‘Strange New Worlds’ Discrimination Metaphor Would’ve Been Stronger as a Queer One
Season two, episode two of Paramount+’s Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was a beautiful reminder of Starfleet ideals and the importance of holding institutions accountable. However, the execution of the central metaphor of the episode—Illyrians as a persecuted minority—was messier than it needed to be.
**SPOILERS for episode two of SNW, “Ad Astra Per Aspera.”**
KHAAAAAAN!
“Ad Astra Per Aspera” focuses on the court-martial trial of Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn). Her crime? Not disclosing that she’s Illyrian and genetically modified when applying to Starfleet Academy and hiding it throughout her career.
Some history: Khan Noonien-Singh (from the Star Trek episode “Space Seed” and a little movie called The Wrath of Khan) and his merry band of modified humans thought themselves superior to other humans, causing the Eugenics Wars and killing millions. After that, the Federation banned genetic modification and banned worlds with genetically modified species from full Federation membership. Starfleet barred genetically modified individuals and species from enlisting.
One such species is the Illyrians, for whom genetic modification is a cultural practice. Rather than terraforming the worlds on which they live to suit them, they modify themselves to fit their worlds, making them highly adaptable.
Growing up Illyrian
Una was born on an Illyrian colony that was given provisional Federation membership the year before she was born on the condition that they’d immediately cease all genetic modification.
Many did, but Una’s parents did not, seeing it as important to their identity as Illyrians. Hostilities from both non-Illyrian Federation members and Illyrians who went along with the ban made life difficult for “augments,” forcing the Chin-Rileys to hide the truth about Una.
In a flashback, Young Una’s (Anna Claire Beitel) leg has been injured, but her parents hesitate to bring her to a hospital, fearing discovery. Had they not found an Illyrian doctor willing to care for Una in secret, she would’ve died from infection.
As things got worse for Illyrians (newly-augmented in particular), the colony was divided into Illyrian and non-Illyrian areas. The Chin-Rileys moved to the non-Illyrian part of the colony and hid Una’s status, unlike many of their Illyrian family and friends—like Una’s childhood friend Neera Ketoul (played as an adult by Yetide Badaki).
Her cousin Ivan was subjected to persecution after his augment status was discovered by another child. After being subjected to hate speech from kids at school, he was arrested and imprisoned at 10 years old, along with his parents.
This inspired Neera to become a civil rights lawyer but caused a rift between her and Una. She was always angry at the Chin-Rileys for “passing” in the non-Illyrian part of the colony, and angry at Una for joining Starfleet, an institution that would never knowingly accept an Illyrian.
Overall, this episode of SNW is well done, and the clearest point it makes is that while yes, Una broke the law, “a law does not make something just.” Less successful is the mixed metaphor used to illustrate the plight of Illyrians.
What does “passing” even mean for an Illyrian?
Neera is angry at Una for “passing” and using that privilege to move to the non-Illyrian side of the colony and eventually to join Starfleet.
A specific choice was made to cast a dark-skinned, Black actress as Neera, and this lends her lines added weight. Badaki has lived experience as a person who can’t pass for anything other than Black. When she expresses Neera’s pain, the symbolism of that is crystal clear.
Except that both Neera and Una are augmented Illyrians, which is the defining marginalized characteristic in this case. We’re not really told what modifications Neera has other than knowing she’s able to survive in a hostile atmosphere, nor are we given an example of what modifications would make it difficult for an Illyrian to pass more than a glowing immune system would.
“Passing” is a conditional privilege at best if you can’t go to a hospital, because the second they give you more than a cursory examination, your status will be revealed and you fear the repercussions.
In one of the best quotes of the episode, Neera says,
“Slavery was once legal. Apartheid was legal. Discrimination against people for how they worshipped, how they loved, gender, the color of their skin…all legal at one time or another. A law does not make something just.”
Zero lies detected in the above statement, but the way it includes mention of so many kinds of discrimination also encapsulates how the episode wants it both ways: to provide a prominent metaphor for the experience of racial or ethnic discrimination while also being a catch-all for discrimination in general, making the episode’s all-important central metaphor murky as hell.
In trying to cover everything, it also inevitably leaves things out. For example, Neera doesn’t mention disability at all, which could be the subject of a whole other piece, as the notion of modifying one’s body to survive a hostile environment is relatable to anyone who’s ever used a wheelchair, or had a prosthetic limb, or taken medication to manage neurodivergence or mental illness.
Still, while the episode seems to be trying to cover many bases at once, Una and Ivan were under constant threat of being discovered due to how their bodies worked, not what they looked like day-to-day. Meanwhile, we’re not told what, if anything, gives Neera away. Her anger is purely based on her choice to live openly and Una’s choice to protect herself by not disclosing.
Don’t ask (about one’s augment status), don’t tell
As presented, the discrimination experienced by Illyrians seems more closely analogous to that experienced by the LGBTQIA+ community, and failing to more specifically lean into that does the episode a disservice.
Sexuality can’t be discerned on sight, unless someone has adopted visual signifiers of queer culture, or we see them with a same-gender or non-binary romantic partner, which we might never do—not because they’re hiding it, but because who they’re with is none of our business unless they choose to share.
There are stereotypes about queerness that we jokingly treat as supposed clues, but gender expression and sexuality are different things. There’s no way to declare someone’s sexuality unless you ask them or they tell you.
When it comes to transgender, non-binary, or intersex folks, sure, many “pass” for cisgender, but 1) passing as cis isn’t something they necessarily want, and 2) going to a doctor can be as fraught an experience for them as it was for Una and Ivan in that anything beyond a cursory examination might reveal things that they’d rather not reveal until they know they’re with a safe person.
It’s understandable if, as a survival tactic, a person chooses not to disclose.
That said, there are different thresholds of understanding in the LGBTQIA+ community. Some respect the above and see the decision to come out as a personal one. Others see not coming out as a betrayal of the whole community. Neera saw Una’s survival tactic as a personal betrayal and a betrayal of Illyrians.
This’s strange, considering that Neera’s cousin was imprisoned because of something that is also true of Una. Both of them had glowing immune systems that could give them away. Una is also “an Illyrian who can’t hide that she’s Illyrian.”
For Illyrians, the decision to augment their children is “cultural,” but culture isn’t just a product of race or ethnicity. The queer community has a culture. The trans community has a culture. The deaf community has a culture. Calling something “cultural” isn’t enough when describing a discriminatory experience. What type of culture do you mean?
Answering that question would’ve helped. Knowing more about the genetic modifications some Illyrians undergo that truly can’t be hidden would’ve helped. I wish Neera would’ve had one of those and that it would’ve been made as clear to us as Badaki’s skin color, if the writers had wanted to draw a stronger parallel about race or ethnicity. Without having more knowledge of the types of modifications Illyrians undergo, or an example of that experience as a reference, all we see is two Illyrian women making choices.
However, the issue of inter-group conflict is a fascinating one, and Una and Neera’s relationship is ultimately what makes the episode so satisfying. No marginalized group is a monolith, and as much conflict as they face from the dominant group, inter-group conflict can make an already marginalized person’s life even harder.
Also, Una and Neera hold hands and give each other knowing looks a lot in this episode. They have a romantic history too, right? I mean, right?
(featured image: Paramount+)
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
