FYI - just to be clear, that was actually a serious question not an attempt to be snarky.
FYI – I was giving a serious answer.
Honestly, the Sanctuary Districts were the Star Trek franchise playing it safe with issues of homelessness and poverty in America. They were powerful, though, because it is an actual issue to address. The irony being the fact that a massive program from the United States government to make sure that all of America's homeless were, in fact, given even housing (however poorly maintained) as well as a food program to eat is beyond the ability of anyone in government to achieve now. Yes, the Sanctuary Districts are BETTER than our current situation.
No, they’re not. That’s the point. Sanctuary Districts are supposed to look like it solves the problem of homelessness. When in reality, those in the Sanctuary Districts are dealing with more than just homelessness. The solution was “out of sight, out of mind”.
Its even made clear in the episode that it was no longer the responsibility of the federal government to employ anyone. Not sure how that’s better than now, when the federal government still offers employment?
But yes, I also believe it was somewhat cowardly and the handling of ICE as shown to be a racist and aggressive organization attacking a free hospital to deport people is just 100% justified. ICE engaged in involuntary sterialization of prisoners, horrific conditions, and attacks against sanctuary cities in RL. People may have disliked taking such an overtly political stance against a real group but Will Wheaton could barely hide his overt disgust at ICE when the episode came up in the ready room.
ICE was not handled with nuanced. And if they were not going to address ICE & immigration more in depth, they should have addressed ICE’s role in a police state.
Essentially Rios suffers from the fact that he and most of the other characters are given "busy work" in the story because they didn't have enough time or the inclination to give them actual plotlines. There's a TV trope for this called Trapped by Mountain Lions that basically says the story exists to give the actors something to do. Rios actually benefits from this because at least he has a socially relevant plotline to deal with.
Unfortunately, it seems his entire romance is written for the purposes of writing him out of the franchise when he was easily one of the most popular Picard characters.
I’m not mad they gave Rios something to do. I’m mad that he, Teresa, and other characters were basically afterthought and did not have more fleshed-out stories. The opportunity was right there to have Rios discuss with Teresa his breakup with Jurati and not fitting in with Starfleet and it doesn’t happen. Likewise, there was an opportunity to show Teresa as one of those people mentioned in “Past Tense” that has given up on fixing the problems faced in 2024.
If they wanted to write Rios out, why not say he’s going on a decade long second contact mission to the Delta Quadrant? Or give him a death scene in 2024?
And I know the exact series and episode that trope refers to.
I think you are undermining Teresa's role in the show as she does actually point out that the medical care available to her patients necessitates her running a illegal free clinic. She also has her patients targeted by ICE for deportation while they are still in treatment. Teresa has a LOT to say about America in 2024 and it doesn't need to be spelled out when she's arrested for doing good.
If they are willing to spell out the evolution of racists through Guinan, they could have had Teresa discuss America at this point in time. Even if it was a couple of throwaway lines in “I’ve love space & space travel, but I’m not thinking of the Europa mission right now. I’m not sure how that mission is going to help anyone. The money being spent there would have been better spent on people and the planet, since they both in desperate need of help.” I’m not sure what the writers have to walk on eggshells about.
Especially since DS9 already addressed police states, homelessness, poverty & social ills in our time with a much braver take. And those episodes were made 30 years ago!
Speaking as someone who works with the mentally ill and is neuroatypical as well, I'm wondering why Raffi is getting treated as mentally ill in your post. As for Raffi, she actually adapts fairly well to the situation and at least knows to get herself some money.
Read my post again. I never said she was mentally ill. I was questioning if the intent was to depict her as mentally ill. And if it was, it missed the mark.
