A pair latest episodes of the Paramount+ sequence Star Trek: Picard featured Starfleet crew members touring again in time to current day to beat up U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) brokers, free a busload of unlawful immigrants on their strategy to be deported, and lecture that racism simply “took off a hood and placed on a go well with” within the early twenty first Century.
Touring again to 2024 Earth to assist save the way forward for humanity in season two, episode 4 of the present, titled The Watcher, the crew particularly heads to downtown Los Angeles to realize their mission. After Captain Cristobal Rios (Santiago Cabrera) turns into injured, the Hispanic character finds himself at a medical clinic that makes a speciality of treating unlawful immigrants and others, like him, who lack identification.
Caught up in an ICE raid on the clinic, Rios is detained and dropped at a detention facility to await processing and deportation. When fellow crew mates Seven of 9 (Jeri Ryan) and Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) present up on the medical facility searching for Rios, a nurse tells them: “Yeah, he was right here. The physician patched him up earlier than ICE officers raided us…. these assholes.” Seven chimes in: “Yeah, I really feel like I do.” The nurse ominously provides: “However your buddy, I hope you discover him quickly. Earlier than ICE makes certain you by no means do.”
Persevering with their seek for Rios at a close-by LAPD precinct, Raffi yells at an officer: “God dammit, you’re regulation enforcement for the town, proper?! Why else would I be right here? Pay attention, my buddy was taken by ICE officers, you should know one thing. You may’t simply kidnap folks!”
A person sitting within the ready space of the police station warns them:
Piece of recommendation, LAPD received’t have ICE detainees of their system, you need Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Look, you’re within the fallacious place. Not that it makes any distinction as a result of for those who don’t get to Cristobal earlier than he’s transferred, gone. No trial, no paper path.
The episode cuts to Rios in ICE detention, with him sneering at signal on the wall displaying the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance: “I pledge allegiance to the flag.” He remarks in Spanish to a fellow detainee: “They make you swear allegiance? That’s laborious core.”
When the guy detainee, Pedro, is informed by one of many ICE brokers that he might be positioned on a bus for deportation, Rios angrily confronts the officer: “What the hell is fallacious with you guys? Slap on a badge, placed on a uniform, you assume you possibly can deal with folks this fashion?” The agent then tases Rios in response.
Leaving the LAPD station, Raffi declares: “We have to discover out the place they’re disappearing folks like him, so we observe the path of struggling like bread crumbs.” Her and 7 proceed to steal a police automotive to proceed their seek for Rios. Whereas being chased by the cops, Raffi makes use of the LAPD automobile’s pc system to find: “Shit, Rios’s file simply up to date, he’s being moved….To a sanctuary district on the border.” Seven frets: “He’s being disappeared. Raffi, if we lose him now.” Raffi tracks his location: “Okay, I discovered him. He’s on ICE switch bus quantity 735, GPS says he’s on Freeway 14.”
Repeatedly utilizing the phrase “disappeared” when speaking about ICE lawfully deporting unlawful immigrants is outrageous. The concept of “disappearing” somebody comes from authoritarian regimes that may arrest folks and both throw them in jail with out prices or, extra seemingly, homicide them and depose of the physique. It was a tactic generally used throughout Argentina’s Soiled Warfare within the Seventies – 30,000 folks have been victims of the brutal follow.
Within the following episode, Fly Me To the Moon, Seven and Raffi handle to trace down the Homeland Safety bus that Rios has been positioned on. They disable it, prompting Rios, with the assistance of fellow detainee Pedro, to beat up the ICE brokers on board. Raffi, Seven, and Rios then proceed to free the entire bus of unlawful immigrants, in fact with none data of whether or not any of them have been responsible of violent crimes. Rios even congratulates Pedro on touchdown a “good hit” on one of many now-unconscious ICE brokers.
Along with the subplot smearing ICE as villains, throughout episode 4, Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) implores an alien residing secretly on Earth on the time, a younger Guinan (Ito Aghayere), to assist him: “Humankind will change, you should be affected person.” Guinan, who’s black, launches right into a racially-charged rant:
You who has the luxurious of endurance right here? Somebody who appears to be like such as you and never like me. This world had extra potential than I had ever imagined. However the hatred right here, it by no means ends, it simply swaps garments. This century, it took off a hood and placed on a go well with.
Older Guinan has been performed for years by actress and left-wing View co-host Whoopi Goldberg, who really made a cameo look in episode certainly one of season two.
The ultra-woke flip in Star Trek: Picard adopted the season 4 finale of Star Trek: Discovery that includes left-wing Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams because the president of “United Earth.”
Star Trek’s effort to villainize U.S. immigration officers and accuse American society of merely buying and selling a “hood” for a “go well with” was dropped at viewers by Dell and JCPenney. You may battle again by letting these advertisers know what you consider them sponsoring such content material.
Here’s a transcript of excerpts from season two, episode 4 of Star Trek: Picard, aired on March 24:
The Watcher
(…)
JERI RYAN [SEVEN OF NINE]: We’re searching for our buddy. Darkish hair, scruffy.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS A [MEDICAL CLINIC NURSE]: Yeah, he was right here. The physician patched him up earlier than ICE officers raided us. They arrested them each, I’m sorry. Look, Theresa’s a citizen, you realize, they’ll most likely simply detain her longer than they need to however ultimately they throw her again. these assholes.
RYAN: Yeah, I really feel like I do.
ACTRESS A: However your buddy, I hope you discover him quickly. Earlier than ICE makes certain you by no means do.(…)
KELLI DAWN HANCOCK [LAPD OFFICER STAUSS]: Crystal Ball, is that like a stage identify or one thing?
MICHELLE HURD [RAFFI MUSIKER]: Cristobal, he was arrested together with a health care provider, can’t you discover him?
HANCOCK: Go searching, I received consumption, I received overflow, I received transfers ready to occur. In the event that they took your buddy, he ain’t within the system but.
HURD: Then the place is he?
HANCOCK: Processing, how ought to I do know?
HURD: God dammit, you’re regulation enforcement for the town, proper?! Why else would I be right here? Pay attention, my buddy was taken by ICE officers, you should know one thing. You may’t simply kidnap folks!
RYAN: Okay, we’re simply going to again away out of your private area and wait over there, you might be doing an excellent job. Thanks for serving the general public.
HURD: I hate every little thing.
RYAN: However you disguise it so nicely.
KARL T. WRIGHT [FRANCIS PUGA]: Piece of recommendation, LAPD received’t have ICE detainees of their system, you need Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Look, you’re within the fallacious place. Not that it makes any distinction as a result of for those who don’t get to Cristobal earlier than he’s transferred, gone. No trial, no paper path.
SANTIAGO CABRERA [CRISTOBAL RIOS]: “I pledge allegiance to the flag.” [In Spanish] They make you swear allegiance? That’s laborious core.
PETER LINDSTEDT [ICE OFFICER #1]: You, want your Juan Hancock on these switch papers. Received a seat bus seat together with your identify on it.
OSCAR CAMACHO [PEDRO]: [In Spanish] You imply deportation papers. I’ve the precise to an legal professional.
LINDSTEDT: Simply signal it. You eyeballin’ me asshole?
CABRERA: What the hell is fallacious with you guys? Slap on a badge, placed on a uniform, you assume you possibly can deal with folks this fashion? [Gets tased]
(…)
RYAN: What are we doing?
HURD: Discovering Rios.
RYAN: Within the parking zone?
HURD: We have to discover out the place they’re disappearing folks like him, so we observe the path of struggling like bread crumbs.
(…)
PATRICK STEWART [JEAN-LUC PICARD]: Humankind will change, you should be affected person.
ITO AGHAYERE [YOUNG GUINAN]: You who has the luxurious of endurance right here? Somebody who appears to be like such as you and never like me. This world had extra potential than I had ever imagined. However the hatred right here, it by no means ends, it simply swaps garments. This century, it took off a hood and placed on a go well with.
You say change is coming? Effectively, it’s too rattling sluggish and the associated fee means too excessive. And being compelled to observe it, hurts.
(…)
HURD: Shit, Rios’s file simply up to date, he’s being moved.
RYAN: What, the place?
HURD: To a sanctuary district on the border.
RYAN: He’s being disappeared. Raffi, if we lose him now.
HURD: I do know, I do know. Dammit, cling on. Okay, I discovered him. He’s on ICE switch bus quantity 735, GPS says he’s on Freeway 14.
(…)