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I'm sorry, Possum, but sometimes life has sad outcomes, even for LGBT people. Not every story can have (or should have) a happy ending, and the luck of the draw happened with this story and with the story about older people being forced to commit voluntary suicide (Half A Life). A great example of of an unhappy ending comes from twoepisodes of this classic 1960's TV show (the former about a prostitute and her child,* the latter about a hard-hitting muckraking newspaper about to be acquired by a larger media company, with the kind of socially conscious journalism it does sure to be neutered by the new owners-check out what's said here about media ownership, which is a concern now.) I find it amazing that after people complained about how Star Trek (particularly The Next Generation) has its characters always lecturing other races on how to be good and always having happy outcomes due to said speeches, is now upset because the expected ending to an episode isn't a happy one.
Don’t try to educate me about the life of LGBTQ people, I actually live it. My point, that you missed, wasn’t that I didn’t like that it was sad. It was that at the time, there was nothing but sad stories. Get that, NOTHING. Trek could have been bold and been positive in a time when no one was, but they played it safe and failed. Do I have to explain it to you again?
Yeah, it's kinda shit to have the one person in like 800 Star Trek episodes who is like you, face one of the most terrible fates. I just feel awful when watching that episode, and I'm out and everything.
I think, at the very least, "The Outcast" is an example of a product that has an intended message that's in favor of a group, but is not aimed at that group at all, but rather at everyone else. I'd prefer trans people not just being in message episodes (or like, a single message episode), though.
Don’t try to educate me about the life of LGBTQ people, I actually live it. My point, that you missed, wasn’t that I didn’t like that it was sad. It was that at the time, there was nothing but sad stories. Get that, NOTHING. Trek could have been bold and been positive in a time when no one was, but they played it safe and failed. Do I have to explain it to you again?
Exactly. Years ago, it was only sad endings. Now it's a mix as it should be and thankfully it doesn't get into misery porn to make cishet people feel better about themselves. But that seems to be going over some people's heads.
I have no idea how true this is, but I've heard that one of Gene Roddenberry's greatest regrets was that he didn't come around on LGBT issues until much later in life, and not pushing harder for representation in Trek.
I have no idea how true this is, but I've heard that one of Gene Roddenberry's greatest regrets was that he didn't come around on LGBT issues until much later in life, and not pushing harder for representation in Trek.
Gene did promise a "gay episode" for TNG, but word had it that Berman quickly and quietly shoved that one under the carpet after Gene's death. Given how TNG handled this sort of thing, though... *cough* "The Outcast" *cough*... I'm not sure if I actually would have wanted that episode. I mean they probably would have messed it all up.
