Star Trek and Race Relations

Star Trek has an interesting place in the history of race relations. It gave prominent roles to minorities-- Lt. Uhura, a black woman working as a communication officer on the bridge, and Lt. Sulu, Japanese-American helmsman--and our current Cold War cultural enemies in the guise of Russian navigator Ensign Chekov. Hell, the show even featured the first interracial kiss in a fictional television program for what amounts as progress.

So does it come as any surprise that as these steps were being taken forward more were being taken back.

As example of this are the Klingons.

The Klingons of the original series are little more than brutes in blackface makeup propagating familiar themes of the other and the Noble Savage as well as recalling old minstrel acts and Jim Crows.

Of course, Jim Crows never seem to die in the culture. There will always be Short Circuits, and Ted Dansons, and Tyra Banks reality show experiments.

So what is the legacy of Star Trek's progressive race politics? Hell, I can't decide. Even Sulu is meant to be just a pan-Asian analogue.