While mixed race have been a current topic in the US back in the 1960's and 70's, it is becoming more and more topical in Europe. For me, those character who came from mixed relationships of sometimes slightly or very different species have always been the most interesting. I wouldn't pinpoint a certain episode, these characters were interesting as they navigated through the series.
The first such character is, of course, Spock. Being half Vulcan and half Human his struggles with his rational and emotional self very much resembles the struggle many people have. In the current corona panic, when emotions have taken totally over in many countries, it is especially topical. I think his character was originally also desigend to bring the issue of Anti-Semitism into the forefront. Apart from the Vulcan hand greeting being derived from the Kohanite hand, Spock is often seen by others as the oh-so-clever guy which can also be considered a reference to Jews, the people of the book. He is mocked for this enough to identify this as an opportunity for defamiliarisation and reflection
Deanna Troy is another interesting mixed-race, mixed culture character, but while Spock is the archetipical Jew in the series, it is Deanna who has the world's most typical Jewish mother.
Intra-racial marriages also happen, and especially Dax and Worf in Deep Space Nine and B'Ellana and Tom Paris in Voyager are great opportunities to reflect on the current discourse in Europe about the possiblity of including new cultures or the lack thereof. I think watching Star Trek and discussing these characters can help the discussion on the so much needed change of approach in some parts of Europe. We don't need to look far back: attacks in France in the past few weeks remind us what the price of forceful assimilation policies is.
The Next Generation episode The Chase is one of my favourites and basically reminds us of having the same ancestors even if we are different.
Photo: intl.startrek.com
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