I don’t know if the mods will appreciate this or not … because it might be construed as a political / controversial topic … but I’ll risk it.
If it needs to be taken down, I accept that and won’t protest it.
This isn’t your typical funny, tongue in cheek or fun post … it’s just a commentary that I didn’t really know where else to post because it’s Star Trek related.
I’m posting this as a commentary on what I am seeing on Star Trek Deep Space Nine, a show I’m currently enjoying. I’ve just starting season two and I’m almost shocked at the parallels the shows writers were recreating from our past history, the current era of the 90s they were living in and in our modern time period now.
I’m just starting to get introduced to the storyline of the Bajorans and their internal conflicts of wanting to create a Bajoran Only society and becoming intolerant to other species. I know many Trek fans already know this story but its new to me and I am fully enjoying the writing that was produced to highlight this mentality. I highly suggest others who haven’t watched DS9 to watch it as well … plus I am looking forward to more from this show as I am really enjoying it.
It was surprising to me to hear them use the title of the group as ‘The Circle’ for their extremist political group … a direct parallel to the KKK, an acronym for the Ku Klux Klan, a name which is believed to be taken from the Greek word ‘kyklos’, which translates as the word ‘circle’. And it was also striking to me to see the symbol they used for their group, a stylized circle, with what almost looks like an ‘OK’ sign, which over the past decade has become to often be seen as a white supremacist hand gesture.
I’m sure the writers were making the connection to the KKK at the time and I’m sure that many people noticed it when the show first aired … but it’s the symbol that was spray painted as the group’s logo that almost looks like that ‘OK hand sign’ that really surprised me.
I grew up watching TNG in the 90s because it was available on cable … but never really had the chance to watch it all when I was teen. I finally watched all of it in the early 2000s when I bought myself the entire series. As soon as I finished it, I went over to Voyager and watched all that because I had also watched a handful of episodes when they came out but not really. I also saw DS9 but I always had a hard time watching any one episode … there was so much backstory to everything that you had to follow a season or two to fully appreciate any one episode. The funny part is that DS9 is about the same number of seasons and episodes as TNG and VOY but for some reason DS9 feels more like a political / social drama than the other Trek shows … not to mention DS9 is more linear and interconnected rather than episodic like TNG and VOY.
I’ve heard so much about the show and I’ve always wanted to see it, that about a month ago, I started watching it from the start. I just finished the first 3 episodes of season 2 and like you say … the show is very grounded and relatable to the world that it eerily feels like it is still relevant to what is happening in the world now.
It’s exciting to watch it now because I get the chance to share it with people like yourself who actually understand and appreciate what I am watching. I think it’s the best way to watch any kind of Trek … it neat to watch it by yourself … it’s very special and much more fulfilling to watch it and share it with other like minded people.