Star Trek: Discovery has become even more relevant in the post-Trump era

Observer

"Where Trek established itself as a franchise with heady concerns, Discovery is openly sentimental, often depicting its characters crying, hugging and smiling," says Joe George. "But in the series’ third season, emotional moments enable Discovery to do what Trek has always done: comment upon our political reality. In the (even farther) future, Discovery’s crewmembers find that their beliefs are as outdated as their tech. A mysterious cataclysm has rendered warp travel nearly impossible, and most planets have turned isolationist and hostile. With Earth and other key worlds withdrawing, the United Federation of Planets has been reduced to a weak coalition, its power vacuum filled by a criminal syndicate called the Emerald Chain. Most people simply look out for themselves, dismissing those who espouse Federation principles as 'true believers,' idealists out of step with the real world. For Americans who watched Discovery‘s third season as it was released during the final months of the Trump administration, it’s hard to miss comparisons between the beleaguered Federation and our own embattled democracy."