Postcolonial TV Sci-Fi: Earth 2

Perhaps the most sophisticated series in approaching postcolonial themes is the short-lived Earth 2. Earth 2's political correctness made STNG look like an exercise in humor by David Chappelle. Virtually nothing politically incorrect was said, perhaps to the series detriment. On the plus side, the series concern with political correctness meant that the producers of Earth 2 took especial care to make sure that all sides of an issue were presented (for instance, Earth 2 has one of the most realistic portrayals of a working class character in sci-fi, in the form of Danzinger). The series took particular care to look at humans from the alien point of view, the aliens being Terrians and Grendlers. Unfortunately, however, the series had a tendency to resolve all the alien-human conflicts peacefully, easily, and without apparent effort on the part of the human beings involved. The Terrians were presented as Gaia-type aliens, condemning Earthers for the rape of their land. Therefore, while the aliens were portrayed positively, there was more than a touch of condescension to Native American culture and spirituality. Sci-fi has simply not been able to adequately deal with the "native", at least in cinematic format. Of all the series I've seen, only Blake's 7 and Babylon 5 truly had an understanding and sympathy for colonized populations. Earth 2 does too, to a limited extent, but that is unfortunately diluted by the clumsily-constructed plot devices and general ineptness of the script department.

Postcolonialism and Science Fiction: Star Trek, TOS

Well, I thought I'd begin a series on postcolonial thought and sci-fi, tracing the development of colonial themes in science fiction. Let's start with the original Star Trek. On the plus side, obviously, there is the Prime Directive, which voices a Western fear of interfering with less technologically developed cultures. There are, of course, some paternalistic aspects to the Prime Directive: It assumes, for instance, that technologically inferior cultures will also be less socially developed. But the Prime Directive also serves as a meaningful expression of distrust against the then dominant "Westerns" colonial narratives of shows like Bonanza and Gunsmoke. The practice of arming natives is condemned in "A Private LIttle War" , a particularly elegant attack on U.S. colonial policies in Vietnam. Less welcome critiques of colonialism come in "THe Apple" and "The Return of the Archons", in which Kirk seems to be an arbitrary decider of entire cultures's fates. Star Trek always had to balance the needs of weekly television with its desires to be politically correct, and in the case of postcolonial narratives, the series suffered by the demands of weekly television. However, compared to the traditional non-sci fi narratives of the 1960's, Star Trek: TOS was a quantum leap forward in sophisticating postcolonial arguments. It should therefore be celebrated, but with caution, for some of its episodes (see the Paradise Syndrome) betray an uneasy racism along with their appeal to techno anti-colonialism.