Submitted 3 weeks ago by ValueSubtracted@startrek.website to startrek@startrek.website
https://xtramagazine.com/culture/tv-film/karim-diane-star-trek-starfleet-academy-gay-klingon-280882
Just to talk about the 500 pound targ in the room: I am unsure if it was ever mentioned how Klingon sexuality works (besides some glimpses into mating rituals in the TNG era and some hints regarding the anatomy in Discovery).
Why should concepts like straight / gay / bi matter in the first hand for an alien race?
Because they’re humanoids. We see ourselves in them. Therefore representation matters.
Homosexuality has been observed in over 5,000,000 mammaloid species, including targs.
Don’t feed the troll, there is no need to allow yourself to be put on the defensive justifying why an LGTBQ character exists. The person you’re replying to needs to make the case for why shouldn’t matter (but they can’t because the reason is they are bigoted).
Because they’re humanoids. We see ourselves in them.
I don’t. I think one of the more powerful aspects of Star Trek has been accepting completely alien lifeforms as inherently valuable without anthropomorphising them. We can accept the value in life without making them just like us. That’s a cheap writing technique to shortcut any kind of important world and character building, or moral uncertainty. This is one of the reasons “new” Trek has been so controversial. Writing is as subtle and nuanced and interesting as a YA novel.
To be clear, I’m not claiming Star Trek has never anthropomorphised aliens. Nor am I claiming it should never do it. I’m arguing it should be done sparingly and only when it serves a more interesting narrative. To make a topical American culture war issue the defining characteristic of a Klingon is easily one of the laziest writing mechanics I’ve seen in Star Trek, ever. It’s beating the audience over the head with a message. Star Trek has always presented moral uncertainty to viewers and allowed them to make up their own minds. This is far more powerful and interesting storytelling. Ironically, this is why The Orville has been such a hit. Despite the comedy aspects, it feels like Star Trek because it’s comfortable with moral ambiguity and treats the audience like adults.
I mean, yeah, i surely understand the real world reasons (especally in todays time), but in-universe?
Homosexuality has been observed in over 5,000,000 mammaloid species, including targs.
It’s still somewhat early where i live and i just now arrived at my desk with my first coffee of the day, so please let me apogly if my question is somewhat retarded, but… was it ever confirmed that klingons (and targs) are canonical mammalian?
Can an alien from alien be gay that would be a fun watch.
Uh… why shouldn’t they?
No offense, but at least match the skin tone of the gum forehead.
Hmm, funny how the first gay male Klingon merits a whole article, but Reno and #1 being happily in love in the same show raises no eyebrows
Stop with the whattaboutism. First of all, it’s literally an interview with the actor about their character.
Secondly, declaring that articles about queer characters can only be allowed to exist if they include some unrelated “both sides” criteria is a clear attempt to silence queer voices.
Alright well thank you for the quick and harsh reply. I maintain that it seems a bit disingenuous and somewhat poor journalism to interview someone about a very specific aspect of a character, like first in history, and completely fail to mention that someone from the exact same species has the exact same character aspect in the exact same show
If by saying they should SAY MORE you think I’m making an attempt to silence, then Kirk I have no fuckin clue what you think attempting to amplify looks like.
Missing the issue entirely.
Problem is the current writers and showrunners declaring “firsts” and patting themselves on the back for things that have already existed in Star Trek.
andrewrgross@slrpnk.net 3 weeks ago
Setting aside a tiny fraction of people who – as Diane points out in the article – make their living farming outrage, does anyone actually care about a gay character on Star Trek in the year 2026?
Also, I assume that many of the Klingons we’ve seen on Star Trek over the years were gay. I think he’s just the first Klingon which was identified to the audience as gay.
tacosanonymous@mander.xyz 3 weeks ago
I care. It’s pretty cool.
MadMadBunny@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
Same. And Diané absolutely rocks the character. A+ acting.
Kirk@startrek.website 3 weeks ago
According to Karim’s recent AMA here, yes, a lot. I’m old but I have to imagine it’s a lot harder being a queer kid in 2026 than it was a decade ago!
Also yes, the headline makes it clear this is Star Trek’s first gay Klingon. Not *the Klingon species’ *first gay member.
ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 3 weeks ago
Well, yes - plenty of people care about, and celebrate, representation.
bufalo1973@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
“A Russian in a USS ship? This cannot be”
“A bald captain? This cannot be”
“A woman captain? This cannot be”
…
The same people that said Tilly didn’t belong in ST because weight are the same that say people in STA are too good looking. Chose one side, people. Either “no non perfect people” or “no beautiful people”, not both.
Grail@multiverse.soulism.net 3 weeks ago
Wait, people think Tilly is fat??
grue@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Being overweight is in an entirely different category than the other attributes you mentioned because it’s a choice, and more importantly because physical fitness is directly relevant to a soldier or sailor’s ability to perform their duty. In fact, the show itself addresses this: there are scenes that show Tilly jogging around the ship so that she can get a “physical endurance commendation” and be more likely to get into the Command Training Program.
If she were a civilian character, sure: no judgement, no problem. But having an overweight military officer (especially if they hadn’t acknowledged and addressed it the way they did) would be problematic in a legitimate, non-judgemental, suspension-of-disbelief-defying way.
(That said, I don’t think Tilly was anywhere near big enough for fan complaints to actually be legitimate. I’m just saying that, in principle, that category of complaint could be legitimate for that type of character, in contrast to complaints about race/sex/hair that are never valid.)
Grail@multiverse.soulism.net 3 weeks ago
I like how he rocks the skirt, I’m glad SFA finally resolved the skirt thing by having absolute gender chaos.
kieron115@startrek.website 3 weeks ago
Worf: I do not see why it is necessary to wear these… ridiculous uniforms.
Riker: Protocol.
Worf: They look like dresses.
Riker: That is an incredibly outmoded and sexist attitude! I’m surprised at you. Besides, you look good in a dress.
Lucky_777@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Depends what platform you’re on. Facebook? Omfg. They think the whole series is worth abandoning because of the “woke” agenda. Even though ST has been woke since 1960.
Personally, I don’t give a fuck. Kind of like in a game. If a character turns out gay, then so be it. I have no emotion towards it. Overall Academy is a fun series. Just finished the Stars episode with The Doctor and Sam. Fantastic episode. Looking forward to cleaning up the first season
Kirk@startrek.website 2 weeks ago
A lot of people didn’t give a fuck about Uhura being on the bridge, but that is not a reason to NOT include her character on the bridge. Just because you don’t consider yourself bigoted does not mean that gay characters should not be celebrated for breaking new ground.
Grail@multiverse.soulism.net 3 weeks ago
I prefer every player-romanceable character in video games to be bi. If an NPC is monosexual, they should go date another NPC. If a character is ace, then there’s no problem. But I don’t like monosexual characters that date one player character but not the other.
Tattorack@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I care on how it’s done, what the writers do with it. I despise the current writers of Trek and they haven’t been able to make a single interesting topic, or do anything interesting with the topics they borrowed.
I hear “gay Klingon” and all I see is another excuse to call everyone who hates NuTrek a bigot.
andrewrgross@slrpnk.net 2 weeks ago
You know, there’s a solid case to be made for what you’re saying, but you should know you’re not doing a good job of making it.
I think there are people who would agree that the choices seem shallow or pandering (not a claim I’m making, just recognizing others might). But if you don’t say clearly why the writing disappoints you, you don’t have any justification to be indignant when people assume that it’s because you’re a bigot.
I’m not accusing you of that. I’m just telling you how your comment reads.