Gays, Lesbians & Star Trek
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- Star Trek has tackled many social issues, real and imaginary, but just how does the Franchise handle matters relating to gays and lesbians? This video chronicles the extent of that conversation.
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Video
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Balance Of Terror, TOS, 1966
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Selma - Montgomery March, Stefan Sharff: bit.ly/16Gt5IL
Friendship One, VOY, 2001
Family, TNG, 1990
Rupture, DS9, 1996
Musselroe Wind Farm: The Full Story, Hydro Tasmania, 2013: bit.ly/1geQi8K
Sabrina, 1995
His Way, DS9, 1998
Star Trek Into Darkness, 2013
Plato’s Stepchildren, TOS, 1968
S.E. Cupp Tears Up, Hammers GOP on Same-Sex Marriage, CNN, 2015: bit.ly/1Nkc5a9
US 21st Country to Allow Same-sex Marriage Nationwide, CNN, 2015: bit.ly/1ET4CzN
The Moment After US Supreme Court Same-Sex Marriage Decision, BBC, 2015: bit.ly/1LLazxa
CNN Interview, Chris Cuomo and Roy Moore, CNN, 2015: bit.ly/1Nuo20D
Giraffe, footage shot by video author, 2015
Ghost Rookeries: Climate Change And The Adelie Penguin, EOWilsonBiodiversity TH-cam Channel, 2013: bit.ly/1LwrT7n
US Flag, shot by video author, 2015
Gay Marriage: Ireland’s Big Message For Equality, BBC, 2015: bit.ly/1M9zjAv
Wink Of An Eye, TOS, 1968
The Offspring, TNG, 1990
Bound, ENT, 2005
Star Trek: The Motion Picture, 1979
Stigma, ENT, 2003
Broken Bow, ENT, 2001
Doctor’s Orders, ENT, 2004
Amok Time, TOS, 1967
The Perfect Mate, TNG, 1992
The Emperor's New Cloak, DS9, 1999
Profit and Lace, DS9, 1998
Turnabout Intruder, TOS, 1969
Body and Soul, VOY, 2000
The Host, TNG, 1991
Rejoined, DS9, 1995
Chimera, DS9, 1999
What You Leave Behind, DS9, 1999
The Outcast, TNG, 1992
Fusion, ENT, 2002
The Trouble With Tribbles, TOS, 1967
Strategem, ENT, 2004
Lower Decks, TNG, 1994
Blood and Fire Part 1, Star Trek: Phase II fan series (formally Star Trek: New Voyages), www.startreknew...
Inside The Courtroom For SCOTUS Gay Marriage Ruling, USA Today TH-cam Channel, accessed 2015 via: bit.ly/1KvtV71
Think Tank, VOY, 1999
Photo
1983 Aids March, Mario Suriani, Associated Press, via the New York Historical Society, accessed 2015 via bit.ly/1LCKYoG
Castro District Protest, photo by Thomas Alleman, 1985, accessed 2015 via: huff.to/1OjNd65
Behind the Scenes TNG photos, via Star Trek: The Next Generation 365, accessed via Trekcore.com: bit.ly/1YlnqxV
Locutus Of Borg Sketch, Rick Sterback, 1990
David Gerrold Portrait, Paramount Pictures and/or CBS Studios
Star Trek Creators, Paramount and/or CBS Studios, accessed via Trekcore.com
TNG Season 4 Press Kit image, Paramount Pictures and/or CBS Studios, accessed 2015 via Trekcore.com
Herbert Wright, Fabbri Publishing, Star Trek: The Magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 11, accessed 2015 via bit.ly/1F9BW5T
TNG Season 4 Press Kit image, Paramount Pictures and/or CBS Studios, accessed 2015 via Trekcore.com
Ronald D. Moore, Paramount Pictures and/or CBS Studios
Brannon Braga, Paramount Pictures and/or CBS Studios
Depiction of Cahokia, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site Mural
Slaves on a Carolina Plantation, anonymous, late 1700s
The Cycle of Terror And Tragedy, by Graydon Parrish, 2002 (?)
Music
Drive Away, by MK2, TH-cam Audio Library
Alright, by Silent Partner, TH-cam Audio Library
Jay Dee 13, by J Dilla, The King Of Beats, 2015
Get It Together (Instrumental), by Soni WithanEye, 2013
Jay Dee 7, by J Dilla, The King Of Beats, 2015
Detroit Madness (Instrumental) by J Dilla, Rebirth Of Detroit Instrumentals, 2014
Websites / Sources
Reddit Comment: bit.ly/1TsgPhU
Why Star Trek: Voyager Meant The World To Me, by Katharine Trendacosta: bit.ly/1yqreSL
I remember reading somewhere that Jonathan Frakes (Riker) really wanted Soren to be acted by a male, to get the story's point across. But the producers wouldn't have it or something..
This is true. He became very angry because the show's executives wanted to play it safe.
Points to Frakes!
*****
"I can understand why the executives said no."
Only if you think profit (pandering to the homophobes/religious extremists, to be specific) should supersede a message.
He did say "I understand" not "I support"..
thats easy for you to say, but hundreds of people depended on that show as a job, they were there to work, lets say I'm an athiest (or whatever other group you want to pick) and own a store, and I demand that a political postion be filled by an athiest that earned it but was denied, and as a backlash the public refuses to use my store and I have to fire that person that works for me as a result, they can't bring a paycheck to there family anymore because I had a point to make, having said that your right too it's wrong to just cave into one group to the exclusion of the others especially considering how massivly populer Star Trek is.
Star Trek dosnt have an "obligation" to push social boundries it's a choice it's creators make and they should'nt be punished no matter witch way they go on it, but I wish it did more then it has.
I don't know why one moment keeps getting glossed over in the Star Trek/homosexuality discussions. DS9 2x07, "Rules of Acquisition."
Dax: (talking about Quark) I don’t care what anyone says. I love him.
Pel: So do I.
Dax: You really do, don’t you?
Pel: What?
Dax: Love Quark. Don’t bother trying to deny it, I’ve seen the way you look at him.
Pel: Please, keep your voice down!
Dax: Does he know?
Pel: He doesn’t even know I’m a female.
Dax: YOU’RE A WOMAN??
Dax had no idea that Pel was a woman in disguise when discussing Pel's love for Quark. To me this seems to indicate that homosexuality is not only accepted in the Star Trek universe, it's such a part of society they don't even give it much thought. The only reason we don't see it onscreen is because folks in the 20th and 21st centuries still have some issues to work through...
And when they go to the mirror universe they all just seem to accept that everyone is apparently bisexual there. They don't really bat an eye which suggests that homosexuality is normal In the future.
Still it would have been nice to have had a proper gay couple in star trek at least once. Nothing in your face or anything but just as normal or even sideline characters.
+Christopher Payne Well, but again....aliens. The Trill are understood to be gender-fluid because the symbionts get put into hosts of different genders all the time. Dax has occupied both male and female hosts and even borne children! Pel was a Ferengi, as was Quark. You may also recall that Quark himself was not very receptive to Pel's interest when he thought that Pel was male. The implication being the homosexuality may not be all that welcome in Ferengi culture after all.
Aliens with alien problems. That allowed for Trek to distance itself from the issue, because at least it wasn't *humans* that were experiencing these things!
+Kyle Butler Nobody bats an eye because the Mirror Universe is known to be a place where *depravity* is the *norm*, not the exception. Slavery, keeping concubines and many other practices that the Prime characters would consider abhorrent are also present. Don't you find it at all insulting that only in a universe where practically everyone is *evil* are named characters bisexual, whereas in the Prime universe those same characters are exclusively straight?
*****
Yeah that is a fair point. It's like the depravity of the mirror universe gave the writers cover for having some hot lesbian action in the show.
I also don't remember there being any man on man action happening in the mirror universe. I can only speculate that the show runners assumed women kissing would titillate the audience but men kissing would be off putting to the audience. That's just my take on it anyway.
In defense of my original point, I don't remember any of the prime characters showing disgust or disapproval of bisexuality unlike slavery and concubines. But I admit that a lack of disaporval isn't really approval in and of itself so maybe its a stretch.
Oh well, hopefully they get it right in the new series.
Kyle Butler
Much like the "lesbian" romance in Rejoined was explicitly rationalized by the fact that the Dax and Kahn symbionts had previously occupied a husband-wife couple. Jadzia and Lenara were just acting out the emotions that the slugs inside their guts were feeling. Absent that special history, Jadzia otherwise preferred *very* manly men (e.g. Worf).
Indifference is not approval. Especially when, as has been the case on Trek, it is commonly hand-waved as aliens doing alien things, or limited to parallel universes where everybody is explicitly immoral.
Rike's actor actually wanted the alien in the Outcast to be played by a man rather than the woman they ultimately cast, reasoning it would of made the episode's message far more powerful.
Mr Frakes is such a champion.
@@marnie4629 yep he's definitely an ally. He's a good bloke
And more unbelievable, based on how riker is portrayed THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRETY OF HIS TIME ON SCREEN.
@@duffman18 Cosmo Kramer is that you?
I attribute my solid morals to watching star trek growing up. Fact. updated
+parodox22 "morals", not "morales".
+612Tiberius No, no, he's just in high spirits.
FallenEpic Or maybe he means "more or less" - somehow...
+parodox22 Maybe he was going for the Spanish surname?
+parodox22 ~ I attribute mine to "Scooby Doo"
I think the example of obvious ommision that upsets me the most is in "Someone to Watch Over Me" from ST: Voyager. When the Doctor is teaching Seven of Nine about dating, not once does he mention that there are same sex couples.
That because it was about how to behave on a date. As 7 might say, Who ( or what as its star trek) your date is ,is irrelevant.
I heard once: "If not fot religion, where do you get your morality?" The reply to which was "Captain Picard"
I second this.
freeman account more a Dr McCoy man myself
McCoy's a bit prejudiced against non-humans, though.
you get your morality from your brain. if you do not have a working one, no religion, and not even Captain Picard will help.
julijakeit - Perhaps. But our brain nor our entire being stand in a vacuum. We are a communal (dare I say tribal?) species. We learn from one another. Our brain allows us to make choices- hopefully good ones. By that I mean choices that include more people into our community. In time, if we are fortunate, our community will embrace all people. I believe that was the intention of the original creators of Star Trek and maybe even the people who created many of the religions scattered around this planet.But that stern individualism, relying only upon ourselves and our individual brain, is a myth of our times and our particular and current predominant culture.
Let's not hold up Profit and lace as a good example.
+dimmddr1 Its...very much a mixed bag, agreed.
+Trekspertise Field of fire was another episode where there was a casual mention of a no -standard relationship. It involved a Bolian crewmen we who had a wife and co-husband. Not much else was mentioned. So sometimes I felt that they were trying get it in past some very timid producers. A shame they didn't include more so that we would have more meaningful discussion. I'm glad Caprica was a lot more bold.
+Anthony Green Pity CAPRICA only lasted 1 season!
One story I heard was, one of the executive producers constantly blocked any introduction of gay or lesbian characters. That is why is most dislike among gay Star Trek fans.
"Yes.. ah, no, she's your wife!"
"What does that have to do with it?"
Love it...
I disagree about The Host. Dr. Crusher is happy to see the Trill again *until* she turns and see that it's a lady now. I mean, her turn from smile to frown is pretty telling and to me she's referring to not being able to continue her affair with the same person but in a female body. As for The Outcast.. it seems to me a bit of a hodgepodge of both gay and trans themes, more than firmly stuff about gay people in particular. "Stigma" was so obvious it was almost on the nose.
luuuy
McFadden states in an interview I've seen somewhere that she had wanted to give the female host a goodbye kiss at least. She wasn't allowed.
I thought it was an episode that clearly adressed transexual and transgender issues. And it was very beautiful when dr. CRUSHER said: "perhaps one day we will not be so limited in our ability to love".
Letícia Mori "Beautiful"? I thought it was appalling. Because who is "we"? It was Dr. Crusher who was limited in her ability to love, not "we". I found that line completely insulting.
@@sharonminsuk "We" as in her and the culture of the late 80's early 90's for whom the content was produced, ya nimrod.
Something I love about Star Trek is that it always seems to address issues society seems to fight against.
I am a History teacher. You are doing a great thing here with Trekspertise. Keep it up!
+Chris George Thank you very much for watching! A hearty endorsement =)
If you have any topic suggestions, please feel free to send them my way.
One of the reasons I came to love star trek is their willingness to address controversial subjects like race and gay openly in defiance of the (acceptable) norm. As far as Janeway being a captain, it was a great day when a woman was portrayed in a command position and a woman that's a total badass on top of it.like Cisco being the first black man put in a position of command in a still semi racist film and television industry. it's things like this that sets the star trek genre in a class all by itself.
What I loved particularly about DS9 was the twist they later implied, that Benjamin Sisko might actually have been a 1950s black sci-fi writer who has to hide his race in order to publish his stories, and who creates this better future in which a black man can be in such a high command position. I never quite git the hang as to whether this was an actual reveal, or just Sisko's way of looking back into the past and realizing that humanity had come a long way (with or without the assistance of the wormhole aliens/Bajoran "Gods" who had given him this vision). And I think you cannot really separate the Gender questions from the racial question because it's all about the willingness to accept and accommodate difference.
Not to mention that the Cardassians occupying Bajor is also one such hidden comment - I always thought the Cardassians looked like Chinese with their hair combed back, as if they had jumped straight out of a Mao Zedong propaganda placard...And the Bajorans were the Tibetans or something (any country that the Chinese might have occupied) at least their Kai (the office, not the woman finally occupying the post) always gave me strong Dalai Lama vibes..
We need Borg Tribbles
resistance is futile. you cannot resist the cute fluffyness.
Borg tribbles are called kittens.
When the Borg finally assimilate some Tribbles, all hell will break loose!
It should be the final Star Trek episode ever.
+Aeroldoth3 that explains alot!! lol
Borggles? Or Triborg?
God damn Riker,. He made me realise i was rikersexual
Literally everyone is Rikersexual, whether they know it or not.
@@TheBlarggle Lol, I'm not. Why am I even reading this comment? he's my least favourite character in star trek.
@@TheBlarggle No wonder he couldn't get that grin off his face when he met Captain Okona. Jack Harkness blended with Han Solo? That's a man after his own heart.
As are at least half the characters in Star Trek.
One of the things that I've always appreciated about Star Trek is not only its having diversity in characters and story, but the way that diversity is integrated. Star Trek never even mentioned Uhura's race, or Janeway's gender in the show. They assume (correctly, I hope) that by the 23rd/24th Centuries, those things no longer spark any sort of issue or controversy. This means that they don't have to put in "token characters" solely to appear forward thinking. Geordi is probably the furthest thing possible from a black stereotype, and Janeway is certainly no female stereotype. Star Trek is one of the few shows that nails diversity without trying, simply by not shouting "hey look, we're diverse!"
+Charles Earle that is great narration of Geordi and Janeway, they are without saying they are. Just are. and shows ten a penny are falling over themselves to shout 'Look look we are diverse' with a cheesy awkward grin, hoping not to get the shut down. Latest Star Trek Continues episodes deals with a Commander Garrett demanding her captaincy, in the time of TOS. Where the Federation being only a small collective of species and only 8 Constitution class ships. Being socially pressured by the other races ideals and expectations that their should not be female captains. Its a remarkable episode.
I'm not understanding your comment.. Uhura was Swahili and Janeway was female..? Those are both mentioned many times in the show.
Divergent Droid Perhaps I misspoke. I really meant that those aspects aren't mentioned in reference to their ability to do their job, or mentioned in a way that shouts "Hey, look, we have a minority character!" Whenever it is mentioned, it's more of just a conversation piece, like O'Brien's Irish heritage.
+Divergent Droid Yeah, essentially while Uhura is Swahili, it's never brought up like, "Wow, for a black woman, you've done quite well for yourself" or whatever. Same with Janeway. "Oh, wow - a female captain? That's so impressive of you." No one ever says that. It's not shocking in anyway that these two people from these demographics are doing what they're doing.
Well, actually they do bring up the subject with Janeway - at least when she's discussing how she's to be adressed with Ensign Kim - Star fleet would require "Sir", She'd accept "Mam" in an emergency, but ultimately prefers "Captain" - "aye, Mam!" - "this is not an emergency, Mr. Kim!"
Thank you so much for this.
Recent episodes of Star Trek Online show a lesbian Klingon pair.
+Persephone Sixty-Six Indeed it was nice to see, although a bit sideways on the delivery. Hoping we get some more of that in the future.
I'm surprised the Enterprise episode, "Cogenitor" wasn't mentioned
I agree! I was waiting for it to be mentioned too. Another episode that ends sadly, but approaches these delicate issues very well.
Tom Jenson you are absolutely correct! Great episode
That one made me cry.
Exactly! To me Cogenitor was the closest that Trek ever got to discussing transgender issues and it was omitted from the list.
It wasn't transgender at all. It was a 3rd gender necessary for reproduction with the other 2 genders. Male, female, and the 3rd gender added another enzyme necessary for reproduction. Nothing about transgender at all, because it is a part of their biology. Just like we have 2 genders, that species has 3. The issue dealt with in that episode was that they were 3% of the population and because of their rarity, were given less rights than the other 2 genders. Not because they were frowned upon for their behavior, but because of their necessity to the survival of their race.
Well, we finally got a more than subtle nod with Beyond.
I like what they did with the newest Star trek movies. How they had Sulu and his husband/ lover and their child together on the space station. They don't treat it like an issue they treat them like every one else, it is just how they are and no comment is made or needed.
Thank you! You're the best. Especially your summary / roundup about representation on screen. A really great video. And now that we have actual open LGBT relationship on Star Trek Discovery, it has finally happened. Thanks to the progressive producers of that show.
And what a load of bollocks it is,stopped watching because of this shit.
Great overview. The trill episodes especially are wonderful. I love The Outcast, and I greatly enjoyed Chimera. My one complaint, Crusher's dialogue I'm sure was simply toned down. We never get any hints that she's anything but straight, and just as gay and bi people don't choose their orientation, she didn't choose hers either. It was a simple issue of not being physically attracted to the new, female host. I don't think that's complicated, and I've never seen that episode as hinting that Crusher may be bi or pan or omni.
As a fan, I'm still heartbroken we never got to see Garak of DS9 stretching his pansexuality in a casual, unremarked way. When we first see him, he's clearly interested in Bashir, and Robinson has even said that he played him as a pan character who was attracted to this fellow male. Not only did the studio tell Robinson to "tone it down," but they then proceeded to try and force the character into a het relationship by bringing in Ziyal. That idea didn't pan out, there were crazy casting issues, she was too young, the chemistry was off - I think due to her youth, but even more due to her issues with her father. I'd have been fine seeing Garak in a functional, adult, het relationship, and also gay and pan relationships, but they opted not to take advantage off the character's potential.
I appreciate what the studio has included in Trek for lgbt content (except the blatantly offensive and sexist representations in the DS9 Mirror Universe episodes), but I also think that they could've done FAR more. Actors were willing, writers were willing, and the landscape was opening up. I think they should've pushed that envelope a little further, and it's disappointing that they never did.
One of the main characters in Enterprise was originally meant to be homosexual; specifically, Malcolm Reed.
Here's a good trivia quote from IMDB: "Although Malcolm Reed mentioned relationship with women in Star Trek: Enterprise: Shuttlepod One (2002) and even shows brief interest in T'Pol, Dominic Keating has always indicated in interviews that he saw and played Reed as gay (which may explain why, by Reed's own admittance, "none of [my relationships with women] worked out, because I could never get very close to them")."
I can imagine what an impact it would have had on us if, in the 90s they had an openly gay storyline told in a positive light. It would have been another way Star Trek changed the world.
I love the confusion about 'host changes.' Having lived through transition myself, yes, that is exactly how selfish people can be when you dare to be yourself.
"Blood and Fire" I saw it recently. It takes a fan fiction to take the ball and run with it. I was uncomfortable watching it at first but it worked.
I know this purely about "Canon" subjects but as other have pointed out in comments there was some Apocrypha works that featured LBGTQ characters. Though completely made up fanon a lot of support over the ages has been shown for K/S(Kirk/Spock, Spirk, Space husbands). I think that its encouraging that even if the ST multiverse doesn't openly speak about it, The fandom is very diverse in nature of sexuality and lifestyles. Most ST fans I've know as I've heard it said "I have no problems who you have relations with off duty"
Gay/Lesbian/Trans/Straight, It doesn't matter at all as long as the entire episode isn't just focused on that one specific issue. If there is a mention of a person's spouse's gender, then nothing else needs to be mentioned. I am working on a Trek Novel that the ship's captain is lesbian and her engineer is a trans. But that will not, nor will ever be a main focus. It'll have a mention and conversations with the captain's wife, and just a mention of the engineer's husband, but that is all that's needed. If you focus solely on that one thing, then the entire episode/novel/comic/whatever's story will become about that.
I don't see why it cannot be the focus of the story arc that is being told. Take Miles O'Brien and his wife Keiko. They where often in stories that where the main point of focus. Where shown to have a loving family, a child, had common jobs (at least for Keiko) and wasn't a problem for this type of story. I remember one story of Miles going thru the process of a prision life span in something like 20minutes. He felt that life truely went past in this time span and require care from friends to correct this abuse. I am not sure why there is a problem then in providing such story arcs for same sex couples. Same sex couples have children, have common and not so common jobs, have a high standard of living, have problems, concerns and views on politics that are not the same for each person who uses the term homosexuality as a descriptor of themselves.
There is something special in seeing a representation of yourself on tv, in books and other types of publications. It can quite be quite easy to explore homosexuality without even having a gay/lesbian couple. Propose the idea of a biological family and a logical family. This takes typically a relgious family against homosexuality, and says that while it would be wonderful to have a loving bilogically linked family within your life, sometimes this isn't possible and its easier and more productive to instead find friends, who in the course of time, become dependable, supportive and loving [non-sexual] as part of your extended or logical family.
There are many ways to explore sex and sexuality without showcasing it. While it would be great to see it further explored, your Novel doesn't have to. Perhaps a novel exploring Sulu's sexuality could see his family being against not only the federation, but his sexuality. Not everything has to be made gay, not everything has to be a gay or straight think, but there is no harm in exploring this topic in greater details and show casing the good, bad, wonderful and ugly aspects of homosexuality.
*Personally I feel they should have just made an alternate trek LGBT show*
Put blacks on a separate show so those who never want to see blacks don't have to? Great perspective. /sarcasm
This channel will be the first thing this nerd has ever Patreon-ed, Kickstarted, etc. Your analysis is strong, your video production values are top notch, your pacing and episode length are perfect for a variety of uses (as a teacher, I appreciate this), and more. Though none of your videos are perfect (No Garak in this? Hrm.), they are above and beyond any effort and just keep getting better. Thank you for putting your effort into these gifts to the Star Trek community.
Interesting to read this 5 years on. Having just read the reviews of Picard and some people are incensed that in the last episode 2 female characters hold hands. The fact that one of them is actually a murderer seems to be a none issue for them though.
I would argue that The Outcast talks more about being Transgender than being Gay or Lesbian. The Genai are androgenous (no specific gender). Soren comes out as being female, which is different than the character's assigned gender. As a transwoman, I so related to this episode!!
+Shauna O'Toole I think you are correct, and I wish I could have addressed this further, but was constrained by a longer-than-normal episode length. Perhaps in a future Trekspertise episode?
+Trekspertise BTW - for those people who say that homosexuality is a choice? A lifestyle? Not so fast: www.nature.com/news/epigenetic-tags-linked-to-homosexuality-in-men-1.18530
Behavior and biology walk hand in hand. That's why I love molecular biology!
IamTenzin: While the biology isn't the choice, how you respond to it is. For example, if there was a male that was attracted to other males, then they have two choices: Embrace it or ignore it. Either one is the lifestyle choice that the person makes, regardless of what they really are.
Is either choice incorrect? Depending on the person, not society. A person has to be true to themselves, not to whatever society wants them to be. If a person is homosexual, yet hides it because of what society may think of them, then (depending on the person) the decision to hide their homosexuality is likely an incorrect choice. Granted, this is rather a simplistic view and there are always more variables involved, so the issue is more complex than I describe it here, but nevertheless, the decision on how to address homosexual or heterosexual feelings is always a decision.
If any of this doesn't make sense, I apologize. I'm not as articulate in my words as I should be, so sometimes what makes sense to me may get lost in translation.
@@ki5aok No, your orientation, or any state of 'not repressing your orientation and instead pretending to have another' is not a 'The Gay Lifestyle.' (By this, bigoted propaganda wants to imply their portrayals of some hedonistic 'party people' lifestyle' even if you're helping raise a kid in blue collar neighborhoods, or being 'the academic's wife' in college towns, or farming, or flying around the world as a business consultant, or all the other things that *are actually lifestyles for anyone.*
A part two is worth considering given development of these topics in recent series.
There is no question that Star Trek has trailed the rest of society when it comes to addressing LGBT issues. Which is ironic given its reputation as a socially-activist franchise. Even during the time when Will & Grace was a top-rated sitcom, the Trek producers were *terrified* of going near LGBT issues in any way that was not either offensive (evil Mirror Universe bisexuals) or difficult to relate to (only aliens with strange physiology could be anything other than straight).
"The Outcast" epitomized this, because while the supposed message of the episode was discrimination against LGBT people, at no point in his conversations with Soren about gender and sexuality did Riker even suggest the *possibility* of anything other than heterosexuality! It was treated as a given that somebody with female self-identification would be attracted to males, and vice versa. The romance aspect of the storyline only served to drive home that point, and the fact that *all* of the J'naii were portrayed by actresses basically made them look like some kind of militant lesbian amazon culture rather than being "genderless".
Somewhat interestingly, beings *much* further up the evolutionary ladder are depicted as having very clear gender and sexuality. The Q, by far the most powerful beings ever depicted on Star Trek, and who would literally qualify as gods in almost any society's religions, have definite gender identity and sexual orientation (i.e. they are either male or female, and are *always* heterosexual).
Trek decided to tackle AIDS literally almost two decades after everyone else had. By that time it was acknowledged as being as much a heterosexual problem (especially in places like Africa) as being a "gay issue". It was also mostly used to continue the trend in ENT of depicting the Vulcans as jerks and to give Archer another opportunity to flaunt his false pretense of human morality (such as a love for diversity that is much talked about but totally unseen).
Now that the franchise has drifted solely into films (thanks to ENT killing the TV side of things), it is doubtful that we will see any progress here. Quite the opposite in fact. Just to elevate the irony off the scale, openly-gay Zachary Quinto now portrays a "modernized" version of Spock that is *much* more overtly emotional than the original, and who is in a *very* demonstrative romance with Uhura that was absent from the original timeline. In other words, Trek is getting straighter.
Need an update for discovery!
Thank you. Concise, complete, and thoughtful. I've been trying to say these things for ages, but you took the words right out of my mouth and did this topic real justice!
+justrosy5 Thank you =)
Excellent review. But why isn't there a mention of Bashir/Garak? The actors and writers wrote them out as a (coded) gay couple for a number of seasons, right under Paramount's nose. Eventually, the executives found out and put a stop to it.
+Diane Tran Source?
Growing up in the 80's and 90's there were few examples of gays in tv. They were mostly over the top campy comic relief. Representation matters. Well Done!
One thing that I noticed in "Rejoined" was that when Bashir and Kira were talking about Jadzia and Lenara, Kira asked very casually why they couldn't just continue where they left off, implying that homosexuality may be acceptable at least on Bajor.
Thought provoking. Intelligent. And the "argument" or should I say point made in this short fifteen minute video, very valid. Maybe if another reincarnation of the Star Trek franchise could be made, maybe it's time for same sex couples " To boldly go where......." I loved watching this entire video. You had me watching at the beginning and you still had me watching to the very end. Well made. Well thought out. Well done.
and then of course, theres JJ-verse Sulu, whos shown to be Gay, however as this video is over 1 year old you couldnt have known that.
George Takei was pissed when he found out about that, saying that's not what he or Roddenberry ever wanted for the character.
if anything the federation is anti conformity.
Wait, what? George Takei actually said that? Where? I didn't think he would have minded seeing how he's a big supporter of the gay movement.
infinitlycool he was angry because suls was suposed to be straight. And he played sulu as straight.
you see, playing someone as straight is not the same as that person being straight. maybe, in both universes, hes bi, yet in the originals, hes more attracted to women, while the events of the JJ-verse made him meet someone he wouldnt have known in the other universe, whom he falls in love with, which is why we see him as gay here.
Blood and Fire was changed in large part because BERMAN freaked out about showing a male homosexual relationship in even the most casual way as passing remark since he is a huge homophobe. He is also as evidenced by experiences reported by the female members of the cast more than a little sexist. Sure he was okay showing Dax still having feelings for a former partner while in a female body because even homophobic hetero males think girl on girl is hot, but the mere suggestion that two guys are together? Nope.
This is the best title for a TH-cam video I've seen in a while. It pretty much commanded me to click in all its glory.
:)
Just discovered the channel - excellent vide and very interesting reading on Chimera!
One of the things I've always appreciated about Star Trek is that it's always demonstrated the idea of acceptance for all of the differences in each other. It's a good message!
@PJ B
Most psychiatrist agree that, adults having sex with children, harms the child's sexual development process and as in most cases it is an abuse of might, also leads to other psychological damages. And of course in most cases there is physical damage too.
LGBT's do not harm each other physically or mentally while having sex and in most cases are mature and agree to the act freely of their own choice, without the abuse of status or physical power.
Do you understand the difference? (idiot)
As a transgender bisexual female who is also a huge Star trek fan I just want to say thank you for this
The new crew of the Original Series, Sulu was in an openly gay relationship and had a child. There is an openly gay couple on Discovery
This is actually happening now in star trek beyond
And it was a nice moment.
Agreed. It's not forced, it's just there. It didn't really spark a controversy. It's funny, but the only one who had a problem with Sulu being gay was George Takei.
+alesin1992 Lol! That is pretty funny!
first time i saw it i was like wait oh no fuck no but then disregarded it anyway since what's the point of hating about it. I still hate it though haha
+alesin1992 I agree with Takei on this one as it wasn't the character Gene created, even after seeing it I still think that way BUT.... out of all the crap the Reboots have done what they did there was very respectful and I don't have any problems with it
When I first saw Voyager I often thought 7 was bisexual, its defintely there in her scenes with the Borg Queen. It also explains why she and Janeway (who is definitely straight) as somewhat antagonistic. Janeway cant have an affair with her sceond in command, but 7 who is not starfleet, has no such difficulty.
There's also the Voyager episode Warlord. Kes is possessed by the conscience of a male warlord who married a woman. On their world, "Kes" captures Tuvok and tries to seduce him, including kissing him, to break through his emotional guard. "Kes" also sets up a second political marriage with a man and kisses him on screen, and then encourages the original wife to join them in a three-way relationship.
There's also an interrupted same-sex kiss between "Kes" and the wife. It seems on their world, people freely romance either sex. This was worked around by having a man kiss both sexes while in a female body.
Thank you for conducting this research and presenting the topic fairly and with academic honesty. I think the principles of IDIC were also a great example of this quiet whisper. True to Vulcan form, diversity eventually became the keyword for such GLBT discussions. So, perhaps has successfully played its
role, after all.
I don't think it's cannon, but the novel Plagues of the Night had an openly lesbian married Klingon officer.
+Trekspertise I'd also point out that Outcast perhaps actually more closely parallels the transgender movement than it does anything else, albeit probably unwittingly. The exceptionally small number of people "affected," the explicit inclusion of gender identity in the storyline. The Trill subplots broach that as well.
I think it would actually behoove you with this comment and a handful of other really good ones from below to reexamine this more fully with another video. I'd happily contribute what I see from a trans perspective - which I think is equally important, and, despite us being the LGBT "community," is still something that has to be addressed more fully.
Great work ..Chapeau! ... You didn't miss anything. By watching the "Star Trek Phase 2 aka New Voyages : Blood and fire" episode, i got tears in my eyes. (sry im German..hehe)
You forgot the Enterprise episode "Cogenitor" which deals with the idea of multiple genders and how they face discrimination.
What would have made a great parable episode for the LGBTQ community would have been if a member of the NX-O1 crew was half-Betazoid. The character would have probably been the first human-alien hybrid, and an empath. In the fourth season of Enterprise, it's revealed there are anti-alien factions on Earth, who use an artificially created Vulcan-Human kid as sign of "polluting" the human genome. Let's say the character was aware of these factions, and through doctors' help, hid their parentage, and their abilities. So far as I can tell in Enterprise, humans haven't encountered a telepathic race (let's say the Betazoids were isolationist at the time for self protection), and don't have experience dealing with them. If the truth came out, the crew would be wary about the character being able to read their thoughts. To make it worse, they'd be entirely aware of how the crew feels every minute.
We do have to remember how recently open conversation on sexuality became a part of our national dialogue, though...most of these shows were massively forward-thinking simply for bringing it up at all. The world is changing, and it's changing FAST in this regard (too fast for some, by the tone of some of these comments). Amusingly, by the time Star Trek will get around to addressing this, it will already be an issue that's almost in the past, due primarily to the timing of the lull in Treks. That's not to say we shouldn't have that representation, but when the series kicks up again next year, it's going to be odd if it's NOT there and if, like the post-feminist world you mentioned in another video, it's so common it's not even commented on.
I don't follow. The show isn't about logic, you're thinking of Vulcans. But even Vulcans had reproductive systems driven by animal compulsions, and not logic.
I always found that weird that they were bold enough to make women equal without any statements but couldn't just casually insert a gay character. The only thing I liked about new Star Trek Beyond was that they casually showed Sulu's husband. I hope we can get some gay people in Discovery.
In the Book "The Lost Years" homosexuality in the federation is addressed directly. It is explained within the first few pages that sexuality is irrelevant under the Starfleet ideals of personal freedom and self determination.The Kirk character explains that because the Vulcan word for friend and lover are the same word only the tone with witch it is spoken denotes the difference in meaning there was often a question of the nature of Kirk and Spock''s relationship. If we work under the assumption that sexuality is more fluid and thus irrelevant in the Trek UNIverse then there is circumstantial evidence that Tom Paris and Harry Kim were lovers for several years before Tom Married B'elana Torres.
The lack of LGBT characters in Star Trek productions is a huge embarrassment.
ST prided itself, at one time. for being progressive in its portrayal of women, and its multiculturalism. Ahead of its time. Then the world totally passed by Trek on this issue, making the franchise look like some sort of dinosaur.
Shameful.
I remember either reading or hearing in an interview with the two actorsthemselves that the relationship between Dr. Bashir and the Cardassian Garak in DS9 was intended to be a canon gay relationship. Their meeting scene was played as such by the actors, but then the network got nervous and they were told to turn it down and the charater of Miles O'Brien was brought in as a kind of "blocker" between them.
Bashir I'm not sure about, but I can definitely see Garak as being gay.
Yonkage That's because the Exects decided to make Bashir the "Playboy" character. It's a running joke thruout the series how the longest "relationship" he had was with Garak. And Andrew Robinson (Garak) basically told the Exects "Look, I'm an alien, he won't understand about personal space and his species is all about innuendo and such. So I'm gonna play him as such."
Late in DS9 there was a same sex couple kissing in the background of Quarks. Ezri, Odo, Bashir and Kira are discussing religion two male starfleet officers sitting over Odo's shoulder kiss as one stands up to leave.
10:20 One must also consider the sociopolitical climate in which these episodes aired. At the time this episode first aired, Ellen Degenerus was coming out on her sitcom. A cruse line that catered to the LBGT community wanted to advertise on this episode. The ad was deemed inappropriate because it ended with two women fully dressed holding hands and watching the sun set. Not kissing, or anything, just watching the sun set while holding hands.
The same networks who refused to have this ad REGULARLY ran ads that had a woman having screaming orgasms while washing her hair.
Herbal Essences?
Fact is, the networks were cowards. From a black female officer, a first interracial kiss, one of the evil and hated russians on the bridge... to a bunch of milquetoast hetero white males in command.
I don't get this current obsession with gender and sexuality. IMO it's a private thing that doesn't need to be dwelled on.
I also don't get why religious people are upset, like if you think someone is being sinful in someone, shouldn't it be between God and that person? There's no need to hate on them.
Personally, I don't care about anyone's private lives so long as no one gets hurt, that being said I don't understand the point of drawing pointless attention to one's sexuality/gender identity for no reason. Basically, I don't want companies to use it as a gimmick or as a stunt, it should only come up if it's appropriate for the character arc/ story being told. That way it doesn't feel forced, or like the company is looking for a pat on the back. I don't want minorities to be used like that because it's fake.
In general, I think representation of minorities should be roughly proportional to the real world target audience. That way it doesn't feel like they're adding people or removing types of people just to hit a quota.
At the end of the day we're all human.
I don't get your current obsession with your opinion. IMO it's a private thing, that doesn't need to be dwelled on.
@115484516201453616103 That's not a very mature response to an honest opinion. It shouldn't matter what you are, so why fight about it when these kinds of superficial differences should be unimportant? That's all I wanted to say. And yh it's my opinion on the subject, people are free to think differently from each other. There's no need for us to mock each other.
***** Aren't important? Why is who they are so less important than your personal beliefs? Who they are doesn't matter? I mean, who cares if they are of jewish decent, that doesn't matter. They need to shut up about it. It's no one else business but their own. They should stop obsessing and fighting over it. It's obviously a waste of time.
I don't mock you because your thoughts are different. I mock you because you find something you don't care about, and insist that people who find that an integral part of their identity should shut up because it annoys you. While not realizing the irony of how patronizing and wasteful of everyone else's time you sharing your opinion on this is, when they could care less.
I cared more than most of them, but I'm a prick.
@115484516201453616103 I have to assume you didn't read my initial comment to react in such an odd way.Either that or you want to define people by putting them into boxes, that person is gay, that person is Jewish ect
You should see people as individuals, not as members of a collective. Not all people in a demographic think a like so categorising them like so is silly.
When I say doesn't matter, I mean, that these should be treated like a superficial trait, like hair or eye color. The actions of people mater more than their appearances or preferences imo.
I have the right to argue for things I feel are integral to my identity, and see as ignored or dismally misportrayed. You have the right to whine about how annoying it is to hear those arguments.
I don't have the right to demand you shut up because I feel you're wasting everyone's time, nor do you have the right to do so to me.
There was an article I read (can't remember where) that said that Harry Kim from Voyager was going to be bi-sexual. It wasn't going to be made a big deal of because no one would care about anyone's sexual orientation. Supposedly, everyone was basically bi in the Star Trek universe because we had advanced beyond gender being a determining factor for love. But because there have been no clear references to any LGBT lifestyles in any canonical episodes, it is one thing that Star Trek has taken no sure stance on.
I once read an unauthorized behind the scenes book which alleged that Geordi Laforge was originally intended to be written as a gay man, but that the studio heads ended up nixing the idea. I've never been able to find a source to corroborate this, but it sounds pretty realistic to me.
For years, he was the only crew member who's personal life was never explored, and we never once saw him in a successful relationship. Even androids and shape-shifting puddles of goo get laid on Star Trek, but not poor Geordie.
Apart from the one episode where he began to get involved with the holographic simulation of Leah Brahms, (which could just as well have been construed as the engineer falling in love with the ship's computer,) he never expressed any attraction to women. The only characters I ever thought he appeared to have somewhat romantic feelings toward were Data and Hugh, but that could just be me inventing my own subtext.
It may very well be that they were holding off in case it ever became more feasible for them to pursue a LGBT based storyline with him.
There was one line in the final episode indicating that he'd eventually married a woman, but by that point it would have been too late to drop any major revelations about him anyway.
Another thing Star Trek really hasn't talked about are those of us with mental disabilities. Yes, =/\= talks about being very different and accepting who you are in characters such as B'Elanna Torres. However, they've never had a character with Downs or Autism or even something as small as ADHD.
+Roshambo But, they might not all be eliminated though. For instance, Geordi receives sight but not until TNG is over. Data doesn't count because he's technically not a person. He's an android. Also, some of these "disabilities" are incurable so they could have a character on the ship with something small and almost unnoticeable like ADD/ADHD or Aspbergers. Ya know what I'm saying? I just feel it'd be more relatable to a wider variety of ppl.
Barkley!
+ShiftyMcGoggles OMG! I totally FORGOT about him!!!
Hannah Rose
If there ever was an aspie, Barkley was definitely one.
+ShiftyMcGoggles Definitely!
some of these people really need to watch the Star Trek genre, even more so in 2017.
This is how you talk about those issues respectfully so it does not dominate the story of the show showing the characters respectfully to the audience is a great way to talk about topics on gays and lesbians, that is respectfully done to the audience. Not pushed on the audience every fucking week
Why does Star Trek have to address gay and lesbian rights? I'm getting kind of tired of the notion that every type of entertainment must include these issues or otherwise they will be seen as backwards or against it.
+Vault87supermutant Last I checked, there was no law that anyone has to address anything. But fans of a work are free to say what they would like to see in that work, are they not? Sorry you are "kind of tired" of hearing about it!
+Vault87supermutant Because the whole point of this series is to explore the human condition, and sexuality is important in understanding that.
I don't think the video creator is saying that Star Trek is against homosexuality because they haven't directly addressed it. That said, one of the core tenants of series is to touch on currently hot topic social issues and homosexual rights definitely fits that bill. Also, statistically at least 10% of the fan base has a vested interest is seeing the issue tackled, if for no other reason than that they themselves are members of the LGBTQ community.
I'm kind of glad that Star Trek did not go full out blatant in terms of depicting social problems LGBT tend to go through. If you ask me, Star Trek's social commentary is totally well done and depicted at it's best to be more subtle and innuendo worthy rather than blatant in your face commentary; the fact that it was not so obvious for some and deeply well hidden but easy enough to make you think about it afterwards is one of the things that made Star Trek quite enjoyable for many, it respected the viewers ability to think deeper about a story they just might have recently read, watched, ect. and the viewers ability to act and critically think.
I believe I would like to use TOS; A Taste of Armageddon as an example of good Trek Commentary; the anti-war message was reasonably subtle and to the untrained; the fact of where the result could end up made the episode not only quite exciting but also well written, at the end they sat there and talked about what war is all about and how it should be fought and why it should be avoided.
Now, I know what you're thinking; "Are you saying that Trek should not depict LGBT in anyway shape or form in the future?" No, Representation=/=Commentary, but what I am saying is that the commentary of these issues should be very much hinted at, in order to really make people think and see corellations between the real world and this fun sci-fi land.
Outcast was talking mainly about gender identity.
necrophilia is seen across species too,, doesnt make it less disgusting
The Laas and Odo thing never occurred to me. But my wife and I had always remarked how Laas left after linking with Odo. At this point in the series, Odo was already patient zero for the disease that targets changelings. So in a way, Odo gave an STD to Laas.
LGBT members of Star Trek should be a thing that is seen as nothing more than commonplace. What I mean by this is simply the reverse of: "There is a gay character, we have to make sure we pay special attention to this character and go out of our way to make sure everyone knows and that somehow this character comes across as special." It is supposed to be a better, more open and accepting society, where gender and sexuality has not measure in the quality or worth of a person. In such a society, an LGBT character would be viewed as, "no big deal," and just another crew member. I think the Orville does a great job at this, with one of their main characters.
I think possibly part of the problem is that Discovery itself is ...seemingly pretty heavy-handed about everything and ...definitely more action-and-effects-and-big-concept oriented, and maybe some of the character development is just plain trying too hard for everyone to pump up the drama and still seem like Star Trek.
The Orville's great. Actually I think it started off trying too hard to be a 'spoof' but actually just became itself once they didn't have to hedge their bets so much for laughs. :)
A behavior is not an ethnicity
A behavior is not a minority
+Arius Black And the behavior in question is not normal, no matter how much those with it profess that it is as natural as its opposite when it is a production flaw and nothing more.
tremedar
The purpose of sex is to bring forth life, and same gender sex is in fact "anti-sexual".
What about the people who have sex for fun but don't want kids. Is that "anti-sexual"?
ThePredator *crickets*😒
Of course we have since seen Sulu in the Kelvin timeline as a normatively unaddressed gay married man, something that George Takei was surprisingly against - simply because he believed it wasn't in-line with the original character.
Well, he was trying to play a straight guy, so there's an actor's pride there. :) (Also there's a lot of really good stories he wanted to see about some non-canon backstory about at least his daughters, I guess. Once upon a time all the fans really wanted to see Sulu's Excelsior movies, and he was willing to do that and some stuff was I guess worked out for that.)
Pretty thorough, but no mention of Garak/Bashir? Andrew Robinson has actually stated that he "played Garak to be gay".
"Perhaps it's a human failing!?... You are giving me the "Perhaps it's a human failing" routine?? I invented the "Perhaps it's a human failing" routine!!
According to articles I've read, Star Trek Discovery will have an open gay character. I hope the character is treated with respect.
I think that fictions could help us getting rid of our taboos...totaly agreed...
This probably has no bearing on your editorial; however, TNG's "Encounter At Farpoint" had several scenes showing male crew members wearing the uniform called "Skat". 'Mini-skirt' dress uniform for men. I do not remember the accompanying dialogue however. Not sure if it "indicated" or "implied" anything towards a "same sex union".
After your (6 year old) post, it was announced that Star Trek "Discovery" 10/31/2017 ".......made headlines for breaking down another barrier for the show with it's first gay married couple."
Although the couple did not last the entire series, it was a step forward in the right direction as it is NOW supported by Federal Law through the Non-Discrimination Act.
Other TV Shows and Movies have followed suit more openly, even though this topic has been around for decades shown in Cinema.
Thank you for your video review.
And now we have Star Trek Discovery, with openly gay characters and couples!
There is nothing wrong with lesbians in tv. Its been on multiple tv shows, including Star Trek. Now guy/guy relationship. Thats something Star Trek has never really done it fully. Its rather disappointing, considering everything Star Trek has done in the past.
Was there not a display of possible homosexuality on the movie Star Trek Beyond where Sulu caught up with presumably his partner on the starbase that the Enterprise docked in???
One scene for DS9 episode Honor Among Thieves one of the characters tries to hook up O'Brien with a prostitute, he hesitates and says "Don't tell me you don't like girls?" To which Miles lies and says he has a girlfriend to maintain his cover. In watching this video I was waiting for this scene to make an appearance.
Star Trek has always been a show which discusses social issues in their episodes in a sci-fi way. So I think they should defiantly make an episode tackling the LGBTQ issue however, I don't think they should rush things. If they do make an episode based on that social issue it should be well thought out and planned. Not just something pushed into an episode so they can check that box.
think it would be good if there was more LGBT presence in shows like star trek, not as a issue but just characters who just happen to be gay or trans.
Discovery is on the case =)
It never occurred to me that "Blood And Fire" was an analogy for AIDS, or anything gay. Perhaps a shortcoming on my part. I definitely need to go back and view it again. Thank you for sharing this with me.
It'd be nice if an openly gay character actually appeared as a regular in the new series.... to show that in the future, it wouldn't require constant "outing" for a gay person to exist and blend in with everyone else.
I really hope that's not what they did in that show.
Can we get a new video on this topic as Star Trek Discovery is on the ball with the LGBT2Q issues?
I've always loved these shows, they actually discuss the taboo issues. The problems with society, and attempt to rationalize them rather than mock them.
I remember reading somewhere that a minor character (I think his name was Ensign Hawk) in "First Contact" was going to be gay but the scenes were cut from the script for one reason or other. He was a pretty minor character in the final cut of the film and I only remember him being in one scene where he gets converted by the Borg.
6:26 wasn’t Jadzia rather openly bisexual like the whole time she was on the show? Correct me if I’m wrong but I remember getting strong vibes that she swung for both teams
Well I think a major reason we haven't seen gays and lesbians in Star Trek is due to three things really:
1) Timing, because when the Original Series, TNG and DS9 took place, it was time you don't talk about gays. Unlike racism which was a hot topic that shows could exploit, drugs and aid. And while at the time there was a gay movement but it didn't get any traction until recent when politicians and media made it a big deal which was near the end of DS9 which focused on the Dominion War and could not have episodes that would derail the plot. So those shows missed the opportunity.
2) Ratings, because when VOY and Ent was around, people were tried of Star Trek due to all the recent spin offs, especially with episodes that were either really good hits or terrible misses. So those two shows couldn't take as many risks as other three shows could take due to not having a solid base as the shows mentioned in 1 and were more likely to be cancelled or cancelled earlier if they done so despite it would probably help show ratings with groups telling them not to watch VOY or ENT.
3) Actors preferences had to be taken into consideration. When a actor is cast into a role such as a Star Trek character, its noted they would follow their carrer and with the sigma of gays at the time that could hurt future acting careers at the time, they probably didn't want to take the risk and the writers don't want to write them off for leaving due to said preference. A example is actress playing Janway actually arguing against Chekokee in a relationship with Janeway, hence why he hooked up with 7 of 9 then who they orginally planned.
The outcast is more about transsexuals than gay and lesbians? Either way it's applicable to both
+Olivia Moore Good point.
I wouldn't mind an openly LGBT character or characters... although, in Nemesis, Data does make a subtle reference to transgender, by saying "and invited transgender species."
However, I don't think it should be central to the plot of a show. It has been dealt with in allegory in one or more episodes. In fact, Frakes, if I recall correctly, said that in retrospect, he thinks that Soren being male would've had a far greater impact in the episode "The Outcast."
Perhaps having a male or female character meeting someone of the same sex/gender and engaging in romantic relationship, as is often the case with Riker, etc. That was always thrown in people's faces. Heterosexuality is constantly thrown in people's faces. That's also another problem, everyone is assumed heterosexual until otherwise indicated.
Granted, in the Trek future, it's probably not talked about frequently, because everyone is treated equally under whatever law is in place at the time.
Even in the present, anti-gay people talk about my sexuality more than I do.
I will point out that when Laas turned into fog it does create a tripping hazard. You cant see steps or whats on floor.
Great video. I'm loving your channel. Keep up the good work! One friendly critique (and I'm sorry if this came up in other comments, as I didn't have time to read them all) that I think is worth sharing: I can't help the feeling I get that this video treats sexual orientation and gender identity/expression as somewhat synonymous movements and social dilemmas. I realize that may not have been the intent. However, I'd love to see another video addressing how Trek treats LGBT issues and issues of gender identity and expression independent of one another, as I definitely see differential treatment in the examples you cite here (as you rightly point out - gender identity/expression is more directly explored, where as LGB issues tend to be more metaphorical in nature). It leaves me wondering why Trek (and perhaps SciFi more broadly) seems to have an easier time playing with gender roles and ambiguity than it does with sexual orientation. Thanks again!
+Andrew Thomas If I conflated the two (sex orientation and gender identity), it was entirely accidental. I separate those into two independent spectrums of variability in my own mind. I am sure that while I was writing this episode that my perspective on these spectrums sat at the front of my thoughts. I think I was probably hemmed in by how Trek handled the topic, and that is to say Trek has a very mixed record mixing those two spectrums together (as does most all of television).
That being said, I would consider an episode addressing this more directly.
The Outcast's discussion of gender is really more resonant with the trans experience than the gay experience, IMHO.
+April Daniels That is fair.
I never liked the TNG episode The Host. It seemed to be implying that not being homosexual by choice was a bad thing. But if there's one thing the Gay community has been trying to tell people it's that their sexuality isn't arbitrary, it's just how they were made and they can't help it. I love Star Trek but the way they tried to handle these issues was sometimes sloppy.
+Son of Tiamat (formerly known as tiakpark) Iam I the only one, who thinks that Crusher's statement could be interpreted "pro-homosexual"? She says that she cannot go up with such an relationship herself, which not only means that she is hetero (ans therefore cannot be in a homosecual relationships that easily) but also implies that there are people like that she does respect. She could've said: "Human's can't do that." or "That's not acceptable.", but she chose to apologize and stated that *she" couldn't do it.
JoniWan77 She had nothing to apologize for. The Trill was being very selfish in expecting Crusher to have the same feelings no matter what. Unconditional love is bullshit.
You're quite good. I have watched about 3 of your videos as of the last hour or so and I have subscribed. As of yet, they have all been well spoken and thoughtfully prepared. I am glad I stumbled across this channel.
+Vincent Amour Thank you so much. Welcome aboard !
If you like this, then check out my personal channel: th-cam.com/users/kylesullivan
I believe the kiss between uhura and kirk actually was the first interracial kiss on tv
It was the first, but ...the element of coercion in it, ...I dunno. That never sat right as a 'milestone' I guess, the whole 'fellow officers' aspect notwithstanding.