SF and People of Color

[firehawk12]

All through Asia from Pakistan through the Philippines there is a definite light skin advantage. Some nations also wish their children has whiter features. A Filipino child with a straighter mestizo nose will be treated by his family as the anointed child. With most beauty products marketed proudly proclaiming their skin whitening properties. However surgery to Europeanize features is rare in Asia , first generation immigrants to the west being the main consumer of doc Niptuck. Youth culture in Japan through the global influence of hip hop is becoming more accepting of mixed African children left behind by workers and soldiers.

Oh yeah, whiteness is definitely a part of Asian culture. Skin whiteners are a huge product there.
I've never thought of normative whiteness as overtly influencing racist imagery of blacks though. But I suppose in a lot of media, they go hand in hand.

I don't know anything about Nigerian cinema but I am curious to know what type of anti-white images do you think are being depicted in those films?

To be honest, all of the Nollywood films I've say through (I took a class on depictions of Africa in cinema about a year ago) had production values so low, that any presumed racial message against whites (I didn't notice any) was probably lost. The financial model used to finance these films is so detrimental to the final product that I couldn't recommend any of them as anything outside of an academic exercise.

Yeah, I was only making a hypothetical statement... but I'm sure the way whites have been demonized through political rhetoric must have some bearing on (official) art.

 

[DevilEyes]

"Blacks in Space"-an interesting article posted on the American Prospect website.

http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=blacks_in_space

A rather stupid article, I'd say.

Star Trek's Lt. Uhura was a science-fiction pioneer in the 1970s -- a black woman answering the phone, I mean computer, in space. Uhura, played by actress Nichelle Nichols, was the communications officer, a role that would go on to be a popular one for futuristic minorities. While she was groundbreaking in that she was a black woman who survived quite well in space, her story lines were few, her adventures were stunted, and her romances were nonexistent. The philandering Capt. Kirk had to be forced to kiss the comely Uhura -- apparently in the future, interracial lip-lock is just as controversial as it was in the 1970s.

Nichols paved the way for Kandyse McClure's character Petty Officer Dualla, a black woman who also starts out answering the phone, on the critically acclaimed Battlestar Galactica series remake that wrapped this year. Dualla fares better than Uhura in that she gets her own story line, experiences a real romance, and has some adventures. But she commits suicide in the final season of the series.

And these are the two primary options for blacks in space: Either you're marginalized or killed off. (Or, in the worst-case scenario, you're marginalized and still die.)

So when word got out that director J.J. Abrams was set to re-envision the original Star Trek, with a big-budget film released last month, I was looking out for Lt. Uhura. And she is certainly there, played by actress Zoë Saldana. She's right where we left her in the 1970s, still answering the phone.

Science-fiction story lines might take place in the future, but they are written in the now. They reflect the mind-set of the creators and the times they live in. If most science-fiction films are to be believed, in the future English is the main language. Not only do human beings still exist, they are almost all white and they have mastered quantum physics. I'm sure none of this has anything to do with the genre being dominated by the American film industry and predominantly white, male writers. They've merely looked into their crystal ball and seen the future. And the future is white!

So what exactly is the author's point? That Uhura should not be in the movie? That Uhura should not be a communications officer, as she's always been? That Uhura being in the movie as a linguist and communications officer ("answering the phone" as the author would put it) is a sign of racism? That they should have gotten rid of her instead? Does the author actually have a point? Or at least one that makes any sense?

And really... it is common knowledge that Eko was killed off because Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje wanted to leave the show, so to name is as an example of the showrunner's racism is idiotic.

 

[DevilEyes]

Re: Have We Overcome? Not if TV Casting is an Indicator

And sorry to go off topic--but now that the thread's been merged, I think my last post in the older one is now stuck way upthread somewhere. I was wondering if anybody else noticed/had a problem with the way Broca's character was cast and handled? Seriously, had the makeup been off, I think it would've been insulting for him to be the first representative of the Cardassian race to be played by an African-American. Broca's behavior is just...just...servile, and insulting!

My thought? There should've been a more diverse acting cast playing the Cardassians beforehand.

What does it matter what the actor's ethnicity was, when it was impossible to figure it out under the makeup? I had no idea he was black until I looked up his picture on MemoryAlpha. To the viewers, the character just looked Cardassian.

 

[Star Wolf]

"Blacks in Space"-an interesting article posted on the American Prospect website.

http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=blacks_in_space

A rather stupid article, I'd say.

Star Trek's Lt. Uhura was a science-fiction pioneer in the 1970s -- a black woman answering the phone, I mean computer, in space. Uhura, played by actress Nichelle Nichols, was the communications officer, a role that would go on to be a popular one for futuristic minorities. While she was groundbreaking in that she was a black woman who survived quite well in space, her story lines were few, her adventures were stunted, and her romances were nonexistent. The philandering Capt. Kirk had to be forced to kiss the comely Uhura -- apparently in the future, interracial lip-lock is just as controversial as it was in the 1970s.

Nichols paved the way for Kandyse McClure's character Petty Officer Dualla, a black woman who also starts out answering the phone, on the critically acclaimed Battlestar Galactica series remake that wrapped this year. Dualla fares better than Uhura in that she gets her own story line, experiences a real romance, and has some adventures. But she commits suicide in the final season of the series.

And these are the two primary options for blacks in space: Either you're marginalized or killed off. (Or, in the worst-case scenario, you're marginalized and still die.)

So when word got out that director J.J. Abrams was set to re-envision the original Star Trek, with a big-budget film released last month, I was looking out for Lt. Uhura. And she is certainly there, played by actress Zoë Saldana. She's right where we left her in the 1970s, still answering the phone.

Science-fiction story lines might take place in the future, but they are written in the now. They reflect the mind-set of the creators and the times they live in. If most science-fiction films are to be believed, in the future English is the main language. Not only do human beings still exist, they are almost all white and they have mastered quantum physics. I'm sure none of this has anything to do with the genre being dominated by the American film industry and predominantly white, male writers. They've merely looked into their crystal ball and seen the future. And the future is white!

So what exactly is the author's point? That Uhura should not be in the movie? That Uhura should not be a communications officer, as she's always been? That Uhura being in the movie as a linguist and communications officer ("answering the phone" as the author would put it) is a sign of racism? That they should have gotten rid of her instead? Does the author actually have a point? Or at least one that makes any sense?

Good thing he didn't see Firefly can you imagine the howling he would put up since the Black heroine is married to a White man.

 

[barnaclelapse]

"Blacks in Space"-an interesting article posted on the American Prospect website.

http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=blacks_in_space

A rather stupid article, I'd say.

Star Trek's Lt. Uhura was a science-fiction pioneer in the 1970s -- a black woman answering the phone, I mean computer, in space. Uhura, played by actress Nichelle Nichols, was the communications officer, a role that would go on to be a popular one for futuristic minorities. While she was groundbreaking in that she was a black woman who survived quite well in space, her story lines were few, her adventures were stunted, and her romances were nonexistent. The philandering Capt. Kirk had to be forced to kiss the comely Uhura -- apparently in the future, interracial lip-lock is just as controversial as it was in the 1970s.

Nichols paved the way for Kandyse McClure's character Petty Officer Dualla, a black woman who also starts out answering the phone, on the critically acclaimed Battlestar Galactica series remake that wrapped this year. Dualla fares better than Uhura in that she gets her own story line, experiences a real romance, and has some adventures. But she commits suicide in the final season of the series.

And these are the two primary options for blacks in space: Either you're marginalized or killed off. (Or, in the worst-case scenario, you're marginalized and still die.)

So when word got out that director J.J. Abrams was set to re-envision the original Star Trek, with a big-budget film released last month, I was looking out for Lt. Uhura. And she is certainly there, played by actress Zoë Saldana. She's right where we left her in the 1970s, still answering the phone.

Science-fiction story lines might take place in the future, but they are written in the now. They reflect the mind-set of the creators and the times they live in. If most science-fiction films are to be believed, in the future English is the main language. Not only do human beings still exist, they are almost all white and they have mastered quantum physics. I'm sure none of this has anything to do with the genre being dominated by the American film industry and predominantly white, male writers. They've merely looked into their crystal ball and seen the future. And the future is white!

So what exactly is the author's point? That Uhura should not be in the movie? That Uhura should not be a communications officer, as she's always been? That Uhura being in the movie as a linguist and communications officer ("answering the phone" as the author would put it) is a sign of racism? That they should have gotten rid of her instead? Does the author actually have a point? Or at least one that makes any sense?

And really... it is common knowledge that Eko was killed off because Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje wanted to leave the show, so to name is as an example of the showrunner's racism is idiotic.

Some people are just never happy.

Although I do think the genre still has plenty of room for improvement in this area, I also think there's such a thing as setting your cause back by coming off as a whiner instead of someone compelling a reader or viewer to think outside their comfort zone by presenting them with a certain viewpoint.

It's a tricky line to walk, and whoever wrote this thing clearly fell the way hell over into bitching territory.

 

[Teelie]

Good thing he didn't see Firefly can you imagine the howling he would put up since the Black heroine is married to a White man.

No doubt there would be some way to trivialize Gina Torres' role. Anything to diminish a black actor's role in the name of fighting racism is an ironic way to advance a cause. Too many people find a way to "prove a point" at the expense of the very thing they are trying to accomplish.

Oh, did anyone notice a distinct lack of Avery Brooks in that whinging? A black space captain who was not marginalized, not killed off, and pretty damned important. And was the lead of the cast to what many consider among the best Star Trek has to offer.

How about Don Cheadle in Mission to Mars? He's the lone survivor of a slaughter of his crew and despite going slightly insane (he was alone for I believe a year and some months so anyone probably would be slightly unhinged) he still was able to pull back and prove to be a valuable contribution to that story instead of killed off 10 minutes later. BTW, all his fellow astronauts who died were white.

What other sci fi characters can I come up with who are black but fail to fulfill an expectation of being marginalized and killed off fast?

Michael Dorn (Worf) from TNG. Technically he was a black man playing an alien race, but he's still a black man and other than a big-ass grill on his forehead, his skin color was not hidden. I'm sure there's an argument lurking that he was from a barbaric or primitive race but that should be b.s. to anyone who ever watched Star Trek or TNG on a regular basis.

Christopher Judge (not Plummer ) (Teal'C) of Star Gate SG-1. Again, an alien but hardly a sterotype nor relegated to marginalized status.

Teyla from SGA, a human from an alien world. Her people were primitive, but then so were virtually all the people there, regardless of race. She proved to be more than a phone operator.

Babylon 5 had Doctor Franklin. A doctor, and a black man. Imagine that. He was given his own storylines and was not some trivial character either.

Ford Prefect (Mos Def) from Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy. He was also an alien but other than Arthur and Trillian, so was everyone else.

Will Smith in I, Robot. He starred as the main character of the movie. He did Independance Day too. And the Men In Black movies. But I hear he's the "Token N**** In Charge" as it's so succinctly called by certain black activists (even though I'm sure some of the other black actors would disagree woth both the phrase and the callous dismissal of themselves). I don't know if Dave Chapellle coined the phrase but he sure as hell popularized it.

Or maybe that's Samuel L. Jackson. He was a major supporting character in the Star Wars prequels.

The Matrix movies had numerous black actors in major roles.

Would Hermes from Futurama count? It's a cartoon I realize, but still science fiction-y.

Or Fro-zone from The Incredibles?

I'm sure I can go on but I'm getting a little long in the post here.

It is easy to cherry pick an actor or character to make a point and "prove it" even as you ignore other roles and actors who disprove it. But try to argue otherwise, you're either accused of missing the point, ignorant of the "proof," finding exceptions to the rule (despite an ever growing number of "exceptions") or in extreme cases considered a racist as a fast way to write off your objections to the claim.

And yes, this is a far cry from saying there is no more room or need for improvement. It is however a call out that you can't keep using the same lines of trivial roles or that there's nothing there for more than a small number of black actors. It's growing. It's not as broad as it should be but it's also unfair to keep denigrating other actors just to push forward a cause that doesn't need that kind of inconsistent and false remarking.

Personally if I were one of the actors I mentioned above and told I was being relegated to glorified telephone operator despite my accomplishments for the sake of a poorly thought out defensive whine, I'd be offended at the writer.

 

[Hermiod]

And really... it is common knowledge that Eko was killed off because Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje wanted to leave the show, so to name is as an example of the showrunner's racism is idiotic.

The show has Korean and Iraqi characters who are treated as positively as Lost allows its characters to be (which isn't very if that character happens to be male).

Plus, they have Rose who, along with her husband, is probably the only the only one who'll end this show without too much of a guilty conscience.

 

[Anwar]

Just to correct, Teal'C is played by Chris Judge, not Chris Plummer. Plummer was Chang in ST6.

 

[Teelie]

Just to correct, Teal'C is played by Chris Judge, not Chris Plummer. Plummer was Chang in ST6.

I knew something sounded wrong about his name.

 

[barnaclelapse]

Isn't one of (if not *the*) top box office stars of all-time Will Smith?

Aren't several of his biggest hits, you know, Sci-Fi movies?

Just wondering.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Hey, Supernatural just cast Lucifer and they cast a white guy. Eric Kripke thinks white people are evil, dammit!

 

[Hermiod]

Hey, Supernatural just cast Lucifer and they cast a white guy. Eric Kripke thinks white people are evil, dammit!

So does this thread.

 

[Hoshi_Mayweather]

"Blacks in Space"-an interesting article posted on the American Prospect website.

http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=blacks_in_space

A rather stupid article, I'd say.

Star Trek's Lt. Uhura was a science-fiction pioneer in the 1970s -- a black woman answering the phone, I mean computer, in space. Uhura, played by actress Nichelle Nichols, was the communications officer, a role that would go on to be a popular one for futuristic minorities. While she was groundbreaking in that she was a black woman who survived quite well in space, her story lines were few, her adventures were stunted, and her romances were nonexistent. The philandering Capt. Kirk had to be forced to kiss the comely Uhura -- apparently in the future, interracial lip-lock is just as controversial as it was in the 1970s.

Nichols paved the way for Kandyse McClure's character Petty Officer Dualla, a black woman who also starts out answering the phone, on the critically acclaimed Battlestar Galactica series remake that wrapped this year. Dualla fares better than Uhura in that she gets her own story line, experiences a real romance, and has some adventures. But she commits suicide in the final season of the series.

And these are the two primary options for blacks in space: Either you're marginalized or killed off. (Or, in the worst-case scenario, you're marginalized and still die.)

So when word got out that director J.J. Abrams was set to re-envision the original Star Trek, with a big-budget film released last month, I was looking out for Lt. Uhura. And she is certainly there, played by actress Zoë Saldana. She's right where we left her in the 1970s, still answering the phone.

Science-fiction story lines might take place in the future, but they are written in the now. They reflect the mind-set of the creators and the times they live in. If most science-fiction films are to be believed, in the future English is the main language. Not only do human beings still exist, they are almost all white and they have mastered quantum physics. I'm sure none of this has anything to do with the genre being dominated by the American film industry and predominantly white, male writers. They've merely looked into their crystal ball and seen the future. And the future is white!

So what exactly is the author's point? That Uhura should not be in the movie? That Uhura should not be a communications officer, as she's always been? That Uhura being in the movie as a linguist and communications officer ("answering the phone" as the author would put it) is a sign of racism? That they should have gotten rid of her instead? Does the author actually have a point? Or at least one that makes any sense?

And really... it is common knowledge that Eko was killed off because Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje wanted to leave the show, so to name is as an example of the showrunner's racism is idiotic.

I believe the point is: Uhura is given a little more to do than answer hailing frequencies...

And, I think it was only common knowledge for folks who actually followed the behind the scenes of 'Lost' (particularly online) and knew the reasons as to why Adewale left the show.

"Blacks in Space"-an interesting article posted on the American Prospect website.

http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=blacks_in_space

A rather stupid article, I'd say.

Star Trek's Lt. Uhura was a science-fiction pioneer in the 1970s -- a black woman answering the phone, I mean computer, in space. Uhura, played by actress Nichelle Nichols, was the communications officer, a role that would go on to be a popular one for futuristic minorities. While she was groundbreaking in that she was a black woman who survived quite well in space, her story lines were few, her adventures were stunted, and her romances were nonexistent. The philandering Capt. Kirk had to be forced to kiss the comely Uhura -- apparently in the future, interracial lip-lock is just as controversial as it was in the 1970s.

Nichols paved the way for Kandyse McClure's character Petty Officer Dualla, a black woman who also starts out answering the phone, on the critically acclaimed Battlestar Galactica series remake that wrapped this year. Dualla fares better than Uhura in that she gets her own story line, experiences a real romance, and has some adventures. But she commits suicide in the final season of the series.

And these are the two primary options for blacks in space: Either you're marginalized or killed off. (Or, in the worst-case scenario, you're marginalized and still die.)

So when word got out that director J.J. Abrams was set to re-envision the original Star Trek, with a big-budget film released last month, I was looking out for Lt. Uhura. And she is certainly there, played by actress Zoë Saldana. She's right where we left her in the 1970s, still answering the phone.

Science-fiction story lines might take place in the future, but they are written in the now. They reflect the mind-set of the creators and the times they live in. If most science-fiction films are to be believed, in the future English is the main language. Not only do human beings still exist, they are almost all white and they have mastered quantum physics. I'm sure none of this has anything to do with the genre being dominated by the American film industry and predominantly white, male writers. They've merely looked into their crystal ball and seen the future. And the future is white!

So what exactly is the author's point? That Uhura should not be in the movie? That Uhura should not be a communications officer, as she's always been? That Uhura being in the movie as a linguist and communications officer ("answering the phone" as the author would put it) is a sign of racism? That they should have gotten rid of her instead? Does the author actually have a point? Or at least one that makes any sense?

Good thing he didn't see Firefly can you imagine the howling he would put up since the Black heroine is married to a White man.

I don't recall anyone having issues with that. Both characters were well liked as far as I recall.

"Blacks in Space"-an interesting article posted on the American Prospect website.

http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=blacks_in_space

A rather stupid article, I'd say.

Star Trek's Lt. Uhura was a science-fiction pioneer in the 1970s -- a black woman answering the phone, I mean computer, in space. Uhura, played by actress Nichelle Nichols, was the communications officer, a role that would go on to be a popular one for futuristic minorities. While she was groundbreaking in that she was a black woman who survived quite well in space, her story lines were few, her adventures were stunted, and her romances were nonexistent. The philandering Capt. Kirk had to be forced to kiss the comely Uhura -- apparently in the future, interracial lip-lock is just as controversial as it was in the 1970s.

Nichols paved the way for Kandyse McClure's character Petty Officer Dualla, a black woman who also starts out answering the phone, on the critically acclaimed Battlestar Galactica series remake that wrapped this year. Dualla fares better than Uhura in that she gets her own story line, experiences a real romance, and has some adventures. But she commits suicide in the final season of the series.

And these are the two primary options for blacks in space: Either you're marginalized or killed off. (Or, in the worst-case scenario, you're marginalized and still die.)

So when word got out that director J.J. Abrams was set to re-envision the original Star Trek, with a big-budget film released last month, I was looking out for Lt. Uhura. And she is certainly there, played by actress Zoë Saldana. She's right where we left her in the 1970s, still answering the phone.

Science-fiction story lines might take place in the future, but they are written in the now. They reflect the mind-set of the creators and the times they live in. If most science-fiction films are to be believed, in the future English is the main language. Not only do human beings still exist, they are almost all white and they have mastered quantum physics. I'm sure none of this has anything to do with the genre being dominated by the American film industry and predominantly white, male writers. They've merely looked into their crystal ball and seen the future. And the future is white!

So what exactly is the author's point? That Uhura should not be in the movie? That Uhura should not be a communications officer, as she's always been? That Uhura being in the movie as a linguist and communications officer ("answering the phone" as the author would put it) is a sign of racism? That they should have gotten rid of her instead? Does the author actually have a point? Or at least one that makes any sense?

And really... it is common knowledge that Eko was killed off because Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje wanted to leave the show, so to name is as an example of the showrunner's racism is idiotic.

Some people are just never happy.

Although I do think the genre still has plenty of room for improvement in this area, I also think there's such a thing as setting your cause back by coming off as a whiner instead of someone compelling a reader or viewer to think outside their comfort zone by presenting them with a certain viewpoint.

It's a tricky line to walk, and whoever wrote this thing clearly fell the way hell over into bitching territory.

Again, I think it was a well-written article.

On that same note, when African-Americans or other people of color voice their opinions to how they are represented in the media, some whites take it as a 'bitch-fest.'

It's a matter of 'putting on the other shoe' I think...

Hey, Supernatural just cast Lucifer and they cast a white guy. Eric Kripke thinks white people are evil, dammit!

So does this thread.

Well, that's on you. That's YOUR hang-up.

There are people of every race who have issues.

In terms of this thread, and SF and Fantasy, those are two genres that are not as diverse as it should be. Slowly but surely there are some strides being made...but we still have ways to go.

 

[Hermiod]

Well, that's on you. That's YOUR hang-up.

There are people of every race who have issues.

In terms of this thread, and SF and Fantasy, those are two genres that are not as diverse as it should be. Slowly but surely there are some strides being made...but we still have ways to go.

The problem with this thread is the repeated use of "white" as a derogatory term.

Given that white people make up roughly 80% of Americans and African-Americans make up 13%, how diverse do you think television or film casts should be ? Playing Devils Advocate here, the casts of many shows are actually disproportionately diverse.

Taking your username as a good example, why was there no Hispanic member of the cast in Enterprise ? People of Hispanic descent make up a higher percentage of Americans than African-Americans do - 15%.

 

[Teelie]

As it was said in the Transformers Caricture thread: ^^^ Racist!

Not really, but if you're white, you might as well be as far as some are concerned.

 

[Hoshi_Mayweather]

Well, that's on you. That's YOUR hang-up.

There are people of every race who have issues.

In terms of this thread, and SF and Fantasy, those are two genres that are not as diverse as it should be. Slowly but surely there are some strides being made...but we still have ways to go.

The problem with this thread is the repeated use of "white" as a derogatory term.

Given that white people make up roughly 80% of Americans and African-Americans make up 13%, how diverse do you think television or film casts should be ? Playing Devils Advocate here, the casts of many shows are actually disproportionately diverse.

Taking your username as a good example, why was there no Hispanic member of the cast in Enterprise ? People of Hispanic descent make up a higher percentage of Americans than African-Americans do - 15%.

Hmmm, you have to point me to the posts that show whites as a whole 'evil'... or talking down as if the entire white race is 'evil.' (I would hope that those posts are deleted).Since this is a 'Star Trek' site, everyone should feel comfortable no matter their color.

Now, to answer your question: How diverse do I think shows should be? (Look at the new Star Trek film; only instead of having that diversity onscreen, put that on the small screen). Too, America is a melting pot last I checked.

To answer your next question of why there weren't Hispanic individuals on ENT: Actually, that goes with a lot of unanswered questions in regards to the show.

I'm with you.

Why wasn't there? It's supposed to take place in the future, and you have an alien refer to humans as 'pink skins'? (When at that time, there would or should be a lot of skin variations).

 

[Hermiod]

^To be fair, the vast majority of humans we saw the Andorians encounter did have "pink" skin and it was a deliberately racist insult. There's no hiding away from that. The Andorians had prejudiced views towards Humans, so did the Vulcans - and Enterprise wasn't the only time we saw Vulcans behaving in a racist manner towards Humans, or specifically a certain famous half-Human.

Humans in Star Trek are often on the receiving end of many species racism.

 

[Hoshi_Mayweather]

^To be fair, the vast majority of humans we saw the Andorians encounter did have "pink" skin and it was a deliberately racist insult.

Again, we are supposed to be in a future with different skin tones, so onscreen or off-screen, the Andorians would have been in talks with humans from different ethnicities and hues.

There's no hiding away from that. The Andorians had prejudiced views towards Humans, so did the Vulcans - and Enterprise wasn't the only time we saw Vulcans behaving in a racist manner towards Humans, or specifically a certain famous half-Human.

Humans in Star Trek are often on the receiving end of many species racism.

Oh, definitely.

I gather it's supposed to be a commentary on human nature, depending on the story and the species; and do humans stoop as low as the racist non-human individuals (mimicking that racism or prejudice), or gain strength/learn from those pre-conceived notions.

The new film dealt with Vulcan prejudice and how Spock learned to deal with it as he got older. Many books deal with Klingon prejudice, and one of the films dealt with human prejudice towards Klingons...

 

[firehawk12]

There's a joke to be made that the new Star Trek movie retconned the black Vulcans of Voyager. :lol

This thread is so old that I can't remember if I said this or not, but it's just easier to give up and watch SF from other cultures. I'm perfectly happy with things like Planetes, were everyone speaks Japanese and the two leads are Japanese.
Something like that will never properly be represented in Western SF and I don't think it should be.

 

[Hermiod]

Again, we are supposed to be in a future with different skin tones, so onscreen or off-screen, the Andorians would have been in talks with humans from different ethnicities and hues.

Since when are racial prejudices grounded in reality ?