10 Times Star Trek Showed Us That There Is A Chance At A Progressive Future
6. I Am Black On The Right Side. I Fail To See The Significant Difference?
Highlighting the pointlessness of prejudice, Star Trek met this tackle head on in the third season episode Let That Be Your Last Battlefield. Bele and Lokai are both from Cheron, a world torn apart by civil war. The two sides of the war hate each other deeply based on their preconceived notions of what is more important - to be Black on the right side, or to be White on the right side?
The foolishness of this argument is both baffling to the crew of the Enterprise and to the audience watching. Looking at the two men, they are virtually identical, save for their colouring. Why then should they hate each other so deeply for something so insignificant?
This question is not answered in the episode, which in itself is Star Trek's way of answering that question. The answer is that there is no answer - it is as pointless as it seems. And, by the episode's end, it is clear that this hate-fuelled drive to destroy each other has consumed not just their lives, but the lives of everyone on their world.
Star Trek offered a stark glimpse at how destructive racism and prejudice can be, reminding the audience that by letting hate consume you, there can often be nothing left.