you know what I’m thankful for? the scene in “badda bing, badda bang” in which ben explains that he’s uncomfortable with the vic fontaine program because it presents a sanitized vision of the past that cleanly glosses over the fact that people of color wouldn’t be welcome in an opulent vegas casino in 1962. and then kasidy replies with her thoughts on the importance of reclaiming fantasy, allowing fiction to be more inclusive than historical fact because acting out how things should have been can provide a kind of catharsis. i love that both of their arguments are equally valid responses to media like the vic program. they’re both responses that anyone from a marginalized community can genuinely relate to when it comes to discussing media representation (factual accuracy versus wishful fantasy? retroactive representation versus representation in new media that gives the spotlight to people who haven’t been allowed to be illuminated before?)
it’s yet another example of ds9 not hiding discussions of major social issues behind layers of metaphor. ds9’s constant refrain is “yes, these issues are real and distinct, they happened in the past of this show which is your present dear viewer, and people who are affected by them will still speak and think about them even in a futuristic utopia because they’re a vital part of their identities and it’s important not to forget”
I feel like it’s important to underline how much DS9’s handling of social issues in this respect can be credited directly to Avery Brooks and his input. Without Avery, DS9 would have been a dramatically different show.
So much respect for Avery Brooks.