Times When Star Trek Got Seriously Political

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https://www.looper.com/863925/times-...sly-political/

BY ADAM LEVINE/MAY 16, 2022 7:45 AM EDT

Throughout the long history of "Star Trek," the franchise has become known for its optimistic outlook on the future and tales of space exploration and scientific discovery, often with a moral or ethical dilemma at the center. In recent years, some audiences have griped that newer "Star Trek" shows like "Discovery" and "Picard" have become a bit too political, but the truth is that social issues have long sat at the center of some of the franchise's best episodes.

While "Discovery" has openly discussed and examined important problems of today like LGBTQ issues and the rise in political extremism, the older "Trek" series told stories that focused on problems facing society in the 1960s through the '90s. Whether it was racism or class struggles, "Star Trek" has never shied away from divisive topics and has never feared making judgments about what is right and what is wrong. After all, that's what science fiction often does: teach morals through the use of clever outer-space metaphors. The following list is just a small sampling of the many times that "Star Trek" stories have gotten seriously political from 1966 to today.