There is now 880 episodes of Star Trek and 13 movies

[payn]

I think I see what you mean. But, with respect, TOS aired at the tail end of the Civil Rights Movement, and in the middle of the Vietnam Protest Era and the height of the Cold War. The idea that somehow folks didn't coalesce around political topics at the time is... maybe not as solid as one might think.



There's a lot of things about social media we do not yet grok in fullness, most assuredly.

Thinking more on it, I think the slower pace of disseminating information allowed for a more digesting of the subject matter. Folks would listen to a lot more voices and allow a lot more debate to happen before deciding how to think/feel. Now it seems folks are quick to join a position at the expense of interest. YMMV.

 

[Umbran]

I feel that the some of the politics within nu-Trek are an unnecessary regression and very much on the nose.
When you have had a Captain Janeway, Colonel Kira Nerys and female admirals within Star Fleet, Disco politics feel amatuerish at best.

Have you considered the possibility that you're not the target audience for DISCO?

Writing likeable characters whether they're good or villainous also has a role to play on whether the politics slide into the background or not ...

I disagree that any of these shows has ever had politics "slide into the background".

 

[AnotherGuy]

Have you considered the possibility that you're not the target audience for DISCO?

I haven't. What makes you suspect I may not have been part of the target audience.

I disagree that any of these shows has ever had politics "slide into the background".

Maybe. I was younger and not attuned to the world as I expect I am now.

 

[Ryujin]

I think I see what you mean. But, with respect, TOS aired at the tail end of the Civil Rights Movement, and in the middle of the Vietnam Protest Era and the height of the Cold War. The idea that somehow folks didn't coalesce around political topics at the time is... maybe not as solid as one might think.

There's a lot of things about social media we do not yet grok in fullness, most assuredly.

Social Media might have bigger coverage, but TOS was the talk of the schoolyard. You had better believe that we talked about the themes and our attitudes were moulded by the show.

 

[Ryujin]

"On the nose" is a good way to describe a lot of writing these days and not just Trek. There has always been caricaturized people in film/television but it feels a lot more prevalent, provocative, and persistently lazy in current writing. It doesn't help that there are folks that make a living out of pointing this stuff up and being incendiary about it. The two cant seem to help but play off each other. I suppose when there is money to be made...

Oh, there is a fair bit of "baseball to the back of the head", but "whisper in the ear" does still exist.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Have you considered the possibility that you're not the target audience for DISCO?

Who do you think is the target audience?

 

[Vael]

The "No True Scotsman"ing of Discovery always annoys me. First, this is Trek's queerest show. And after Berman era 90s Trek, where I remember being told by other Trek fans that "they'll have fixed gayness in the future", this alone is a breath of fresh air. Second, I object to the idea that there's some kind of mold that all Trek series have to follow ... that's what lead to Enterprise reusing Voyager scripts. Discovery's success is why Lower Decks, Prodigy and SNW exist, and they are all very different takes on Star Trek.

Finally, I do miss the subtlety of past Trek.

Spoiler: A subtle message from past Star Trek

 

[Rabulias]

... through the end of the series.

I know season 4 is a long shot, but it's not officially dead yet. Let's keep the faith!

 

[Zardnaar]

Its true. DS9 balanced the secular Fed officer with the religious believer. The Fed security specialist with the provisional investigator. The Fed's ideal united utopia against the harsh entropy of the Alpha quadrant and later the fascism of the Gamma. I like to view all Trek before DS9 as the universe through the Federation's eyes and Ds9 as the Federation through the universe's eyes.

Another important note is how often DS9 explored ideas of race, sex, class without being chastised for it. There are some excellent stories and episodes that we haven't seen quite like since in Trek.

As a non tekkie DS9 is the best and First Conract best movie.

 

[Mallus]

Who do you think is the target audience?

People younger than the average ENWorld poster.

(I still like it, though)