10 Most Meta Star Trek Moments

9. Bele And Lokai

Star Trek Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
CBS

In the Original Series episode Let That Be Your Last Battlefield, released in 1969, Bele and Lokai represent the last members of their species. They are each black on one side and white on the other, though their pigmentations are mirror images of each other. Bele says to Kirk, with a completely straight face, that he is superior as he is white on the left side and black on the right.

This simple statement highlights the utter nonsense of racial division. 1969 was the year of Woodstock and the Civil Rights Movement had gained serious attention. Lt. Uhura was seen as a strong, black, female role model, with Nichelle Nichols encouraged to remain in the show by Dr Martin Luther King Jnr himself. The bridge of the Enterprise also featured a Japanese man and a Russian man, all of whom were equal in their rights.

Star Trek was designed to show a Utopian future, with Bele and Lokai serving to remind people that it was an outdated and ridiculous idea, to judge another man or woman on the colour of their skin. It was entirely on the nose and was all the more successful for it.

In this post: 
Star Trek
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"