10 Times Star Trek Showed Us That There Is A Chance At A Progressive Future
9. Depicting A Genderless Species In The Early '90s, Though Not Without Missteps
The J'naii were introduced in Star Trek The Next Generation as a way to tackle LGBTQI issues in the future. The entire planet was peopled with genderless aliens (all played by women), one among them, Dr. Soren, expressing to Riker that she was a female, and wanted to explore what it meant to be such.
The episode has the best of intentions. It depicts a totalitarian system shutting down this expression of other, with the tragic hero of the story re-educated to conform with the doctrines of the orthodoxy. Even Riker can't save her, despite his attempts to rescue her with Worf. Soren thanks him for trying, then smiles as she returns to her previous life.
It is a heartbreaking ending, highlighting the plight that many LGBTQI people have faced through conversion therapy. Jonathan Frakes felt that the episode may have hit more of a message if Dr. Soren had been played by a male actor, as, right or wrong, it would have hammered home the fact that in the 24th century, humanity would have evolved past such issues.
The Offspring, while a beautiful episode on its own, is still somewhat lacking, as was The Host. Star Trek would take its time on the issues that LGBTQI people encountered, though it would get there eventually.