star trek is great bc sometimes it’s like “this alien culture is a transparent but hopeful allegory for race relations in the united states” and sometimes it’s like “wouldn’t it be fucked up if an alien sucked all the salt out of you“ and sometimes it’s like “this story is a nuanced examination of traditional gender roles through the lens of a far flung future society” and sometimes it’s like “these aliens based their entire social structure on an old book about 1930s mobsters”
