The first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery, the newest instalment in the long-running and
influential Star Trek franchise, received
media and academic attention from the moment they arrived on screen. Discovery
makes several key changes to Star Trek’s well-known narrative formulae, particularly
the use of more serialized storytelling, appealing to audiences’ changed
viewing habits in the streaming age – and yet the storylines, in their topical
nature and the broad range of socio-political issues they engage with, continue
in the political vein of the series’ megatext.
This volume brings together eighteen essays and
one interview about the series, with contributions from a variety of
disciplines including cultural studies, literary studies, media studies, fandom
studies, history and political science. They explore representations of gender,
sexuality and race, as well as topics such as shifts in storytelling and
depictions of diplomacy. Examining Discovery alongside older entries
into the Star Trek canon and tracing
emerging continuities and changes, this volume will be an invaluable resource for
all those interested in Star Trek and
science fiction in the franchise era.
List of contributors: Sherryl Vint, Andrea Whiteacre, Torsten Kathke, John Andreas Fuchs, Ina Batzke, Sarah Böhlau, Will Tattersdill, Kerstin-Anja Münderlein, Diana Mafe, Whit Frazier Peterson, Henrik Schillinger, Arne Sönnichsen, Judith Rauscher, Amy C. Chambers, Mareike Spychala, Sabrina Mittermeier, Jennifer Volkmer, Si Sophie Pages Whybrew and Lisa Meinecke.