Star Trek Deep Space Nine is notable for its setting being the only Star Trek series that takes place primarily on a space station that does not move. However, more notably the series features Benjamin Lafayette Sisko as Captain of DS9, the only Black captain in the Star Trek franchise with their own show. In my eyes this makes the series of Deep Space Nine canon Afro Futurism and should be viewed as such. The first curriculum to be drawn from this lens centers “Past Tense,” a two part episode in which Captain Sisko and a few of his crew are lost in time finding themselves in the year 2024. In this two part episode Sisko navigates a Sanctuary District, a place in which folks who are houseless, unemployed, and otherwise mentally unstable are forcibly confined until they can “find work,” and be reintegrated into society. This is particularly timely as we’re in the year 2024 and Portland is currently developing similar houseless encampments that are immensely concerning. In this class we will view 4 episodes of Star Trek DS9, read companion articles, and participate in facilitated dialogues exploring these paradigms conversationally while looking toward our own futures. Sign-up form: https://forms.gle/Jv4fTmRQWmaayBew9

Zoom link: https://reed-edu.zoom.us/j/92185354762

Instructors: Master Artist Michael Bernard Stevenson Jr. and Alex Moll