Star Trek Discovery is a bully… And you’re an enabler.

I’m not entirely sure what else I can say about Star Trek Discovery at this point. I was one of the first to call bullshit on the fake casting outrage. Weeks before the show even aired, I tried to warn you the producers were hacks. I’ve blown holes in the producers’ interviews like I was the Antares maelstrom. I’ve watched dumbfounded as our protagonist made stupid/illegal/immoral decisions at every turn, only to be rewarded by one-note supporting characters and beloved by a seemingly deaf, dumb, and blind audience. And of course, every week I’ve watched as it found new ways to destroy the franchise with its sheer incompetence.

Finally, exacerbated, I asked out-loud, what’s the point?

They even got the logo wrong.

“Just stop watching. Stop talking about it.” It’s a common refrain I’ve heard all over— facebook, twitter, reddit, in person. “Let those of us who do enjoy it, enjoy it.”

But here’s the problem: I can’t.

It’s not just because I’m a huge Trekkie and the values of the Federation are fundamental to my life and career. It’s not just because Star Trek provides ethical guidance for a people trying to survive in a horrid cultural wasteland of crass moral relativism. It’s not just because I get outraged whenever they tell me those gigantic speakers are transporters and katras are now controlled by midichlorians. And it’s not just because STD is an unholy affront worthy of Michael slapping Kay.

Bad people take advantage of dumb people. Unrelated picture above.

No, I can’t let this go because Star Trek Discovery is an insult. It’s an insult to its audience, it’s an insult to Star Trek fans, it’s an insult to science fiction fans, it’s an insult to television fans, it’s an insult to any living being with a semblance of critical thinking skills. I can’t let this go because Star Trek Discovery knows it’s insulting you — the audience. It knows that it’s hiding vapid storytelling behind flashy effects. It knows that its characters are morally bankrupt shells reciting storylines from other shows. Worst, STD knows it can get away with this behavior, because it is.