Star Trek has a new TV series called Starfleet Academy, and like every new series before, it’s creating something of a stir. Political cronies have riled up MAGA men to get more upset than usual, attacking the show as ‘not really’ being Star Trek. Even William Shatner has entered the fray in a way that begs the questions, is he sarcastically baiting self-important man-children? Or is someone else tending to his social media accounts?

What are the maybe–manly men upset about? Of all things, that a female alien of the future wears glasses, and OMG that she doesn’t sit properly in the Captain’s chair. Yet such tropes have been played with before in Star Trek, and it was okay as long as male characters did them. On TNG, Commander Riker had an annoying habit of sitting backwards in a chair; in a TOS movie, Captain Kirk frets about having to wear glasses to read a book; and on DS9, Odo turned to goo and slept in a bucket for crying out loud. Hey guys, it’s a TV show, and you might be on the verge of a great realization. Star Trek is NOT written for teenage boys anymore; it’s written for girls! And that’s really why you’ve got a problem with it.

What is ‘Starfleet Academy’? Based on the first episode and the name, it’s Star Trek’s entry into the high school or college drama category. While not as hapless and hopeless as Euphoria, it’s written for a similar age demo. If the name doesn’t give it away, there’s plenty of other clues this isn’t meant for middle-aged men. The leading characters, both in screen time and in positions of leadership in this fictional future, are mostly women. The adult men (and the holographic doctor) are father figures. The female students are smart career types with leadership qualities, while the male students are beefcake or brainiac characters with mommy issues.

It’s a bit unbecoming that men in their 40s and 50s have been trolling the internet complaining about stuff written for girls and young women. It seems they got used to having television shows and movies written for them when they were teenage boys. They never realized they got older and something changed in science fiction, but isn’t it obvious? The last few Star Wars films had female heroes; the show ‘Foundation’ on Apple TV switched the main character from a man to a woman; and Star Trek has had female-centric shows as far back as Voyager (which was named after a minivan).

There’s many reasons for these changes, chief among them is demographic shifts in spending. Science fiction TV shows are primarily written for the 18-34 (or even 14-34) age group. According to various sources, women influence as much as 85% of US consumer spending, and they hold 60% of all personal wealth. Women also purchase over 50% of traditional ‘male’ products including automobiles and consumer electronics. Given all this, is it any wonder that more TV shows are being created for girls and young women?

Getting older is tough, especially for white men these days. Guys, please realize that showing up at a high school dance or hanging out around a women’s college dorm is a little creepy. You’re doing the equivalent thing on YouTube with your reactions videos. You don’t own the pageant, and even if you did, going into the women’s dressing room uninvited is a little depraved and perverse. Look up the word ‘lascivious’ then look in the mirror.

Fret not, just get a little smarter and more aware. Realize how you are coming off. Stop looking in the wrong place for entertainment, and be thankful that TV creator Taylor Sheridan is your wingman. You’ve aged out of certain things, but geezers make TV too. Maybe look here for a start: Top 30 TV Series for Mid-aged Men. There’s plenty of age-appropriate TV shows and women actresses for the alpha male you’ve turned into.

Please, leave Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and girls’ spaces alone!