Wednesday is normally where I'd be posting a review of the 90's television series Space Precinct, however, going forward this will be changing. I've felt uncomfortable with posting the show the last couple of weeks, and have decided that now is not the time to be talking about a series that glorifies the police force.
Space Precinct is set in the future, on a world that has humans working alongside other species. The police captain is an alien, and the majority of the police aren't human. Despite being set in a place that should be celebrating inclusion there is not a single Black character in the main cast. Having watched the first four episodes of the series there was a single Black person on the show. Not only was this person a criminal, but their voice was literally silenced, with all of there lines being dubbed over by a white actor.
I understand that this is a series that's almost 30 years old, that it is a product of its time, but it's supposed to be representing a better future. There are works of art from this time and earlier that manage to promote equality and inclusion despite those things not being a product of the time they were made. The original Star Trek series is a prime example of this. This has not been the case with what I've seen of Space Precinct.
I would hope that there is no maliciousness involved in the show, but I also feel now is not the time to be highlighting a series that not only glorifies the police as a force for good, but has also silenced the only Black voice to appear in the series.
I might come back to this show in the future, but not now.
Some people might not be happy with this choice, they might feel like I'm trying to be PC or something like that. Whilst that is a part of it, as I completely stand by the Black Lives Matter movement, it's also because the series is making me feel a little uncomfortable; and I'm not going to go out of my way to watch a series that I'm not fully enjoying.
I'm not sure if another series is going to replace Space Precinct, or even if something else regular will replace it. We'll have to see what happens.
In the meantime, let's all remember to stand by each other, to support those voices being silenced, and to push for fairness and equality for all.
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