Work Text:
ϱ/starfleet
u/zzybrooding
so when are we going to talk about starfleet’s diversity problem lmao
Comments:
anticipatingwarp
FR THATS WHAT I’VE BEEN SAYING!!! like if you’ve ever been on a fed starbase they are ALL humans, or at least humanoid!! it’s weird, esp compared to a lot of private bases i’ve visited, like even the ones founded by quote unquote “backwater planets” have more species diversity and accommodations for different symmetry and limb counts
contemptbby
No it’s a genuine problem that no one wants to talk about I’m in my 4th year on the command track and I’ve only had like 6 non-human profs in the entire time I’ve been here. In most of my classes I'm the only non-humanoid and every time i try to bring it up to my Terran friends they just don’t get it and it’s so frustrating.
trudyanorak
I am completing my fifth term in theoretical engineering and have had similar experiences; I am frequently the only facultative biped in my classes, which has created awkward situations in physical education courses. As well, I have found many of the residences ill-equipped for species that require excess moisture in order to reach a dormant state.
andromeda_sick
The dorms are the worst fr, I’m human but in first year my roommate was a Betazoid and like. What were they thinking she was absolutely miserable for two months before they transferred her to a private room
trudyanorak
That sounds like an unpleasant experience.
antimite7
yeah i can’t tell you how many of my non-terran - especially non-bipedal - friends have dropped out of starfleet like i don’t blame them, the only reason why i’m still here is because i’m stubborn and need my student visa lmao
kane_ite
why are you looking for diversity in the military lmao
uss-blazer
Are you for real right now? That’s such a reductive view of Starfleet and its current goals and achievements. Like yes they have a military history, but their focus has been on exploration and diplomacy for the last several centuries. Not to mention all the humanitarian aid they provide, and their medical and technological advancements. I’m not saying that we should ignore the past and Starfleet’s history, but I think it’s safe to say that the Federation has learned from its mistakes and shouldn’t be judged today for things it did hundreds of years ago.
gol_ish
the brass isn’t gonna fuck you lol
kane_ite
bootlicker
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10_acity [Moderator]
Keep it civil guys come on
kr_nite
Fr I can’t believe Starfleet is still saying “where no _man_ has gone before” like come on.
tell_eurpoa
Omg we are NOT bringing up the mankind vs humankind bullshit, it’s FINE that man is short for human okay it’s not that deep, you’re just policing language and there’s no point to it
no_other_stars
I mean the Federation is still awful at recognizing more than 12 sexes like you CANNOT just group them into categories??? It’s the Terran-centrism again of trying to neatly organize things while ignoring the very real and nuanced differences
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anticipatingwarp
oh my GLORB someone punt this terf back to the dark ages lmao what
bk_complex
I can’t believe you made me read this with my own seven eyes and three feelers
arc_haze
Okay and? That still doesn’t change the fact that all of Starfleet AND the Federation’s language is still Terran-centric. It’s not a gender point that’s being brought up, it’s that “man” is a simultaneously vague and exclusionary term. Like is it humans? Humanoids? Either way it’s ridiculous they haven’t changed it.
t1nn3nt_ty
"man" is a traditional terran term and i dont think it's our place to judge what terms they want to use to describe their citizens. you shouldn't try to judge it based on your own cultural standards - terran has a long history of binary roles and, regardless of how limiting you personally find it, it's not your place to criticize it.
arc_haze
Wtf are you on. First of all, we're not just talking about some small Earth institution, we're talking about the United Federation of Planets. I'm not a citizen of Earth, I'm a citizen of the Federation and it's fucked that the terminology used is so outdated that it isn't even inclusive of gender and sex concepts outside of ""man"" or even non-humanoids. Idk what point you’re trying to make here other than showing your non-humanoid prejudice.
tell_eurpoa
AGAIN using "man" as short hand for "human" is not a big deal my lorzos
arc_haze
Why are you being deliberately obtuse about the point I'm trying to make here. It's not about Earth's primitive concepts of gender and sex it's the fact that the Federation uses outdated language that excludes the majority of its citizens.
heisen_brr
Hey primitive is a slur against humans watch your fucking mouth(s)
fur_n_flora
for the last time primitive is not a slur against terrans you cant be prejudice against the dominant race lmao name one planet where humans have been subjugated other than earth by members of their own race.
brad_of_prey
I think that’s kinda unfair, isn’t there a Vulcan on the Enterprise? That's the Fleet's flagship, it’s a big deal
wap_speed
Uh yeah but that’s one Vulcan. I heard he’s half human anyway, so that barely counts. He’s probably just there for good PR considering how chummy the Feds and Vulcan are.
xo_rizza
OMG you can’t say stuff like that!!!
ar_gone
Dude shut the fuck up 1) that’s racist and xenophobic, and 2) I was on the Enterprise during a six month rotation, and Mr Spock is the first officer AND head of the science department. He’s damn good at his job and he isn’t there for “”PR”” or whatever the fuck.
ruung_ore
Okay logicfucker lmao
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t_heen_rr
WAIT you were on the enterprise? That’s so cool!!
ar_gone
I wasn’t there for that long, but yeah lol it was quite the experience
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10_acity [Moderator]
Not the place for this discussion guys, and you’re not supposed to be speculating on the personal lives of Starfleet personnel. If you want to do that go to a gossip form.
ccali-cclass
Wasn’t there a Kelpien first officer too? On some science vessel? I can't remember the name and every time I try to look it up I can't find anything.
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beta_whomst
what happened here?
ion_you_glad
Section 31 got em lol
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stallintor
Imo it’s kind of unrealistic to expect Starfleet to be able to provide accommodations for every species, and honestly trying to do so is kind of unsafe? Like there are some species that require constant acid exposure and ships need to be made to accommodate that. It sounds really dangerous for something as delicate as, say, a Phylosian to be on board. Like I’m all for diversity, but sometimes it’s just not feasible.
1987491_113
Well they could try harder? Even the door sensors don’t work for me because I’m about 10% matter and 90% energy, and that seems like an easy fix to me. Like I know it’s unrealistic to expect the replicators to fulfill all of my dietary requirements considering the high radiation count, and I’m fine with taking supplements, but something as simple as being able to move through the ship without a matter-being there? That’s ridiculous.
_rrr_gorner_
Genuinely the Federation could put more effort into funding branches for non-humanoids. They have the Intrepid for Vulcan, but of course there’s nothing like that for any species like T’nars so I’m either stuck on a ground assignment or I have to wear a pressurized suit if I’m not in my ship quarters.
phot_onyx
Not to doxx myself but I’m non-Terran and in communications (not affiliated with the Federation but I’ve done some contract work for them and the Fleet) and there are a LOT of issues with the universal translator that stem from the legacy of Earth colonialism and Terra-centrism. It’s really frustrating how limiting it is, and I tend to completely forgo using the universal translation and speak in whatever language is being used if I can
tlan_kshir
I agree. I am a linguistics professor at the Martian College of Liberal Arts, and Federation Standard is an incredibly limiting language. Students whose mother tongue is Standard struggle significantly with concepts like fluid and transient gender articles, and temporal-variant syntax.
pro_teehee_s
nooo i was thinking about joining starfleet (canNOT get funding as a xeno-microbial specialist anywhere but the fleet rip) but when i visited the san fran campus it was just SO awful for anyone with more than six limbs or radial symmetry. i was offered a tour of a california class so we’ll see how that goes, but i don’t have high hopes tbh.
xo_rizza
Ugh it is so frustrating when the only people who’ll give you funding are military :/
pro_teehee_s
ikr??? and the private sector is sooo hard to break into, i'll prob have to just suck it up and join the fleet to get my foot in the door :<
strry_skss
Not to play devil’s advocate but that’s not everyone’s experience in Starfleet. I haven’t had any issues with the Fleet, not at the academy and not as an ensign. Everyone has been super respectful and accommodating, and I've never felt alienated, pardon the phrasing.
zzybrooding [OP]
tell me you’re human-passing without telling me you’re human-passing.
iridi_dumb
most awkward experience of my life was getting taught a course on andorian culture by a human :///
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iridi_dumb
how about you stfu im andorian and grew up on a starbase so sorry if i’m not keen on getting taught about my culture by a terran through an earth-centric lens
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lincheee
I had the same thing. I majored in xenoanthropology and took multiple classes on Aurelian literature and history, and all but two of my professors were humans, and only one of those was Aurelian. It’s not even that those professors weren’t knowledgeable or engaging, it was just very disheartening to be told to stay on topic or get a bunch of pitying looks when I spoke about my own experiences.
iridi_dumb
fr how hard would it be to actually get members from those species to teach those courses? like starfleet sent out that missive about wanting to “make spaces” for other species, but they still won’t hire anyone but humans :///
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crrrp_blue
what the hell that's a pretty fucked up thing to say about orions out of NOWHERE
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pion_sighon
No Starfleet is also super weird about augmentation too, I could tell you stories for days. It's better now that I have a ship placement but at the academy it was awful. Their rules about what is and isn’t allowed as an aid during exams are so vague, and half the time the proctors will kick you out for using augments you need to write the exam with. I literally had to write a deferred exam because they didn’t believe I couldn’t disconnect my memory augment without wiping my storage bank entirely. Tbf my prof was PISSED about it and really apologetic, but it’s a systematic issue and it’s such bullshit
anticipatingwarp
THIS i’ve been side-eyed for having a respiratory aid like bruh sorry your 20% oxygen atmosphere is toxic to me, not all of us have lungs that can withstand constant oxidation
shh_kshh_iii
One word: nepotism. I can’t tell you how many cadets and junior officers I've met who are legacies with some great-great-great-great grandparent who ““discovered”” (read: colonized) xyz planet in the Alpha Quadrant. It’s so uncomfortable when they brag about it like there aren’t members of colonized species sitting next to them in lecture.
contemptbby
It’s not just the students too it’s the instructors. If I have to listen to Admiral Kelsey talk about his great-great-great grandmother “liberating”” the Uridia colony I’m gonna spew peroxide all over his desk.
tlan_kshir
It seems the professors should be required to take more courses on adequate conduct in teaching environments.
arc_haze
I don’t know why everyone is so surprised about this. The Federation is just the continuing legacy of early and pre 20th century Terran colonialism. It wasn’t enough for them to commit genocide and assimilate their planet’s own inhabitants, they had to do it all over the galaxy. Starfleet has good PR, but the second you pick up any history book on Earth it’s super obvious that they haven’t changed.
uss-blazer
So you’re just going to ignore the Prime Directive? The Federation has taken a very clear and active anti-colonial stance to allow civilizations to develop on their own terms in their own time. Besides, Earth isn't the only planet with a blood history, you'd be hard-pressed to find a warp-capable world that hasn't had that kind of violence.
arc_haze
How many times has the Prime Directive been broken? And those are just the times we know of - the Feds are pretty keen on keeping that kind of shit out of the newscycle. Besides, we're not talking about other planets, we're talking about Earth because Terrans are the ones who founded the Federation. So yes I think they should be held accountable for their history of genocide and subjugation when they're the ones deciding which planets are ""civilized"" and which ones aren't.
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arc_haze
Oh so we’re just supposed to thank them for fixing the problems they caused in the first place?
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10_acity [Moderator]
PLEASE do not start up discussions of the Romulan Neutral Zone, it’s the second rule and I know you can read
ruung_ore
Tbf to terrans, vulcan also played a big part in founding the federation and they arent much better
ww_ww_ww497
youre making insane xenophobic assumptions about vulcans. does IDIC ring a bell? that's a vulcan philosophy and the founding principle they brought to the federation.
ruung_ore
Lmao why are you going to bat for vulcan do we have another logicfucker here theyre crawling out of the woodworks
ww_ww_ww497
shut the fuck up i'm a refugee from the klingon war and i've been a citizen of vulcan for over a decade. they're an immensely private people and for good reason but i have never felt more welcome by humanoids than i have by vulcans
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10_acity [Moderator]
No discussion of the Klingon War either ffs
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t_k_h_h_y
Dude what the fuck keep your xenofetish to yourself jfc
antimite7
real life isn’t holoporn 🙄
10_acity [Moderator]
Congratulations everyone, this thread is now being closed and we’re adding three new rules to the form. I hope you’re all happy.
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