I am amazed at the depth of issues the Star Trek writers can sometimes tackle in one episode. In the "disability community," people often lament the rarity of disability themes in television shows. Star Trek sometimes tackles issues associated with life as a person with a disability amazingly well. One of my favorite such episodes is "Melora," from season 2 of Deep Space Nine. It is quite a complex episode; and for this reason, I will stretch my discussion over several posts.
In the opening scene, Dax, Obrien, and Julian are discussing the expected arrival of a new ensign, Melora Pazlar. Melora is a member of a low-gravity species and has requested a wheelchair in order to navigate the station and modifications to her quarters so that she can enjoy a low-gravity environment during her off-duty hours.
Julian, having supervised preparations for Melora's arrival, is enthusiastic. He responds to Dax and OBrien's questions about practical challenges, revealing that he has not only researched ways to make things work for her but that he has researched Melora herself. The station has not been completely modified with ramps; and Dax proposes using the transporter to help her navigate. Julian replies, "Once her basic needs are met, she refuses any assistance." This will theme will be revisited throughout the episode.
He goes on to ask whether the modifications to her quarters have been completed. In this discussion, we begin to see the internal conflict that Julian is experiencing. On one hand, he is proud of himself for working so hard to accommodate her--in fact, he has gone above and beyond her requests, and this will create tension. On the other hand, he is curious about what she is like in her natural environment; and he assumes he and his friends will have the opportunity to see--after all, she will have to test the modifications. His curiosity is evident as he says, "That'll be something to see ... when we turn off the gravity and she flies around."
When Melora tries out the chair, she finds that it is modified. Expressing frustration, she explains that she has been practicing on the model she requested for the past month. Julian offers to replicate her requested model; and she refuses, saying that she will adapt. The tension between them is quite evident.
In just these first three minutes or so, Star Trek writers have managed to depict some of the most difficult aspects of life with a disability. In an effort to cope with anxieties about whether I will be able to manage in a particular environment, people sometimes go above and beyond what I ask of them. This can have quite unintended consequences and can even create dangerous situations. At times, people try to explain this behavior by saying, "You are blind and you don't know what you will encounter." In the face of such responses, I must gently explain to them that as a person who has lived with blindness all my life, I am accustomed to preparing for the unknown and too much assistance can impede that process. My best example has to do with approaching a flight of stairs. People often put their arm out in front of me as I approach a flight of stairs, as if I might hurtle down it unaware. However, my reaction at encountering their arm unexpectedly could more likely cause me to fall than could the encounter with stairs, which I would detect with a cane or be aware of because my dog guide stopped at the top.
As we will discover, Melora struggles with the challenge of setting boundaries regarding her assignments and her perceptions of people's attitudes concerning her abilities. Her struggle is typical of struggles that I experience.
People are also very curious about numerous aspects of my life. Managing my private space is very challenging. Sometimes I do better at it than others. I will examine this in further detail in later posts. (I said this episode is very complex.)
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