DS9 arguably did it just as much, just wrote it better. They were the first to have a lesbian kiss. They pushed social and political boundaries in deeper than ‘my skin is different than yours’ ways. It debated the morality of war, peace through killing, and how slavery can take forms beyond chains (examples include the bajorans, cardassians, and ketracell white). It was the deeper trek in so many ways. And it was just as liberal, just as DEI, and just as open to explore sexuality in every direction (basically any episode with dex, then countered by the omni sex of odo). It did just as much as any of the nu-trek, but didn’t dumb it down to lowest common denominator to spoon feed it to you with forced dialog and in-your-face preaching.
DS9 arguably did it just as much, just wrote it better. They were the first to have a lesbian kiss. They pushed social and political boundaries in deeper than ‘my skin is different than yours’ ways. It debated the morality of war, peace through killing, and how slavery can take forms beyond chains (examples include the bajorans, cardassians, and ketracell white). It was the deeper trek in so many ways. And it was just as liberal, just as DEI, and just as open to explore sexuality in every direction (basically any episode with dex, then countered by the omni sex of odo). It did just as much as any of the nu-trek, but didn’t dumb it down to lowest common denominator to spoon feed it to you with forced dialog and in-your-face preaching.