10 Times Star Trek: Voyager Went Woke
3. Crew Diversity
You might be forgiven for thinking, 'But aren't all Star Trek crews diverse?' The answer is yes. Right from the start, The Original Series took care with the diversity of its cast. And yet, as Voyager began airing, headlines like Now for a Politically Correct 'Star Trek' appeared.
Even by Star Trek standards, the diversity of the Voyager crew was evident in the very best of ways. Voyager was determined to convey the message that bringing more points of view, life experiences and cultures to the table enriches all of us.
For the first time, we had a female captain leading a show...but more on that later. B'Elanna Torres is of mixed human and Klingon heritage, but her actor, Roxann Dawson, also brought Latino representation to the cast. Tim Russ played the first prominent Black Vulcan, Asian American Harry Kim headed up Operations, and the first officer's seat was filled by a Native American character.
Although, we do have to lament that the representation of that particular culture wasn't up to scratch, a fact that Robert Duncan McNeill has been vocal about on The Delta Flyers podcast. The hiring of Jamake Highwater, otherwise known as Jack Marks, as a Native American consultant was meant to give Chakotay authenticity. But his claims of Cherokee ancestry had already been publicly challenged years before he was tasked with shaping Chakotay's biography. In the end, the shallow nature of some of the research surrounding Chakotay does show onscreen.
Meanwhile, Tim Russ sometimes found himself in the bizarre situation of having to defend Black Vulcans even existing. In an interview with Cinescape, he said:
...people like to see themselves on television. If a minority sees a minority, he'll watch it. People can identify with these characters - and beyond demographics, this is supposed to be the 24th century, by which time [race and gender] are no longer factors.
And of course, it's not just a matter of diversity. How we represent minorities is just as crucial. Speaking to Star Trek: Voyager Magazine, Russ said:
...Tuvok is a well-respected, high-ranking officer in Starfleet. That aspect is very important. People are always asking me how there could even be a Black Vulcan.
Online chats from the time are still around, arguing about Voyager's 'political correctness', even referencing a lack of white males in the crew.
But the ethos behind this diversity wasn't just representation. It was about showing people from all walks of life working together. In A Vision of the Future - Star Trek: Voyager, executive Tom Mazza is quoted:
People love to see interesting characters. They like to see them working together as a team. It's important. People want to have hope.