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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Crimson Longinus" data-source="post: 9726042" data-attributes="member: 7025508">The weakness of such allegory is that as by externalising these aspects of human experience to distinct and fixed groups, you elide the aspect of the fluidity of the psyche. That one human may go from "hobbitish" to "orcish" in their behaviour. And I think this elision is rather significant one and changes the message in fundamental level. Though if Star Trek qualifies for what you mean, that seems fine to me. Whilst different species certainly often are analogues to human qualities, there also is some xenofiction in there, nor are the qualities essentialist in a sense that one's species would determine their outlook. We did see many characters (Spock, Worf, Nog) who had conflicted relationship with the dominant culture of their species. I think this is rather different than always cruel orcs of Tolkien.</blockquote>