Anthropology and Aliens Samuel Delany explains that racism is systemic – good in

Question

Anthropology and Aliens

Samuel Delany explains that racism is systemic – good intentions do not prevent it, and personal guilt has no place in solving it – and the world of SF is no exception. How did you respond to his personal experiences of and views on racism? Can you relate? Do you have other examples? How do you see racism as systemic and not interpersonal in your own world?

While watching Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, can you identify....

-        Orientalism in portraying Khan?

-        Noble/ignoble savage in Spock and Khan?

-        Racial utopianism in the multiracial casting?

-        Legacies of colonialism? Interesting to note that the original title of the film, pre-release, was Star Trek II: The Undiscovered Country

Explanation / Answer

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary. Also, I have not answered the first half of your question, as your teacher has asked you about your personal experiences and how you relate to it. I have answered everything about Star Trek.

(Answer) The character Khan Noonien Singh first appeared in an episode called “Space Seed” in the original series of Star Trek that aired in the 60’s. In order to better articulate a response to all of these questions, one much analyse the story of this particular episode. It would help us comprehend the film, “the wrath of Khan” a lot better.

In the episode “Space Seed”, the crew of the original star-ship Enterprise 1701 finds an abandoned space colonial site that contained a few abandoned cryogenic pods. These pods had human bodies in them. The crew helps revive these people. By the culmination of the story, Khan turns out to be the leader of the pod-people. Khan is a conniving individual who along with his “pod-family” was a specially bred “mega-race” of humans. He felt his race was superior to others and hence wanted to commit genocide to every other race until only his own were to thrive in the universe. Fortuitously, the crew of the enterprise thwarts his attempts and exile Khan and his mega-race to a desolate planet

In the film “the wrath of Khan”, we see that Khan knows of a rule set by the Star-fleet. This rule entails that any prisoner exiled on a planet deserves to receive regular checks. These checks would help ensure that prisoners would have their daily needs taken care of on the planet and that it was safe for living.

Captain Kirk completely forgets about this clause and does not check-up on Khan and his family for years. Khan’s expectant feelings turn into more hate and vengeance for Kirk and races other than his own.

All of this is reminiscent of the first and second world war. Germany undoubtedly had a big part to play even in the First World War. After Germany was blamed for several mishaps of the war, the country was not included in the ‘League of Nations’ that was set up after WW 1. This was one of the causes that infuriated the group called the Nazis, who believed that they were a mega-race and sought to purge their nation through the genocide of other races.

After World War 2, a more efficient peace-keeping league called the ‘United Nations’ was established. This would ensure that such an error of exclusion for exclusion, does not take place again.

Orientalism – Khan’s name is of Islamic origin, his last name ‘Singh’ is of Sikh origin. Furthermore, he and his “family” have swarthy skin tones and some of them looked a little north-Asian.

Nobility – We see two separate mega-races. The Vulcans for their intellect and strength and Khan’s race for their strength and purebred blood. We see the Vulcan nobility being exhibit through sacrifice, courage and egalitarianism. Also, we see Khan’s ignobility spring out through eugenics.

Racial Utopianism – Spock is an alien, Hikaru Sulu is Japanese, Chekov is Russian, Kirk is American, Uhura is Swahili and the bridge of the Enterprise consists of several other races working in unison with a mission to explore and establish harmonious relationships all through the galaxy.

Colonialism – The undiscovered country is not really about colonialism, although the title may beckon one to assume so. It is about the destruction of Praxis, the Klingon moon. It is when the Klingons finally want to establish peace, although things go wrong when a Klingon Chancellor dies and Kirk and McCoy are blamed for it.

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