Disclaimer: I am on a substance, so my emotions are high. This will feel like a rant and it is. I am also very upset because of this topic. I just wanted to reflect on something that I was thinking of related to Star Trek. Warning, my thoughts may not flow smoothly.
I work in retail. Tonight I got very upset by something that seems blasé, insignificant, etc: Dubai chocolate . I’m not going to write about that in full. Just know that I find the real Dubai chocolate and it’s popular imitation flavored treats to be extremely unethical to consume. I am also ASHAMED by association of my ethnicity (a Filipino chef is credited as one of the inventors). Why? UAE.
Having tolerance for your fellow humans who are inherently different from yourself should be something all people accept. If you are in a structure of hate or showing support by association (for example in name or displaying of symbols), you therefore enabling said hate.
Do not support or enable systems of hate. No person should be erased for being different than those in power. Being different as Star Trek has taught me, is what makes this universe so beautiful. That diversity is the beauty.
It is heartbreaking when I see things like human rights abuses and genocide not only enabled but supported. I wish humanity could turn away from so much hatred.
Recently I rewatched “North Star” (ENT season 3 episode 9). You might think it’s an Earth-like planet story on the surface, and it is. But this time I noticed something that made me swell with catharsis. I have always considered the character Jonathan Archer to be a role model of sorts. For me I grew up with Enterprise as the first series I was old enough to watch from first to last episode during its first broadcast. I was 10-years-old. If any of this sounds familiar, you probably remember me from STLV last year at Bakula’a panel, talking about this in the preamble to my question.
I looked up to Archer as an example of what humans should strive to be. For a school history project I had to do something that was about the Silk Road (I was in the 6th grade). Long story short, this was for a History Day Project. I decided to write a short story since that was an option. My story, I named the main character Jonathan Archer. As a kid I was so inspired by the righteousness of having tolerance for people that were unlike yourself. Being a person of Asian descent, I had my share of experiences after 9/11.
“North Star” reminds me of why Star Trek has been a large part of my life. Recently I got a IDIC tattoo. Anyways back to the episode. In this episode, the NX-01 find a planet with a small town that resembles a Western town of Earth, 200 years prior. The crew come to learn that Humans were kidnapped as slave labor by aliens. Eventually the Humans rose to become the people in power, subjugating and oppressing the aliens that kidnapped them long ago. Archer decides to help the oppressed aliens and the allied Human. The message was simple: I don’t think [another persons] life is any less valuable than mine. It moved me to tears.
There has been a lot happening in the world this past year. Everything is exhausting. I wish humans could change for the better and end all this hatred we see all around. 😢
Are we sure this isn’t some guerrilla marketing for a movie?