Star Trek: The Next Generation actor Jonathan Frakes thinks one of the show's episodes wasn't bold enough with its LGBTQ+ representation, an opinion that rings truer than ever now that the franchise is only just starting to explore more explicitly LGBTQ+ characters. The Next Generation was the second show in the Star Trek franchise and ran from 1987 to 1994. Although this time period was just before the wider media representation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer characters, TNG included an episode in its 5th season that addressed LGBTQ+ issues head-on.
The episode was called "The Outcast" and told the story of Commander William Riker's relationship with Soren, a member of a gender-neutral alien race called the J'naii. During the episode, Soren helped Riker understand the J'naii's gender-neutrality but later revealed to him that she was one of a select few who wished to identify as part of a binary gender group, in her case female. Soren was forced to keep her gender identity a secret since those like her were persecuted by J'naii society. She and Will Riker subsequently began a romance, but when their relationship and Soren's identity were revealed, she was put on trial and sentenced to a reconditioning process that would get rid of her perceived "unnatural" urges. Riker attempted to stop the process, but by the time he reached Soren she had already undergone treatment, and he was forced to leave heartbroken.
Looked at in today's light, "The Outcast" is a discussion of gender identity that was ahead of its time, but in 1992 the episode served as an allegory for the struggles of all LGBTQ+ individuals, not just those who were trans or gender-nonconforming. "The Outcast" contains some very powerful scenes that still strike a chord with LGBTQ+ viewers, but for actor Jonathan Frakes, who played Commander Riker, the episode had one big flaw: Frakes believes it wasn't bold enough in its exploration of gender identity. Soren was played by Melinda Culea, who did an excellent job with the part, but Frakes has gone on record multiple times to say that he believes having Soren be played by a male actor would have been a bolder choice. This is certainly true and would have made "The Outcast" a milestone for Star Trek's LGBTQ+ representation in a number of ways.
For one, having Soren be played by a male actor would have bolstered the interpretation of the character as a trans woman by Star Trek fans. At a time when many trans characters were not represented in a favorable light, this relatively dignified storyline would have been a piece of landmark representation for trans people in a mainstream television show. Of course, a cisgender male actor would not have been as monumental as getting an actual trans woman to play the part, but trans actors weren't nearly as visible back in the early 90s and likely would have been hard to come by. Likewise, if nothing about the plot had been changed, "The Outcast" could have marked the first time two same-sex actors shared a kiss on Star Trek, something that would not happen until the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, "Rejoined". When considering all the ways that a male actor playing Soren would have changed "The Outcast", it is easy to see that TNG missed an opportunity to tell a much more daring story.
This oversight seems especially glaring when the fact that the Star Trek franchise has only recently included explicitly LGBTQ+ characters as part of the main casts is taken into account. If TNG had dared to take "The Outcast" to another level, it might have pushed representation in the franchise further along as well, leading to an LGBTQ+ main character being included as a series regular much sooner. Unfortunately, Star Trek: The Next Generation missed its opportunity with more explicit representation, but "The Outcast" still holds a special place for many in Star Trek's LGBTQ+ history.