Sex and Star Trek

[Theunicornhunter 2]

Well, here's an interesting little article about how the shows reflect sexual attitudes. It's just one person's opinion but she definitely has one.

 

about.com

[BakulaBabe 2]

Sheesh! I can't believe she wrote 4 pages about something that is such a small part of Trek! And I really can't balieve she mentioned Kirk/Spock and Spock/McCoy stories. ICK! It seems to me that each Trek gets less "sexy" than the one before. But that's just me. B)

 

It was a well written article, though.

[Odie 0]

It is very well written from a non-fan point of view. There is more to Star Trek than sex. B) Plus she missed understood so much that is involved with characters and why they reacted the way they did in Star Trek universe.

[ddillard 2]

I have to agree that the author overreacted and misunderstood many things. I never saw sex as being a large part of the franchise, I also feel that the times that sex or sexual tension was shown made the series more believable, I just would not have found it believable that sex would not be a part of life in the 24th century or that it would be something that was taboo or completely hidden from all view especially with the fact that as time goes by in our own time it is becoming less and less of a forbidden topic.

[poldor 0]

sex and star trek has never really been an issue

[Takara_Soong 4]

I hate to break it to you guys but Dr. Julia Houston is a fan and I can assure you, she is does know Trek.

 

Julia Houston started watching Star Trek at birth and loves all five incarnations, was totally hooked on Lost in Space as a child, has read all the Narnia books several times, saw StarWars when she was twelve and felt like God had made a movie just for her, and general reads/watches any and all things sci-fi or fantasy.  

from About.com

 

She is the voluteer "guide" to About's sci-fi section. Her "real job" is Director of Media Arts at Tulane University. I've actually exchanged emails with her as she agreed to list DataLoreFiction in the adult fanfic listing of the Star Trek guide. She seemed very nice to me.

 

As UH said, it is her opinion on that particular subject. Don't judge her based on that alone. Take a look through the whole guide and you will see how much work she has done there.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

I read her article and I don't where she said that the sex was the central issue of Star Trek. Instead, she addressed how Star Trek treated sex when it did decide to include it. And, I think her description was pretty accurate - what she left out is that the same can be said of nearly every other tv drama past and present as well.

 

Very, very few television programs present a positive, interesting, view of marriage. The heroes (stars) are almost always single and if they do fall in love you can expect someone is going to die (and it won't be the hero) - the exceptions are sitcoms which poke fun at marriage or family life (Ray Romano, Tim Taylor characters), or the family drama that shows how miserable marriage can be. An occasional drama will have married lead characters but you seldom see the spouse (one the of Cagney and Lacey pair) and there's Stargate where both Teal'c and Dr. Jackson were at one time married but the spouses were conveniently absent.

 

I've even read where it is a pretty standard rule of thumb in Hollywood that marriage makes characters boring. Indeed, the chase (think Moonlighting) is often a lot more fun to watch.

 

Star Trek has done a lot of wonderful things but I do think it's depiction of relationships follows Hollywood rather than daring to "go where no one has gone before" (I've read real plans for deep space travel include sending married couples)

 

Can anyone name a series where married people both have interesting roles and actually like each other and are happy. Of the three CSI's there is one character divorced and one widowed - no married characters. Law & Order - on SVU one of the characters is married but you seldom see the family - there have a couple others that mentioned a spouse on occasion, NCIS - a thrice divorced lead, Without a Trace - lead getting divorced (not sure if another character is married or just has a child) That's about all I watch. Anyway - see the pattern?

[RikerChick 5]

Can anyone name a series where married people both have interesting roles and actually like each other and are happy. 

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Dharma & Greg (not a drama, I know), part of the reason I love that show even though it can be a bit silly. But in general I agree with everything you said. Marriage is rarely shown in a positive light and I find it rather irritating. I basically agree with most everything the writer said...

 

Come on, people. The pre-game is fun, but the real story in a relationship starts after two people have made the commitment to each other. Anyone who's ever had a serious significant other knows that the ultimate challenge is staying together, and that that challenge is -- or at least should be -- an exciting one.

 

...especially that part^. I think she got it right on. B)

[LoveMalePecs1 0]

Sex and St have never really been a issue but it's a part of some of the eps and done in usual ways or in subtle ways to explore issues u couldn't do in most shows.

 

 

B) B) B)

[WEAREBORG4102 0]

I think there has been way to much sex for ratings recently, but overall, Star Trek has no issue with sex

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

I personally don't think there is enough sex in Trek. In fact I'm all for full frontal nudity.

[stoned_vulcan 0]

i read a page and a half and realized.. the writer is extreeeeemly long winded and just keeps droning on and on and on about things that really have a small part, i think she wanted to write this to feel special more than anything (no offense) it's well written but just overly long winded

[krysis 2]

I personally don't think there is enough sex in Trek.  In fact I'm all for full frontal nudity. 

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I agree there. There's a lack of steamy romance in all ST series but then, who cares about frontal nudity when there are space explosions left and right.

 

ON a more serious note, I read the article but I've no idea what exactly the main point is. Was it something good or bad?

[mj 7]

Can anyone name a series where married people both have interesting roles and actually like each other and are happy. 

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Seventh Heaven. They have real-life problems, and have family problems even though the husband is a preacher. The wife is a housewife, but that does not make her uninteresting.....it was her choice. It is a very good program.

[ILIKESEVEN 0]

This part of the article i found very interesting

 

 

 

And then came Seven of Nine.

 

While many Trekkers have been busy celebrating Seven's...er...physical attributes, right from the beginning I had my fingers and toes crossed that now, with a strong, intelligent woman who needs a guide more than a mother, someone outside the formal command structure, and someone who also takes no crap, finally we could have someone female that Janeway could interact with as an equal. At last, I hoped, we could have two women doing things on the screen without worrying about men, and without finding ourselves in the middle of a "woman's moment."

 

And even though Janeway has been nurturing Seven whenever she could, lately I've been getting my wish.

 

Some people are complaining that Janeway's authority is being challenged in a way the male captains have never had to put up with. I myself have disliked Chakotay for disobeying her orders.

 

But I'm beginning to have faith in Janeway's ability to be right in the end no matter who in the crew has a problem with her. Whatever challenge Seven presents, Janeway's up to it, and in the meantime...oh, such great scenes between the two of them!

 

Seven admires Janeway and wants to please her, but she doesn't respect the captain's rank -- why should she? -- and thinks in true Borg fashion that she knows what's best for everyone else. Janeway admires Seven too, and has tried to give her leeway and understanding while exploiting her Borg knowledge. But a captain can't have someone running around with the powers of an officer who won't obey orders. For both of them, the needs of the ship outweigh personal feelings.

 

In fact, they're alike in many ways: smart, strong, stubborn, independent, well-meaning but possessed of tempers and unafraid of a fight. In other words, their animosity comes believably from their personalities, and presents real, not convenient, friction.

 

But best of all, their relationship is important to the ship and the show. This isn't some side-bar, Plot-B concern, but the impetus for plot lines and thematic commentary in a way we've only seen on Trek before in male friendships.

 

And what friendships they are! Kirk and Spock and McCoy. Picard and Data. Picard and Riker. Picard and Q. Data and LaForge. Odo and Quark. Bashir and O'Brien. Bashir and Garak. Paris and Kim. Paris and Tuvok. Even Tuvok and Neelix.

 

And now, at last, Janeway and Seven.

 

Of course, this may not last. Seven may suddenly burst into tears and receive absolution from Mama Janeway. Or they could retreat to cold formality. Or Voyager could get canceled because it turns out that even in 1998 America isn't interested in watching a show where a grown woman talks to another grown woman.

 

But while it lasts, I'm in heaven!

[Theunicornhunter 2]

Can anyone name a series where married people both have interesting roles and actually like each other and are happy. 

294961[/snapback]

 

 

Seventh Heaven. They have real-life problems, and have family problems even though the husband is a preacher. The wife is a housewife, but that does not make her uninteresting.....it was her choice. It is a very good program.

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I have watched the show a few times and I like the parents. The kids are/were annoying. But as for my original question - yes they fit the bill. On the other hand I never considered this a realistic show because I can't imagine a minister's family never mentioning faith, prayer, or God in the context of their daily lives - his "job" as a minister is only that - a job. It just seems so politically correct.

 

Another show I liked was very shortlived called "Second Noah" - it was a terrific family show.

[TransporterMalfunction 1]

Having read the article I have only one conclusion: that some people have way too much time.