I wonder what these people think "the machine" means 😭

Don’t forget that the whole Federation is a post captialist utopia which is a political statement in itself.

Great point!

I think this is generally what I hear when it comes to "woke" media. I always chalk it up to media having no clue on how normal humans function in a society.

Explain more about how your childhood is ruined by political messaging in checks notes

Modern Doctor Who and Star Trek. The best written and acted shows of all time, obviously.

but it wasn’t done as ham-handed and hackey as what is happening now.

I think this comment really nails what's irking me amount newer Trek. It used to be a show that was written in a way that regardless of your politics, anyone could watch, and it would make you think. It was a show that would sneakily slip in progressive ideas that could make you second guess your perspectives on the world.

Now there is no depth to it, it just slaps you in the face with politics.

This is probably gonna be a hot take, but I think Star Trek should be written in a way that is appealing for conservatives to watch, but regularly slips in metaphors which challenges their world view. Trek was at it's best when on it's surface it was a fun adventure show, and the politics was on a deeper level.

We have The Orville today for good Trek

Yes, but that's a reasonable take, so it gets drowned out.

True in a way, but it was more philosophical and not "in your face". It made you think about it, and the story was way waay better and deeper than today's pew-pew starwars approach to star trek. Every episode had a meaning and a lession.

Kinda like people complaining Rage Against the Machine becoming political.
Always has been.

Does anyone else remember that TNG had a recurring background character who was just a regular crewman but he always wore a Star Fleet dress or skirt that would just walk around in the background of scenes? He may have had heels as well, I can’t remember. Regardless I always thought it was neat that they never made a big deal out of it or a joke

I remember that being a little more "coercive and rapey" than bribing, since the nurse was the one who demanded "fuck me and I'll set you free, or you can wait for whatever they are going to do to you."

I get Riker is full of fucks to give, but he didn't seem terribly pleased with not having a choice.

The Federation is not Marxist, communist, or socialist. These economic systems rely on a monetary framework where scarcity dictates value. In the Star Trek universe, scarcity has been eliminated on Earth. There is no energy crisis, no poverty, and no starvation. Transportation is instantaneous, and every individual's basic needs are met. With no financial struggle, humanity is no longer constrained by the pursuit of wealth. The Federation is not built on enforced equality but on a shared enlightenment. With abundant resources, every person enjoys a high standard of living.

I mean Sisko kind of does when he describes how the Bell riots have to take place before we unite as a planet and join the Federation

I don't know. I might like that? It depends a lot on how it is implemented and who is in charge. 😅

politics is all-encompassing, it can be as big or as small as anything else

Sci-fi is at its best when it recontextualizes an idea in a way that makes us consider it from a different perspective.

Battlestar Galactica did an awesome job of turning the issues around entirely. Famously, it essentially turned the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan on their heads in Season 3, and you had the good guys building IEDs and employing suicide bombers to kill collaborators.

But my favorite one was when they came up with a situation in which outlawing abortion was necessary, and the political opposition used it as an opportunity to manufacture outrage and steal an election even though they didn't actually care about the issue at all.