Where No Person Has Gone Before: The Sexism of Star Trek

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Title:	Where No Person Has Gone Before: The Sexism of Star Trek
Creator:	S.L. Bochenek (Sher Bochenek)
Date(s):	October 1974
Medium:	print
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Topic:
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Where No Person Has Gone Before: The Sexism of Star Trek is an essay by S.L. Bochenek.

It was printed in Space-Time Continuum #7.

first page

Some Topics Discussed

• Uhura's line, "Captain, I'm frightened." -- How it undermines her character and all women
• other examples of crummy portrayals of women:

"Mudd's Women" and human trafficking

"Journey to Babel" and Sarek ordering his wife around

"Plato's Stepchildren" and beaming Chapel and Uhura down to the planet for only one purpose: to serve as objects of Kirk and Spock's sexual humiliation

"Turnabout Intruder" and Kirk's statement "'Her life could have been as rich as any woman's, if only...' (If only she could have accepted the fact that no woman can be a starship captain?)"

"Spock's Brain" and women are depicted as brainless children whose have committed "a grave sin by not allowing the male population to share in their prosperity."

• there were some good female portrays: Edith Keeler is an "enterprising business woman ... she also gets Kirk," the drill thrall in "Gamesters of Triskelion" is his physical match, but "Kirk can tame her." The Romulan Commander is "supposedly a great leader, with intelligence and bravery, but she falls head over heels for Spock, and ends up in over her head." Mara in "Day of the Dove" is a Klingon First Officer, but is too wimpy to fight even Chekov off. Other flawed "strong" women are also discussed.
• Uhura should have more elevated duties and respect but instead is passed over for temporary command by Sulu, or "some trivial crewman named 'DeSlalle'" [who] is thought up in order to prevent any hint of female dominance on board."
• Christine Chapel whose "only function is to love Spock, (and isn't that what every woman is made for?) and she never lets us forget it."
• Spock, "above all others, knows the worth of womanpower"
• Star Trek: The Animated Series has shown fans some strong female characters

From the Essay

[Uhura's line] is only one of the more evident slashes at women on STAR TREK. Granted the series was the finest ever conceived for television, and far ahead of its time, but having such a reputation carries with it the responsibility of treating all humanity with the same respect. STAR TREK offered a dream of the future, with all life forms held sacred -- except, that is, for the female.

Miranda in "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" is up against nearly unconquerable odds. Both Kirk and McCoy consider her to "beautiful" to gallivanting through space (a woman's place is on the Earth), and refuse to understand her work. Hating the pity her blindness attracts, Miranda dismissed much of her emotionalism, and is again condemned for this by the males ("A great psychologist -- why don't you try being a woman for a change?")

Much of STAR TREK's sexist attitude can be traced to its main character, Captain James T. Kirk. Kirk represents the height of male society. He is everything a man should be -- strong, virile, in command, and always gets the girl. How many episodes can you name in which Kirk did not become romantically involved with the female costar, where he simply existed with her? A pitiful few. Kirk uses women for his own gain -- entryway into enemy territory, stalling for time, gathering information, or for the purpose of "establishing good relations with the natives."

Yeoman Rand was, of course, the personification of the system. She was often the focus of Kirk's sexual drives, (who can forget those immortal words spoken by her in "Miri." "Back on the ship I sued to try to get you to look at my legs. Captain, look at my legs!"), and though personally, I liked her, the character developed into nothing more than the Captain's servant, performing the menial chores assigned to her as "private secretary."

True, we are given a few female doctors, engineers, and scientists, but admit it -- how many of them end up falling to Kirk's (or Scotty's, or Spock's) arms? STAR TREK was guilty of a classic cliche -- using women as "sex objects," or more precisely "love objects." Their only purpose in the story is to serve as a romantic catalyst for the males. Can't a man and woman work together equally without romance moving its way into the picture?

But out of all of this dismality, a bright light shines through -- Spock. He, above all others, knows the worth of womanpower. It was Spock who once said to Uhura, "I know of no one more capable of handling the situation." It is Spock who is usually first to hand a phaser to a woman crewmember. It Spock alone who understood Miranda in "Is There in Truth..." who did not dote on her beauty, but commented on her mind...Of course, even Spock was capable of sexist cliches, but on the whole, was able to great all women as his equal, respecting them for their accomplishments.