Star Trek
r/startrek: The Next Generation
Star Trek news and discussion. No slash fic...
Maybe a little slash fic.
New to Star Trek and wondering where to start?
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 episodes, as well as previews for upcoming episodes. 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 |
---|---|---|
11-07 | LD 5x04 | "A Farewell to Farms" |
11-14 | LD 5x05 | "Starbase 80?!" |
11-21 | LD 5x06 | "Of Gods and Angels" |
11-28 | LD 5x07 | "Fully Dilated" |
12-05 | LD 5x08 | "Upper Decks" |
In Production
Strange New Worlds (2025)
Section 31 (2025-01-24)
Starfleet Academy (TBA)
In Development
Untitled comedy series
Wondering where to stream a series? Check here.
view the rest of the comments
This is an entirely over the top interpretation of what is happening in the scene the OP shared where a villainous character is trying to exploit what they perceive to be a weakness in one of the protagonists.
However, if you want to get into it, the biggest factor in any tone shift from TOS to now was DS9. That’s where we see the Federation abandoning humanity to the whims of the Cardassians for the sake of a treaty. That’s where a Starfleet enforces martial law on Earth and an admiral attempts a coup of the Federation government. That’s where we learn it’s illegal to engage in genetic modification, even when it would reverse a person’s intellectual disability. And, of course, DS9 introduced the concept of Section 31.
The seeds were always there, though. Even in TOS we learn that the governor of the colony Kirk grew up on had half the population executed because there was a famine and not enough food for everyone. We see a Federation professor who taught at the Academy introduce fascism to a planet because he believed it to be the most efficient philosophy for advancement. We see a planet that’s heavily implied Starfleet maintains a base there strictly for sex tourism, and we hear Federation delegates debate the issue of whether or not they should allow a planet whose resources they’ve been exploiting to even join the Federation. Kirk and the Klingons fight a proxy war using the native population of a pre-warp world before Kirk gets sad and just abandons his side. It’s even heavily implied that women cannot rise to the rank of captain in Starfleet.
The only Trek that resembles your interpretation is TNG, but even there we learn of human colonies with roving “rape gangs” like the world Tasha Yar grew up on.
It's ok that the whole world of Star Trek is not at the same level morally. I also understand writers are just people and they are influenced by the time and place they live in. But I appreciate it when they at least try to continue to elaborate the utopic aspects. I love thinking about what could be better in society and how it would work (and that's what I like about TNG). Thanks for the analysis of DS9, by the way.