Star Trek The Next Generation Season 2 Episode... by mutterz

From: James White [Email him]

Apropos of, well, not much, I decided to watch some late night television recently and after a few minutes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, was happy that I had.

The android, Data, had been informed of the odd behavior of a fellow crew mate, specifically the Klingon, Worf (Klingons are the supposedly Mongol-inspired people in the ST universe, though they are always played by African-Americans).

Data proceeded to observe:

"There is, of course, a genetic predisposition toward hostility among all Klingons, although Worf does seem unusually out of sorts."

[ Star Trek The Next Generation Season 2, Ep# 40: "The Icarus Factor"—video]

That's my kind of automaton! I scanned the IMDB entry of the two credited writers for any further hints of "Cultural Fascism"—alas, none.

The funniest part was going to a rather voluminous fansite Trekkies and finding a breathless denunciation of the aforementioned episode:

 Klingons have a genetic predisposition toward hostility, eh? That's Federation science speaking, right? I would like to know what scientific studies the Federation conducted in order to arrive at this conclusion." StarDestroyer.net

I feel the same way about the warp drive! He continues:

Or are they simply going by "anecdotal evidence" and gut instinct, the same way Trekkies are when they defend the Federation's racist characterizations of Klingons?

Presumably even in the enlightened, post-scarcity world of ST:TNG, stereotype threat and White Supremacy still rule the world, not to mention the Alpha Quadrant.

It reminds me how empty art can be when, far from being a portal to the numinous, it becomes simply another portal through which we can reinforce and relish in our politically correct beliefs. I love Science-Fiction, it is, at its best, a gateway into another reality. It attracts those who seek to shake the cloying bonds of the world around us.

Today? Everything must meet current PC standards: There's No Place for Racism in the Final Frontier: Star Trek's Brilliant Episode on Discrimination, Ross Pomeroy, RealClearScience, January 17, 2014.

To sum it all up: Human Biodiversity, the real Final Frontier, is not acceptable—whether expressed in the political, scientific or imaginative arena.

See a previous letter from James White on Punch and Judy shows.