Do you think this essay helps to prove the point that Star Trek was cultural commentary? Is this something that a contemporary audience would have noticed?

This is a response to the piece I read called “The Politics of Star Trek,” by Timothy Sandefur. This essay absolutely helps prove the point that Star Trek was cultural commentary. I am very unfamiliar with the series so the article was pretty hard to follow but from what I read it seems like predominantly cultural commentary with a futuristic twist on it. They seem to incorporate the current issues in with the predictions for the future. Sandefur acknowledges the politcal influence on Star Trek when he says, ” Modeled on Gulliver’s Travels, the series was meant as an opportunity for social commentary, and it succeeded ingeniously, with episodes scripted by some of the era’s finest science fiction writers.” He then provides many specific examples such as a quote from McCoy in the series, “’There are certain absolutes, Mr. Spock, and one of them is the right of humanoids to a free and unchained environment, the right to have conditions which permit growth.’” Since the show was going on during/ right after the Civil Rights Movement, it would be fair to say this is a reference to the rights of African Americans. Another reference is from the episode titled, “The conscience of the King” when we learn that the dude is a Holocaust survivor. This is convenient to Cultural Commentary because during the show three former Nazis were tried for their roles in the horrific event. I think the contemporary audience would have noticed because they are pretty clear references. I don’t know if they would notice as much as one would today because people the writers probably would not have been interviewed. Today’s media is far more active then back then. For the most part though it would have been fairly noticeable that they were referencing social issues.