Racism Racism was the belief that one race was inherently superior or inferior due to certain characteristics , be they physical ( for example skin , eye , or hair color , or the genetic makeup of one ' s species ) or cultural ( such as a race ' s language , philosophy , religion , traditions , or level of technological development ) . Racism on Earth . Earth regions that experienced racism included the United States of America in the 19th and 20th centuries and Germany under the Nazi regime . ( ; ; ) The Ku Klux Klan , a white supremacist group , was notorious for its racist views . ( ) Benny Russell faced racism in 1950s New York City when he attempted to get his story published in " Incredible Tales " magazine , as it had a black captain in command of a space station . Douglas Pabst imagined it would take fifty years or more from that point for the Human race to become colorblind ( look beyond one ' s skin color ) . ( ) When Vic Fontaine ' s program was affected by the jack - in - the - box laid in it by programmer Felix , Benjamin Sisko admitted to Kasidy Yates that he eschewed the holo - program because he felt it ignored the suffering of Africa n - American s during the time period in which it was set . ( ) The 23rd century . In the 23rd century , the natives of the planet Cheron conducted a devastating war based solely on the racial differences of its inhabitants . While both races of their planet were half white and half black , the sides of their body which displayed those colors varied . As a result the ruling class , which was white on the left side and black on the right , suppressed the other race in which the coloration was reversed . By 2268 , the racial campaign by the ruling class and rebellion by the oppressed had rendered the planet nearly uninhabitable . ( ) During the same century , as a result of his mixed Human / Vulcan heritage , Spock was the subject of constant discrimination , teasing , and ostracism during his youth by his full - Vulcan classmates , which apparently at least once descended into actual physical abuse ; this could have been seen as racism . ( ; ) This continued while Spock served on the , during which Dr . Leonard McCoy referred to him , as , among other things , " pointy eared " , " green blooded " , and a " hobgoblin . " This was done more due to McCoy ' s frustrations with Spock himself than any real dislike of the Vulcan people , and sometimes even as friendly jibes or even nicknames . While Spock generally appeared to be immune to the insults , one time Spock temporarily lost his emotional control and reacted with anger to McCoy ' s words , to the point of lifting McCoy up against the wall by his throat . ( ) " also suffered this discrimination in the alternate reality , during which his classmates repeatedly cajoled him and insulted both him and his parents in order to elicit an emotional response from him . This culminated in an incident on the bullies ' 35th attempt in the alternate 2243 , when Spock viciously attacked the ringleader of the bullies after they referred to his as a " traitor " and his as a " Human whore " . Spock was also discriminated against by the selecting committee of the Vulcan Science Academy , who congratulated him on overcoming the " disadvantage " of his mixed heritage and gaining entry to the academy despite that disadvantage . Upon hearing this , Spock deferred entry – making him the first Vulcan to do so ( told of this fact , he replied that , as he wasn ' t truly Vulcan , this statistic was unaffected by his decision ) - sarcastically and bitterly giving the chairman the customary Vulcan farewell " " Live long , and prosper . " " " ( ) When the " Enterprise " encountered a Romulan Bird - of - Prey that had been attacking Federation outposts , several members of the crew , most notably Lieutenant , expressed prejudiced feelings toward Romulans , growing out of the war between the Federation and the Romulans . When visual contact was made with the Romulan ship and it was discovered that , visually , Vulcans and Romulans looked very much alike , Stiles began expressing strong skepticism and outright hatred towards Spock . His disdain for Spock went so far that Captain Kirk had to reprimand him for his bigotry . ( ) As the result of a seventy - year tense political climate between the Federation and the Klingon Empire , many Humans were heavily racist and prejudiced against Klingon s in the late - 23rd century , including high - ranking Starfleet officers , like Captain Kirk and Admiral Cartwright . ( ) " In the mirror universe of the mid - 23rd century , the Terran Empire was considered racist by Federation standards . " ( ) The 24th century . When the Cardassian s occupied Bajor , they believed themselves to be racially superior to Bajoran s since they had much more advanced technology . ( ) Racism still existed in the 24th century among some Humans and Vulcans as seen with Lieutenant Commander Christopher Hobson and his attitude toward his commanding officer Data . Hobson felt an android was unfit to be a captain and suggested that certain other species were not " meant " for certain assignments , such as a Klingon being a counselor . ( ) Vulcans who held racist attitudes included Captain , who believed that Vulcan crews were superior to all others in Starfleet , that Vulcans were inherently superior to Humans and other " emotionally handicapped " species , and that Humans made " inefficient " and " unprofessional " officers . ( ) Many races held strong racist views against each other , mostly reminiscent of previous hostilities . Klingons and Romulans were generally antagonistic to each other . Most Bajorans were heavily prejudiced towards Cardassians as a consequence of the Occupation . Cardassians often felt the same . Many Federation personnel , who fought in the war against them were also heavily against Cardassians , including Miles O ' Brien . ( ; ) In the 24th century , photonic lifeform s faced discrimination from organic s , making holographic rights an important social issue . ( )