re: Paramount Erasing James T. Kirk From Star Trek Franchise?

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The success of that series is due to the popularity of the three white male leads.

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And beloved female leads as secondary characters: NUMBER ONE, Nurse Chapel and Uhura. Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura is indeed hailed as a breakthrough character because she was black and female at a time when much of network television was lily-white.

Certainly that is noteworthy. Yet what made Uhura an enduring icon — and what indeed made all the recurring characters on TOS such enduring icons — is that Nichelle Nichols was given a well-written character to portray.

As a kid growing up in the 1970s and watching Star Trek in syndication, that Uhura was a black female was not what made her a fan favorite. No, what made Uhura a beloved icon was the fact she was a complex and multidimensional character ably portrayed by a talented (and beautiful!) actress.

That is what indeed separates well written and complex drama from woke schlock. In woke schlock, the primary concern is to create a “Mary Jane” who simply marks “diversity” checkboxes: female, ethnic, homosexual, transgender, etc….

Certainly Gene Roddenberry’s vision for ST included a diverse and multi-ethnic cast. Yet that concern was secondary to employing talented writers who could create believable and multifaceted characters who a wide audience could embrace.