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.
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.
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