Those tags about aos are so valid
for the record i adore tos. it’s weird and sparkly and daring and it was extremely progressive for its time. in those respects, aos has nothing on tos.
but there are certain things about tos that i’ve never seen addressed---or that maybe are addressed by a few people but the majority of the fandom ignores. some examples:
Ricardo Montalban wears brown face in “Space Seed.” it’s possible a lot of fans aren’t actually aware of this because it does look very natural, but it becomes apparent when you look at literally any other image of the guy.
Gene Roddenberry’s antisemitism and how it influenced the depiction of Spock and Vulcans in general
the way McCoy sometimes crosses the line between banter and outright xenophobia
i won’t pretend i’m innocent; i try to avoid discourse at all costs, so i’m not in the habit of pointing out anything potentially controversial. i know we’re all here to have a good time, and i know discourse can be taken too far, can be used as a bludgeon to satisfy one’s own sense of moral superiority.
but more important than all of that is making sure everyone feels welcome in this fandom. to address racism and make sure fans of color feel safe. to address antisemitism and make sure Jewish fans feel respected. i’ve been in this fandom for a few years and i’ve seen discourse come and go. previously, when i saw discussions of antisemitism spring up and then gradually disappear, i would think well, i guess they changed their minds or i guess they decided it wasn’t worth the drama.
i can be pretty slow on the uptake, but i should have realized then that---no, it wasn’t the discourse that was disappearing. it was the fans. it was Jewish fans who no longer felt welcome in the fandom, who were maybe even chased out because people didn’t like them stirring the pot. i can guarantee that the same thing happens to fans of color, and i hope we can all agree that that’s completely unacceptable.
and yeah, people have been tearing aos apart since 2009. that’s eleven years of fans criticizing everything from lens flare to characterization to the exclusion of female characters. and every year a new wave of fans come in and does it all over again---which is fine; they all deserve their say. and i agree with most of it.
but it means that, when i engage in aos content, i’m very aware of every flaw, every criticism, every groan-inducing creative choice. (well, not every. there’s always more i can learn.) i don’t feel like i’m hiding anything, like i’m turning my eyes away from problematic content.
and yeah, i think some fans bash aos to deflect criticism from tos. i once saw someone imply aos spirk was inherently fetishistic, but i’ve seen gross stuff from both sides of the fandom, and it’s up to both tos and aos spirk fans to make sure they’re not fetishizing gay men.
we all need to be vigilant against racism, against antisemitism, against sexism and homophobia, no matter which show or movie series we’re watching.
