Star Trek Is About to Drop the Episode America Wouldn't Dare Touch in 1966

Star Trek is about to drop the story that America would not have dared touch during the 1960s. Star Trek has mostly been ahead of the curve in terms of representation, going back to 

Original Series greats such as Sulu and Uhura, the latter of which will star in a special one-shot from IDW celebrating Black History Month.

As reported on IGN, IDW will release 

Star Trek: Deviations: Threads of Destiny in February. The one-shot, which will be written by Stephanie Williams and drawn by Greg Maldonado, is an alternate take on the Original Series classic “City on the Edge of Forever.”

IDW’s official synopsis reads:

This special one-shot features Lieutenant Nyota Uhura. In the 23rd century, she explores far-flung star systems with her crew on the Enterprise as part of her mission to communicate and build bridges with life found across the Galaxy. But in the 20th century, humankind was working to build understanding among themselves, with African Americans on Earth championing the Civil Rights Movement and using their voices and acts of protest to end racial segregation and discrimination.

Now, by way of the Guardian of Forever, Uhura is yanked back through time to 1963. There, she’ll join all those fighting for equality and justice and reconnect to why her work as a communications officer is perhaps the most important work of all.

Threads of Destiny also marks the return of the Deviations line.

Uhura's Importance to Good Representation on Television Cannot Be Understated

Uhura Actress Nichelle Nichols Was a Traiblazer In Both Civil Rights and Gender Equality

Nyota Uhura, the Enterprise’s communications officer, was a trailblazer in both science fiction and television as a whole. Prior to Uhura, Black actors and actresses played characters usually subservient to the story’s white protagonists. Yet Uhura, who was a bridge officer and part of the chain of command, was anything but.

Uhura was played in the "Kelvin Timeline" films by Zoe Saldana and on Strange New Worlds by Celia Rose-Gooding.

Uhura was created right as the Civil Rights Movement was gaining steam in America, and Nichols was at the forefront. She famously met Doctor Martin Luther King Jr during the production of the original 

Star Trek. King was a fan of Nichols’ performance. When they met, Nichols was considering leaving Trek, but King convinced her to stay.

Nichols’ contributions did not stop with the Civil Rights Movement. In the late 1970s, NASA faced criticism for its all-male astronaut corps. In response, the agency began recruiting women, and Nichols volunteered to help in the effort. Numerous women, some no doubt inspired by Uhura herself, finally got to travel to the final frontier.

Threads of Destiny Celebrates Star Trek's Progressive Vision

Star Trek Has Tackled Many Important Social Issues

Threads of Destiny is not only a grand celebration of a franchise icon, it also showcases the 

Star Trek franchise’s progressive handling of social issues. It was born at a time of great unrest and upheaval in American society. Not only were Civil Rights on everyone’s mind, but also the increasingly unpopular Vietnam War.

Star Trek did not shy away from engaging with these issues, albeit dressed up in science fiction trappings. Creator Gene Roddenberry has gone on record saying he always wanted to tell “stories of the human condition” but knew they would never get past network censors if presented as is, forcing him to enter the science fiction genre.

Many classic Original Series episodes are built around criticisms of war, racism and greed. In a now-infamous season three episode, “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield,” Star Trek gave one of its most pointed critiques of racism ever. Another third season episode, “Day of the Dove,” called out war and imperialism.

Later entries in the Star Trek franchise, particularly Deep Space Nine, have looked at racism and colonialist methods of thinking. In a fifth season episode “Far Beyond the Stars,” Captain Sisko finds himself living the life of a Black science fiction writer living in the 1950s, unable to break into the field due to his skin color.

Each Star Trek show calls out the social concerns and ills of its day, but at the same time are also hampered by conventions of the time. For example, Gene Roddenberry, as noted earlier, had to “disguise” 

Star Trek’s critiques with aliens and spaceships. No network at the time was going to confront such issues head on.

Star Trek Is Finally Tackling the Civil Rights Movement Head On

Threads of Destiny Pays Tribute to a Franchise Icon

And now Star Trek: Deviations: Threads of Destiny is taking readers back to one of the most turbulent moments in world history, depicting it as it really was at the time. Uhura will find herself caught up in the Civil Rights movement. While exact plot details are mum, she will most certainly encounter prominent figures of the period.

Uhura is one of Star Trek’s most popular characters. She has been an inspiration to Black women around the world, and an important figure in the struggle for equality. This struggle is an ongoing one, and 

Star Trek will continue to engage with it, pointing to a better way for humanity.