Oh, I think Trek is handling it just fine. Perhaps it's just because I've loved Amanda since "Journey to Babel." And I'm really enjoying Mia Kirschner's take on her. But then, I'm one of those weird people who likes covers of my favorite songs, so there's that.
I like that Amanda isn't perfect in DSC, just like in TOS. She was fridged halfway through ST09, so she's more of a symbol than anything else although I thought Winona was fine.
But I think that each TOS character we've seen so far -- Sarek, Amanda, Pike, Number One, Spock, Vina -- has done what I thought was impossible. They're not just imitating the 50+ year old original. They're giving them their own spin. That's down to stellar casting. These folks are doing A+ acting. And bless past Treks, but that was not always the case across series.
Star Trek is incredible because it's not postracial, pretending as if there's no such thing as race. How it deals with human differences is much cooler than even that. There are different kinds of humans, all are valid, etc. Even as early as TOS, the main thing that's cringey is gender, not race. They let the human characters' ethnicities into the story without (much) pandering.
(The one weirdness is ENT's "pink skin," but I always figured that was Shran's nickname for Archer, not the entire human species, since there are non-pink humans among the NX-01 crew.)
I think we'll eventually see Burnham's parents, either in flashback, or through all the time travel storylines this show's had.
I don't think it's wrong to critique DSC. I just think most people who've posted felt the writers accomplished their goals in that scene. It's the equivalent of someone's sibling of a different race calling them the worst racial slur imaginable. Or a straight sibling calling their younger sibling a horrible slur applied to those who love the same gender.
(Trying very hard not to say or allude to the words here. But I can tell you for a fact that yes, fully grown adults remember all of the above. Especially when it comes from someone you love, and you're just a little kid.)
Also, Spock has been interesting psychologically for 53 years. It doesn't bother me that he's disabled. Long before DSC, some fans saw him as being on the spectrum. I think it's wonderful that people see a mirror of their own experiences in the character.
Painful for me too. I was so into the story I winced. I felt every moment of that exchange.
One question: Does DSC consider TAS "Yesteryear" to be canon? I keep wanting the flashbacks to predate it, but I don't think it works with the timeline the show's set up. Too bad! After all that character development in that episode, he feels a little more young and needy than necessary. A Spock whose older siblings had abandoned him, on the verge of his kahs-wan, and dealing with bullies at school would definitely appreciate Selek without asking many questions.
