Lit Ignorance is Bias: The Diversity Manifesto

Well, by that standard we have Ackbar's schoolmates in TLJ too - which, mind you, is still pretty token.

I've said this before, but it's still bizarre to me how much of a better mixture of species the Lego TFA shorts had in comparison to TFA itself.

 

All things need more Aeryn. And I say this as someone who was never quite able to get into Farscape.

EDIT:

And continues.

 

CG is a different ballgame--the LEGO people probably already had those head models lying around.

 

I'd appreciate a bit more diversity of color among the new species as well. I'll confess I miss some of the bright, outlandish colors used in the PT. The new species are all much more organically colored in earth tones, but I'd love some wild ones too.

--Adm. Nick

 

What the fish-man said.

 

I'm starting to wonder if these people exulting over the unprecedented groundbreakingness of TLJ have ever actually watched another Star Wars film. like...

has he even seen the original six films, or is that he's so easily distracted by superficial cool that it took the cartoonish unbalance of Kylo Ren to make it click? Like... Maul and Vader are not cool! They're tragic! the dark side of all the films is "torn apart, self-destructive rage, impotent rage, destructive and toxic emotions that only end up hurting." Did he even watch the prequels? It's not subtle!

Though I guess with this take, at least (unlike the bulk of the other's I've read) I actually feel like he watched the same movie I did; we just came to very different conclusions about it. Like: he notices, and I agree, that the women in this film exist essentially to provide Very Valuable Lessons to their male counterparts. I don't think that's a positive thing, though, nor do I think it makes the film feminist: how can it be, when the central characters, the ones doing the growing and around whom the narrative revolves, are still the men?

 

Also diversity within species. Loved RO's Mon Cals.

 

Thanks to you lot I've now got an Aeryn vs Kylo confrontation in my head, where she kicks him in the family jewels, smacks him into a wall and then blasts a large hole in him with that cannon she likes to lug around.

 

Who is Aeryn?

 

Read the last couple of pages!

 

Exactly! You gotta admire attempts make species more diverse as well:











--Adm. Nick

 

Maybe it's just me but I don't think Mon Cals should have beards.

 

--Adm. Nick

 

Because I'm a nice guy...they've been talking about Aeryn Sun from Farscape.

 

Oh gosh I miss Farscape so much this thread is killing me. This show was a shippers' paradise.

 

I've actually had more recommendations of B5 over the years--how do they compare?

 

B5 was earlier, ran 93-99, Farscape began in 99. So, due to that, it was in a perfect position to learn from both B5 and DS9 and take what they did even further and did so.

B5 is more overtly political, galactic politics, but Farscape does cover that in its own way.

Both shows have excellent ship aesthetics, with some very distinctive designs and tended to be ambitious in what they tried to do.

Both demonstrate well why they're still talked of years after concluding.

Oh, I guess it's unarguable that B5 had the more cursed cast too.

 

I enjoy both B5 and Farscape. B5 is more political, Farscape more of a traditional space adventure show in tone. Both have their own unique flavors.
It's worth pointing out that Farscape's use of puppets gives it a really different feel, it's aliens are more diverse. Farscape is definitely more atmospheric.
I think any sci fi fan should really check them both out.
On the subject of diversity, both shows have prominent strong female characters.

 

Farscape was designed by the Jim Henson workshop and really leans into making its aliens weird. It's also super character driven and emotional while still being fun and, often, actually funny. It's these scenes from Star Wars but for four seasons.

 

Well, now we know what Nick's version of heaven looks like.

 

Severed Mon Cal heads everywhere? Sounds more like Jello's.

 

For some reason, I never really took to Farscape, even though there's no reason I shouldn't have (I actually think it might have had to do with personal stuff I was going through with the people who were most eagerly recommending it to me), so I am, probably unfairly, much more partial to Babylon 5. But I don't think any show has had as ambitious an overarching story as Babylon 5 had.

It just recently became available on go90, which is none of those things but still possibly useful information.

 

@jSarek, do you need to create an account to use go90? Is it free? I have been wanting to watch B5 from start to finish for ages. I only got into it when it was on TV during the Shadow War, it was brilliant.

I'll add that B5 did alien diversity extremely well. There are easily a dozen common species mingling around the station, half a dozen unique major powers, and another dozen minor powers all shown and used regularly. I remember watching the series and wondering why Star Trek never did diversity as well as they did.

--Adm. Nick