A common refrain I’ve seen on the internet is that a series is ‘too political’. This is usually made when a series introduces a plotline that touches on contemporary societal and political issues. Often, I suspect, by people who are not actually fans of the work and are just trolling.

I have seen this in particular with Star Trek. The lack of substance in many of these ‘too political’ arguments aside, I feel this is a completely misplaced criticism. Many of the earlier teks drew from politics at the time, whether it was from things like the cold war or the destabilisations in parts of the world like Europe.

I feel like, despite the protestations of some people, modern Trek is not political enough. There’s a load of actiony sci-fi, and there’s lots of stuff about AI. Maybe too much about AI. How many times has AI almost taken over Starfleet at this point? Where is the politics?

Some of the better recent stories that really feel like Trek have come from SNW. And these ones carry intensely political and philosophical themes. ‘Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach‘ is a very tough look at what different cultures do, and how we should interfere, or not as the case may be. The one about the children being used to power the planet. ‘Among the Lotus Eaters‘ considers what it really means to be you, and I think has a lot to say about identity politics.

There are so many potential stories which could explore politics and philosophy more deeply, and I think these make the most satisfying episodes. Trek shouldn’t shy away from this. It should be brave enough to touch on contemporary issues. During the TNG to VOY run and especially during DS9, which I consider highly political and maybe the most political of all trek, a recurring plotline was resistance movements. The Maquis, the Bajoran Resistance, most prominently. Given that things like resistance and outright terrorism are very hot topics at the moment in politics, I feel like these are exactly the kinds of stories that need to be explored.

Be more political. And don’t be afraid to look at things from different perspectives. That’s how you make a good story.