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This Star Trek: Lower Decks article contains spoilers.
It’s beginning to look a lot like the Bell Riots.
According to the classic two-parter of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s third season, wealth inequality grows so bad in the 21st century that the lower classes are placed in internment camps, separated from the rich. Tensions grew so bad that various leaders, including one identified as Gabriel Bell, launched large scale riots. As a result, the U.S. government began to take seriously inequality, instituting systems that led to the abolition of class and capitalism in the post-scarcity future in which Star Trek takes place.
The date of the Bell Riots? Sept. 1, 2024. While we’re running a bit behind in our world, the Riots occurred right on time in Star Trek‘s Prime Universe, thanks to timey wimey shenanigans from Sisko, Bashir, and Dax, as depicted in “Past Tense, Parts I and II.”
Although Lower Decks takes place in that timeline, the show doesn’t quite have the same optimism as most other shows in the franchise. Even accepting that the Bell Riots led to the death of capitalism in 20th century earth, the show doesn’t think the same thing happens quite as easily on other planets.
The second episode of Lower Deck‘s fifth season “Shades of Green” sends the Cerritos to Targalus IX, which recently joined the Federation. As Boimler tries out his new leadership style, he and Mariner deal with residents who are happily overthrowing their capitalist society and installing a new, post-scarcity society. It isn’t going smoothly.
“No Money, No Problems” reads a banner streaming from a space ship, as citizens burn their paper cash in the streets. As gleeful as the proceedings certainly are, it’s clear that the transition isn’t as smooth as Trek often suggests. In addition to the pro-capitalist terrorists who kidnap two ensigns under Boimler’s watch, the planet is on the verge of chaos as the new Federation citizens embrace an irresponsible anarchy.
To be sure, “Past Tense” doesn’t at all suggest that Earth makes an easy transition. Sisko et. al visit the planet at just the fulcrum of the change, with centuries of inequality and oppression occurring before and centuries of work left to be done as society changes. The episode just depicts the slightest sliver of change.
But it does do it in a hopeful, if gritty manner. Regardless of whatever the person running Shatner’s Twitter account might say, Star Trek has always presented its progressivism in a classically Marxist perspective, viewing the implosion of capitalism as an unavoidable end and socialist utopia as a teleological end. Thus, even when we have to see the unhoused and oppressed take up arms against the ruling classes, as in “Past Tense,” Starfleet personnel can beam out before things get too messy, safe in the knowledge that the post-scarcity future will in fact occur.
“Shades of Green” paints the proletariat revolution in shades of grey. By virtue of its whacky, comedic approach, the episode makes the rioters look like fools more interested in free stuff than the hard work of building a more equitable society, a charge that conservatives have always leveled against progressives. When combined with Boimler learning that he can’t be a fun boss and needs to crack down for the good of his subordinates, well… “Shades of Green” feels downright reactionary.
Fortunately, Lower Decks‘ take on the Bell Riots doesn’t erase the power of “Past Tense.” Even as the show develops its own characters and storylines, it still operates best as a joker to the side of mainline Trek. In that way, “Shades of Green” provides the answer to the very critique that it makes. By pointing out that the Bell Riots still leave a ton of work for Starfleet and others to build a more equitable society free of capitalism, “Shades of Green” prevents “Past Tense” from hand-waving the challenges of creating a utopia, prompting more than a few laughs in the process.
Star Trek: Lower Decks season five releases new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+.
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