Star Trek Discovery season 2 megathread

[Karha of Honor]

Because she could easily be seen as a woman inside a man or a man inside a woman allegory. And Trek, imo, thrives on allegory and metaphor and subtle symbolism.

Why doesn't she just do a surgery witrh the magical Trek tech?

[clearspira]

Because she could easily be seen as a woman inside a man or a man inside a woman allegory. And Trek, imo, thrives on allegory and metaphor and subtle symbolism.

I think you would have to reach massively to easily see that tbh.

[Yukaphile]

I see it. And I'm not a trans person.

[clearspira]

I see it. And I'm not a trans person.

No offence, but you are the only one I know who has brought it up.

[Yukaphile]

Cuz I love me somes full-blown LGBT representation! XD

[Makeshift Python]

That’s the one ding against the ex-wife story is that it’s Jadzia tapping into her memories of a male’s love for a woman, as opposed to just a straight up woman loves woman story. Otherwise, Jadzia never shows any interest in female characters throughout the run, and the only straight up lesbians we ever got in Berman Trek were in the Mirror universe episodes, which is very problematic.

If it was really a trans allegory, not only would the show have tried to play more into it with Jadzia throughout the show but the writers would have been a lot more upfront about it.

I’ll never forget the time Berman and Braga talked about how they’ll do an episode about homosexuality for ENT, only to be nothing like it at all.

It’s crazy in retrospect to look back on how television in the 90s was really pushing for taboo subjects except Trek because Berman was just another typical “let’s only play it safe” producer.

[clearspira]

That’s the one ding against the ex-wife story is that it’s Jadzia tapping into her memories of a male’s love for a woman, as opposed to just a straight up woman loves woman story. Otherwise, Jadzia never shows any interest in female characters throughout the run, and the only straight up lesbians we ever got in Berman Trek were in the Mirror universe episodes, which is very problematic.

If it was really a trans allegory, not only would the show have tried to play more into it with Jadzia throughout the show but the writers would have been a lot more upfront about it.

I’ll never forget the time Berman and Braga talked about how they’ll do an episode about homosexuality for ENT, only to be nothing like it at all.

It’s crazy in retrospect to look back on how television in the 90s was really pushing for taboo subjects except Trek because Berman was just another typical “let’s only play it safe” producer.

Exactly. I find any allegory just runs into the exact same problem: it is not her, it is a man in her mind. The only way this would have worked is with substantial flashbacks to before she was joined. And given Profit and Lace proves that you can have a sex change in hours, what is the dilemma anyway? Wake up, book a day off, become a man. Hardly representative of what life was like today or in the 1990s.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

It’s crazy in retrospect to look back on how television in the 90s was really pushing for taboo subjects except Trek because Berman was just another typical “let’s only play it safe” producer.

You mean like Friends? Whose touch on transgender identity held up really well by today's standards.

[Makeshift Python]

I’m one the few that never even got into FRIENDS, so I wouldn’t know what you’re referring to. Was more thinking of other contemporary 90s dramas like LA LAW with its first gay kiss and TWIN PEAKS with David Duchovny playing a transgender FBI agent.

[MixedDrops]

Jadzia was not meant to be a trans allegory IMO, but if transgender viewers get some value from her struggle I think that makes the interpretation valuable on its own. Basically one of those "death of the author" things.