One of Star Trek's greatest episodes is also one that shows just how important inclusivity really is!
id="a-unique-moment-in-the-history-of-star-trek">A Unique Moment in the History of Star Trek:It may be hard to believe, as many viewers don't see Star Trek as an antiquated series but "The Devil in the Dark" has some important lessons to give!
- The story of "The Devil in the Dark" is a classic and shows just how intriguing the series really is.
- It was made back in 1967 and it is full of some epic characters and adventures!
Even though "Star Trek" is known for trying to show its forward thinking values and representing equality in an epic and fantastical future. It did fall short in some of its episodes.
Star Trek: The Original Series:
The episode in question, "The Devil in the Dark" has a major blemish! For those who remember. This classic episode gives fans a chance to get a closer glimpse at Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and this is a story that unfolds several years before Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) took the reins!
The episode, involves a story about an alien. In this adventure Captain Pike's Enterprise went out into space and got into this mystery as to what happened.
- A creature called "The Horta" was on this planet and causing tons of trouble
Star Trek has always given audiences great alien-themed adventures!
Why Strange New Worlds Can Never Make the Same Mistake
If you really dive in, this might seem odd, but Star Trek: The Original Series gave the episode a lot of negative feedback, for its representation of women, that didn't quite line up with "The Original Series", even back in those times!
The reason was this classic episode, it didn't feature any female speaking characters!
What makes it really amazing is the whole network (NBC) got involved, reaching out to "The Original Series" creator Gene Roddenberry.
It's interesting how things really change, but the whole concept is important and really stands the test of time, given how diverse the world and its audience are.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
You might not think, that "Star Trek" would continue to make such glaring mistakes in the series today but "Strange New Worlds" gives this some major distinction that makes the episode, even more notable!
You won't find this to happen! Not just because the world has come a long way since "Star Trek" started, "The Devil in the Dark" happened a little over 50 years ago! But even more importantly because of "Strange New Worlds cast, as it has so many incredible, diverse performers!
If you're wondering how different "Strange New Worlds" really is, take a look!
- There are more women, playing important roles, but in this series, there are plenty of female characters!
- This is truly a step forward. That includes all the memorable parts like: Number One, La'an Noonien-Singh, Nurse Christine Chapel, Ensign Nyota Uhura and Pelia and in a recurring role , Captain Marie Batel, it would be truly hard to ignore!
- This show was full of important figures that brought even more diversity, and added to the depth of "Star Trek."
It shows how much times has changed and also, that "Strange New Worlds" really has no reason for being able to do something as insensitive, and not in line with their values! What is more, even in "The Original Series," it didn't make sense to ignore these characters who made so much of a contribution to this show.
Looking At the Original Star Trek Characters
The main focus of the show was not the characters as much as "Strange New Worlds" which really showcases so many talents from the female cast and gives audiences even more to dive into! It also, takes into account a larger number of episodes for each season, to show off their incredible abilities as characters, making those female figures, truly one-of-a-kind!
The early episodes from "The Original Series" really focuses on these male heroes that are at the forefront:
- Captain Kirk (played by William Shatner)
- Spock (by Leonard Nimoy )
- Dr. "Bones" McCoy (played by DeForest Kelley).
While this isn't bad in itself, it really highlights those shortcomings that make "Star Trek" less of a series about equality! This is what "Strange New Worlds" seems to do differently!
The women of "The Original Series" got the opportunity to play key parts!
- Uhura (by Nichelle Nichols)
- Sulu ( George Takei)
- Scotty (by James Doohan)
- Chekov (Walter Koenig).
These actors had such powerful roles and now it's apparent, it was important that audiences understood just how "Strange New Worlds" had gone far to honor the talent that was overlooked!
id="strange-new-worlds-success"> Strange New Worlds Success:There is nothing like an amazing series to enjoy, and that's exactly "Strange New Worlds" did, but this was also something super special that audiences could have missed if this series didn't do its very best.
- The crew gave a glimpse into "Uhura"'s life and history,
- It showed that her struggles helped to build up the awesome person who was able to conquer so many obstacles and make so much change!
- Nurse Chapel (by Jess Bush)
- She revealed the great depth in her personality.
- Her professional aspirations conflicted with this special love she had.
- "Strange New Worlds" really put an incredible spotlight on Number One! It filled in the gaps of how this powerful, influential, iconic character came about.
A series filled with amazing performances but also so many twists. "Strange New Worlds" gives you a show with that's really impressive!
There were so many layers of "Star Trek" and now a great dose of inclusivity that will help to bring out what makes this space adventure, the series we all love!
While "The Original Series" missed the mark on this important topic, there are still so many incredible, amazing characters that have graced the small and big screens. If you want to catch "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," you can tune into Paramount+ where it is currently airing, but you are certainly in for a treat! If you want to see all the most iconic Star Trek shows! There are plenty out there and so much to keep audiences entertained, which helps to bring to life, this universe. What's exciting to watch is, that even a series, which isn't brand new has something to offer to a diverse audience. The incredible diversity of all the characters will continue to leave its mark for years to come!
