I rewatched TNG the past few months with the GF, and I was just amazed how gracefully they handled incredibly difficult subjects. None of it felt patronizing, they didn't solve huge issues with one pretentious speech and they didn't take the easy way. There were compromises, but there was also respect to the people who had (according to my perception) ****ed-up ways, opinions and cultures. Both sides of any argument were heard. It was never just good against bad, and it was always about giving others the chance to learn and grow their own way. It's so hopeful, even in the face of something horrible and sad.
Something like this would not be done today in 99% of cases. We're too much about shoving people into boxes, and we all have a high horse. Naturally I hope that's just the cynical side of me speaking, and I hope I'm wrong. But Star Trek - no matter how lame this may sound - made me a slightly less ****ty person. It helped me to see some things in a certain light.
The Orville seems at least to be made in that same spirit, whereas Star Trek: Discovery encapsulates everything I loathe about the current state of media affairs.
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