"Actually Star Trek Has Always Been Preachy" Video Clip
- Thread starter LJones41
- Start date
" Star Trek did not promise that people would magically become inherently 'better,' but that they would progress, always reaching for their highest potential and noblest goals, even if it took centuries of taking two steps forward and one step back. " ~ Nichelle Nichols
I've never been able to understand the people who complain about Star Trek making an effort to include diversity. One of the main reasons I loved the show so much as an adolescent was because I liked to imagine a future where nobody cared that I'm gay. I was really glad Star Trek finally delivered on that promise with Discovery, although I really hope they reverse that 'bury your gays' thing they did, not cool.
Thanks for sharing this video
I've never been able to understand the people who complain about Star Trek making an effort to include diversity. One of the main reasons I loved the show so much as an adolescent was because I liked to imagine a future where nobody cared that I'm gay. I was really glad Star Trek finally delivered on that promise with Discovery, although I really hope they reverse that 'bury your gays' thing they did, not cool.
Thanks for sharing this video
M
marlboro
Guest
Call me crazy, but I dont think you are going to win over a lot of people with a "We've ALWAYS been that thing you're complaining about!" argument.
I agree with a lot of the Trek ethos, but the hamfisted way they occasionally deliver the message is off-putting. A little subtlety can be a good thing. You can make your point while still showing respect for your audience's intelligence.
I agree with a lot of the Trek ethos, but the hamfisted way they occasionally deliver the message is off-putting. A little subtlety can be a good thing. You can make your point while still showing respect for your audience's intelligence.
"That 'bury your gays' thing they did"?
What staff meeting (to paraphrase a line from STIII) did I miss?
While not 100% sure what Wintersoldier meant by the term, I believe it was the death of Culber, and the presumed "death" of Stamets having a gay relationship on the show.
I await the DVD set with a worm on my tongue. (You know, "baited" breath?)
"Bury your gays" refers to the tendency to introduce a gay relationship in a show, then kill one of them off for dramatic effect. (Hi, Tara!) This occurs enough, disproportionately, that it's become an issue, kinda like "the black guy always dies first" cliche.
I believe the term was coined a few years ago when, in one season alone, at least three genre shows had a gay romance end with a tragic death. I know the "The 100" was one of them. Can't remember the other two offhand.
I believe the term was coined a few years ago when, in one season alone, at least three genre shows had a gay romance end with a tragic death. I know the "The 100" was one of them. Can't remember the other two offhand.
To be fair, ALL of TV was super-preachy before 2001. Most of it is just preachy for the accepted cultural status quo instead of preachy for any particular side or commentary on human nature.
The message of most comedies and dramas in the 90s and earlier was to stay in one's lane, so to speak, to accept one's lot and act like everyone expects. Don't do anything ambitious that makes you stand out, don't go against cultural norms, just keep things the same and meet the expectations of your friends and family.
I'm not sure Tara is a fair example of that, considering Xander and Giles' heterosexual core romances also died. But yeah, gay romances do seem to die disproportionately.
I wonder if any part of the reason so many gay TV romances end in death is that TV writers are afraid that if they show a gay romance having problems and going sour they'll be accused of negative portrayals of gay relationships, so they feel death is the only alternative way to write the character out.
The message of most comedies and dramas in the 90s and earlier was to stay in one's lane, so to speak, to accept one's lot and act like everyone expects. Don't do anything ambitious that makes you stand out, don't go against cultural norms, just keep things the same and meet the expectations of your friends and family.
I'm not sure Tara is a fair example of that, considering Xander and Giles' heterosexual core romances also died. But yeah, gay romances do seem to die disproportionately.
I wonder if any part of the reason so many gay TV romances end in death is that TV writers are afraid that if they show a gay romance having problems and going sour they'll be accused of negative portrayals of gay relationships, so they feel death is the only alternative way to write the character out.
Last edited:
Probably have to assume The Walking Dead was one of them. They be killing off people in same sex relationships pretty regularly
It was inevitable that they would end up doing something like this on STD, since the formula they seem to have used to create the show was "insert every trope being used on every TV show and mix with a heavy serving of political agenda-pushing."
Also, STD desperately wants to be Game of Thrones In Space, so there's that too...
Pretty sure it started with Tara in BTVS, was in Supernatural, and so many shows honestly it's difficult to keep track, I'm sure tv tropes has a list. They didn't commit to it in Discovery as of Season 2, but... they did use the trope for everything it's worth (shock value, audience upset, one character in mourning, not having to use the character for a big chunk of the show) even though they reversed it, it was still used in every way that counts.
In saying that, I think Discovery has generally done well and my complaints are relatively small ones.
Nah, some shows kind of get let off a little bit. Game of Thrones and TWD don't really have this specific trope applied because there's so much death it's impossible to detangle it.
Ugh, Shives!
I really don't get why people watch him. He's a judgemental ass who doesn't engage with people. He just goes "this is how it is, you're wrong and if you disagree you're evil."
Sure, trek has had preachy moments, but it has often been either balanced with another viewpoint, had some kind of subtlety or served as a vehicle to character growth in some way.
I really don't get why people watch him. He's a judgemental ass who doesn't engage with people. He just goes "this is how it is, you're wrong and if you disagree you're evil."
Sure, trek has had preachy moments, but it has often been either balanced with another viewpoint, had some kind of subtlety or served as a vehicle to character growth in some way.
Similar threads
- Locked
