Why It Matters That Star Trek Is Confronting Eugenics
For Decades the Dangerous Pseudoscience Was Heavily Censored on Screen—While Offscreen It Continued Influencing Policy
In a meme that’s been floating around online recently, William Shatner asks, “When did Star Trek get all political?”
The joke is on Shatner, or rather on an old tweet from the actor, who is best known for playing Captain James Tiberius Kirk in the original series. Considering that Star Trek has never not been political, responses to the meme have predictably flooded social media. (The best being “1966”—the year Star Trek debuted.)
Today, there is more Star Trek on air than ever before, courtesy of streaming service Paramount+. Amid this renaissance, …
