On the Starfleet Academy fan hate

I need to say something.  The fan reactions/vitriol/hate surrounding Starfleet Academy are getting out of hand.  I am personally not a fan of the series, although that is not to say I hate the series.  If anything I find the series unnecessary.  Yes the idea existed for quite some time before it was realized by Kurtzman and co.  The show is not in fact horrible, or "woke" or "too gay" or whatever other inaccurate descriptors the toxic side of the fandom like to apply to it.  Fans, including influencers like Nerdrotic and Critical Drinker among others deride the series for being so progressive, having two LGBT couples on the series (Jayden Kraang and Kyle, and Lura Thok and Jett Reno.  I say so what?  This is not new to Star Trek.  Discovery, which this series is a direct spinoff of had Stamets and Culber.  Star Trek is and always has been about inclusivity, diversity and tolerance.  This was a big part of Roddenberry's original philosophy for Star Trek, which later manifested in the canon as a major piece of Vulcan philosophy: IDIC, infinite diversity in infinite combinations.  The same fans who argue in favor of IDIC and diversity in Star Trek continue to bitch about the gay Klingon, the lesbian relationship between the first officer and one of the professors and the first officer being half Klingon/half Jem'Hadar 800+ years after it was mentioned that Jem'Hadar were only genetically engineered males.  Yes the series has many issues.  I mentioned a number of them in a previous post on this blog.  No many so-called Star Trek fans are celebrating the cancellation of Starfleet Academy after its second season.  The second (and final) season hasn't even aired yet.  It's bad enough that many of these so-called fans immediately trashed the show as soon as the first episode aired.  Now they celebrate its cancellation.  I've never said it was perfect.  It has many issues, both in writing and execution.  But it also has good intentions.  It has heart.  The moral dilemma Nahla Ake faced in separating Caleb from his mother and the fallout from that decision, Nus Braka's criticism of the Federation, the deeper character explorations, The thoughtful, introspective moments, the young cadets starting to discover themselves, these things are all core Star Trek.  Is the storytelling the caliber of TNG or DS9?  No.  But it was never expected to be.  That said, it exists.  It has been produced and released.  Let it be that it is.  And move on.  If you don't like it don't watch it.  But for god's sake quit bitching and ruining it for everyone else.  I'm tired of every review, article and video about the series being negative, bitchy, whiny, trashing the show and celebrating its cancellation.  With any luck this post will be the last I have to say on this subject.  We can only hope.

Comments