David Gerrold on Star Trek and Social Justice

David Gerrold, the writer of “The Trouble with Tribbles,” posted a response on Facebook to an article that’s been making the rounds, complaining about how the “SJW Glittery Hoo Ha crowd” is DESTROYING science fiction. Said article references Star Trek: The Original Series as an inspiration for engineers and other “real” SF fans.

Here’s an excerpt from Gerrold’s response:

I was there. I know what Gene Roddenberry envisioned. He went on at length about it in almost every meeting. He wasn’t about technology, he was about envisioning a world that works for everyone, with no one and nothing left out. Gene Roddenberry was one of the great Social Justice Warriors. You don’t get to claim him or his show as a shield of virtue for a cause he would have disdained.”

“Most of the stories we wrote were about social justice. “The Cloud Minders,” “A Taste Of Armageddon,” “Errand Of Mercy,” “The Apple,” “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield,” and so many more. We did stories that were about exploring the universe not just because we could build starships, but because we wanted to know who was out there, what was our place in the universe, and what could we learn from the other races out there?”

“Star Trek was about social justice from day one.

The full post is on Facebook, and is very much worth reading.