I've noticed a trend in some new American media coming out of more openly positive depictions of socialism/communism. The new HBO The Last Of Us series for example has this scene, and the new Fallout series has a more centrist/neoliberal take but at least calls out how the right uses communist as a "dirty word," though she qualifies the statement by first saying "I'm not a communist."
The new HBO The Last Of Us series for example has this scene,
I love that scene. It's so authentic: hearing a white American describe his successful living arrangement as literal communism but saying it's not communism, and a black American correcting him. 100 years of Red Scare and minority struggle captured in a few lines of dialogue.
Caveat that I have not played the games, but taking the series at face value they are highly US-centric like most Hollywood productions. It makes no sense arguing on the basis of the series alone what they are going with in this regard, since all the action takes place in the US it is pretty much the scope of the universe, just like in many Americans minds. I tried to make a disjoint point, that was based on how I would interpret it with complete disregard to whatever is canon to the story as a whole, taking what is presented in the first season of the series at face value.
To put this into context with Star Trek, I also find it really boring and non-immersive whenever they hold 21st century America in special consideration. It is just such an obvious way to make a comparison to current state of affairs in one particular country, placating preferences of current pop culture, which is redundant anyway since all science fiction is a universal critique of the current state of affairs anywhere simply by showing a future alternative. A hypothetical sudden end to US hegemony is actually a valid way to make the current US affairs leading up to it special with respect to the future development of mankind, and not just a boring move for views.
That is understandable if you think only within the paradigm of some select countries dominating the rest, but that is perhaps the biggest obstacle to our gay space communist Star Trek future.
Regarding a third season, I know you have said it’s possible. What is your level of confidence? Is this now just like any other show on Netflix awaiting a season pickup if it does well?
Kevin Hageman: I would guess more than doing well. We don’t know anything about season 3 yet. But what from what I see of Netflix when they do pickup shows for a season 3, which is very rare, it’s not about doing well, it has to do gangbusters.
Dan Hageman: Most things only get 2 seasons.
Kevin Hageman: I think it’s going to be a real challenge. And I think it has to be bigger than just the Star Trek audience watching it as much as they can. It’s about breaking into kids who are [not already fans]
Dan Hageman: But let’s also put it into perspective. Lower Decks is five seasons, but those seasons are 10 episodes. Ours is 20 episodes. We got 40 episodes. It’s a lot of content out there. So it kind of comes down to: are there large watch-throughs of the season? Where’s the appetite? Do people want more Prodigy? Obviously, Kevin and I want more Prodigy. But happy with how we left things off at the end of the season 2. We feel like there’s a nice place to stop, but also a new adventure to pick up if we want to.
Kevin Hageman: Doing a show like this is not cheap, doing 20 episodes. So, my hope is we get a great-sized audience, but if it’s not big enough to warrant another season, there’s always option B. Which would be, let’s do a 90-minute animated film, the sequel which could start the film franchise.
Our group played this system for a short bit. We loved the social combat system and the pooled resources. A good DM can absolutely make it feel like a Star Trek episode.
Our problem with the system, is that you have to play the lawfull good guys for it to work well; just like a Star Trek episode. Our group likes to play morally grey.
You don't have to play the good guys for the system to work, the same system is used for Dune - Adventures in the Imperium, and that's a setting about as morally grey as it gets. Even with Star Trek Adventures, there is the Klingon Core Rulebook if you want to be a bit more rowdy than your typical Starfleet officers. The Operations Division sourcebook has suggestions for playing as Section 31 as well.
I'm against a megathread. That would be too busy and I think there will be more than enough to discuss about each episode.
For entirely selfish reasons, I'd like individual discussion threads for each episode that come out one or two a day, since that's the pace I expect to be watching it (optimistically).
Though, I think the best option for everyone might be five-episode blocks. That would allow both bingewatchers and slower viewers to enjoy the conversation without spamming the feed, and will match up well enough with the "parts" it would have been split into if it aired on Nickelodeon that both broad and individual episode discussions will make sense.
You go to the season post to get an overview and general feel for the season, plus any and all questions or fan theories are welcome.
Individual pages so you can talk in depth about an episode or post questions as you watch, with spoiler free answers.
I wouldn't do the four discussion threads, but that's just me trying to cut out redundancy. If others like breaking it up, hell, I'll give it a try. But i mostly watch Star Trek with the wiki and/or Reddit page up so i can look up trivia and actors i recognize, so one post per episode and a megathread for the season are right up my ally.
This is messy with 20 episodes dropping all at once, but option #1 is probably the best course of action.
Another idea: All 20 discussion threads, but posted two per day for ten days. Then after two-ish weeks, posting a season-long discussion thread.
Regardless, I like the idea of a new "So what did y'all think?" discussion thread posted a couple of weeks later for those of us who don't prefer to binge.
As I am not American I grew up with socialism being a positive connotation in day to day culture, so much so it’s wild to me that this needed to be veiled in Trek’s past. Star Trek should be as explicit as possible with this. “Hey, you want Utopia? This is how you earn it!”
Where are you if I may ask? And I think it may have been a dictate of Gene Roddenberry to not name which economic system won out, which is kind of a copout. But yeah it's refreshing to see it called what it is finally
I admit I'm having trouble finding any transcript of the primary source. It's supposedly an answer she gave during a local convention and it's been repeated by enough websites citing each other that I don't know which one was the original.
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