Species of the week: Bajoran

[Tsukiyumi]

The allegory for modern powers is debatable for sure, but I always saw it like this:

Federation = Europe (albeit with a comparatively stronger ability for military projection)

Klingons = Russia (with a strong Imperial Japanese element from TNG onward)

Romulans = China (to a degree; their isolation and paranoia, efficient intelligence organizations, etc.)

Ferengi = America (less military power, but the greed is an obvious reference to modern America)

Cardassians = various Arab nations (a race with a long, glorious history who are past their peak in power, prestige and technology who have resorted to subjugation of lesser powers and have a screwed-up legal system)

Borg = Starbucks.

Like I said, open to interpretation for sure, but the inferences are there.

[Mikey]

I had always heard whispers of the Ferengi (DS9-style, at least) being an unflattering caricature of Judaism: greedy, regardless of other nations' laws, behind the times in moral treatments, adherent to a code of law and conduct which many others do not understand, etc. - exactly the ammunition used by ignorant anti-Semites.

According to Enkidu, however, the Cardassians are an analog of Judaism writ as the overbearing, conquest-minded Israeli and Zionist Jews. Funny how all the debated territory in Israel/Palestine was only annexed by Israel after winning it in wars that the Arab nations began...

[Enkidu]

Yeah, I've seen references to the Ferengi as the anti-semite Jew stereotype. I can see how the comparisons can be made, but I never bought into it however, I couldn't imagine Roddenberry, who seemed to be a Utopian, been an anti-semite. I always thought of them as Data first described them as 19th Century Yankee traders: Unchecked capitalists, like the "Robber Barons".
I also think of the Klingons and Romulans as the Russians and Chinese, at least in the TOS. The Federation seemed like an idealized USA to me, or at least an idealized United Nations with an American flavour.
I do not think of the Cadassians as the Israelis. They seem like a declining second tier fascist empire to me. Powerful enough to be a player in galactic affairs and conquer more primitive civilizations, but not strong enough to be able to fundamentally threaten the big boys. I see elements of a number of different Earth regimes, but nothing that makes me say that they are the space so and so's.

[Captain Peabody]

Yeah; a lot of the Cardassian-Bajoran stuff in TNG was definitely written as an allegory for Israel-Palestine; the evil Jews forcing out the Palestinians from their homeland. Ironically, though, on DS9 the Bajorans eventually became an allegory for the Jews, with the Cardassians as the Nazi Germans. Kind of funny, if you think about it...

Personally, though, I've always seen the Federation as America (or, more exactly, the Left-wing ideal of what America should be); the Klingons, for me, are basically China in customs, Russia in military outlook.

The Ferengi are just caricaratures of the "evil, snivelling capitalists," as a snide comment by the stalwart Commie Gene Roddenberry against capitalism; again, eventually, they became lovable heroes, which works much, much better, in my opinion.

The Romulans are kind of hard to place, though; in some episodes there seems to be a Russian parallel, but in others your guess is as good as mine.

The Borg, of course, represent Microsoft...

[Teaos]

The early TOS species were based of nations but TNG era ones were just made up and happen to fit the mold of certain nations.

[Deepcrush]

The allegory for modern powers is debatable for sure, but I always saw it like this:

Federation = Europe (albeit with a comparatively stronger ability for military projection)

Klingons = Russia (with a strong Imperial Japanese element from TNG onward)

Romulans = China (to a degree; their isolation and paranoia, efficient intelligence organizations, etc.)

Ferengi = America (less military power, but the greed is an obvious reference to modern America)

Cardassians = various Arab nations (a race with a long, glorious history who are past their peak in power, prestige and technology who have resorted to subjugation of lesser powers and have a screwed-up legal system)

Borg = Starbucks.

Like I said, open to interpretation for sure, but the inferences are there.

I think you hit this on the head!

But to be honest guys we have to face that every nation has been the bad guy at some point. So we could draw lines everywhere without getting anywhere. To be blunt (me? nooooooooo!) I don't think G.R. would ever do anything anti-jew. Lets face it, what faith were 3/5ths of his TOS crew?

[Mikey]

Yeah, well, you wouldn't think Roddenberry would have been the one to have a chronic infidelity problem in his marriage to Majel, but he did.

the Klingons, for me, are basically China in customs, Russia in military outlook.

Really? I'd always seen the (TNG+, at least) Klingons as Japanese in custom - at least, post-daimyo Japanese, after the segregation against the Ninja clans and the decadence of the samurai... late Tokugawa+ era.

[Captain Seafort]

The early TOS species were based of nations but TNG era ones were just made up and happen to fit the mold of certain nations.

Agreed - while the TOS Klingons were clearly based on the Soviet Union, and the Romulans on China, by the time of TNG they'd changed that so that each species represented an aspect of humanity, with the Klingons being brave and honourable (at least in theory), the Romulans sneaky, the Ferengi greedy, etc.

[Mikey]

...the Klingons being brave and honourable (at least in theory), ...

It's because of the many examples of some Klingons paying only lip-service to the dictates of honor that I thought they represented the later, more decadent period of shogunate feudal Japan. The segregation and attempted extermination of the ninja* clans, the rise of ronin, and the subterfuge and intigue in the courts of the shoguns really point to a more banal version of the true bushido ideal than the earlier days of the daimyos. And the annexation of Okinawa is a truly Klingon move.

* - I don't refer to the black-clad ninja assassins of movie fame, but to the disenfranchised, poorer mountain clans of feudal Japan which eventually gave rise to the schools of combat and espionage which became those fabled assassins.

[Sionnach Glic]

Didn't Worf once mention that they consider anything that helps them win to be honourable?

[Deepcrush]

I think its a fair point as now with Martok leading and in 60 years the Klingons joining the UFP, we get to see the end of the klingons (Japan's) early glory, the rise of an evil empire that uses broken laws of honor to justify itself and then at the end turns around and joins to the people they were once most disalike.

[Deepcrush]

Didn't Worf once mention that they consider anything that helps them win to be honourable?

That there is proft of dishonor.

[Mikey]

That's just a little bit of an oxymoron - isn't that type of code of honor supposed to be antithetical to that type of pragmatism?

[Deepcrush]

That's just a little bit of an oxymoron - isn't that type of code of honor supposed to be antithetical to that type of pragmatism?

Pragmatism? You're kidding right?

[Captain Seafort]

Pragmatism? You're kidding right?

"In war, there is nothing more honourable than victory" -Worf, "The Way of the Warrior"

The fact that common sense is rare in Trek doesn't mean it's none-existant

Congrats on the promotion BTW.