What is the best closing scene in the entire Star Trek Franchise, and why is it Kirk, Spock, and Bones singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"?
Seriously, though. In my opinion, V is by far the worst TOS film, if not the worst of any Star Trek film (Yes, including Kelvin), yet it somehow nailed the ending.
Not to say I hated V that much. I think there's some charm of Kirk, Spock, and Bones breaking out the brig, but the plot is catastrophically bad. I was also annoyed with that one scene with Uhura where they have her seduce some acolytes, which I feel is a disgrace to the character.
Actually, there are several post-1900 copyrighted works mentioned in Star Trek.
Tom likes early 20th century B Sci Fi. Kirk and Spock reference authors who released work after the 60s in IV when discussing colorful metaphors. Hotel Royale is not a good example, but definitely counts.
Truth be told, I think copyright is a double-edged sword. On one hand, businesses have used it to gatekeep, leading to intellectual stagnation, as you seem to imply. However, at the same time, copyright is often the only legal framework defending small artists against those same businesses (I'll concede not that well, but still.).
That all said I do love how in everyone's free time they're all growing and relaxing in healthy ways like sports, painting, learning an instrument or putting on a play.
I actually prefer TNG's settling down with a Poker game, and Picard joining in with a "I didn't know why I didn't do this before". Mainly because it still feels like they've not left their time, whereas the camping scene could be anytime from the start of the second millennium.
The only way it could be better is if the show opened with a Poker game.
I always loved the end of Star Trek VI. Specifically, the signatures and the music. I know it's technically not a scene, but it was a darn good send-off and ending.
Honestly, there were weird things about that film, but I think you can't go wrong with Kirk and Bones breaking out of a Klingon prison while Spock, Uhura, Chekov, and Sulu all say "to heck with protocol!"
the last scene just as the view screen w sulu and the excelsior crew shut off and the camera switches the enterprise crew at their stations plus the empty station that sulu would have been in if he were still on the enterprise does it for me and when kirk orders "second star to the right and straight on 'till morning" gives me goosebumps every single time.
Also Spock’s “If I were human, I believe my response would be, ‘Go to hell.’ If I were human.” I love the dry wit we get out of old Spock from time to time.
I will clarify I haven't watched a lot of Discovery, Enterprise, or Picard.
However, problems of the sort you mention (not necessarily the exact ones you mention, but similar or of concern) aren't exactly new.
For instance:
TOS showed Chekov assaulting a Klingon women (under the influence of an evil space alien before).
It is heavily implied Spock did something with Saviik in III. Also, in general, they just ruined a good female character. (III might actually rival V in terms of being the worst Trek film.)
TNG did "Code of Honor".
Also, TNG very much did weird things to Troi, including rape to rape-adhacent things. Not necessarily as bad as T'Pel, from what I can tell, but still messed up nonetheless.
I'm sure there's an example for DS9, but my mind subconsciously puts it in a pedestal and is blocking me at the moment.
VOY unnecessarily sexualizes Seven.
I think the truth of all Star Trek is it is flawed, but that we can critically acknowledge those flaws while managing to look past them so we can appreciate and enjoy the good parts.
Enterprise doesn't deserve to be in that list. It may not have been everyone's cup of tea, but it's way closer to the other series than Discovery or Picard.
Also, uh, sibling sex and pro-slavery comments? I must have missed those episodes.
Enterprise is the one with the pro slavery comments. And pro human trafficking too. And the weird sibling sex.
Cogenitor episode, the moral of the story is "slavery can be a cultural thing and it's wrong to oppose another culture for that"
And then the horrible episode with orion slaves that says that these sex slaves are not only enjoying it, but are the evil ones, with even the slaver saying that they are the ones in control.
For the sibling sex it's this creepy episode about eugenics and a relative of Soong (if I remember properly) where a bunch of kids who were raised together start fucking and fighting to decide who fucks who. Yeah, they are genetically not related, but in the end I don't want to see sex scenes of teen siblings, sorry.