and talking about the franchise in a way that we haven’t seen for nearly 20 years!
It’s never been a better time to be a Star Trek fan!
Or has it?
Every day, I read toxic statements about the franchise. I get accused of being a moron because I happen to think Star Trek: Discovery is pretty good. I get called a “SJW” (that’s “Social Justice Warrior”) because I love how inclusive Discovery is. I’m told that I shouldn’t even be a Star Trek fan because I like the show!
What is this!?
I fell in love with this franchise because it was one that wasn’t frightened to tackle the hard subjects.
Race inequality? Fine, we’ll put a lady of colour up on the screen in a senior position.
Gender fluidity? Fine, we’ll create an alien race that doesn’t have a gender (and make Riker fall in love with them).
Homophobia? Fine, we’ll screen a kiss between two women.
There are countless subjects that Star Trek has tackled every episode and the franchise is revered because of it. Discovery’s lead is a woman of colour. Discovery has a single-sex relationship on board. And you know what? These are dealt with in the most tasteful and non-impactful ways possible.
People often accuse the show of having “forced diversity”. That’s a phrase people use now. They use it to describe a show that’s full of different aliens, genders, and sexual orientations working together in harmony. Mad isn’t it?
How can a fan of a franchise like that bring themselves to even utter those words? A franchise who had a black male lead in Deep Space Nine and a woman Captain in Voyager. I never hear or read those criticisms of those shows.
And now I find that I need to defend my actions because I like a TV show. I have to find a way to justify myself whilst people want my enjoyment stopped. They want the show cancelled because it’s no longer fitting into their narrow window.
How has it come to this?
We have people who love the show bullied because of their enjoyment. We also have the same for those people who may not enjoy the show. I’ve been told I’m “not a Star Trek” fan because I like Discovery. I'm not saying the show is perfect. It has a long way to go, but let's be honest, it's STAR TREK. I’ve been called a moron for liking it. And I’ve had people wanting it cancelled because they don’t like it.
How dare you? How dare you wish that on people who do like it. The franchise isn’t YOURS. You WATCH the franchise and you enjoy it. If you don’t like where it’s going, then that’s fine. You’re not being forced to. What’s come before doesn’t go away. Those actions are not that of a Star Trek fan.
Now for me to say that everybody is like this would be wrong, and it appears to be a minority. But please, whatever side of the fence you sit on, ask yourself: am I hurting somebody here? I'm not saying people can't have an opinion, I'm saying that bullying is wrong. These individuals who don't know the consequences of their actions.
So, I have a few words to say to those individuals: Gene Roddenberry wouldn’t hate Discovery, he would hate how tribal the fandom has become.