Movie

What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Name: What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Released: 2018

2018

23Score

Very Little Woke

Mostly focused on storytelling.

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Is What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Woke? Quick Answer

What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine scores 23/100 on the IsItWoke scale and is rated Very Little Woke.

Messaging can show up, but it is not the main event in this film.

The documentary primarily focuses on exploring the legacy and storytelling impact of Deep Space Nine rather than pushing overt ideological messaging. There is some discussion of the show's progressive themes and diverse casting, but these are contextualized within the franchise's history rather than presented as agenda-driven.

See the full breakdown below.

Woke profile

How the score is shaped

Eight stored dimensions, each scored from 0 to 20.

Message

Characters

Story

Legacy

Politics

Lead

Tradition

Norms

Column height is the stored score out of 20

Message-first dialogue
3/20
Tokenistic characters
1/20
Ideology over story
4/20
Legacy rewriting
2/20
Modern politics injection
3/20
Protected protagonist pattern
0/20
Anti-traditional framing
1/20
Cultural normalization framing
2/20

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Why it received this score

Based on: Published title analysisConfidence: MediumLast updated: 2026-10-12

Key reasons

The documentary primarily focuses on exploring the legacy and storytelling impact of Deep Space Nine rather than pushing overt ideological messaging.
There is some discussion of the show's progressive themes and diverse casting, but these are contextualized within the franchise's history rather than presented as agenda-driven.
The film includes brainstorming with original writers about a hypothetical continuation, which respects the original narrative rather than rewriting it for modern politics.

View full breakdown

While contemporary political and cultural issues are acknowledged, they do not dominate the narrative or displace the story-first approach.
The documentary's tone is reflective and analytical, avoiding message-first dialogue or tokenistic character focus, instead emphasizing the show's unique place within Star Trek.

Score signals

Signal	What was measured	Strength	Impact
Ideology over story	How much the overall storytelling prioritizes ideological framing, message delivery, social commentary, or activism-coded narrative choices over pacing, conflict, immersion, and entertainment.	4/20	+3
Message-first dialogue	How much the dialogue, monologues, or character interactions feel driven by overt messaging, moral lecturing, ideological framing, or making a point instead of serving the story naturally.	3/20	+2
Modern politics injection	How much contemporary political discourse, activist framing, or modern culture-war signaling appears injected into fantasy, sci-fi, historical, or otherwise escapist settings in a way that feels noticeable or immersion-breaking.	3/20	+2
Tokenistic characters	How much characters feel inserted or shaped primarily for symbolic representation, political signaling, or demographic checkbox value rather than narrative depth, organic fit, or strong characterization.	1/20	+1
Legacy rewriting	How much an existing franchise, adaptation, setting, or known property appears significantly altered, reinterpreted, or re-centered in ways that feel driven by modern ideological priorities rather than faithful or organic storytelling.	2/20	+1

AI cultural analysis

A short read on tone, themes, and messaging — not a plot synopsis.

AI read

What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a documentary that balances appreciation for the show's legacy with an honest look at its initial reception and cultural impact. It does not prioritize ideological messaging over storytelling but rather contextualizes the series within its era and the broader Star Trek franchise.

The inclusion of original writers brainstorming a new season shows respect for the established narrative and character arcs, avoiding heavy-handed legacy rewriting or political injection. The film acknowledges the progressive elements and diverse casting of Deep Space Nine, but these aspects serve as part of the show's historical significance rather than as a forced cultural proposition.