The problem with using our real world as the baseline for science fiction

A common mistake people make when creating science fiction is that they base it on the present day. For example, Star Trek has a captain that's a 60 year old white man. So was the captain of the Enterprise in the 60's. But now, that just looks outdated. Star Wars has a white Mary Sue. And so on. This is because we're living in a time where racism and sexism are being called out and we're being pushed to diversify everything. <br><br>I've been reading a lot of Dune books lately and I'm pretty sure that if it came out now, it wouldn't be as popular as it is. Paul Atreides is obviously a white male protagonist, and while the author does a good job of making him more relatable to Arabs, he still isn't diverse. Plus, being set in a future where the Arabs have colonized most of the planet is going to rub the wrong way for a lot of people. This isn't to say that the book is racist, it's just that it was written in a different time. <br><br>So, how do you create a world that looks futuristic but is also accepting to modern sensibilities? One problem is that a lot of science fiction relies on the past as the baseline. In Dune, everything is measured in years "After the Butlerian Jihad" or "Atreides Era". And the culture is largely Romanesque or Middle Eastern with futuristic additions. Even Star Wars is like this, with the culture looking similar to 30's America but with lightsaber duels. <br><br>So, how do you create a world that's futuristic, but also accepting to modern sensibilities?