Space, the Feminist Frontier

Book excerpt: For nearly 60 years, Star Trek has imagined humanity's future while reflecting its present. Star Trek: The Original Series debuted with three male leads, but in the wake of a Trek renaissance that began with Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, additional series have explored the frontiers of representation, making the present moment ripe for new critical engagement and thoughtful reflection on the narratives that have shaped the journey thus far. Using the lens of feminist criticism and theory, this collection of essays presents a diverse array of academic and fan scholars engaging with the past, present, and future of Star Trek. Contributors consider issues like Klingon marriage, Majel Barrett's legacy, the Bechdel-Wallace test, LGBTQ+ representation, and more. They offer updated readings on legacy characters while also addressing wholly new characters like Michael Burnham, Beckett Mariner, and Adira Tal. Their essays provide some of the first critical examinations of the newest additions to the Trek franchise, including Picard, Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks.