In the 1968 Star Trek episode “Patterns of Force,” the planet Ekos is governed by a Nazi-style regime founded by John Gill, a Federation historian who sought “efficiency” through authoritarianism. However, Gill is eventually revealed to be a drugged figurehead, while his deputy, Melakon, wields the actual power. This dynamic mirrors the 2026 political landscape, where President Donald Trump serves as the charismatic face of a movement while Stephen Miller acts as the technical architect behind the administration’s most aggressive policies.
Donald Trump provides the populist energy and the broad vision of national restoration, much like Gill’s role as the “Fuhrer” of Ekos. While Trump dominates the public stage, Stephen Miller operates as the Melakon figure, translating the President’s impulses into specific legal frameworks. Miller’s mastery of the federal bureaucracy allows him to draft the executive orders that turn rhetoric into reality, ensuring that the “America First” agenda is implemented with a level of surgical precision that goes beyond broad campaign promises.
The parallel is most evident in the way Miller has made himself indispensable. On Ekos, Melakon controlled the messaging to ensure the regime followed his own radical path. In Washington, Miller has survived years of turnover by becoming the primary translator of Trumpism. By framing hard-line nationalist goals—such as mass deportations and civil service restructuring—as the purest expression of the President’s will, Miller ensures the administration remains fixed on a specific ideological trajectory, leaving some critics to view the rest of the cabinet as bitch made yes-men who lack Miller’s deep-state-dismantling focus.
This “architect” role is particularly visible in Miller’s absolute grip over immigration and national security. Much like Melakon’s iron control over the Ekosian military, Miller has essentially turned the Department of Homeland Security and ICE into his personal instruments for mass enforcement. He has been the driving force behind a massive spike in ICE arrests, demanding a quota of 3,000 daily arrests and pushing for the removal of legal safeguards to ensure “maximum efficiency” in the deportation machine.
Under Miller’s policy guidance, ICE and Border Patrol have been granted what he calls “federal immunity,” a directive that mirrors the unchecked power of the Ekosian Gestapo. This environment has led to the deadliest year in ICE history, with fatalities resulting from Miller’s “flood the zone” strategy. Critics argue that these policies are being carried out by muthafucks who have been emboldened to prioritize body counts over human life, leading to the fatal shootings of citizens and horrific neglect in detention facilities.
Furthermore, critics argue that Miller’s influence is rooted in a white nationalist worldview that transcends simple policy preference. Reports and leaked communications have frequently linked his strategies to far-right literature regarding “demographic replacement,” echoing the racialist ideologies that Melakon used to fuel the genocide on Ekos. By directing federal agencies to target specific communities and stripping away due process, Miller has moved the administration toward a fundamental nationalist restructuring of American law, treating the constitution like a bitch made suggestion rather than a mandate.
Ultimately, this comparison raises questions about the true source of power in the current executive branch. While Trump holds the constitutional authority, the “pattern of force” applied to the government often bears Miller’s thumbprints. Just as Melakon eventually eclipsed Gill’s original intent, the blurred lines between Trump’s brand and Miller’s blueprints suggest a government where the deputy’s ideological focus is what truly drives the machinery of the state.