LEAST RACIST:
The core crew of the Enterprise consisted of 2 White Americans, 1 Western European, 1 Eastern European, 1 Asian, 1 African American, and 1 alien. With Spock, the alien, excluded, this is an adequate representation of human cross-culture where traditional racist mores would be expected and obvious. Instead we see no distinction created or inferred based on any of the character’s ethnic heritage. Scottie is quite obviously a Scotsman and has even been seen in kilt, but is accepted by all as having no equal in the engine room, nor as a lesser choice for third in command. Sulu, the Asian, navigates the Enterprise, and is subject to the same dangers and fate as his non-Asian shipmates. The fact that he is non-white is rarely, arguable never, pointed out at all. During the series, Chekov must have represented the enemy in the Cold War to television viewers. He even speaks with a thick Russian accent bordering on a speech impediment. Is Chekov ever looked down on, excluded, or singled out? Never. O’hura, besides being the only female, is black. Many character interactions with O’hura border on sexism, but that’s the point. There is never a color issue. In contrast, the white American ship’s doctor, “Bones” McCoy, is the only member with a nickname, and is the only one with a conflicting temperament. Now there is Spock, the alien. In many episodes his alien heritage, including the fact that he is half-human, is the focus of conflict. In a sense, Spock serves to represent any or all those of a minority ethnic culture and the struggles they face in being inherently different than the majority in several ways. A major focus of the series as a whole was not only the successful struggle undertaken by Spock in these matters, but by the majority as well. Always a happy, resolved outcome follows any Spock-versus-Human conflict. So, not only did Kirk’s Star Trek demonstrate a non-racist human society, but served to teach us, through the alien, Spock, how the Utopia would be achieved.
MOST RACIST:
Captain Kirk’s Star Trek unabashedly thrust stereotypical racism into American households during its tenure. Captain Kirk, the self-serving, dominating white-American hero (from Idaho no less) led a band of rubber-stamped subservient ethnic minorities including a Western European, an Eastern European, an Asian, and an African American. Each character is cast into a proper mold befitting common racist sentiment. Scottie, the Scotsman (how trite) is loud, quick to fib, and rumored to have a weakness for liquor- is there a Scottish racist stereotype missed? Not since Mr. Bojangles has there been a portrayed character as repressed due to ethnicity than Mr. Sulu. Never doing unless he is told, never speaking unless spoken to. It’s not surprising the Asian was cast as the closest thing to a robot. Pitiful. Captain Kirk is not a big man, but be sure that Mr. Chekov, the Russian, is a full six inches shorter. Americans had nothing to fear of the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War, especially if the enemy were small and of slightly lower intelligence, as was Chekov. There is no more a sickening portrayal of racism on television than in the character of the sexy communications officer O’Hura. In order to omit the obvious fact that she is black, she is made into an inanimate object of lust. The BlackMan has been destroyed on Captain Kirk’s Star Trek, and such is the lot of his woman. McCoy, the white ship’s doctor, carries unashamed prejudice and disdain toward the alien shipmate, Spock, who is really the only source of character conflict due to being “different.” This episode-to-episode conflict seems to suggest that if only Spock would himself realize his “place” as do the other ethnic minority characters, there would be no conflict.
The core crew of the Enterprise consisted of 2 White Americans, 1 Western European, 1 Eastern European, 1 Asian, 1 African American, and 1 alien. With Spock, the alien, excluded, this is an adequate representation of human cross-culture where traditional racist mores would be expected and obvious. Instead we see no distinction created or inferred based on any of the character’s ethnic heritage. Scottie is quite obviously a Scotsman and has even been seen in kilt, but is accepted by all as having no equal in the engine room, nor as a lesser choice for third in command. Sulu, the Asian, navigates the Enterprise, and is subject to the same dangers and fate as his non-Asian shipmates. The fact that he is non-white is rarely, arguable never, pointed out at all. During the series, Chekov must have represented the enemy in the Cold War to television viewers. He even speaks with a thick Russian accent bordering on a speech impediment. Is Chekov ever looked down on, excluded, or singled out? Never. O’hura, besides being the only female, is black. Many character interactions with O’hura border on sexism, but that’s the point. There is never a color issue. In contrast, the white American ship’s doctor, “Bones” McCoy, is the only member with a nickname, and is the only one with a conflicting temperament. Now there is Spock, the alien. In many episodes his alien heritage, including the fact that he is half-human, is the focus of conflict. In a sense, Spock serves to represent any or all those of a minority ethnic culture and the struggles they face in being inherently different than the majority in several ways. A major focus of the series as a whole was not only the successful struggle undertaken by Spock in these matters, but by the majority as well. Always a happy, resolved outcome follows any Spock-versus-Human conflict. So, not only did Kirk’s Star Trek demonstrate a non-racist human society, but served to teach us, through the alien, Spock, how the Utopia would be achieved.
MOST RACIST:
Captain Kirk’s Star Trek unabashedly thrust stereotypical racism into American households during its tenure. Captain Kirk, the self-serving, dominating white-American hero (from Idaho no less) led a band of rubber-stamped subservient ethnic minorities including a Western European, an Eastern European, an Asian, and an African American. Each character is cast into a proper mold befitting common racist sentiment. Scottie, the Scotsman (how trite) is loud, quick to fib, and rumored to have a weakness for liquor- is there a Scottish racist stereotype missed? Not since Mr. Bojangles has there been a portrayed character as repressed due to ethnicity than Mr. Sulu. Never doing unless he is told, never speaking unless spoken to. It’s not surprising the Asian was cast as the closest thing to a robot. Pitiful. Captain Kirk is not a big man, but be sure that Mr. Chekov, the Russian, is a full six inches shorter. Americans had nothing to fear of the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War, especially if the enemy were small and of slightly lower intelligence, as was Chekov. There is no more a sickening portrayal of racism on television than in the character of the sexy communications officer O’Hura. In order to omit the obvious fact that she is black, she is made into an inanimate object of lust. The BlackMan has been destroyed on Captain Kirk’s Star Trek, and such is the lot of his woman. McCoy, the white ship’s doctor, carries unashamed prejudice and disdain toward the alien shipmate, Spock, who is really the only source of character conflict due to being “different.” This episode-to-episode conflict seems to suggest that if only Spock would himself realize his “place” as do the other ethnic minority characters, there would be no conflict.
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