Star Trek: 15 Most Culturally Significant Episodes
10. Demons/Terra Prime
Star Trek has dealt with racism from the very beginning, mixing in with paranoia and bigotry. As early as the first season, Balance of Terror showed us that Kirk had no time for the racism showed toward Spock, simply down to his appearance.
Demons and Terra Prime somewhat expands on this, building the theme of xenophobia and Earth for Humans Only into the mix. Obviously, it hardly needs to be said what this idea reminds us of at the moment.
It is important to note that in this story, while Phlox comes under fire as well, it is the Vulcans who become the main targets of Terra Prime and John Paxton, played by a cold Peter Weller. They have always been linked with Star Trek, with Spock being the very first alien ever seen on screen.
Using them highlights that while Star Trek has an expansive universe of races and cultures, racism needs only the idea that there is the basest of differences to latch onto. If you are not like us, you are not one of us.
This story came in the early years after 9/11, with the world in a heightened sense of fear over 'others'. Enterprise took the brave step of attempting to show the futility of these fears here. That these episodes would comprise the last time we saw the crew before their holographic finale means that, for its last hurrah, Enterprise went out with one hell of a message about peace and understanding.