Star Trek boldly goes where other TV fails, Jessica Hynes makes more comedy gold and we’re gaga about Gaga
2011
The plaintive instruction delivered to Commander Burnham in the all-new Star Trek: Discovery is clearly not just meant about the intergalactic goings-on on-screen. ‘Change is the essential process of all existence,’ he’s informed. ‘You must challenge your preconceptions or they most certainly will challenge you.’ And so to the thorny issue of diversity and equality casting. Ghostbusters, Doctor Who and even Wonder Woman have all arrived with the deafening squall of Straight White Blokes clinging on to their precious threatened manhood. The SWB of Fleet Street went practically ballistic when Hermione was cast black for the stage show of Harry Potter. Collectively, these minor episodes of toys being thrown out of privileged prams are starting to dwarf in the sheer scale and quality of material now responding to screen equality. Which is kind of where we come in with the new Star Trek. It’s heralded by the very brilliant Sonequa Martin-green, best known previously for playing Sasha in The Walking Dead. Look, it’s 2017. Whatever your feelings about Klingons, pointy ears and the immortal valedictory ‘To boldly go…’ the landscape has changed in the post-digital age. A ripe conversation has opened up, entirely for the better, in which women and people of colour are finally being listened to. Seriously, this is for the good of everyone. Beam me up! Begins streaming weekly on Netflixfrom Monday