When someone says science fiction shouldn’t be “political” that is a political statement. It’s an enforcement of that status quo and rejection of anything that would question or criticize it, or authority in general.
On one hand, sci-fi can speak in allegory about a lot of topics , including politics . On the other , that approach can have two flavors : the presentation of a situation from two or more points of view (allowing both for subtlety and having the audience arriving at their own conclusions) , and the approach that turns off some sci-fi fans , which is a ham fisted "this is right, this is wrong , THE END" type of mono-thought .
@@hitokirihobbit exactly, sci fi itself was a reimagination of a new world. So how could it not be political when you gotta rethink everything that constitutes basic human ideas and politics
I recently encountered a guy who said there was 'absolutely nothing communist' about DS9. When I reminded him of that episode, he claimed unions are 'inherently capitalist'. I'm still trying to work that one out.
I can imagine Nana Visitor going to the writer's room, kicking the door in and saying, "If you're thinking about Dukat and Kira hooking up, STOP IT! Stop that shit right now!"
@GozerTheTraveller yeah, its more likely that he did know, but at the very least he would have definitely recognised kiras name, so even if he diddnt know for certain its still very squick.
I used to think DS9 was one of those new Trek political SJW shows, but you have shown me that I was just reading into it too much. It's nice to know now, I can go back to blindly enjoying it for the work of completely irrelevant fiction it was meant to be. For those who may not get it.... /s
Yeah, all those DS9 haters were right - this show that never went anywhere and was supposed to be episodic all the time was totally full of gun-grabbing left-coast 'Murica hate spewing socalists, and them gayz! (Sarcasm approves this message.)
Sorry if ruining the subtlety but yeah it's the result of Americans being made belief Dems and Reps are completely opposite parties instead of two sides of the same coin. Different approaches? Variations on economic and even foreign policies? Yeah, complete change if one of the other won everytime? Not at all, after all there's a reason they are the only two parties avoiding America falls into a civil, race or class war
If folks think DS9 is apolitical, I bet they'd love how apolitical B5 was as well. And both shows were on at about the same time. Such apolitical allegory, much mindless scifi fun, wow.
Actually, DS9 was a plagiarism of B5. That's why they're similar. CBS had the series outline for Babylon 5, as well as scripts for something like the first two-thirds of the first season, for like a year before they turned the show down. Even some of the characters had the same names, so lazy plagiarism at that.
@@daverhoden445 And certainly not that one where Kirk goes to the planet that developed just like Earth, except that WW III broke out and the US lost, and he has to explain the meaning of the Constitution to the decedents of those Americans.
@@marshmello3455 Alan Tudyk (yes *that one*) had a couple of villain roles in the late aughts... and I don't know exactly what it is, but he puts his Villain Face on and I have an immediate, primal need to KILL IT WITH FIRE. It's a compliment, I swear!
@@marshmello3455 Per an interview, Louise Fletcher said that when she sat in on the test screening on "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and the audience cheered when she was strangled, that was the moment she knew she did a good job.
There were several episode (some referenced in this video) that show the DS9 writers were at least in contact with the Prophets, if not Prophets themselves.
I have had three friends vote for Kai Wynn the first time because you know she seemed like she just wanted to put the Bajoran values back where they used to be, Make Bajor Great Again ,but now they realize that mistake after her bumbling with all the current events, especially with the plague ravaging bajor, so they have committed to voting for shakkar
LOL if our country had independence from that crap reality show, maybe people would pay more attention to actual reality. Nahhh. Too many Americans are lazy AF
Totally not political. Nope. Not at all. Star Trek has never, ever been political. You'll be happy to know that while I am a proud citizen of Trill, I'm Bajoran on my mother's side so I am eligible to vote in the Bajoran election. Just today I sent in my absentee ballot for Shakaar.
..... wut? They did what now? 😳 Dang, I gotta watch some DS9 now that I'm an adult! I was too young to be interested in this boring grown-up political stuff - which was obvious to me as a kid 😂 So this video was extra funny to me 😆😆
Then there's the least political of episodes, you know, the one where Rom directly quotes Marx as a good "hewmon" value opposing Ferengi greed. Or the frighteningly prophetic two parter about Sanctuary cities and Graham Bell, yeah, totally casual spaceships going pew pew.
@@Naa45702 Move along, nothing to see here, Aamin Marritza died of Kalla Nora syndrome at Gallitep, and Kay Winn is the strong leader that'll make Bajor great again. You still here? Oh well, off to the dilithium ore processing center with you.
@@dawnmcauley6411 Boi that was another one. TOS: We aired the first interracial kiss in American TV, predicted cellphones, and literally MLK had to convince one of our major cast members to stay. TNG: We predicted tablets. DS9: *Clears throat* We predicted the homelessness crisis of the 2020's, the episode we predicted the Patriot Act, was written the same year of the Olympic Park attacks in Atlanta and we once did a Socialism were Quark's employees literally unionize. DISCO: Ok, why am I getting all the shit again?
granudisimo I’d like to add TNG: predicted the very bad reactions to trans and nonbinary individuals. Ideas of terrorism being complicated, military powers over reach (evil admirals), the fact we’re going to have to develop ethics on AI, and digital music library
As a long time Star Trek fan, I often forget that not everyone knows EVERY SINGLE DETAIL of these characters' stories like many of us do. I appreciate the unobtrusive background you give for the uninitiated.
My inner-nerd was raging at a few parts lol. "But-but-but the subtlety! The nuance!!! Psh, *SPOILERS* about Bareil!!!" Oh well, people gotta start somewhere I guess lol
Do people not understand the significance of having a Russian officer on the bridge in the 1960s?? The entire show from the start has been to press a specific political message. One where humans stop hating each other for stupid reasons. Great video btw! I'm now a new subscriber.
Less sassy remark. Jessie, your content is straight plasma fire. Star Trek has been making political statements since the first season of TOS. I also push back agaisnt the idea that fiction should not comment on reality, when... that is the entire point. That is why we tell stories. To entertain, to enlighten, and to encourage action. Any story that fails to do that gets lost in time. It is the important stories that allows us to reflect upon ourselves and our realities that stick with us throughout the ages, generations, centuries, or even millennia. If Star Trek did not try to inspire us, or show us our shortcomings as a species, would we still be watching it?
Kira as the Bajoran perspective character and main opponent of Winn is an interesting choice, or at least development. Nobody would accusse Kira of being a secular moderate pacifist preaching tolerance and forgiveness. And even she is horrified by Winn.
DS9 remains my absolute far and above favorite of the franchise. I was hooked from The Emissary on. I lurved this post. Thank you, young woman! You and Steve Shives have a way of articulating my feels for ST way better than I'm usually able to. VOTE.
Well of course Tom Riker wasn’t technically a clone. I always felt he was underused and could have been more valuable/ important to Star Trek- there were a lot of missed opportunities there.
this is not an idea i created, but i actually think it would have been cool to have will riker leave to become a captain and have tom riker join the enterprise crew. that way they could have riker finally become a captain without frakes having to leave the show, and it would have added a new dynamic to the cast. and then will riker could come back for stuff like the finale
IMO full-grown clones in sci-fi shows are just a cheap way to keep the actors happy and interested, not unlike mirror universe characters. I cn enjoy them for that reason, but IMO they are best used sparingly. It feels a bit too contrivingly "soap opera" to have established characters suddenly have a "mystery twin" for dramatic effect. I can enjoy those stories, but they do pull me out of the narrative a bit.
I've only just found your channel recently and I'm only 2 and a half minutes into the video, but I just had to pause to express how much I love your content.
You’re an incredible presenter! I love how you emote and can educate/encourage useful debate while also making us all smile and giggle a bit. Thank you 💜💜💜
This was totally priceless! While, you kept showing scenes of the faith leader Ms. Win all, I could think about was the fact that Captain Sisko is a central figure in the religion of the people of Bajor. He has visited the prophets, receives visions from them, and is their Emissary yet, Ms. Win has very little respect for him even though the prophets have never spoken to her not even when she looks directly inside one of their probes.
Grand Nagus has talent and actually tried to bring economic growth and stepped down to allow a progressive new leader in a mixed relationship who supported labor theory of profits and economics
I have to clarify. I mean no insult to Zek or Rom. Both were outliers as Grand Neguses and Ferengis. Yet it is not hard to picture most who held the role are in the ilk of Quark, Bok, Brunt or the greedy, classist, sexist, xenophobic orange troll (Kira and Lwaxana's word) in the U.S. oval office right now
Like 20 different DS9 episodes went through my head before I clicked and realized you were talking about Shakaar, and THAT'S how political DS9 is. Love you and your videos!
I watch all your wonderful videos but Omg you outdid yourself. This episode is indeed eerie in the current climate and watching this made me yearn for the days when I could watch DS9 as “something that doesn’t happen here.” I still love the show, of course. Thanks, Jessie. You’re brilliant! 💜
Ok, let's address the orange elephant in the room. For a very LONG time, people who are now complaining about political subtext in Trek never noticed it before or gave it a second thought until 2016 when they started criticizing the Trump administration. That's the exact moment when many of them first noticed or CARED that Trek and sci-fi in general even had political subtext!
You, my lady, have won my subscription with this video! Hats off! I have been lurking and seen a few of your Trek videos because of Steve Shives. But the humour in this and timing and framing was just so excellent I'm pretty sure I want to see anything you maight produce in the future. This is one of the most inventive calls to action I have ever seen.
I'd like to share a phrase I came up with a few years ago, feel free to spread it around and use it wherever it seems like it fits: "If you don't want 'social justice' in your Trek, I suggest you avoid watching any episode that aired during or after *_September 8th, 1966."_*
Late to this video, but well done! Both wonderfully comedic and also poignant. Hard to pull off both. Also watching after Louise Fletcher passed away, reminds me of how good her performance as Kai Winn was.
"These words must apply to everyone or else they mean NOTHING!" James T. Kirk, saying a completely non-political statement that has no bearing nor was in any way a reference to the clash of rights activism taking place during the late 1960's when Star Trek first aired. Nope, nothing political there.
Jessie needs to cosplay as Major Kira with a Bajoran rust-colored uniform and the earring. Or that off-grey / lilac / taupe / what color was hat really technical uniform.
Oh Gods of Kobol this episode of yours was so on point ... You had me laughing my butt off with the sad parallels. Should I laugh? Should I cry? Brilliant, brilliant work here!
As we have the 2024 election coming up soon, please do NOT vote for candidates who would take away people rights to merely exist. Think about every single person in America when you cast your vote. Spread the word for freedom and the rights of ALL Americans.
Brilliant. How in the world did I not see all the modern day parallels in the plot of Shakaar? Rewatching it right now because of your video. It’s really quite a good episode and I especially like the other members of the resistance cell. Although I can’t quite take Shakaar himself seriously now that I associate him first as Bev’s candle ghost boyfriend in Sub Rosa 😂👻🕯
Deep Space Nine was not only political but was much more to the left than nutrek. What I dont get about the nutrek haters, being one myself, its that. Old trek was more political, and more to the left than nutrek, there will never be a episode like "Bar Associantion" under Kurtzman
Hell, imagine the rage levels if, say, DSC had an episode that had Burnham in the earth past (even to us past) facing real life persecution and bigotry for being black. Or in the near future taking the place of a revolutionary figure that even had riots named after them, riots that are seen as a positive that made people realize how screwed up things were.
Not only positive but one the fundational events of a future Utopia. Or turn a hyper capitalist and misogynistic society in to some kind of social democracy, like the Ferengi. And we dont even need DS9 to make them angry, take "Cloud Minders", the most pure marxist message that Trek ever gave, and its i TOS
They both made episodes about Trump, the difference is that DS9 made it a good episode while also looking 20 years into the future. Whereas the entire "Picard in 2025" stuff really did not have anything interesting to say. Yes, locking up refugees is bad, but it's just used as a thing to advance the plot.
I saw this little episode called "Paradise Lost". A foreign power creates paranoia and The President declares Martial Law which becomes a Military Coup.. What an alien concept! That could never happen in the real world.... could it? Nah. Superb Video by the way.
The problem is if the Bareil or Busters perpetually accept the lesser of two evils then the that is all that will be offered, and it both just mean decline, wealth inequality, and poverty.
The Pro-Winn political ad could actually be pretty convincing to the masses. (acknowledging that fact and imagining the ad makes my skin crawl) Even Odo points out that to the average person Winn is commendable leader. Only a few people (and the audience) know how evil she truly is. I don't think Shakaar won by a landslide. BTW, Shakaar's character was awesome and he should have returned more often. (being overly average is under-represented, because we're well... boring) While Kira may have been the liaison officer, there wasn't a whole lot of interaction between the Federation and the Bajoran government. Not including more of that with Shakaar was a missed opportunity, imho.
Shakaar had the benefit of being a revolutionary. He fought the Cardassians while the Vedek assembly was allowed to continue under Cardassian occupation (restricted but still existing.) While Bajorans were culturally a spiritual people, many of them were either slaves under Cardassians or revolutionaries (yes, they were also terrorists but I would compare them to French Resistance then Taliban) while Wynn had more personable charisma,she also was relatively "safe" under Cardassian Occupation. Shakaar meanwhile was a war hero who would've had a mythology around him not unlike Roosevelt.
@@dawnmcauley6411 I don't disagree. There was an interesting scene between Kira and Winn (IDK if it was in the Shakaar episode) where Winn describes to Kira about being beaten by Cardassians for teaching the Bajoran faith. It's such a small scene but it reveals the strength of the Bajoran faith, as well as insight into Winn's character. By the Shakaar episode the Bajorans had experienced decades of blood, and a couple years of "peace". The thought of putting war behind them in pursuit of rebuilding was pretty desirable. Think Churchill after WWII. I'm glad Shakaar won, I loved his character! I'm just saying, given what ppl knew about Winn, a positive campaign ad for Winn would be easy to cut together (which is kinda sad).
Okay, you got me with the Leninade. I actually love that stuff and drink it at least once a week, but that was the point that I laughed out loud and knew I was going to love this video.
......This video is a thing of beauty, well done! The ads were a nice touch, I don't think I ever cackled with laughter at something in a long, long time 😆
THANK YOU for this video. I was in 8th grade when DS9 premiered, and right from the start, I was hooked. And Vedek-turned-Kai Winn was one of the characters that bothered me the most in the series. Teenaged me did not understand exactly why I disliked her so much (aside from the fact Kai Opaka was AMAZING and I felt so betrayed that she was written out so early on and this other woman comes along and is the antithesis of Opaka, and that Kira disliked Winn so much, TBH), but looking at the things that scare me and disturb me now as an adult, I have a way to understand the character - and what her presence was meant to portray - so much better. Winn's arc is fascinating in fiction, but IRL? It really, really scares me.
Your sarcastic videos are right up there with some good late night shows in political satire. Great laugh despite the heavy topic!! On that note, thanks for bringing that episode back on my mind. I've pointed like everyone I walked across the past few months towards Past Tense, Far Beyond the Stars and Homefront/Paradise Lost, but had completely forgotten Shakaar. I think I have to give it a rewatch now... Overall, it's eerie just how predictive those 90s shows were. If I just base this off of DS9 and B5... let's see. Riots against social injustice? Check. Rampant racism? Check. Political elites trying to gain/hold/increase power by using fear, spreading lies, or incriminating those with different opinions? Check. Pandemic leading to discrimination and violence? Check. Fourth month of quarantine? Hey, we beat that! President that is more concerned with own power than human lives? Check. Who doesn't leave office until extreme measures occur? Let's see... You know, I really hope the US starts working on fixing its issues soon. I can't fit all my American friends into my room. And so far, I've seen no Captain who was going to solve the problems for them.
A bit shocking to see the similarities between what the writers came up with with what’s going on in the states right now. Good fun and revealing video. Good stuff 🙂
Don't forget the totally nonpolitical story arc where the Dominion occupied DS9 and Kira, Odo, and Quark were falling into complacency because everything still seemed so normal. Despite the war, life on the station and on Bajor went on. Businesses were open, people continued with their lives, the Bajoran economy was even getting a boost from the Dominion. The war and descent into fascism didn't affect most people so a lot of people didn't care. Even the protagonists were getting into a routine of maintaining the status quo for the Dominion because they were so far away from the destruction and death and they didn't see any suffering or slave labor like during the Cardassian Occupation so they could rationalize helping to keep order under the Dominion regime.
i dont hate political scifi or fiction but I hate it when it gets preachy. Like expanse, it has characters who are idealistic, left, right, extreme right, etc., but none of the side is shown as superior. Each of their cons and pros alter the story causing fans to ask questions and form opinions, it is better than saying ai bad or communism stupid
You're right; there is absolutely no resemblance of what happened in this episode, because Shakaar isn't part of a group that were complicit in the eroding of freedoms of the Bajoran people and paving the way for the truly evil Kai Winn. Also, Kai Winn is a tactful mastermind and not a narcissistic buffoon who was able to unravel Bajor's entire government through her simple self-serving nature. And a vote for Shakaar wouldn't mean that the Bajoran elite could go back to pretending absolutely nothing was wrong while all of Bajor continues to teeter on the brink of disaster and another Kai Wiin waits in the wings.
I love this video so much. I only wish you'd made it 2 weeks earlier. We just did our TVA episode about the Bajorans and you brought up so many great points that I wish we'd mentioned in that.
You know, you can still hate Trump whilst acknowledging that Russia-gate was bullshit. Everything else you said was on point, but it's hard to take people seriously when they're still buying into that crap.
So hello, I am a former Lutheran missionary and grew up Republican and work in the financial industry. I am the poster child for Republican values. I already voted and I voted for Biden. The amusing thing about the political parties is that they don't really split on the issue that split them. Is the United States a Democracy or a Republic and furthermore a democratically elected Republic? Yeah, the conservative vs progressive thing was not the issue. Both parties contained both. But things consolidated and both parties became largely conservative. 🤦♂️ But the progressives gravitate to the Democrats and the Republicans are largely opposed to all progress so they go full on Conservative and Evangelical too so that's fun. Thing is the parties are not representing the people much but right now the Republicans are basically Nazis and they have followers who like that. Not all but some. Thing is the ones who just think "I am conservative and I am getting called a Nazi" are more a liability than anything else. Look, you can be whatever you want but right now there is a clear and present danger in the executive branch who is beholden to a foreign country and he needs to go. So in times of crisis we the people of the United States have always been able to set our differences aside and work together to fight the threat. So everyone vote for Shakar! I mean Biden, vote for Biden. Let's move forward together because we the people need to heal. We need to rebuild the relationships that have been the bedrock of this country. When people start running over their neighbors with trucks, they have clearly gone too far. This poison needs to be expelled and the demon exorcised. Trump needs to go. Ok I step down from my soap box now. We need to make peace with each other and that will not happen with Trump running his mouth and inciting the people to violence against their own family. Because our country is one big extended family. We all depend on each other and we have a lot more in common than we have to fight about. In words based on the style of a boring but basically alright man. Come on Jack, get real here. We're all in this together because we're all Americans and we need to remember that before it's too late.
"Dramatic music as we push in camera dramatically as we fade to black to go to the title credits" Damn it Jesse why do you hate my morning coffee so much? You keep making me do spit takes with breakfast.
When someone says science fiction shouldn’t be “political” that is a political statement. It’s an enforcement of that status quo and rejection of anything that would question or criticize it, or authority in general.
On one hand, sci-fi can speak in allegory about a lot of topics , including politics .
On the other , that approach can have two flavors : the presentation of a situation from two or more points of view (allowing both for subtlety and having the audience arriving at their own conclusions) , and the approach that turns off some sci-fi fans , which is a ham fisted "this is right, this is wrong , THE END" type of mono-thought .
@@Robotrik1 Ideas don't hurt me. I don't agree with Orson Scott Card's personal beliefs but he's still a good writer.
@@trekjudas -- Fair enough . :)
and not at all a display of complete ignorance (and/or poor reading comprehension) regarding the history of sci fi as a literary genre
@@hitokirihobbit exactly, sci fi itself was a reimagination of a new world. So how could it not be political when you gotta rethink everything that constitutes basic human ideas and politics
"Workers of the World, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains." - Rom, uttering the most apolitical line in all of DS9.
I'll never forget O'brien tackling Worf over his opinions on unions.
@@stranger59 "He was more than a hero. He was a union man."
@@dwc1964 o'brien will always be my favourite for this episode alone. he never pulled his punches... literally
man, there were no politics at all with the purely non-commentary comic relief Ferengi.
I recently encountered a guy who said there was 'absolutely nothing communist' about DS9. When I reminded him of that episode, he claimed unions are 'inherently capitalist'. I'm still trying to work that one out.
Vote for Shakaar: he's never worn the Sydney Opera House as a hat.
I can imagine Nana Visitor going to the writer's room, kicking the door in and saying, "If you're thinking about Dukat and Kira hooking up, STOP IT! Stop that shit right now!"
I do like that they kept his interest in her. Her returning it would have been unacceptable.
@GozerTheTraveller diddnt he not know kira was her daughter until after walz though?
@GozerTheTraveller yeah, its more likely that he did know, but at the very least he would have definitely recognised kiras name, so even if he diddnt know for certain its still very squick.
@GozerTheTraveller yeah, easily one of the best performances on the show imo.
@GozerTheTraveller It's amazing how you can root for Dukat despite him being such a b*stard, great acting!
I used to think DS9 was one of those new Trek political SJW shows, but you have shown me that I was just reading into it too much. It's nice to know now, I can go back to blindly enjoying it for the work of completely irrelevant fiction it was meant to be.
For those who may not get it.... /s
Yeah, all those DS9 haters were right - this show that never went anywhere and was supposed to be episodic all the time was totally full of gun-grabbing left-coast 'Murica hate spewing socalists, and them gayz!
(Sarcasm approves this message.)
Well, politics at least, SEEMS different now, than it used to. And 'bad guys' may be written with a lot less depth. Less of both sides on display.
I do find it interesting that even in fiction, Americans can only imagine having two choices...
Sorry if ruining the subtlety but yeah it's the result of Americans being made belief Dems and Reps are completely opposite parties instead of two sides of the same coin. Different approaches? Variations on economic and even foreign policies? Yeah, complete change if one of the other won everytime? Not at all, after all there's a reason they are the only two parties avoiding America falls into a civil, race or class war
If folks think DS9 is apolitical, I bet they'd love how apolitical B5 was as well. And both shows were on at about the same time. Such apolitical allegory, much mindless scifi fun, wow.
Actually, DS9 was a plagiarism of B5. That's why they're similar. CBS had the series outline for Babylon 5, as well as scripts for something like the first two-thirds of the first season, for like a year before they turned the show down. Even some of the characters had the same names, so lazy plagiarism at that.
STAR TREK ISN’T POLITICAL
Me: *laughs in Deep Space Nine*
and in the OG
@Hans Hanzo
I was specifically joking about from the beginning star trek is political.
Certainly not that ToS episode with the black/white guy and white/black guy trying to kill each other. That was just pure TV make-believe.
@@daverhoden445 And certainly not that one where Kirk goes to the planet that developed just like Earth, except that WW III broke out and the US lost, and he has to explain the meaning of the Constitution to the decedents of those Americans.
When your Kai played Nurse Ratchet in another life, you're in for a bad time.
Damn. Beat me to it
@GozerTheTraveller she's a amazing actress. You can tell because I become instantly infuriated whenever I see her face.
@@marshmello3455 Alan Tudyk (yes *that one*) had a couple of villain roles in the late aughts... and I don't know exactly what it is, but he puts his Villain Face on and I have an immediate, primal need to KILL IT WITH FIRE. It's a compliment, I swear!
@@marshmello3455 Per an interview, Louise Fletcher said that when she sat in on the test screening on "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and the audience cheered when she was strangled, that was the moment she knew she did a good job.
Don’t forget the worst grandmother ever in flowers in the attic. I was terrified of her as a child. Which means she’s a great actress
6:59 Jesus Christ this hits way too close to home. DS9 writers were goddamned Prophets. (See what I did there?)
🤣🤣🤣
There were several episode (some referenced in this video) that show the DS9 writers were at least in contact with the Prophets, if not Prophets themselves.
I have had three friends vote for Kai Wynn the first time because you know she seemed like she just wanted to put the Bajoran values back where they used to be, Make Bajor Great Again ,but now they realize that mistake after her bumbling with all the current events, especially with the plague ravaging bajor, so they have committed to voting for shakkar
better than my friends who voted for her because they thought she'd be more entertaining.
What I couldn't not hear: "Bajor, just a few years earlier, gained its own independence from the Kardashians..."
That's because they got kicked off Spacebook.
LOL if our country had independence from that crap reality show, maybe people would pay more attention to actual reality.
Nahhh. Too many Americans are lazy AF
I’ll be watching DS9, and they’ll mention Cardassians, and my mom in the other room is all, “Kardashians?!”
XD
Ferengi would be influencers promoting dodgy brands that give you rashes or make your hair fall out. All for that sweet sweet Latinum
Totally not political. Nope. Not at all. Star Trek has never, ever been political.
You'll be happy to know that while I am a proud citizen of Trill, I'm Bajoran on my mother's side so I am eligible to vote in the Bajoran election. Just today I sent in my absentee ballot for Shakaar.
You left out the time the show created sexual tension between Chief O'Brian and Kira while she was carrying his transplanted child.
What a surprise he was helping her out of the bath and giving her massages
..... wut? They did what now? 😳
Dang, I gotta watch some DS9 now that I'm an adult! I was too young to be interested in this boring grown-up political stuff - which was obvious to me as a kid 😂
So this video was extra funny to me 😆😆
Then there's the least political of episodes, you know, the one where Rom directly quotes Marx as a good "hewmon" value opposing Ferengi greed.
Or the frighteningly prophetic two parter about Sanctuary cities and Graham Bell, yeah, totally casual spaceships going pew pew.
Those two have absolutely no political issues. And have absolutely no lessons to be learned and applied to current times 😉
@@Naa45702 Move along, nothing to see here, Aamin Marritza died of Kalla Nora syndrome at Gallitep, and Kay Winn is the strong leader that'll make Bajor great again.
You still here? Oh well, off to the dilithium ore processing center with you.
How about the one about the Federation government giving the military near unilateral authority in the wake of a terrorist attack. Aired in 1996!
@@dawnmcauley6411 Boi that was another one.
TOS: We aired the first interracial kiss in American TV, predicted cellphones, and literally MLK had to convince one of our major cast members to stay.
TNG: We predicted tablets.
DS9: *Clears throat* We predicted the homelessness crisis of the 2020's, the episode we predicted the Patriot Act, was written the same year of the Olympic Park attacks in Atlanta and we once did a Socialism were Quark's employees literally unionize.
DISCO: Ok, why am I getting all the shit again?
granudisimo I’d like to add
TNG: predicted the very bad reactions to trans and nonbinary individuals. Ideas of terrorism being complicated, military powers over reach (evil admirals), the fact we’re going to have to develop ethics on AI, and digital music library
"orb reveal party" stop I almost spat coffee on my keyboard, oh god.
What episode was that?
That was..... amazing.
As a long time Star Trek fan, I often forget that not everyone knows EVERY SINGLE DETAIL of these characters' stories like many of us do. I appreciate the unobtrusive background you give for the uninitiated.
My inner-nerd was raging at a few parts lol. "But-but-but the subtlety! The nuance!!! Psh, *SPOILERS* about Bareil!!!" Oh well, people gotta start somewhere I guess lol
I love Kira’s really apolitical backstory about that apolitical holocaust
Do people not understand the significance of having a Russian officer on the bridge in the 1960s?? The entire show from the start has been to press a specific political message. One where humans stop hating each other for stupid reasons.
Great video btw! I'm now a new subscriber.
Less sassy remark.
Jessie, your content is straight plasma fire. Star Trek has been making political statements since the first season of TOS. I also push back agaisnt the idea that fiction should not comment on reality, when... that is the entire point. That is why we tell stories. To entertain, to enlighten, and to encourage action. Any story that fails to do that gets lost in time. It is the important stories that allows us to reflect upon ourselves and our realities that stick with us throughout the ages, generations, centuries, or even millennia.
If Star Trek did not try to inspire us, or show us our shortcomings as a species, would we still be watching it?
The Cracked.com site once had an article that said "Literary fiction is about humans. Science fiction is about humanity."
Kira as the Bajoran perspective character and main opponent of Winn is an interesting choice, or at least development.
Nobody would accusse Kira of being a secular moderate pacifist preaching tolerance and forgiveness. And even she is horrified by Winn.
DS9 remains my absolute far and above favorite of the franchise.
I was hooked from The Emissary on.
I lurved this post.
Thank you, young woman!
You and Steve Shives have a way of articulating my feels for ST way better than I'm usually able to.
VOTE.
Also yes, LeninAde is dreadful and that's deeply unfair.
Well of course Tom Riker wasn’t technically a clone. I always felt he was underused and could have been more valuable/ important to Star Trek- there were a lot of missed opportunities there.
this is not an idea i created, but i actually think it would have been cool to have will riker leave to become a captain and have tom riker join the enterprise crew. that way they could have riker finally become a captain without frakes having to leave the show, and it would have added a new dynamic to the cast. and then will riker could come back for stuff like the finale
IMO full-grown clones in sci-fi shows are just a cheap way to keep the actors happy and interested, not unlike mirror universe characters. I cn enjoy them for that reason, but IMO they are best used sparingly. It feels a bit too contrivingly "soap opera" to have established characters suddenly have a "mystery twin" for dramatic effect. I can enjoy those stories, but they do pull me out of the narrative a bit.
Should not have listened to this on earphones at work. I LOST IT at “orb reveal party.” ^_^
I've only just found your channel recently and I'm only 2 and a half minutes into the video, but I just had to pause to express how much I love your content.
You’re an incredible presenter! I love how you emote and can educate/encourage useful debate while also making us all smile and giggle a bit. Thank you 💜💜💜
This was totally priceless! While, you kept showing scenes of the faith leader Ms. Win all, I could think about was the fact that Captain Sisko is a central figure in the religion of the people of Bajor. He has visited the prophets, receives visions from them, and is their Emissary yet, Ms. Win has very little respect for him even though the prophets have never spoken to her not even when she looks directly inside one of their probes.
I've been calling 45 the Grand Nagus since day one.
The Grand Nagus at least had economic scene. 45 has the Lobes of Gorn
Grand Nagus has talent and actually tried to bring economic growth and stepped down to allow a progressive new leader in a mixed relationship who supported labor theory of profits and economics
Zek would be insulted. He's never filed for bankruptcy.
I have to clarify. I mean no insult to Zek or Rom. Both were
outliers as Grand Neguses and Ferengis. Yet it is not hard to picture most who held the role are in the ilk of Quark, Bok, Brunt or the greedy, classist, sexist, xenophobic orange troll (Kira and Lwaxana's word) in the U.S. oval office right now
He hasn't got the lobes!
"Workers of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains" - Ron (cit.)
I think you mean Rom 😉
"For those of you haven't watched Deep Space Nine" those poor, poor souls.
Ngl I never got super into Star Trek generally, but I am OBSESSED with DS9 rn
18:32 "Misla province is literally on fire due to an Orb reveal party"
LOL I can't even
Like 20 different DS9 episodes went through my head before I clicked and realized you were talking about Shakaar, and THAT'S how political DS9 is. Love you and your videos!
So grateful to my fellow Bajorans for voting Shakaar. He's no Bareil, but still. And great video! Very funny and insightful.
WHY DO I NOT HAVE LENINADE? This is obviously unacceptable.
Well Jess did say she hated it, but kept drinking it for effect with her sarcasm. Such a trooper to continue to drink something nasty for her subs 🤣😂
It tastes like literal Communism and not the good kind.
@@mcbiohazard892 "Enjoy drinking sweat of my brow, comrade!"
I want to get some but not on sale in UK that I can find :(
I watch all your wonderful videos but Omg you outdid yourself. This episode is indeed eerie in the current climate and watching this made me yearn for the days when I could watch DS9 as “something that doesn’t happen here.” I still love the show, of course. Thanks, Jessie. You’re brilliant! 💜
Ah yes, this is totally not a political science fiction show. You got a spare leninade I can drink with you comrade? 😅
Is drinking Leninade similar to being red-pilled?
Ok, let's address the orange elephant in the room. For a very LONG time, people who are now complaining about political subtext in Trek never noticed it before or gave it a second thought until 2016 when they started criticizing the Trump administration. That's the exact moment when many of them first noticed or CARED that Trek and sci-fi in general even had political subtext!
American politics are fascinating, in a horror movie kind of way.
"bUt sTaR tReK iS nOt pOlItIcAl"
This episode is absolutely brilliant. Loved it Jessie
isn't it funny how real life rips off sci-fiction....i mean....the audacity of these real life politicians plagiarizing DS9
You, my lady, have won my subscription with this video! Hats off!
I have been lurking and seen a few of your Trek videos because of Steve Shives. But the humour in this and timing and framing was just so excellent I'm pretty sure I want to see anything you maight produce in the future. This is one of the most inventive calls to action I have ever seen.
I'd like to share a phrase I came up with a few years ago, feel free to spread it around and use it wherever it seems like it fits:
"If you don't want 'social justice' in your Trek, I suggest you avoid watching any episode that aired during or after *_September 8th, 1966."_*
Neckbeard: Star Trek shouldn't be political!
Me: you mean like the JJ Abrams films?
Them: no I hate those too!
Even then, Into Darkness commented on militarization, escalation, and black ops missions in the wake of a horrific tragedy. Totally apolitical. :)
And the amazing part is that DS9 was already created some decades ago. Shows you that some, ahem, political issues are universal.
Late to this video, but well done! Both wonderfully comedic and also poignant. Hard to pull off both. Also watching after Louise Fletcher passed away, reminds me of how good her performance as Kai Winn was.
Much like the DS9 station, your content is really on fire lately 😊
Congrats on 20k!!!
"These words must apply to everyone or else they mean NOTHING!" James T. Kirk, saying a completely non-political statement that has no bearing nor was in any way a reference to the clash of rights activism taking place during the late 1960's when Star Trek first aired. Nope, nothing political there.
Jessie needs to cosplay as Major Kira with a Bajoran rust-colored uniform and the earring. Or that off-grey / lilac / taupe / what color was hat really technical uniform.
Oh Gods of Kobol this episode of yours was so on point ... You had me laughing my butt off with the sad parallels. Should I laugh? Should I cry? Brilliant, brilliant work here!
As we have the 2024 election coming up soon, please do NOT vote for candidates who would take away people rights to merely exist.
Think about every single person in America when you cast your vote.
Spread the word for freedom and the rights of ALL Americans.
This is now my favourite Jessie Gender video of ALL TIME! And believe me, that's really saying something. AWESOME work!
Deep Space Nine was years ahead of its time. My favorite, favorite spinoff from the original. Fantasy mirroring real life.
Another great video! You’re quickly becoming my favorite youtuber.
Brilliant. How in the world did I not see all the modern day parallels in the plot of Shakaar? Rewatching it right now because of your video. It’s really quite a good episode and I especially like the other members of the resistance cell. Although I can’t quite take Shakaar himself seriously now that I associate him first as Bev’s candle ghost boyfriend in Sub Rosa 😂👻🕯
Deep Space Nine was not only political but was much more to the left than nutrek. What I dont get about the nutrek haters, being one myself, its that. Old trek was more political, and more to the left than nutrek, there will never be a episode like "Bar Associantion" under Kurtzman
Hell, imagine the rage levels if, say, DSC had an episode that had Burnham in the earth past (even to us past) facing real life persecution and bigotry for being black.
Or in the near future taking the place of a revolutionary figure that even had riots named after them, riots that are seen as a positive that made people realize how screwed up things were.
Not only positive but one the fundational events of a future Utopia. Or turn a hyper capitalist and misogynistic society in to some kind of social democracy, like the Ferengi. And we dont even need DS9 to make them angry, take "Cloud Minders", the most pure marxist message that Trek ever gave, and its i TOS
They both made episodes about Trump, the difference is that DS9 made it a good episode while also looking 20 years into the future. Whereas the entire "Picard in 2025" stuff really did not have anything interesting to say. Yes, locking up refugees is bad, but it's just used as a thing to advance the plot.
I saw this little episode called "Paradise Lost". A foreign power creates paranoia and The President declares Martial Law which becomes a Military Coup..
What an alien concept! That could never happen in the real world.... could it? Nah.
Superb Video by the way.
Love your summaries and your half hearted denials of the real world analogs to the characters/governments.
Loooong time watcher, first time commenter...
This is one of the very best videos you've ever put out! I would love more like these!
Somebody: ScI-Fi ShOuLdN't Be PoLiTiCaL
Me: **Laughs in Rod Serling**
As time goes on, DS9 becomes increasingly prescient. And it was pretty amazing on the first run.
The problem is if the Bareil or Busters perpetually accept the lesser of two evils then the that is all that will be offered, and it both just mean decline, wealth inequality, and poverty.
The Pro-Winn political ad could actually be pretty convincing to the masses. (acknowledging that fact and imagining the ad makes my skin crawl) Even Odo points out that to the average person Winn is commendable leader. Only a few people (and the audience) know how evil she truly is. I don't think Shakaar won by a landslide.
BTW, Shakaar's character was awesome and he should have returned more often. (being overly average is under-represented, because we're well... boring) While Kira may have been the liaison officer, there wasn't a whole lot of interaction between the Federation and the Bajoran government. Not including more of that with Shakaar was a missed opportunity, imho.
Shakaar had the benefit of being a revolutionary. He fought the Cardassians while the Vedek assembly was allowed to continue under Cardassian occupation (restricted but still existing.) While Bajorans were culturally a spiritual people, many of them were either slaves under Cardassians or revolutionaries (yes, they were also terrorists but I would compare them to French Resistance then Taliban) while Wynn had more personable charisma,she also was relatively "safe" under Cardassian Occupation. Shakaar meanwhile was a war hero who would've had a mythology around him not unlike Roosevelt.
@@dawnmcauley6411 I don't disagree. There was an interesting scene between Kira and Winn (IDK if it was in the Shakaar episode) where Winn describes to Kira about being beaten by Cardassians for teaching the Bajoran faith. It's such a small scene but it reveals the strength of the Bajoran faith, as well as insight into Winn's character.
By the Shakaar episode the Bajorans had experienced decades of blood, and a couple years of "peace". The thought of putting war behind them in pursuit of rebuilding was pretty desirable. Think Churchill after WWII.
I'm glad Shakaar won, I loved his character! I'm just saying, given what ppl knew about Winn, a positive campaign ad for Winn would be easy to cut together (which is kinda sad).
How the hell do you only have 20K subscribers? Steve Shives pointed me here, and your content is great! Starting to Binge now.
This video is a masterpiece. Amazing work Jessie!
Okay, you got me with the Leninade. I actually love that stuff and drink it at least once a week, but that was the point that I laughed out loud and knew I was going to love this video.
_Vaults over sofa to sit down and watch video_
Into darkness is perfectly fine and dandy for the offshoot alt timeline it takes place in.
Honestly? I would love for this type of video to be a running series for different episodes of Star Trek. This is such a GREAT analysis!
......This video is a thing of beauty, well done! The ads were a nice touch, I don't think I ever cackled with laughter at something in a long, long time 😆
This was quite literally the most eloquent sci-fi to real-world underhanded comparison I have seen on RUclips.
THANK YOU for this video. I was in 8th grade when DS9 premiered, and right from the start, I was hooked. And Vedek-turned-Kai Winn was one of the characters that bothered me the most in the series. Teenaged me did not understand exactly why I disliked her so much (aside from the fact Kai Opaka was AMAZING and I felt so betrayed that she was written out so early on and this other woman comes along and is the antithesis of Opaka, and that Kira disliked Winn so much, TBH), but looking at the things that scare me and disturb me now as an adult, I have a way to understand the character - and what her presence was meant to portray - so much better. Winn's arc is fascinating in fiction, but IRL? It really, really scares me.
This is sublime. Thank you, Jessie. Sharing far and wide.
I had to like and subscribe because this video made me laugh so hard, especially the dramatic music fade away trope. I loved the satire.
😆 Jessie, you are so ornery, when you are doing the 'tongue in cheek' bit. I love it.
I think this might be your best video yet 😀
Your sarcastic videos are right up there with some good late night shows in political satire. Great laugh despite the heavy topic!!
On that note, thanks for bringing that episode back on my mind. I've pointed like everyone I walked across the past few months towards Past Tense, Far Beyond the Stars and Homefront/Paradise Lost, but had completely forgotten Shakaar. I think I have to give it a rewatch now...
Overall, it's eerie just how predictive those 90s shows were. If I just base this off of DS9 and B5... let's see. Riots against social injustice? Check. Rampant racism? Check. Political elites trying to gain/hold/increase power by using fear, spreading lies, or incriminating those with different opinions? Check. Pandemic leading to discrimination and violence? Check. Fourth month of quarantine? Hey, we beat that! President that is more concerned with own power than human lives? Check. Who doesn't leave office until extreme measures occur? Let's see...
You know, I really hope the US starts working on fixing its issues soon. I can't fit all my American friends into my room. And so far, I've seen no Captain who was going to solve the problems for them.
This was utterly delightful, Jessie!
Great commentary and featuring of the episode!!!
I do feel like someone from another part of the quadrant waiting for the Bajorans to vote right now...
Me, grin widening as I watch you go where I saw you were going. Love it.
A bit shocking to see the similarities between what the writers came up with with what’s going on in the states right now.
Good fun and revealing video.
Good stuff 🙂
This was both brilliant and hilarious. Signing up for your Patreon!
Ooh, excellent timing.
I'm excited
Don't forget the totally nonpolitical story arc where the Dominion occupied DS9 and Kira, Odo, and Quark were falling into complacency because everything still seemed so normal. Despite the war, life on the station and on Bajor went on. Businesses were open, people continued with their lives, the Bajoran economy was even getting a boost from the Dominion. The war and descent into fascism didn't affect most people so a lot of people didn't care. Even the protagonists were getting into a routine of maintaining the status quo for the Dominion because they were so far away from the destruction and death and they didn't see any suffering or slave labor like during the Cardassian Occupation so they could rationalize helping to keep order under the Dominion regime.
i dont hate political scifi or fiction but I hate it when it gets preachy. Like expanse, it has characters who are idealistic, left, right, extreme right, etc., but none of the side is shown as superior. Each of their cons and pros alter the story causing fans to ask questions and form opinions, it is better than saying ai bad or communism stupid
So what you're saying is that the writers of DS9 were also writers for The Simpson's.
What an in-depth breakdown of a middle of the road DS9 episode.
I was expecting it to be full of innuendo and sarcasm. 😋
How is the Leninade joke not getting old, and how did you time the ad joke with an ad break!? Absolute gold.
You're right; there is absolutely no resemblance of what happened in this episode, because Shakaar isn't part of a group that were complicit in the eroding of freedoms of the Bajoran people and paving the way for the truly evil Kai Winn. Also, Kai Winn is a tactful mastermind and not a narcissistic buffoon who was able to unravel Bajor's entire government through her simple self-serving nature. And a vote for Shakaar wouldn't mean that the Bajoran elite could go back to pretending absolutely nothing was wrong while all of Bajor continues to teeter on the brink of disaster and another Kai Wiin waits in the wings.
I love this video so much. I only wish you'd made it 2 weeks earlier. We just did our TVA episode about the Bajorans and you brought up so many great points that I wish we'd mentioned in that.
I think this may be your magnum opus. Absolutely brilliant.
You know, you can still hate Trump whilst acknowledging that Russia-gate was bullshit. Everything else you said was on point, but it's hard to take people seriously when they're still buying into that crap.
Where can I obtain this Leninade?
At Quark's bar
@@katherinehecht4222 Want some!
@@Donnagata1409 possibly or we could go to the Klingon restaurant. I hear they serve Romulan ale.
"It's almost as if Kai Winn cares more about winning the game of politics than the sanctity of [Bajoran] life"
Her name isn't Kai "LOSE" after all
Wonderfull sarcastic satire. Well done. Hope it inspires.
I feel tricked. I saw Deep Space Nine and non-political and assumed you were going to talk about the baseball episode.
So hello, I am a former Lutheran missionary and grew up Republican and work in the financial industry. I am the poster child for Republican values. I already voted and I voted for Biden.
The amusing thing about the political parties is that they don't really split on the issue that split them. Is the United States a Democracy or a Republic and furthermore a democratically elected Republic? Yeah, the conservative vs progressive thing was not the issue. Both parties contained both. But things consolidated and both parties became largely conservative. 🤦♂️
But the progressives gravitate to the Democrats and the Republicans are largely opposed to all progress so they go full on Conservative and Evangelical too so that's fun.
Thing is the parties are not representing the people much but right now the Republicans are basically Nazis and they have followers who like that. Not all but some. Thing is the ones who just think "I am conservative and I am getting called a Nazi" are more a liability than anything else.
Look, you can be whatever you want but right now there is a clear and present danger in the executive branch who is beholden to a foreign country and he needs to go.
So in times of crisis we the people of the United States have always been able to set our differences aside and work together to fight the threat. So everyone vote for Shakar! I mean Biden, vote for Biden. Let's move forward together because we the people need to heal. We need to rebuild the relationships that have been the bedrock of this country. When people start running over their neighbors with trucks, they have clearly gone too far. This poison needs to be expelled and the demon exorcised. Trump needs to go.
Ok I step down from my soap box now. We need to make peace with each other and that will not happen with Trump running his mouth and inciting the people to violence against their own family. Because our country is one big extended family. We all depend on each other and we have a lot more in common than we have to fight about.
In words based on the style of a boring but basically alright man. Come on Jack, get real here. We're all in this together because we're all Americans and we need to remember that before it's too late.
Jessie.. you are something else. Brilliant video, brilliant take. So, so good
"Dramatic music as we push in camera dramatically as we fade to black to go to the title credits"
Damn it Jesse why do you hate my morning coffee so much? You keep making me do spit takes with breakfast.