Star Trek Discovery Goes Fully Political: Stacey Abrams (D) Stars in Finale

That Park Place is not a political website. Covering a politician playing the “ruler of Earth” in an entertainment series makes that a difficult venture. We hope the following article expresses our disdain for having the two mixed, especially as it forces our writers to tangle with politics when we give every effort not to do so.

It does not take much effort to see that the film industry seems intent to merge closer and closer to one side of the political spectrum. Though Hollywood has been associated with the Democrat Party of the United States for decades, the actual promotion of Democrat Party candidates, politicians, and the political class has not often occurred directly in fiction. That seems to be changing.

Star Trek Discovery is a show that has very poor audience reception. That’s not a subjective opinion. According to Metacritic, the audience score for the show is a very low 3.5. Star Trek Discovery is also a show that seems determined to promote politics at a level most entertainment would feel uncomfortable participating in… even if their entire crew votes in one way. Maybe that is what happens when you have no audience any longer?

So it is that Star Trek Discovery has cast Stacey Abrams, the former gubernatorial candidate who lost an election in Georgia. Her role is “ruler of Earth”. That’s no joke. And when you cast a failed politician as a politician in a show, it can only be assumed that you are projecting views upon that person. It might also be an effort to bolster a future political run, although Abrams is not (at this time) running for any office.

This video has double the number of dislikes as likes. Is that because of Republicans or because the average person doesn’t want entertainment merged with politics?

Then there’s the issue of “hero worship” on the set. Take this quote from The Huffington Post:

“We spent so much of our time fanning out and pretending to be cool in her midst. She’s a legend in the making and a civil hero, and she was an absolute delight to work with … and she whipped out some acting chops too! It was an honor for me as a Black woman to stand with her in the story.”

— Sonequa Martin-Green

Can you imagine a world in which the cast of a show is “fanning out and pretending to be cool” around a Republican or conservative politician? 

The problem is that when you combine entertainment with politics, you lessen the entertainment. When entertainment mingles with only one side of politics, an unbalanced reflection of the human experience is portrayed. Entertainment is supposed to transcend, but merging it with political efforts only leads to the ugly taste of propaganda. It would be this way with the merging of either political party and entertainment, but in the current age, only one political party receives this treatment.

The lowering of quality for the sake of political messaging isn’t good for streaming profits either…

According to their recent tweet, all episodes of STD are on Paramount Plus now.

Which is the single greatest reason not to get Paramount Plus. pic.twitter.com/BBeLS6ZQfT

— Doomcock (@doomcock) March 18, 2022

That’s the sort of sentiment you get when you use a franchise as a vehicle for campaigning. You might agree with Doomcock or you may despise Doomcock, but politicians in starring roles are what give rise to vehement dislike of a property. Artists once knew that and didn’t sully their work with the politicos and the powerful. Speaking truth to power was once what made original series like Star Trek so successful… now the franchise is a way for power to speak to those who will listen. That’s a shame. Here’s to a future where Star Trek transcends once again.

For all the latest news on things that should be fun, keep checking out That Park Place. Am I wrong or right in this article? Let me know in the comments below!