"You have no idea what it's like to be a coward." So much packed into that line: filled with self-hatred and shame, and also respect and admiration for the person in front of him and the people she sacrificed so much for.
I would pay a lot of money to see a political series focused on a sort of Cardassian Reconstruction era. I really ought to read some of the books.
Also, I think it's worth pointing out that Adira was from Earth, which at that point had left the Federation, and had become seemingly a much more paranoid place. So that Adira was uncomfortable and worried about what folks might think of them seems reasonable, since they weren't used to living in the Federation, where being nonbinary isn't something anyone should be worried about sharing with others.
Deep Space 9, Season 1, Episode 19. Duet.
The acting, the plot, the character development. The ethical struggle in the episode and its resolution and the clear parallels to real world problems. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it, because it unfurls in such a wonderful way that needs to be seen rather than summarized.
Thank you for saying that: it's been interesting to see things from another perspective.
Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.
I certainly agree that there's more crying than I'm used to in Trek, but I wouldn't call that wokeness (unless the crying was about a reason that was "woke", I guess?). Mostly I chalk that up to popular entertainment dripping with CW style shows (for the worse, of course). That said there was a fair amount of crying/emotional outbursts from Sisko and others on DS9, especially if we take the Maquis into account - like Sisko said, it's easy to be a saint in paradise. Doesn't jive with the perfect crews we've seen on the Enterprises, but like DS9 being a run-of-the-mill station that got swept up in religious politics and galactic war, Discovery was "just" a bleeding edge science ship that went through hell, so it does kind of make sense that people would be more than a little traumatized and outburst-y.
Totally agree that the casts being treated like it was normal is a great message to send without focusing on it, but they did touch on it occasionally. In the TNG pilot itself, Geordi and Crusher talk pretty openly about his blindness IIRC, and he says something to the effect of "I was born this way", and he rejects potential "cures", showing how comfortable he was with what others would consider a curse.
Also there most certainly episodes reassuring Data he was part of the crew. An entire episode reassuring him he was sentient, right? It was central to his (and others') growth over the series. Whether he was truly a sentient being or not definitely draws parallels to dehumanization in the real world, and was pretty blatant about it.
Plenty of folks on TNG had to talk through their problems - that was pretty much the point of Guinan, in a lot of ways, and even having a Betazoid on the bridge. Feelings and emotion were being pretty openly explored in a way that's just different to the way things are now. Mental illness has over the decades been normalized in a way that is kind of incredible. Again though, the amount of crying does irk me (that much I agree with, especially when shit is literally on fire). I just don't consider that to be wokeness in my face, just shoddy writing.
I'm not downvoting either of you, and I hope this doesn't sound like me being argumentative, I just want to know what you're seeing in Discovery that I haven't seen in all the other Trek series (see me other comment in this thread, I guess). Morality lectures are central to Trek, IMHO.
I saw your post the other day and didn't have anything constructive to add (my instinct was to say 'just see where it goes, but don't force it to be romantic', but I know so little about the situation that it's hollow advice), but I came across this article in the NY Times that might speak to your situation. It talks about limerence, which is a new word for me. I say might, because it might not be what you're feeling, but it's worth a read regardless, and the tips on how to overcome it in the article seem useful (and have backing by different researchers, so they're bound to have more material on the subject that would be potentially related to what you're going through).
Gift link so no paywall: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/27/style/limerence-addiction-love-crush.html?unlocked_article_code=1.RU0.qcHQ.OMOM2nOkSCqy&smid=url-share
What about Discovery felt like it had a spotlight on it more than "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"? Or that TOS put a diverse cast front and center on the screen, including folks hailing from nations that were currently/recently enemies of the USA at the time? I grew up watching TNG, and the way Geordi turned the concept of what it meant to be 'disabled' on its head felt really pointed, even for child me. Likewise the dehumanization of Data.
I'm happy to gripe about worse writing, but if someone wrote a shoddy story that included a couple giraffes (because giraffes were more popular nation-wide), I wouldn't get mad about "giraffe messages" in entertainment, I'd get mad about shit writing.
No West Wing, only Veep.
It's a slow start, but it's worth the investment IMHO. Have a good one!
Reminds me of a conversation in the Wire between Carcetti and Bunny, about "Old Man Stryker": https://youtu.be/MTrvAnP5U18?si=UvjiXno_gbefGCuG
My favorite joke in Brooklyn Nine Nine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5QoYZuMILo
For folks who haven't seen the show, the Captain is normally stoic to a near-fault. RIP André Braugher.