2024 marks fifty years since the creation of Starfleet Command as a whole. In it’s early years SFC was a fully immersive fan organisation and still carries a lot of those elements in the 21st century. Even with the split between Quadrant’s 1 & 2 decades ago, we still retain some of the legacy ideologies and policies baked into our “Starfleet Handbook” for new and existing members.
While the decades have seen us change a lot, there’s one thing that’s always been front and centre to Quadrant 2 and the ‘Starfleet values’ that we take a great deal of pride in. Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.
There are many things that Star Trek fans take pride in when it comes to praising the values instilled in us all from this weird little franchise that began back in the 60’s. The concept of IDIC began right at the beginning. A multi cultured crew, mentions of equality including a female officer on the bridge. It’s a trait within the original series that the multitude of studies have already covered, so we won’t dive into another round!
It’s never been perfect, not even in the original run. But whether using the future to mirror the societal problems of the day, or trying to reflect modern times, the message itself has always been one in the same; we are all equals who can find more strength in our diversity as long as we embrace what’s different and let go of that conflict.
To say that Star Trek has always got it right would be a lie. But as good as intentions can be, I think that can be said for all of us. At it’s core, it always tried to show a better future, one beyond conflict of who we are and where we came from. What started as a representation of a multi-national crew, a future where nations once at conflict could work together, has spiralled into something more.
In Loud as a Whisper Geordie La Forge shared a moment with an Ambassador where they discussed their impairments as a blessing. Discovery nonchalantly showed two male main characters as a couple to recap an episode after the franchise spent years dodging any outward homosexuality. Where once a big deal was made about Ben Sisko being the first black lead, we’ve moved into an era with an Enterprise captained by a bisexual woman with PTSD.
Whether it was a small hint of inclusion, or something more straight forward, Star Trek fans knew where to read between the lines and what that acceptance of all elements of humanity meant for them. In a world where creed, colour, physical impairments, mental health or sexual identity didn’t matter, it was a beacon of hope for fans worldwide. And thats something to be embraced.
IDIC has become more than a piece of lore in a show bible. For many, it has become an ideal worth striving for. For SFC it’s a philosophy proudly rooted in the core of our foundation. Sure, we don’t have real starships, but we will always ensure that the Star Trek ideals of an accepting, united humanity gets closer every day.
The Admiralty Board and the members of Starfleet Command Quadrant 2 are proud to embrace that ideal, to neither judge nor discriminate by race, creed, disability, gender or orientation. To stand together as one in acceptance, unity and understanding. And there have been times where we’ve had to step in and remove members for breaching our IDIC policies – including inciting and promoting racial hatred which, quite rightly, had no place in our fleet. It’s not something we take lightly, but it’s not a moral ground we’ll never budge on.
We proudly ‘wear the uniform’ to uphold more than just a fandom, but to uphold an ideal that we believe can and will benefit the world we live in.
Some days it can feel like just hope and a dream, especially after a wander through the twitterverse can show you the worst of people making that dream seem further away. But even on a dark day the one thing we can ensure is that all members are treated as equals and that the next time we see a boast about how Star Trek changed the world for the better, know what we’re part of the change and every day closer to that future we’ve all daydreamed of seeing one day.
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