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Strange New Worlds is about to enter its endgame, with all eyes on how it will likely bring about an end to Star Trek‘s current streaming era with its fifth and final season. But before we get there, we’ve still got new adventures to go on… and even though there are teases of some wackiness, it looks like the show is trying to put its game face on for these last few innings.

Today during a panel at CCXP Mexico, Paramount unveiled the first full trailer for Strange New Worlds‘ fourth season, which will begin airing this summer. Much like our first look back at New York Comic Con last year, the overall tone here wants to strike a more serious balance in the Enterprise crew’s new missions, compared to the wildly uneven tone that dogged the show’s very mixed third season. That said, there are still cowboys and dinosaurs in space, and we know puppets are on the way, so your mileage may vary there.

Disclaimer: I am on a substance, so my emotions are high. This will feel like a rant and it is. I am also very upset because of this topic. I just wanted to reflect on something that I was thinking of related to Star Trek. Warning, my thoughts may not flow smoothly.

I work in retail. Tonight I got very upset by something that seems blasé, insignificant, etc: Dubai chocolate . I’m not going to write about that in full. Just know that I find the real Dubai chocolate and it’s popular imitation flavored treats to be extremely unethical to consume. I am also ASHAMED by association of my ethnicity (a Filipino chef is credited as one of the inventors). Why? UAE.

Having tolerance for your fellow humans who are inherently different from yourself should be something all people accept. If you are in a structure of hate or showing support by association (for example in name or displaying of symbols), you therefore enabling said hate.

Do not support or enable systems of hate. No person should be erased for being different than those in power. Being different as Star Trek has taught me, is what makes this universe so beautiful. That diversity is the beauty.

It is heartbreaking when I see things like human rights abuses and genocide not only enabled but supported. I wish humanity could turn away from so much hatred.

Recently I rewatched “North Star” (ENT season 3 episode 9). You might think it’s an Earth-like planet story on the surface, and it is. But this time I noticed something that made me swell with catharsis. I have always considered the character Jonathan Archer to be a role model of sorts. For me I grew up with Enterprise as the first series I was old enough to watch from first to last episode during its first broadcast. I was 10-years-old. If any of this sounds familiar, you probably remember me from STLV last year at Bakula’a panel, talking about this in the preamble to my question.

I looked up to Archer as an example of what humans should strive to be. For a school history project I had to do something that was about the Silk Road (I was in the 6th grade). Long story short, this was for a History Day Project. I decided to write a short story since that was an option. My story, I named the main character Jonathan Archer. As a kid I was so inspired by the righteousness of having tolerance for people that were unlike yourself. Being a person of Asian descent, I had my share of experiences after 9/11.

“North Star” reminds me of why Star Trek has been a large part of my life. Recently I got a IDIC tattoo. Anyways back to the episode. In this episode, the NX-01 find a planet with a small town that resembles a Western town of Earth, 200 years prior. The crew come to learn that Humans were kidnapped as slave labor by aliens. Eventually the Humans rose to become the people in power, subjugating and oppressing the aliens that kidnapped them long ago. Archer decides to help the oppressed aliens and the allied Human. The message was simple: I don’t think [another persons] life is any less valuable than mine. It moved me to tears.

There has been a lot happening in the world this past year. Everything is exhausting. I wish humans could change for the better and end all this hatred we see all around. 😢

These are a zero proof tequila and gin alternative. Also available individually.

Ok, this gonna sound polemic and I'm gonna try to not use any adjectives. (Except for once)

The thing is that sometimes I feel like many stories try to appeal to a broad audience, but regardless of what they aim for, a lot of the time the audience ends up being (I’ll allow myself this just once) men rather than women. I’m not sure if this happens with the animated series of Avatar, but I do notice that with Star Trek, even though they try to make everyone feel represented, the reality is that the average viewer is, well, just that—the average person in the country where it’s broadcast.

In the case of Avatar, it’s criticized by some Japanese people because they associate it more with China, to the point that they label it as almost racist when it’s compared to Japanese animation (anime). What I mean is that no matter how much a series tries to appeal to a general audience or to please everyone, that’s never really going to happen; it will always end up having a group with shared characteristics that likes it.

But what do you think? Can there be stories that anyone—regardless of gender, ethnicity, or country—can enjoy? I think the closest thing to that is Harry Potter, and well, you know what the creator is like, but that’s not the point here.

It’s hard to explain, but this is more aimed at writers or any other creative producer: do you write with a specific audience in mind, or do you think that everyone will like what you create?

Maybe this has been asked or answered before but im watching the tng episode where wesely takes the starfleet entrance exams and only one person gets it. Im thinking its per quadrant thing but it just seems so nuts that they take so few. Not to mention you would think two or three would be retakers. Was this ever explained?

So im watching a tos episode and the away team can't contact the ship and the ship is drawn away from the planet. Now I recall this as sorta a common plot device in star trek. communication is not always blocked but basically the ship has to leave the away team on a plane to deal with something. Here is the thing. Why don't they ever launch a shuttle to stay at the planet. I mean maybe more than one. This is especially true come tng where the shuttles I think tend to have transporters. I mean feels like a no brainer to me.

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/51413674