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M'Benga (TOS)
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | M'Benga |
| Occupation: | Starfleet |
| Relationships: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Doctor M'Benga is a medical doctor and works in the Enterprise's sick bay.
M'Benga first appears in Star Trek: TOS where he is given no first name. His co-workers are Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy and Nurse Christine Chapel.
Later Portrayals of M'Benga
Joseph M'Benga is a character in Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
M'Benga appears in "Divided We Stand," a 2015 episode of Star Trek Continues (fan films).
Short Canon Description
Fandom
M'Benga is almost always portrayed as a supporting character in fanworks.
He is also not the topic of a lot of fan discussion. One example is the long-running and wordy letterzine, Interstat where, in 152 issues over 14 years, he is only mentioned twice. Ironically, one of those two mentions was a fan listing minor characters that they wanted to see more about:
"There are many, many people aboard the Enterprise in addition to Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Haven't people like M'Ress, M'Benga, Kyle, Masters, DeSalle, Jamal, Walking Bear, etc. have the right to the kind of job satisfaction that comes from increased job responsibility? [1]
Pairings and Relationships
Tropes
- a yenta/facilitator for the Kirk/Spock relationship
- a yenta/facilitator for the Spock/Chapel relationship [2]
- a by-stander to the goings-on aboard the Enterprise
- capable co-worker [3]
- a good friend [4]
- a doctor who specializes in Vulcan biology and physiology [5] [6]
Fannish First Names
Doctor M'Benga is not given a first name in aired canon. In the unaired script for an episode titled "Shol," his first name was Joseph, and is something that got carried to later character portrayals.
Some names given to him by fans:
Always Second Fiddle to Dr. McCoy
...subconsciously at least Kirk certainly doesn't trust [M'Benga] the way he would trust Bones. [12]
Since Dr. M'Benga is mentioned on page 8, why wasn't he involved or consulted about the meld Spock was going to do (since he's a Vulcan specialist)? [13]
Representation
Roddenberry was lauded for including people with different racial backgrounds as crewmembers on the Enterprise.
In 1978, a fan brings this up... only to take a perplexing jab at Kirk/Spock fanworks:
Gene Roddenberry was out to make a point on race relations he did it by making Star Fleet a multi-racial organization. The helmsman didn't have to be an oriental or Stoner a black because of some crucial point in the story. Crewmenbers in the background carried the theme without words.
But what do we have in the sexual K/S stories? A bunch of women writers wallowing in male gay sex. If someone matched Uhura and M'Benga in a tale of passion while suggesting the level of that passion to be a function of their race, the hoots of outrage would echo coast to coast. Write sexual K/S and not only can you do exactly that type of representation but you get to pat your self on the back for your social awareness. [14]
The Witch Doctor Trope
The trope of M'Benga as a "witch doctor" has roots in canon where it begins with Spock and McCoy, and slides into M'Benga due to McCoy's racism (egged on by Spock). M'Benga's dark skin certainly had a part in the trope as well.
While he doesn't use the exact term, Spock insults McCoy in the second season episode "I, Mudd," stating that maybe a crew member hasn't come in for his required physical because, "He's probably terrified of your beads and rattles."
That trope was reinforced in Spockanalia, the first Star Trek: TOS zine published, as well as being issued while the show was still on the air. Spockanalia was read by TPTB and several issues contained letters by Gene Roddenberry, D.C. Fontana as well as some of the actors; the latter wrote their letters "in character." Spockanalia #2 (April 1968) contains one by DeForest Kelley and one by Leonard Nimoy.
Kelley's letter is "written by McCoy." In it, he complains about Vulcan physiology and says he hired M'Benga so that McCoy could avoid treating a Vulcan.
As for Spock - what the blazes do I know about Vulcans? I reach for his heart and come up with his liver - his blood is green as well as an indelible stain. I recently brought aboard a young Dr. M'Benga (who interned in a Vulcan hospital) to get Spock off my back. I can't be bothered with rubbing my nerves raw about a physical jigsaw.
Nimoy's letter in response includes comments about witch doctors, and is referring to McCoy:
If you can imagine what it would be like to have a tooth ache treated by a screaming witch-doctor, shaking ancient instruments and yelling unintelligible incantations, you have some idea of what a Vulcan experiences when treated by the ship's surgeon.
These letters, as well as general ignorance and racism, affected some fans' views of M'Benga by default.
At least one story that includes M'Benga as a Voodoo priest and/or "witch doctor" is The Marriage by Gena Moretti and Anna Parrish (1991).
Example Fanfiction
Fiction that features M'Benga is extremely rare. He is more often simply mentioned in such ways as "M'Benga was waiting with the hypo." or "Tell M'Benga to get down to sick bay quick." or "M'Benga's got the late shift tonight."
Below are some stories that at least give him some agency and a speaking role.
1970s
- Trial by Ordeal by Connie Faddis (1975)
- A Private Little Conflict by Alice Thompson in IDIC #6 (1978)
- Love's Renaissance by Mary Louise Dodge (M'Benga is in this story, as well as others in this series) (1979)
1980s
- Bait Once, Bait Twice by Lee M. Jaecks (1980)
- Reporting for Duty by Sue Keenan ("This is an account of M'Benga's introduction to the Enterprise and to Dr. McCoy. M'Benga has done every thing possible to be assigned to work uith McCoy, but a series of misinterpreted events leave him with the impression that McCoy is a drunken, womanizing coward and bigot.") (printed in Odyssey #5) (January 1981)
- Passage by Jacqueline Bielowicz and Cheryl J. White/Cherpring (M'Benga and Christine Chapel become lovers, and she has to decide to follow him to another job, or stay on the Enterprise pining for Spock.) (1981)
- Shadows by Michael Goodwin (1987)
- Song of Stars by Betsy Fisher (Luca M'Benga is a character in this novel) (1988)
1990s
- Journey of a Soul by Marian Kelly (in Mind Meld #6 (1991)
- All the Time in the World by T.W. Palmer (1993)
- The Trojan Horse by Jill Thomasson (McCoy is implanted with a destruct device. M'Benga manages to get it out, operating far from the ship in a shuttle piloted by Spock.) (from Encounters #4) (1995)
2000s
- Ripple by Greywolf the Wanderer (2000)
Example Fanart
for the story, Zatishur in Log of the Starship Enterprise #8, the artist is Janice (1973)
from Love's Renaissance, John Martin is the artist (1979)
from R & R #15, Barbara P. Gordon portrays Christine Chapel and M'Benga in the story, Passage (1981)
from R & R #15, Barbara P. Gordon portrays Christine Chapel and M'Benga in the story, Passage (1981)
from Shadows, artist is Marie Williams (1987)
Fan Comments
And even a token mention of dear old Doctor M'Benga. [15]
And at last Dr. M'Benga is given a personality. [16]
I didn't care for the humorous element in [ The Marriage ]. A great deal of it was very belittling toward Kirk and some of it was belittling toward Voodoo. It's actually called Vodun, and is a real African religion that deserves respect. The caricature that the authors made of it in this story encourages prejudicial attitudes. [17]
M’Benga is given a nice part here, but provided a distraction for me at times. [18]
References
- ^ from Interstat #44 (June 1981)
- ^ [ Star Crossed]; archive link by J.M. Lane (1995)
- ^ Fear No Evil by Sue Keenan (1984)
- ^ The Shadows Between Us by Anna Parrish (1991)
- ^ Ripple by Greywolf the Wanderer (2000)
- ^ "Logic and the Vulcan Mythos" by Karen C. Hunter is a scholarly article "written by Dr. M'Benga" that was printed in TREKisM #16 (1981)
- ^ from Passage
- ^ Do Not Go Gentle
- ^ from "A Story of Christmas Future????" in Archives' Log v.3 n.1/2
- ^ from "Gentle Madman" in Abode of Strife #10
- ^ from The Tantalus Syndrome by Ellen Morris, published in Nome #11
- ^ comments about Part III, Section One of The Weight from an LoC by Luba Kmetyk in Warped Space #25 (1977)
- ^ comments about the story, Never Too Late (1991) from The LOC Connection #29
- ^ by Susan M. Stephenson in Interstat #14 (1978)
- ^ a fan's comment about "Any Kind of Freedom," a story by Susan Schmidt in Canektion #1 (1978)
- ^ from a fan's comment in Beyond Antares #28 about the story, "Reporting for Duty" in Odyssey #5)
- ^ from The LOC Connection #32
- ^ from a fan's comment in The K/S Press #60 about the story, Ripple