Reflections on Black History Month and Star Trek Novels

I wanted to share that while I think it is wonderful that onscreen canon is finally catching up with inclusivity and diversity, the Star Trek novel verse has been doing so since the time of the beginning.

I am re-reading John M. Ford’s 1984 novel “The Final Reflection,” for research on a project I’m working on, and I find that the great Ambassador to the Klingons, Dr. Emmanuel Tagore, PhD many times over, is “a dark-skinned Human, almost as dark as a Klingon”’(Ford 130). He is a most influential diplomat, eccentric, refuses to carry a weapon, plays chess with Krenn, and is not ashamed to weep openly at the prospect of war. He is a man who commands veneration, and a character I long to read more about. He is Indian and influenced by Ghandi and I do think we don’t see enough representation of the people of India on screen in Trek.

Last month, also for research, I re-read for the umpteenth time Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens masterpiece “Federation,” and I found another character I wish we had seen much, much more of. Admiral Quarlo Kabreigny, “one of the most powerful admirals at Starfleet Command, in charge of the entire Exploration Branch. ... One of the great shapers of the modern Federation. Books had been written about her and her influence” (Reeves-Stevens 49-50), was described as “a thin woman, her dark skin deeply lined after a lifetime of service, ... her admiral’s uniform loose on her spare frame” (55). She was not a Badmiral, although for quite a good deal of the book we were led to believe that she was. She was so influential that Jean-Luc Picard was guided by her teachings.
And then there was Vice-Admiral Hammersmith from Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens other masterpiece, “Prime Directive.” Also an excellent and highly influential Admiral, described as having “space black skin”, and badass enough to call Leonard McCoy out when he needed that.
These are just three examples of what I think are many more in Trek literature. Does anyone else have favorite POC Trek novel verse characters to add?
I may say that these characters were written as very real, very flawed, intensely influential, and most human people. They aren’t self conscious about the fact that they are representing. They’re just doing it. This is Star Trek.
I know there are loads more great examples but I just wanted to get a conversation started.

 

Emmanuel Tagore was Indian, presumably named for (and meant to be a member of) the Tagore family, which has been a prominent line of artists, philosophers, political and cultural leaders, etc. in Bengal for centuries. He was probably inspired to an extent by Mahatma Gandhi as well. So, yes, a nice bit of inclusion, but not really relevant to Black History Month.

 

Thanks so much for the correction! Will edit. I just wanted to share what I was reading/reflecting on.

 

I read JM Dillard's Bloodthirst recently, which had a very likable and sympathetic character named Jonathon Stanger. His career took a bad turn for something he was not guilty of, and he hovers on the threshold of either getting his life on track or spiraling downward throughout the book. He is established as a dark skinned up front in the book, and though he is a guest character for Star Trek, he's a main character for the novel (until near the end, the author kind of neglects him), and he features on the cover (I think he's supposed to have a mustache, though). Good character, I was rooting for him.

 

Sometimes the cover artists don't get the memo, though, or choose to ignore it. In David Gerrold's Bantam novel The Galactic Whirlpool, the main guest star, Katwen, was clearly described in the text as having very dark skin and hair, but the re-release cover from the '80s rendered her as a blonde who looked a bit like Janice Rand. Which wasn't the last time that happened to Gerrold -- the African-American viewpoint character of his Dingilliad series was rendered as white on the covers.

 

That is sad.

 

That is not merely sad, but intolerable.

 

Also a longtime practice in publishing. I remember reading just a few years ago about the tendency of young adult book covers to avoid showing black protagonists. But there was an uproar about that, and hopefully things have changed.

 

For once, the two of us are in complete agreement on a matter for which people need not be cautioned to "be afraid, be very afraid."

Be hopeful. Be very hopeful.

 

The cover of the US edition of the first book in the Rivers of London/Peter Grant urban fantasy series hid the title character's face in shadows on the first edition's cover in order to hide the fact that he's black. This really pissed me off when I first found out about it a while back.
As for the original topic of the thread, my favorite black Trek Lit character is Samaritan Bowers from the DS9 and Aventine books.

 

90% of a least america, (you always have that 10% that are a-holes) don't give a darn about gender, race, etc. (Regardless of political affiliation.. Get that in there).

In entertainment it doesn't matter, as long as its a good story. If there upset there's a black man on the cover, well it's there loss.

A good book is a good book.

 

It is. I was trying not to use strong language that might get me thrown out of the group. I don’t believe this kind of thing is tolerated today though and I do have hope that Discovery is leading the way.

 

That’s it, I need to dive into those since I have just finished a rewatch of DS9.

 

Sadly, I think the events of that last few years have shown that there are a lot more rascist, bigoted assholes in the US than that.

 

Also that there are good people standing strong against that evil.

 

Not really.. Just that the 10% are being loud and given a platform by the media. Most of America is tired of the bs. And want both sides to F' off.

 

I think it's best we drop this before we derail things to much.

 

I strongly recommend Ibram Kendi's How to Be an Antiracist.

We must, if we are to overcome racism, take Kendi's lead, and recognize and attack racism in policy before we can hope to end it in the hearts and minds of other individuals.

But before we can confront and attack racism in policy, we must each, as individuals, learn to recognize, confront and master it in ourselves.

With apologies to (if memory serves) Maya Angelou, I am not an antiracist. But I am trying to be an antiracist.

 

Yes, but hasn't it all been written by white people? For Black History Month it would be nice to honor POC who have created for Star Trek.