| dc.description.abstract | This thesis examines how the contemporary Star Trek franchise engages with discourses of Islamophobia through its 2017 series Star Trek: Discovery. This series continues the franchise’s long history of engaging with contemporary political and social issues in a futuristic, sci-fi setting. Utilizing Richard Dyer’s method of textual analysis with an intersectional approach, I expose the historical discourses that inform Discovery’s politics in relation to the Federation-Klingon conflict of its first season. These include discourses of Islamophobia that derive primarily from the War on Terror and the West’s history of Orientalism, and which relate to terrorism, masculinity, and sexuality.
In my analysis, I argue that the application of these discourses in Discovery is seen primarily through the Klingon antagonists and the hybrid character Voq/Ash Tyler. My findings show that Islamophobic War on Terror discourses are applied to the construction of the Federation and its enemies through the use of tropes such as that of the sleeper agent and themes relating to religious extremism, violence, fear, and imperialism. Moreover, my analysis shows that the racialized visibility of Voq/Tyler’s actor, Shazad Latif, informs the portrayal of his characters. I find that this, in turn, impacts Discovery’s engagement with Islamophobic discourses relating to Muslim male sexuality and masculinity. Finally, my analysis concludes that the series’ overall engagement with the aforementioned discourses reflects the contradictions inherent between US imperialism and liberalism that lie at the heart of the War on Terror. | |
