News Harberts: The Klingons Are Americans

[Refuge]

Geez, thanks a lot.

Stereotypes and ethnocentric generalisations are designed to offend. If I were to draw a parallel it would be that Lorca is kind of a character that is a law unto himself, which if one wants to read into it could be applied to maybe a Trump, or a Kim, or even a Klingon torchbearer. That whole demonising thing..

It's the whole packaging this show's production is doing. They're gimmicky. Let's rile up some interest. Stir the pot by saying the Klingons are Trump supporters. That ran its course. Okay.. let's make it more general imply more Americans in this. The F-bomb just another gimmick.

When the writing is struggling controversy fills in the gaps.

 

[Refuge]

The European Union? lol

Redundant?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ In the EU's case, more like "contradiction in terms".

 

[Borgminister]

Like North and South U.S.? ohhhhh boy.

 

[Refuge]

^ In the EU's case, more like "contradiction in terms".

The EU much like the UN struggles to find an effective voice these days. I think the Federation is what the UN would like to be even though ironically the Discovery version of the Federation is greatly flawed. However when you do look at the UN it includes Europeans and Americans.. Australians.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

It would help if the EU wasn't so massively inefficient and bureaucratic as to be almost comical (such as having three different organizations with essentially the same name - European Council, Council of the European Union, Council of Europe). Hell, they can't even agree on a single leader, can they?

I agree that the Federation is what the EU and UN want to be. At least the Federation is a real government, with 'teeth'. Mostly, but not always, organized efficiently and trying to do the right thing.

 

[Refuge]

I often exchange the Federation with Starfleet, when Starfleet is a service of the United Federation of Planets. I guess that could be like the Federation is the "UN" and Starfleet - well I say this as Australian but to me I see.. um.. "The Allies". It's probably my one-sided view. I do see Starfleet as being predominately American, European, etc. the traditional 'team'. The Klingons are relegated to the enemy but less an enemy from within. The writing is failing if it wants us to see that. If we are supposed to self analyse and find the abhorrent American or Australian, then show him or her (or them) within the Federation. The Klingons to me are screaming ISIS to be honest, but I would much prefer to leave them as someone earlier wrote, as an alien enemy. We're not stupid we can see fault easily, and can apply it to ourselves without being given study notes. Of course for the regular viewer (not one of us ) that's what they do anyway.

 

[Charles Phipps]

Well, this won't cause any controversy on the Internet.

Bumpheads are probably big Duck Dynasty fans.

I'm fairly sure they're not inspired by Americans but the producers are going for some (to cop a wrestling term) cheap heat since there's not that many reasons to watch the show if you're not a Trekkie. They're trying to stir the pot and get people to pay attention.

 

[GeekUSACarl]

"“And that is not to say they are bad, but what we really wanted to do too is understand two differing points of view and really explore it. And I think when people look at the Klingons – I frankly love what they represent. Not in terms necessarily of all the messaging, but in terms of learning about them and learning why they are who they are and making sure they aren’t just the enemy."

thats a very healthy vantage point to have when approaching this sort of political writing. ive heard people say that the klingons are one dimensional brown people so the maga crowd will love this, and that this show is written for the MAGA crowd, to be so insulting is small minded. greatly missing the point the writers are apparently making.

to explore a deeper aspect of the whys and the hows, it shows greater creativity and openness to explore the nature of things. this to me is a further example of the mature creativity expressed by the writers on this show.

 

[GeekUSACarl]

Well, this won't cause any controversy on the Internet.

Bumpheads are probably big Duck Dynasty fans.

only if you misunderstood the point they were making.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Now that more Discovery details are out, what American factions eat human corpses, including corpses of other Americans?

Too soon?

 

[GeekUSACarl]

Too soon?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

The Klingons aren't Americans, the Shenzou are Americans, and the Klingons are the people in third world countries perceiving it as cultural imperialism and responding with violence.

Or rather, Shenzou is liberal America and the Discovery is conservative America.

And this is also along the lines of what Eddington was saying about the Federation looking for 'Sneaky assimilation', the Klingons are perceiving the Federation that way as much of the world perceives the US that way.

You think America is xenophobic? Compare to almost any other country in the world.

 

[Megapolis]

I'm fairly sure they're not inspired by Americans but the producers are going for some (to cop a wrestling term) cheap heat since there's not that many reasons to watch the show if you're not a Trekkie. They're trying to stir the pot and get people to pay attention.

The Klingons aren't Americans, the Shenzou are Americans, and the Klingons are the people in third world countries perceiving it as cultural imperialism and responding with violence.

Those are your personal conclusions that you are comfortable with. Yet, the official statement by Discovery's showrunner and executive producer Aaron Harberts is the following:

“We are also talking about not only war, but something that is really bubbling up in the United States right now, isolationism,” said Harberts. “Our country has so many different philosophies. Do we extend a hand? Do we shut it down? And that is also two viewpoints that are being expressed. The Klingons are not necessarily the Russians anymore. The Klingons – I think we will see far more in, frankly, people in the United States and different factions in the United States.”​

this to me is a further example of the mature creativity expressed by the writers on this show.

only if you misunderstood the point they were making.

What mature point were they making with Klingons eating human corpses?

 

[GeekUSACarl]

Those are your personal conclusions that you are comfortable with. Yet, the official statement by Discovery's showrunner and executive producer Aaron Harberts is the following:

“We are also talking about not only war, but something that is really bubbling up in the United States right now, isolationism,” said Harberts. “Our country has so many different philosophies. Do we extend a hand? Do we shut it down? And that is also two viewpoints that are being expressed. The Klingons are not necessarily the Russians anymore. The Klingons – I think we will see far more in, frankly, people in the United States and different factions in the United States.”​

What mature point were they making with Klingons eating human corpses?

you read that article and my comment and you want me to answer the question about the point they were making based off one mention of one action in a sliver of one episode?

 

[Shaka Zulu]

I'm not sure that's what Harberts meant. I get the impression from what I've read that the story involves a House leader trying to unify a divided Klingon Empire. So maybe the idea is that the Klingons are analogous to Americans as a whole, a society split by internal divisions and mistrust and trying to find a way to work together again.

Said 'mistrust' partially caused by the election of a decent, kind and noble leader who was the first of his non-white minority ethnicity to be elected as a leader, whom many racist members of the majority race didn't like. Any divisions in American society are because of these people.

 

[Charles Phipps]

Discovery had been pitched and outlined 5 years ago so the people claiming its about the Trump campaign are very probably lying for publicity.

Just my .02.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

What mature point were they making with Klingons eating human corpses?

Do you actually believe their point was to imply that Americans are cannibals with that sequence? Because if so, you might be taking things a smidge too literally. Not every specific detail of the depiction of the Klingons in DSC has to apply to their broader analogy. The analogy with America probably begins and ends with the bitterly divided factions vying for political control, sometimes at the cost of the best interests of their people. The rest is just typical species building and shouldn't be seen to be implying anything negative.

 

[Spider]

Cops have bank robbers and murderers, Starfleet Captains have Klingons. Klingons just have better makeup staffs and wardrobe.

 

[GeekUSACarl]

Discovery had been pitched and outlined 5 years ago so the people claiming its about the Trump campaign are very probably lying for publicity.

Just my .02.

could be a mix. Pitched 5 years ago doesn't mean it was written 5 years ago.

I'm not going to pitch a political stance but I think it's fair to say most people would call the last election and the lead up to it a bit on the bizarre side. I could imagine it seeping in to the writing.

Usually when writing these things you're not highlighting normalcy, you're highlighting certain extremes and events that lead to some sort of excitement, so when the writers say they are basing Klingons on Americans, I doubt they think this is what Americans are like. I think from the article it's pretty clear what was being said.