10 Most Controversial Star Trek Episodes
8. Despite Yourself
Aaron Harberts, when speaking about the death of Hugh Culber in this episode of Star Trek: Discovery, surmised that audiences who likened the scene to the Hollywood trope of 'bury[ing] your gays' didn't understand him as a writer. That said, he, Wilson Cruz, and Gretchen T. Berg all felt inclined to emphatically state that Culber's death was not his ending.
The episode, from the show's first season, garnered immediate backlash from fans of the character, and LGBTQIA+ audiences, despite the writers consulting with GLAAD in advance. Having one-half of the franchise's first openly gay couple killed in so brutal a fashion was a shock, though it was also a disappointing one.
The assertion that Culber would return, ironically, did the episode a further disservice. Killing Culber on-screen, then stating so clearly on social media that he would return, gave a very mixed message. Was he dead, or wasn't he? This was Star Trek, after all, so what did death really mean (unless your name is Dax?)
Despite Yourself suffers from leaning into a Hollywood trope, understanding that it will absolutely be seen as a part of said trope, and then backpedaling hard to show that they're not part of it - thus gutting the drama involved. The resulting muddled presentation lacks a true emotional hit, one which arguably doesn't truly find its feet until the following year.