June 20th 2022 is UNHCR World Refugee day. The theme this year is “Whoever, Wherever, Whenever, Everyone has the right to seek safety.”
With a new Earthbound refugee crisis in Ukraine as well as ongoing ones in many parts of Africa and Asia, which tend to get forgotten when the news cameras go away, there has never been a better time to acknowledge Star Trek’s role in highlighting the issue.
There are so many Galactic refugees in the Star Trek universe, from El-Aurians fleeing the Borg in Star Trek: Generations to the Bajoran Camps under the Cardassians the tidal wave of beings displaced by war, or nature reflects the issues on our own small planet only too graphically.
It is always the dispossessed who suffer most in conflicts and episodes like the TNG series 5 entry “Ensign Ro” where the Bajoran camp on Valo 2 is depicted as a very similar site to the ones familiar from the news.
In the Literary Universe, the aftermath of the Borg Invasion of 2381 saw large populations of refugees forced to seek shelter when and where they could.
In the TNG novel: Losing the Peace refugees settled on Pacifica precipitated a humanitarian crisis, that was clearly inspired by those in The horn of Africa over the last thirty years or so, with the Pacifican authorities adopting very similar unhelpful attitudes to the Somalian and Ethiopian governments in their handling of the refugees themselves and the aid organisations (in this case Starfleet Medical) who arrived to support them.
The biggest refugee crisis in Star Trek is of course the one generated byte Romulan Super Nova. The Star Trek: Picard novel ‘Last Best Hope’ by Una McCormack is one of the best depictions of the planning politics and logistics of a refugee crisis that you will find anywhere in literature.
She pulls in threads from a number of real-world events, including what looks very much like a plug for one of my favourite charities, Shelterbox. The impact of those supporting the refugees mentally and physically is highlighted with Rafi becoming estranged from her family and descent into substance abuse.
Many of the characters we meet in Star Trek: Picard are struggling to cope with their experiences of the Romulan resettlement. A good real-world comparison is Dr David Nott who has spoken many times of the trauma caused by his work in Bosnia, Syria and Ukraine.
Star Trek has been one of the few TV series to attempt a realistic portrayal of refugee crises. With Refugee Day 2022 upon us, it may be time to revisit some of these episodes and books and consider how they might impact our view of events on our small planet.
