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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFox News Calls Star Trek Woke, DS9 Writer Calls Them "Morons"
Star Trek literally quoted Marx in the 1990s, but some commentators are only just cottoning on to the fact that it's kinda woke. Following the release of the latest series, Strange New Worlds, Fox News decided to run an opinion piece titled "Star Trek writers take Starship Enterprise where it's never gone beforewoke politics".
Unfortunately for Fox, this was spotted by Robert Hewitt Wolfe, a writer from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - which according to the piece, wasn't woke. Wolfe's response is short and sweet, letting it be known what older Trek writers think of this new wave of criticism: "Youre a moron".
Emphasising his point, Wolfe also responded with a GIF from the legendary DS9 episode, Bar Association. "Workers of the world unite", says Rom, as he unionizes the crew of Quark's Bar. "You have nothing to lose but your chains". Wolfe also shares that while he's a social democrat, he just had to "quote Marx to eff with the bootlickers."
Link to tweet
In case Fox News needed a reminder, Star Trek fans have also pitched in, sharing other moments from the series that could be interpreted as political. This includes O'Brien's support of unions, and even an episode back from its original 1960s run that tackled racism. Fans also highlight the 1968 kiss between Kirk and Uhura, which the actors had to fight for due to attempts to censor it.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/fox-news-calls-star-trek-woke-ds9-writer-calls-them-morons/ar-AAXipfb
lapfog_1
(31,904 posts)pointed out the futility and absolute nonsense of racism. And how far gone racists really are.
This in the original series.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(135,697 posts)misanthrope
(9,495 posts)Walleye
(44,797 posts)misanthrope
(9,495 posts)which was a cloaked critique of the Vietnam War. Not to mention its general side-eye at capitalism.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)Which occurred in 1966.
It's ALWAYS been WOKE, since Day 1, and everyone with at least 1/2 a brain knows this, you fucking moron.
As an aside, I think watching every episode (syndicated) as a 8-10 year old is a not inconsiderable aspect of why I'm a liberal adult.
This being said, TOS handles its wokeness in fairly subtle and brilliant ways, whereas I often don't like when shows are too heavy-handed with the subject. Like the movie Avatar bugged me because it's just a bit too on-the-nose for my personal tastes.
So while it might a legit criticism of the new series (don't know haven't seen it) that its too heavy-handed, to suggest that ST as a franchise has not always been woke ... is a joke.
highplainsdem
(62,134 posts)Auggie
(33,147 posts)misanthrope
(9,495 posts)The heavy-handedness was why I thought the adulation for "Don't Look Up" was over-the-top.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)And I think it serves a useful purpose overall, but ... from a style point of view, I appreciate it most when the ideas dear to my heart are presented in fairly subtle and creative ways.
The sorts of ways that a viewer has to be thoughtful to 'figure out' I suppose one might say.
Off the top of my head, the show Downton Abbey was a really good example of this general principle in action.
Agree on Don't Look Up, btw
robbob
(3,750 posts)But it is satire, and satire can often be a bit heavy handed. Like the infotainment show hosts who laugh and joke their way through the segment about a meteorite on a collision path to destroy the earth. Its actually a reason Im not a fan of pure satire, but I found DLU to be entertaining and pretty on the money with the targets they satirized.
misanthrope
(9,495 posts)Showed why I've never had the stomach for that kind of "infotainment" dreck the networks use to hypnotize the masses. My wife watches that stuff. I prefer not to waste the winnowing seconds of my life on it.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)That really could've been great ... but it wasn't.
The overly-obvious nature of the allegory(?) was a big part of that.
Best_man23
(5,268 posts)Guess what MAGAts, Captain Kirk is woke.
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)was some form or another of 'wokeness', albeit on a more subtle basis.
Of course, if a MAGAt liked the show, they almost surely thought the Prime Directive was an analogy for State's Rights, so ... can't really count on them to figure shit out on their own
uponit7771
(93,532 posts)Gidney N Cloyd
(19,847 posts)The can never back up their position and the goal posts start moving all over the stadium.
ymetca
(1,182 posts)1st episode, Captain Pike convinces a warring planet to back the eff off from the brink of total destruction by showing video clips of how Planet Earth citizens almost destroyed themselves, and in the video is a brief clip showing the Jan. 6 insurrection, implying that's when the downfall started.
Immediately upon watching that episode I thought, "Oh, I bet Faux News will gnash teeth on that one!" Yep. Right on queue.
"Wokeness" as somehow evil is drippingly Orwellian. (What, we should all just go back to sleep?)
But the irony is lost over in Murdoch Land.
misanthrope
(9,495 posts)I didn't get the impression show runners implied the insurrection was a "starting point," but rather a symptom of the growing discontent and discord. In that context, I don't know how right-wingers could disagree that inflammatory emotions were at play.
Those who took issue with the insurrection footage being employed aren't viewing the scene and listening to the dialogue objectively.
ymetca
(1,182 posts)and kinda nebulous, just included in it. So "this is what started it all" is probably an over-interpretation on my part. Not that clear, now that you point it out. Probably by design.
But it stood out for me, since the "future history" mentioned a 2nd Civil War, a 3rd World War, and so on, which we'd certainly like to prevent.
Yeah, now that you mention it, you might pick something else out of that montage and find blame elsewhere. But you're right, the overall message was to hash out differences peacefully between the warring factions, else you make the mistakes we once did.
Still..
Response to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)
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Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(135,697 posts)The Butlerian Jihad
AllaN01Bear
(29,485 posts)Norbert
(7,762 posts)Where Melvin Belli played a very tRumpian Gorgan wanting the kids to 'destroy'.
AllaN01Bear
(29,485 posts)Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)highplainsdem
(62,134 posts)Star Trek was 1966 - 1969.
mainer
(12,553 posts)cloudbase
(6,270 posts)Not very self aware, are they?

AllaN01Bear
(29,485 posts)SWBTATTReg
(26,257 posts)(as usual). Stupid and ignorant as usual, Fox News.
At least when I want to get a laugh, I turn the tV onto Fox/Fake news (in truth, I really don't turn on Fox, they are a joke), they always have the most stupidest things that a human being (or anyone calling themselves human) on.
malaise
(296,081 posts)If they are to achieve hegemony.
Dems and theirnallies need to take this shit way more seriously.
gulliver
(13,985 posts)Humor. Check.
Screw General Order 1. Check. Rename it the Prime Directive for political reasons. Check.
Pike flirts in elevator with cute alien. Check.
Spock. Too routinely emotional. Spock's supposed to be completely unemotional and then gets emotional anyway.
Pike. Charismatic. Check.
Windmills. Why would there still be windmills when we've gone beyond fusion? Weird future aesthetic?
Including Jan. 6 insurrection scenes as evidence for the civil wars that lead to WW III. Unnecessarily provocative. Too soon.
Casting. Is this what bothered Fox News? They should explain what's woke. I saw a lot of healthy, young, beautiful people, so that's not exactly reflective of the general population. I think I've seen that in other entertainment too, though, occasionally.
Aristus
(72,178 posts)Some right-wing hose-head who complained about an adaptation he had seen of the novel "Frankenstein".
He was like "Them SJW's is tryinna make the monster out to be a misunderstood hero, and the doctor into the villain!"
Everyone on Twitter who can actually read replied: "THAT WAS THE ENTIRE POINT OF THE ORIGINAL STORY!"
Demovictory9
(37,113 posts)scene where Captain Pike is lecturing newly tech world - scenes of J6 flash by, then WWIII... some take that as implying that J6 lead to WWIII.
More of the "woke" criticism is aimed at Bridge ratio... command staff/bridge staff is dominated by women/POC
Captain, Spock, science officer are white males. Uhura, both pilots, ships doctor and nurse, number 1 are POC and/or women. this is making their heads explode.
--------------------
sample reviews (anti women reviews, there are lots of pro diversity reviews you can read at the site)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B09TGZT41R/ref=atv_hm_hom_1_c_lZOsi7_2_1
Mark Twain
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2022
woke sexist hate.
Full female crew, hate white man etc etc
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Noone
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2022
Women are tiring me out
WHY is the bridge filled with nothing but women? The fact that one is a lesbian is not helpful. I don't mind that she's a lesbian, but I do mind that there is nothing but women, with FORTUNATELY the exceptions of the Captain and Spock. I'm a woman, but I'm sick and tired of watching every role being changed so a woman can play it. Woke crap. Sorry.... like men a lot better - any race or species. TOS and TNG had a much better mix. I started losing interest in Star Trek beginning with Captain Janeway. and continuing with Discovery. But I love the new movies and their crew very much!! It's not like women aren't as capable as men, they just aren't as interesting on-screen IMHO.
C.O.
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2022
Horrible
Where does one start with this. Windmills in Montana (showing off "Green Engergy"
, to the whiny and I am scared performance for Anson Mount as Captain Pike (shadow of the character he portrayed in Discovery) to the "human" Spock, to the I am so tough acting Number One, to the what happened to our world performance, again, by Pike. This series appears like it is going to follow the whiny, woke and we are just so much better people now route, that I can say for sure, Star Trek is dead.I had high hopes for this show, was really looking forward to Anson Mounts portrayal as Captain Pike (he was great on Discovery), but here he is, a big disappointing mess. Paramount should have reviewed how Vulcans have been portrayed in every Star Trek ever, instead of creating this "human" version of him. Nurse Chapel, seriously? Could you have at least one character that was a decent performer? Same goes with Uhura. And what is it with all these females on the bridge. As a female myself, I am so sick and tired of seeing every possible male role written now for females. Yes, we women are quite capable of filling many roles, but this woke crap has got to stop. There is nothing wrong with white males. They are not evil and toxic as the left would have you believe. At least on any other Star Trek franchise, with the exception of woke Discovery, you had a great mix of characters, male and female. Since Discovery, everything has become way to woke. And please, for the love of God, quit bringing sex into the shows. We don't care that somewhat is gay, straight, trans, whatever you want to be. This does not belong into a Star Trek Series. This should be about the discovery of strange new worlds and civilizations and not your personal sex life.
Congratulations Paramount, you have taken an great opportunity and completely trashed it.
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Fire all casting directors & writers
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2022
Which episode do they teach pronoun usage?
More woke feminist alphabet soup... Star Wars is winning!
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misanthrope
(9,495 posts)it is deafening.
Demovictory9
(37,113 posts)if hetero white male ratio is low, they rip into the show and hope is craters.
ymetca
(1,182 posts)I found myself at first puzzled by the often quite sophisticated emotional relationships between the various characters. Then I realized, well, yeah, sure, of course we should expect people in the future to be not only much more technologically advanced, but emotionally advanced as well. It's a quite sensible update to the franchise.
Takket
(23,714 posts)Really all of DS9 is fantastic, but that was a great pro-union episode.
Thank you Mr Wolfe!!!!!
Hugh_Lebowski
(33,643 posts)to the point of extinction was to be the DIRECT cause of Planet Earth being destroyed, and the crew had to go back in time to gather up some whales before they were wiped out and bring them back to the future?
That didn't clue you in at all as to the franchise's 'politics'?
Leith
(7,864 posts)About race, wars (direct and proxy), religion, sex - and that's just the original series.
The Next Generation had men wearing miniskirts in the first couple of episodes. The first season faltered a bit ( Code of Honor - REALLY? ), but the got a bit better after that. They touched on racism, definition of life, terrorism, and other topics I haven't thought of yet. Not perfect, but better.
Voyager had the first woman as a captain for the whole series, with women in positions of power and knowledge without blinking an eye.
As for Deep Space 9: a single black man raising his son, openly discussing race, worker rights, wars against fascists and dominionists, women in positions of power and knowledge (again without blinking an eye), the evils of unchecked capitalism, terrorism, cultural differences, and several more things I haven't thought of yet.
How does Star Trek being woke come as a surprise? THERE! ARE! FOUR! LIGHTS! futher-muckers.
Response to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)
AllaN01Bear This message was self-deleted by its author.
hamsterjill
(17,576 posts)Is complete sacrilege. Roddenberry was a genius who saw the potential in humanity if we overcome the crappy shit that Fox News peddles. Those assholes have no right to even invoke the name Star Trek!
misanthrope
(9,495 posts)Roddenberry was also a womanizing, pill-popping hypocrite at times. He even violated many of the guidelines he set out for the show's writing whenever it pleased him. Not to say I don't appreciate what he did, but I think it's also good to dial back our adulation periodically.
And what our species is trying to overcome isn't just bad propaganda from certain media entities. It is our very nature that drives us to self-destruction. Leading an evidence-based, rational and egalitarian life is exceedingly difficult because it goes against our hard wiring. It takes constant vigilance and never subsides.
hamsterjill
(17,576 posts)Have a great day.
misanthrope
(9,495 posts)If you're a fan of the original series, you might enjoy this series of books:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H2RPG8U/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
There is one for each of the seasons. They are packed with all manner of minutiae which illustrate the difficulties of show business and the elaborate coordination it took to get those episodes on the air. Good reading for both franchise fans and fans of show business in general.
Initech
(108,772 posts)AllaN01Bear
(29,485 posts)fox was not calling us trek fans marooons but rather one of the shows writers called fox moranns .