10 Times Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Went Woke
10. Homelessness And Mental Health Class Divide
We have already penned an article breaking down the inspiration behind the Bell Riots, so it comes as no surprise that Past Tense, Parts 1 and 2, are examples of Deep Space Nine making direct statements on homelessness and the mental health crisis in the 1990s.
Two of the biggest inspirations behind the so-called Sanctuary Districts of 2024 were the Attica Prison Riot of 1971 and the Kent State Massacre in 1970. Increased restrictions on prisoners' rights primarily caused the Attica Riot, though the direct catalyst was the shooting of George Jackson, a prominent member of the Black Panthers. The Kent State Massacre saw the shooting of unarmed protestors, there to decry the ongoing US presence in the Vietnam War.
While those real-world events helped to shape the Districts themselves, the treatment of Sisko, Bashir, and Dax upon their arrival in the 21st Century was a deliberate and clear statement on race and class divide. As per our interview with writer Robert Hewitt-Wolfe, Sisko and Bashir, played by Avery Brooks and Alexander Siddig, who are both men of colour, were quickly deposited in the Districts, while Dax, played by the caucasian Terry Farrell, is found and cared for by a wealthy passerby.
Within the Districts, there are no prospects for those who are down on their luck to escape and rebuild their lives. There are literal and metaphorical walls erected to block them from view, resulting in the eventual Riots, fuelled by their need to tell their stories to the outside world.
Though the initial story pitch contained the idea of the Districts, neither Hewitt-Wolfe or showrunner Ira Stephen-Behr knew that Mayor Richard Riordan's Administration was about to propose an open-air, fenced-in camp for homeless people in LA.
Past Tense contains allegories to those prior events, then-current events (however coincidentally) and also predicted the extreme wealth divide that would be so prevalent in the 21st Century. Though not exclusively depicted through a racial divide in the episodes, the class divide leaves no room for confusion.