Star Trek Social Club
r/startrek: The Next Generation
Star Trek news and discussion. No slash fic...
Maybe a little slash fic.
Rules
1 Be constructive
All posts/comments must be thoughtful and balanced.
2 Be welcoming
It is important that everyone from newbies to OG Trekkers feel welcome, no matter their gender, sexual orientation, religion or race.
3 Be truthful
All posts/comments must be factually accurate and verifiable. We are not a place for gossip, rumors, or manipulative or misleading content.
4 Be nice
If a polite way cannot be found to phrase what it is you want to say, don't say anything at all. Insulting or disparaging remarks about any human being are expressly not allowed.
5 Spoilers
Utilize the spoiler system for any and all spoilers relating to the most recently-aired episode. There is no formal spoiler protection for episodes/films after they have been available for approximately one week.
6 Keep on-topic
All submissions must be directly about the Star Trek franchise (the shows, movies, books, etc.). Off-topic discussions are welcome at c/Quarks.
7 Meta
Questions and concerns about moderator actions should be brought forward via DM.
Upcoming Episodes
| Date | Episode | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 02-05 | SFA 1x05 | "Series Acclimation Mil" |
| 02-12 | SFA 1x06 | "Come, Let's Away" |
| 02-19 | SFA 1x07 | TBA |
| 02-26 | SFA 1x08 | TBA |
| 03-05 | SFA 1x09 | TBA |
In Production
Strange New Worlds (TBA)
In Development
Untitled comedy series
Wondering where to stream a series? Check here.
view the rest of the comments
I personally disliked the first episode of Starfleet Academy, but I'm glad I watched past it. So far in this show, the point (and it's very explicitly stated) is that Starfleet and the Federation are NOT supposed to be like that, and that change starts with the youth.
Thank you. I really liked the second episode so far and I think I can live with a federation that finds back to its former values.
It just feels wrong. It's like having superman act like homelander. Even if the message is "things shouldn't be this way", you are tarnishing a symbol of hope and optimism. People like Star Trek, especially these days, because it gives them hope of a better future, beyond the struggles and corruption of modern society; where justice isn't just an abstract concept that has to be fought for every day. Where competence and intelligence is rewarded, and corruption and prejudice is not tolerated.
To take that and twist it by going "actually the future is shitty and still full of fascism and it will always be an uphill battle" is just soul crushing.
Personally, I think the message of "things could be fine without struggle or setbacks" would go up like a lead balloon in the year 2026 (or really, any year since at least 2014, probably much earlier). I don't see anything inspirational or hopeful when it seems like pure fantasy.
A goal to work toward. A hope that if we keep fighting, there will eventually be a future where people don't have to fight. That there is a path toward humanity reaching it's peak, rather than an endless sisyphian struggle until our extinction.
It's not "things could be fine without struggle or setbacks", Star Trek makes it VERY clear that it was not a smooth and easy path toward fully automated gay space communism. It's history of humanity is riddled with wars and uprisings and cultural slides backwards. But there is the idea that there could be a better future someday. Where greed and inequality are almost foreign concepts in society. Where science and reason finally win out against superstition and ignorance.
It may be a fantasy, but I don't think it's unreasonable to hold onto a belief that things will not always just continue to be shitty forever. Never forget the words that can make a happy man's joy turn to ash, or a sad man's misery into hope:
This too shall pass.
Neither does Star Trek. But neither the franchise nor I are so naive that we think that there's a "mission accomplished" state in which bad things don't happen any more.