Season 2, Episode 01:
Avoiding The Tokenism in Comics & SciFi Cultures
Over the last four years, I have been promising to finish cleaning up the audio from the various panels that I have been on and improve the show notes. Now that GraysMatter Podcast is up and running, I have taken the time to also revisit these panels. Please join me in experiencing Justin on Panels.
Creating actual diversity requires a great effort to avoiding unintentionally tokenizing your characters. Tokenism, even when unintentional, is what leads to adding "diversity” for the sake of diversity. How do we engender true diversity in sci fi and comics?
With: Justin Grays, Rob Callahan, S.N. Arly, Tyler Tork, mod.
Content Warning:
Mention of the slur for Romani people
Transracial/Transcultural adoption
Justin on Panels is available on the following platforms:
Unfortunately (as I recall), I was a little late to the panel and didn’t get the recorder started until we were halfway through the introductions.
My written works.
On Enterprise, Ensigns Hoshi Sato & Travis Mayweather were the two junior officers on board the Enterprise, as well as being the only two persons of color main characters.
Lieutenant Commander Chakotay and his unnamed tribe were descendants of the Rubber Tree People - the “offshoot” were rather the “Sky Spirits” who met the early humans. The episode was “Tattoo” (VOY 2x09).
To help write the character Chakotay, Jamake Highwater was enlisted as a consultant; however, it was later revealed that he was actually of Eastern European Jewish descent. He was heavily criticized by actual Indigenous Americans for his writings.
The episode of TNG with the Indian Planet was “Journey’s End” (TNG 7x20).
In “Court Martial” (TOS 1x14), the character was indeed Lt. Cdr. Benjamin Finney. I had him confused with Cadet Finnegan in “Shore Leave” (TOS 1x17). Jame Finney was Finney’s daughter. Oops.
Commodore José I. Mendez was the name that was escaping me. He was in “The Menagerie, Parts I & II” (TOS 1x15-16). The actor, Malachi Throne, was of Austro-Hungarian and Russian Jewish descent however.
The sci-fi movie that I’m referring to is The Cloverfield Paradox; one of the engineers, Ling Tam, doesn’t speak English but understands it.
Rick Riordan is known for writing the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, The Kane Chronicles, and The Heroes of Olympus.
How to write diverse characters
When I thought that “The Paradise Syndrome” (TOS 3x03) was the wrong episode, it was because “This Side of Paradise” (TOS 1x25) has such a similar name. This time, I was wrong about being wrong - it was “The Paradise Syndrome” where Kirk lost his memory on Amerind (yes, they actually named it that) and married Miramanee.
This episode is probably tied with “Code of Honor” (TNG 1x04) for the title of Most Racist Episode.
When you say “you’re so articulate”:
What Does It Mean To Be 'Articulate'? - Jamila Lyiscott's TED Talk, NPR
‘He’s So Articulate.’ What That Really Means - The Root
Writing The Other (Website) (Twitter)
Recommended books and movies:
Paper Mage - Leah Cutter
Bridge of Birds - Barry Hughart
Trail of Lightning - Rebecca Roanhorse
The Future Home of the Living God - Louise Erdrich
Lieutenant Worf met his brother, Commander Kurn, during the episode “Sins of the Father” (TNG 3x17); the scene where Kurn is chiding Worf is during the episode Redemption II (TNG 5x01), when the Klingon Civil War is happening.
The DS9 episode that Rob is referring to is “Children of Time” (DS9 5x22).
Cover Art by Michelle Chmura | Theme Music by Caleb Kelson
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