Re: Why the status
Never underestimate the influence Star Trek had on the civil rights movement, and the many activists that followed.
That said, through the judgmental eyes of today, some early Trek dialogue is highly questionable. The most memorable faux pas is a discussion on how Women cannot become ship captains! That one is that bad, and inconsistent with the evolution of Trek/Federation ideology that I don't think many people would object to it being edited out.
No doubt some complainer will complain about the suggestion of an edit "being woke"; to which I'd have to retort with the question of just who is woke.
Though I absolutely draw the line with the dog's name in the Dambusters - that should not be edited out. And some of the dialogue in Dirty Harry & related films - desperately offensive by todays standards, but in the context of the film and era, are reflective of how bad things were. Arguably still are in some places.
C'est la vie. There is no institute of English with the authority to say what words mean or the context they are used.