In this week's show, we talk about the cancellation of Star Trek Discovery and Prodigy. In 2017, Star Trek: Discovery made a significant leap forward in LGBTQ+ representation. The character of Lieutenant Stamets, played by Anthony Rapp, became the first openly gay character with a significant role in the series. The show not only acknowledged his identity but also portrayed his same-sex relationship in a natural and positive light. This marked a significant milestone in Star Trek's commitment to inclusivity and LGBTQ+ representation.

The subsequent series, "Star Trek: Picard," continued the tradition of queer representation. It introduced a transgender character, Gray Tal, portrayed by Ian Alexander. This marked the first time a transgender actor played a transgender character in the Star Trek franchise, further demonstrating its commitment to authentic representation.

Star Trek has played a significant role in advancing LGBTQ+ representation in popular culture; it has sought to challenge societal norms, promote inclusivity, and provide a positive representation of LGBTQ+ characters. Those franchise boldly continues to be recognized as a pioneering force in the realm of queer representation within the science fiction genre, Paramount+ seeks to remove some of the shows from its network, claiming "low ratings", only we do not know what those ratings are and therefor have to trust this is not another "whitewashing" of our queer characters.

Intro music by Jahzzar “Please Listen Carefully” "Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA" and Outro music by Scott Holmes “Acoustic Indie Folk” @ [email protected].

Editor: H. Greystone via FinalCut Pro

Writer: G. Thoren