Star Trek and The Annihilation of Caste
Words by Harsh Trivedi
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Star Trek and The Annihilation of Caste by Harsh Trivedi
I’ve been enjoying a steady binge of all the old Star Trek series this past year, finding an escape from the hell that is our present apocalyptic times. Since its inception, the franchise has been about a dedicatedly progressive endeavour, one that seeks to establish a post-capitalist, post-racial, post-scarcity society that works towards collaboration between all species and ultimately exploration – both outwards in discovering “strange new worlds” and inwards into the deepest questions of humanity. So, in the middle of season 4 of the 90s TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, I was surprised to discover that a series, that despite its striving universality does skew typically towards an American-centric humanity, went boldly where few have gone before – exploring the question of caste-based discrimination in science fiction.