What are your TNG unpopular opinions/hot takes?

Yeah, in Voyager there isn't even a hint of homosexuality... if we discount the somewhat ambiguous relationship between Harry and Tom that is...

 

Harry and Tom were pretty unambiguous, I thought. They were two straight men who happened to have a very close friendship. There are other bromances in Trek: Bashir and O'Brien, for example. And Trip enjoyed close friendships with both Archer and Malcolm.

 

How many shows other than the TNG being made in the late 80s or early 90s could you say was more progressive? Maybe a case could be made for Murphy Brown but that is about it.

 

I'll see your TNG and raise you Cagney & Lacey (1981-88), which not only featured two women as the eponymous police officers/action heroes, but also dealt with gender discrimination, rape, AIDS, abortion, alcoholism, and racial bias in law enforcement. TNG had Tasha Yar (for half a season), a couple of female doctors, and a female psychiatrist. So for six of its seven years, the major female characters were in the nurturing professions. Not very progressive.

Soap (1977-1981) featured the first gay character in a major role on American TV. Dynasty (1981-1989) included a gay character in the main cast, thirtysomething (1987-1991) had a gay recurring character, and long-running soap As the World Turns introduced its first gay regular character in 1988. TNG? Poor old Soran, a character played by a woman, who wanted to be a woman. (SF Debris describes the episode sardonically as "One brave woman's quest for cock in the face of lesbian tyranny." Jon Frakes says the J'naii should have been played by men -- and that he would still have kissed Soran.) Not very progressive.

TNG did have two actors of color in the main cast, one of whom played an alien. Not terrible, but not significantly ahead of other dramas in the time period, either. Not very progressive.

I submit that TOS was actually more progressive for its time period than TNG was for its. Having a black woman, an Asian-American man, and a (pseudo-) Russian as officers? Black performers playing admirals, doctors, and computer scientists? Women as security officers, lawyers, and planetary leaders? Shows addressing racism, the Cold War, and problems of automation? In the 1960s? Now that's progressive. And I haven't even mentioned the kiss.

 

All those shows also took place in the modern world were racism and crime is still a thing. It's been awhile since I have seen Cagney and Lacey but I imagine they carried guns and arrested the type of terrible human beings that simply don't exist in the 24th century anymore except for your rate case here and their. The future setting is where TNG is progressive. Also how they handled problems wad another. A place were bring smart is seen as a virture. It presents a better world for the most part. A place I think most people would rather live in where most people would rather live at than our modern world. Where people are nice and polite and you don't have to worry about food or not getting proper health care.

 

Here's an unpopular opinion... I know that other shows were ahead of TNG on social issues... and I don't really care. I enjoyed it anyway, for what it is.

Of course, that may be because I'm a political moderate. Which I know on this board groups me in with the Trump crowd, but what the hey.

 

That's a guilty pleasure of mine. It's crazy, it's completely over the top but I enjoyed it.

Too bad it was in one of the most idiotic episodes ever made...

 

I thought the concept of "Rejoined" was, while not bad, it had a truly glaring inconsistency. Given the number of Verad types out there, do you REALLY expect us to believe that Dax and her partner couldn't find new hosts? Me neither.

 

Plus as we see in "Children Of Time" they don't need to be on Trill to be joined.

 

Or "Invasive Procedures", all you need is a halfway competent physician.

 

Hell, I did too, @Oddish. Back in the day, I even belonged to some fan clubs (I still have some of the newsletters!), and wrote a ton of fan fiction. Had a chance to meet Patrick Stewart once and was actually struck speechless, greatly surprising all my friends as I generally have a comment on everything.

 

And a female freedom fighter, 2 female ambassadors, a female archaeologist, a female Q, a female starship construction engineer, a female ambitious Borg expert, 2 female revolutionaries, a female robotics expert, 8 female admirals, a female head of planet, a female assassin, 6 female starship captains, a female JAG captain...

 

Well said.

 

In addition to what Brennyren already pointed out, Golden Girls also had numerous gay characters and frequently dicussed lgbt topics.

Those were one-off characters, the female main cast for most of the show was 100% very gentle-natured care givers.

 

Admitted, but it did present the message that women could be adventurous, knowledgeable, commanding, and formidable. The figurative glass ceiling was not only shattered, but the bits of figurative glass on the floor had long ago been swept up, recycled, and turned into figurative pop bottles or jars of spaghetti sauce.

 

And the "couple of female doctors" weren't one-offers?

 

In the course of 170 plus episodes... That doesn't seem much.

 

I was referring to Crusher and Pulaski, so no. Though there were a couple of one-offs in addition to them.

It really doesn't.

 

Maybe Quinn had the right idea... just zap all the men and make a "Ship of the Valkyries".

 

That's the episode where the Q broke the stupid barrier.