I tend to gloss over the attempts to preach or moralise, but I do find some of the conspiracy theories fun. As far as Q is concerned it is the amoralistic standpoint of omnipotence that I like. He can’t possibly rectify everything so why should he rectify anything? And what would the consequences be if he did interfere? His little games ae insignificant in the global view of things and yet on one occasion (The tapestry of Picard) he literally shows how one change can change everything else.
I don’t see that. I see the Vorlons as chaotic good, and the shadows as chaotic evil. Both have ideas of what constitutes the right way to live and neither is 100% good or evil. I also found it interesting that they did not fight each other, only the followers or adherents. And Centauri finds itself under judgement for its allegiance.
The other nice touch is when Jakar says “no one here is quite what they seem to be”
Jakar has a lot of great lines! I wish I had written them down somewhere so I could pull some back up here and now.
Yeah - the ancient tussle between the Vorlons and the Shadows gets a bit of a new-agey feel at points, but the overall conflict theme between them covers some great philosophical territory.
In my opinion, that’s what makes good sci-fi interesting. It isn’t about the high tech and different toys, but really about us here and now. Gene Roddenberry was subversive in some good ways. Was it somewhere here in this forum that I learned that the actress who played Uhura had wanted to quit? And Martin Luther King Jr. (a Trekker himself) talked her out of quitting, telling her that she was needed in a role like that! Also with the first “inter-racial” kiss ever televised. (Leave that to Kirk, of course) We can admire such activism now, though it must have rocked a few boats at the time.
Fantasy has the advantage that it can disassociate itself from reality when it wants and then kick a few butts in the background. Also, you can watch it and let the posturing and self-righteousness pass you by.