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1shirt2shirtredshirtdeadshirt · 9 months

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Sexism in TOS: Worst Offender, or Progressive in Retrospect in Comparison?

I see a lot of folks claim that TOS was the most sexist of the Star Trek shows by a landslide -- and while I agree that it definitely suffered from the sexism of the times, I also have other perspectives to share to give some food for thought.

I am of course not insinuating that TOS isn't sexist -- it is, but I have to ask folks to consider the breadth and depth of Berman's sexism in his run and ask yourself: Was Gene Roddenberry genuinely more sexist in his storytelling and delivery than Rick Berman?

I'm not telling you to feel one way or the other, but all I ask is that you hear me out and consider some perspectives and make your own balanced assessments. Nobody is obligated to share my opinion, but it means a lot just to have folks hear it and see their thoughts on the subject. So here is what I was originally responding to:

Someone's response to this photo:

"Devil's advocate. This was a part of the popular form of cardio during the production time of TNG. Yes, it was heavily sexualised by men, but so is literally every other way women work out. Men have been caught taking pictures of women while trying to do dead lifts, running on tracks and working on sled machines. They post them online to share too. The fact is, there is no way a woman can be shown working out without it going there. And yeah,t hat includes the combat forms of workout they do in Star Trek. Just look at how Dax dresses when she spars with Worf. Yes, they're dating, but still, same goes when 7 does and any other female.

Aerobics routines like this were made dirty and cringy. This was what women wore then by and large. This is how the workout was done. We make it cringy."

My response to them:

"I respect your take, but I disagree on a few fronts.

The miniskirt was chosen by the TOS female cast, not the male cast, specifically requested by Grace LW and affirmed by Nichelle and Majel who would go on to vehemently defend the miniskirt over the years as comfortable and embraced by them.

Grace said it was comfortable and seen as a symbol of female sexual empowerment during the 60s and thought it would be a progressive garment (and turns out that it was, as it was later adapted and worn by male crew as a skant on TNG) -- FYI those were designed by a gay man and Gene approved them.

This was also supposed to be Spock's TMP outfit:

Literally lingerie.

We saw both Uhura (who saves Kirk in from Marlena Mirror Mirror) and Yeoman Landon (the first to initiate combat with a classic Kirk-esque kick to help the Captain being attacked in The Apple) carry out their combat training in their Starfleet uniforms without ever being made to change into any ridiculous workout gear.

In fact, I'd argue Jim Kirk was sexualized even more than the ladies of the week on the show and I saw his naked body more than anyone else's on a fairly regular basis. He wore red yoga tights while topless in Charlie X while the women wore full length gymnastic suits that covered their entire body. If anything, it went out of its way to avoid sexualizing women practicing fitness in those scenes and instead focused on Kirk.

Gene confessed that he asked to have Shatner filmed in suggestive/provocative ways to "give something to the ladies", so he -- as he said -- liked to "film him walking away" or have him conveniently busting out of his shirts in just about every episode as it were, because Shatner apparently had great assets. LOL

Gene made an effort to at least sexualize both if he was going to sexualize one, and he carried that attitude forward in wanting the m/m and f/f scenes in the background on Risa for TNG. He also insisted that the men and women wear skimpy outfits on THAT TNG planet. You know the one. LOL I mean the dudes even had on less than the women:

Gene also gave permission to K/S shippers to have their conventions back in the 70s when he was asked for permission. Gene and Nimoy felt with all the skimpy outfits they had the ladies wear, why not let the ladies and gay men have their fun, too? It's how we ended up with moments like this:

Yes, those are two people dressed up as Kirk and Spock's penises doing interpretive dance. Gene didn't give two damns. LOL

In my eyes, that was a very progressive take on Gene's part for the 60s. It was actually PARAMOUNT STUDIOS who had the big problem with K/S stories and vehemently tried to shut them down. Gene literally hired slash authors on his payroll and even had several slash stories/writers published in his official Star Trek books (The New Voyages & The New Voyages II).

I feel I saw Uhura and women in TOS engaged in more physical combat/altercations defending themselves that Troi or Bev were shown holding their own.

In fact, Kirk used to get furious when someone would "dress up" his female crew members without their consent (Trelane episode, Shore Leave episode) because like his male crew members, he wanted them to be treated professionally and to also have his male crew act professionally.

Berman brought some of his own personal biases into Star Trek that in some ways regressed it. While TOS had blatant sexism and was called on it time and again, that show was made in the 60s -- a solid 21 years before TNG. We as a modern audience understood why some of it was cringe/sexist due to the time period -- look at any other media coming out in the 60s and Star Trek was miles ahead of what other shows were doing.

Compare that to Berman who was churning sexist stuff out when women like Starbuck and Scully were simultaneously on screen on other programs airing, and we had already had Sigourney Weaver and other strong women in Holywood playing respectful roles.

In my eyes, there was no need of the sexism seen in TNG but especially VOY and ENT. There was no excuse for it when other shows were writing women far better and a number of those weren't even set in the future like Trek was, making it age even faster due to having those dated perspectives frequently highlighted.

In the Center Seat documentary as well as "The Fifty Year Mission" book you will find cast members, writers and other studio alumni who attest to this. Some discussions from "The Fifty Year Mission":

"First, Berman was supposed to have been a real sleaze ball . . . According to Terry Farrel, he would go on constantly about how her breasts weren't big enough, how she should do something about it, and how his secretary was a good example to follow as she had huge breasts. She even had to have fittings to get larger bras, and that was all done at his behest.

Later Berman and Braga developed a name for Jeri Ryan's character prior Seven of Nine. They originally called the character "perineum" which if you look it up it is the area between the anus and the scrotum. Later they floated the name "6 of 9". I mean, what does it tell you about where these two were coming from in the development of this character if they had names like that put forward in all seriousness for her?"

Gene Roddenberry also had some of his own more progressive ideas for TNG cut or watered down by Berman. Roddenberry agreed TNG should have homosexual relationships and representation at a con in the 80s and insisted on it in a meeting with his writers -- something Berman later would not honor. Gene wanted the AIDS episode, showing m/m and f/f in the Riza scenes -- these were some of Roddenberry's requests to include in TNG that Berman later stonewalled.

Berman's era was sadly dated by his own misogynist bias, IMO, to the point that it can somewhat hurt the shows he worked on through his cringe egoism and blatant disrespect toward his female cast.

There is a reason why Gene could keep female actresses working with him and Berman had a revolving door of women that he couldn't seem to keep working for him -- he was abhorrent to women, on and off set. Gene wasn't perfect at all, he had a lot of issues himself -- but Berman was a whole other level. Just look at what he did to poor Jolene Blalock, Marina Sirtis and his toxic commenting on her body weight which exacerbated her struggles with eating disorders, or how he treated and talked to Terry Farrell.

Anyway, just some food for thought. I'm not saying anyone is wrong regarding a take like that, but there are a variety of ways to look at this. Gene Roddenberry isn't a saint by any means, but it definitely bothers me how folks will tote the Berman era as if it were the lesser of two evils or the more progressive depiction of women when I felt there were far more concerning portrayals of women in his era with far less justification.

(P.S: I don't event want to go near the sheer amount of "creepy old dude/villain preys on innocent/naïve/scared young woman or little girl" stories there were in Berman's era, either. But that's a whole other can of worms I can write about in a part 2.)

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aromantictendi · 3 months

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Star Trek TOS Rewatch: The Apple

This one feels like a rehash of Return of the Archons with a society that's controlled by a powerful machine and stagnating. Also like RotA, this episode felt half-baked, and might have been better if they'd taken the time to develop the story more.

Easily the most interesting part of this episode is the debate over whether it's right to interfere with the Feeders of Vaal, but I feel like having Vaal force Kirk's hand by putting the Enterprise in danger took the teeth out of it.

That said there were still a lot of parts I liked, including:

The colourful sets and props

The Garden of Eden was just outside Moscow!

Yeoman Landon getting to kick some butt

The Feeders of Vaal learning to kill. "It is a simple thing." *smashes melon*

Exploding rocks and poison gun flowers

Leonard Nimoy making some good acting choices when Spock is shot by the flower

#star trek #star trek tos #star trek tos rewatch

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anonymousewrites · 1 year

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Logos and Pathos (Book 2) Chapter Twenty

Spock x Empath! Reader

Chapter Twenty: Planet Exploration

Summary: (Y/N) and their friends finds themselves on a strange planet with hidden sides and a strange civilization. Although it is beautiful, it is trapping them, so what is manipulating this paradise?

Mouse Note: MC gets their "unprofessional thoughts" moment.

Captain’s Log: While making a routine exploration of the unexplored Gamma Trianguli VI, one of my men has been killed by a poisonous plant.

“As soon as we get out of the way, beam the body up,” said Kirk to the Bridge.

“Aye, Captain,” said Scotty. “It’s a shame about Hendorff. We seem to have a problem here, too.”

“What is it?” asked Kirk.

“We’re losing potency in our antimatter pods,” said Scotty. “I don’t think it’s serious, but we’re looking into it.”

“What’s causing it?” questioned Kirk.

“I’m not sure, sir,” said Scotty, woe to admit he didn’t know what was causing an engineering problem. “But we’ve run measurements of the electromagnetic field of the planet, and they are a wee bit abnormal. That might have something to do with it.”

“But you say there’s nothing to worry about?” asked Kirk.

“Well, sir, I didn’t exactly say that,” said Scotty.

“Well, stay on top of it,” said Kirk. “We got a job to do here. Might as well finish it.”

“I hear it’s nice down there,” said Scotty.

“Yeah, it’s nice,” said Kirk. “If we’re a little more careful, we shouldn’t run into any more trouble.”

“I could do with a nice walk in a garden, with green leaves and grass,” said Scotty. Clearly, he wanted to come down if there was a chance.

“We’ll do the walking, Scotty,” said Kirk, amused. “You get on that antimatter pod. If it gets any worse, let me know, we’ll beam up. Kirk out.” He closed his communicator.

“I find that most unusual, Captain,” remarked Spock.

“Well, Scotty will handle it,” said Kirk. “We got a job to do. Turn up anything on your tricorder?”

“Indeed. Subsurface vibrations for miles in all directions,” said Spock. “Quite strong, fairly regular.”

“That is weird,” agreed (Y/N). “No animal could do that.”

Spock nodded. “No, it seems to be artificially produced.”

“Mallory?” called Kirk, and a security officer walked over.

“Yes, Captain,” said Mallory.

“We’re heading for the village we scouted earlier,” said Kirk. “Avoid contact with the humanoids. And I want you and Marple to make a full reconnaissance, and be careful. There may be other danger besides poisonous plants. Keep in constant communication.”

“Aye, aye, sir,” said Mallory.

“Captain,” said (Y/N) quietly.

“Yes, (L/N)?” said Kirk, copying their furtive tone.

“There’s a humanoid hiding directly behind us. I sensed their emotions and then spotted them. They’re moving quite agilely,” said (Y/N).

Spock glanced at his tricorder and nodded in confirmation. “Bearing 18.”

Kirk furrowed his brow and nodded in acknowledgement. He’d keep an eye out.

“What is it, Mr. Spock?” asked Chekov.

“A visitor,” said Spock. “One wanting to maintain his anonymity, I should say.”

He followed (Y/N) and Kirk as they carefully moved around the clearing, watching for any of their watcher’s movements. Chekov returned to Yeoman Landon’s side (he had a little crush on her, and she definitely liked him back).

“Mr. Chekov, Yeoman Landon, I know you find each other fascinating, but we’re not here to conduct a field experiment in human biology,” said Kirk, walking up to them.”

(Y/N) snorted unceremoniously in amusement as the pair blushed and stepped apart. Their embarrassment mixed with their clear preference for one another in an entertaining mix.

“Anything?” asked Bones.

“Whatever it is, it moves like a cat,” said Kirk in reference to their guest.

“Jim, I don’t like this,” said Bones.

“Neither do it. All hands,” announced Kirk. Everyone moved to his side. “We’ve been watched, we’ll probably be watched. We’re moving out. Formation L.”

Spock stepped to (Y/N)’s side as they began the walk. He wanted to stay by their side in case anything happened. (Y/N) too stuck by Spock’s side. Both were equally invested in the other’s welfare, so if there was any danger, it would really be a competition to see which could protect the other more (and likely get themself hurt in the process).

Continuing their exploration carefully, Kirk stopped them by a strange rock and had Spock examine it.

“Interesting. Extremely low specific gravity,” said Spock. “Some uranium, hornblende, quartz.” He easily broke it apart in his two hands.

(That prompted a few thoughts in (Y/N)’s mind that were vaguely along the lines of “that was hot. strong and smart. wow. i’m so in love with him” and a few others that were a little less appropriate)

“Fragile, good cleavage,” said Spock. “An analysis should prove interesting.” He tossed one half of the rock to the side, and as it hit the ground a few meters away, it exploded. The group jumped back, and (Y/N) grabbed Spock, pulling him away from the heat and debris by his arm.

“Would you mind being careful where you throw your rocks. Mr. Spock?” coughed Kirk as the dust cleared.

Undeterred, Spock blinked as if the explosion was just a minor surprise. “Obviously highly unstable, Captain. This could be a find of some importance.”

Carefully, Spock set the rock he still had on the ground, and they began their walk again, (Y/N)’s hand still resting on his arm until they realized and retracted it. Spock missed the contact and wished he had the courage to initiate more. With most, he felt it necessary to keep physical distance due to his culture, but (Y/N)…He wanted to be close to them. They felt safe. And so, as they walked, his fingers twitched out towards theirs, so close that a little more movement would have their hands brushing. Spock curled his hands into fists. He hadn’t touched hands with someone in years—the intimacy was unparalleled on Vulcan—and he couldn’t cross that line. Not when he was just friends with (Y/N). Nothing more. Spock being in love with them didn’t mean he could cross such a boundary.

“Enterprise to Captain Kirk,” said Scotty on the communicator.

“Kirk here,” he replied.

“Scott, sir,” said Scotty. “Our antimatter pods are completely inert. I couldn’t stop it, but I know why.”

“Why?” asked (Y/N).

“Something from the surface. Like a pail of water on a fire,” said Scotty. “A beam maybe, or a transmission. And it’s still on. I’m having it analyzing, but it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. And it’s pinpointed in the area of that village we located down there.”

“We’re heading there now, Scotty,” said Kirk. “Do you need any help?”

“Well, there’s nothing you could do about it, sir. And there doesn’t seem to be any any immediate danger,” said Scotty.

“Alright, Scotty, We’ll try and find out what’s going on down here. Kirk out.” He shut off the communicator.

“If Scott is correct about the force coming from the surface, it may have to do with the vibrations I read earlier,” said Spock.

(Y/N) nodded. “Especially if it’s mechanical, like we thought. Maybe a generator?”

“If so, an immense one,” agreed Spock. “Probably subterranean.”

“What’s that?” asked Kirk, seeing Bones examining something.

“Some of the thorns like those that killed Hendorff,” said Bones. As he spoke, no one noticed a flower turning the groups direction as they huddled up around Bones and Kirk. “See this stuff on the end? It’s like saponin, only it’s a thousand times stronger.”

“Peculiar stuff to find in paradise,” said Kirk.

(Y/N) glanced up and spied the strange flower turning towards them. It was aiming towards Spock, who remained unaware as he did recordings on the plant thorns.

“Spock!” they cried, shoving him to the side as the plant fired thorns into their side. They gasped and collapsed as the poisonous saponin dripped into their bloodstream.

“(Y/N)!” Spock’s voice betrayed urgency as he rushed to their side. No, no! He felt for a pulse, alarmed when he could barely feel one. He felt a rush of emotion fill his heart. Spock couldn’t handle them being so close to death. It was tearing him apart as he failed to see their chest moving.

“Security alert!” shouted Kirk.

Spock supported their body as Bones began scanning them and pulling out all his tools, determined to save them. Spock refused to let go of (Y/N), watching as Bones prepared as syringe. “Are they alive?”

Bones injected the syringe into (Y/N). “I filled them with enough Masiform D to make the whole crew turn handsprings, and they’re not responding. We’ve got to get them back to the ship.”

“Kirk to Enterprise.” Kirk contacted the ship quickly, knowing Spock was preoccupied with checking on (Y/N)’s condition. He prided himself on being efficient, but the Vulcan threw everything to the wayside when it meant (Y/N)’s health and safety.

“Scott here, sir,” said Scotty.

“We’re beaming up,” said Kirk urgently. “Notify Transporter Room immediately. And make arrangements to pick up Mallory and Marple. They’re scouting ahead of us.”

“Aye, aye, sir,” said Scotty. “Standing by.”

“Energize,” said Kirk.

They dissolved, but instead of reenergizing on the Enterprise, they remained on the planet. The Transporter kept trying to get a hold on them, but it wasn’t working. They were stuck.

“Scotty, energize,” repeated Kirk. No response. “Scotty, what’s the matter?”

“We can’t make transporter contact, sir,” said Scotty urgently. “The entire system’s inhibited. The way it is now, we couldn’t beam up a fly.”

Spock’s head snapped up as he held (Y/N) tighter to his chest. If they couldn’t get back up to the ship, (Y/N) could…die. Spock’s human instincts were kicking in as he worried for his love’s safety.

“Scotty, is the transporter malfunction tied in with the trouble you’re having with the antimatter pods?” asked Kirk.

“I don’t know, sir,” said Scotty. “I’ll check it and get back to you. Scott out.”

(Y/N) gasped suddenly as the Masiform D kicked in. Sitting up with Spock supporting them, they looked around to get their bearings.

“(Y/N)?” said Spock, trying to keep his voice steady. A slight quaver of worry made it through. “Are you alright?”

“My stomach is turning, but I think that’s from whatever Bones gave me,” said (Y/N). “Otherwise, I think I’m okay.”

“Watch it, I saved your life,” grumbled Bones, but not actually angry. He was relieved (Y/N) was alright. They were friends, after all.

Spock nearly breathed a sigh of relief at seeing (Y/N) act so natural. After Hendorff’s death, he had worried the other plants were as deadly. Luckily, this one’s poison was reversible with treatment. However, he was equally upset that (Y/N) had risked their life for him. He couldn’t be the reason they died. “(Y/N), what were you trying to do?”

“You didn’t see the plant, and I didn’t want you to get hurt, so I pushed you out of the way,” said (Y/N), shrugging.

“Thereby risking your own life?” questioned Spock.

(Y/N) smiled sheepishly. “Well, I didn’t mean to.”

Spock’s eyes closed for a moment in an expression of exasperation. “I can assure you, my reflexes are good enough that I can move out of the way if needed.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” said (Y/N). But if you’re in danger, I’m going to protect you. I love you.

“But…thank you for your consideration,” said Spock.

“No problem,” said (Y/N), smiling as Spock helped them up.

Oblivious idiots, thought Kirk and Bones simultaneously.

“Kaplan, take post,” ordered Kirk. He looked at the rest of the group. “Not only is something after us, but it’s after the ship as well.”

“Captain, to affect the ship at this range would require a highly sophisticated planetary defense system,” said Spock. As he spoke, the sky rumbled as dark clouds raced across the sky. The sudden change in weather was unnatural.

“Thirty seconds ago, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky,” murmured Kirk. Lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled. Kaplan, standing a few yards off, was struck and disintegrated. “Come on!” shouted Kirk, running back for cover as more lightning struck near them. Spock hand wrapped around (Y/N)’s arm as he pulled them close for safety.

“Phasers,” ordered Kirk once they regrouped. They passed two other smoking marks on the ground. They had barely evaded lightning strikes. “A beautiful day,” remarked Kirk sarcastically. “Not a cloud in the sky. Just like paradise.” His communicator beeped. “Kirk here.”

“Mallory here, Captain,” said the security officer. “I’m near the village. Coordinates 118 by 220.” However, his voice barely came through as static buzzed.

(Y/N) glanced worriedly at Spock. Whatever was affecting the Enterprise clearly controlled more of this planet than they realized, and it was working against them.

“Mallory. Mallory, are you alright?” said Kirk. “Come in.” They still couldn’t make out what he was saying after those first few words.

“Captain, those coordinates are a short distance in that direction,” indicated Spock.

“On the double.” Kirk ran off in search of Mallory, not wanting to lose another officer. The rest of the landing party followed.

Mallory ran towards them. “It’s over there!” He clearly had seen something else in the forest. “I never saw anything like—!” He stepped on one of the deadly rocks, and it exploded. Mallory was thrown to the ground.

“Mallory!” shouted Kirk as he heard the explosion. “Marple! Step back!” Marple stopped before he too tread across the dangerous territory. “Rocks…”

Bones knelt by Mallory’s body. “He’s dead, Jim.”

“Hendorff. Kaplan. Now, Mallory,” said Kirk, angry and sad.

“Captain, you couldn’t have stopped any of this,” said (Y/N).

Spock nodded. “In each case, this was unavoidable.”

“I could have prevented it all,” insisted Kirk.

“I don’t see how,” said Spock.

“A walk in paradise…among the green grass and the flowers. I should have beamed up at the first sign of trouble,” said Kirk.

“You are under orders to investigate this planet and this culture,” said (Y/N).

“I also have the option to disregard those orders if I consider them overly hazardous. This isn’t that important of a mission…not worth the life of three of my men,” said Kirk sadly. “I dropped my guard for a minute because I like the smell of growing things, and now there’s three men are dead, and the ship’s in trouble.”

“No one has ever stated that Starfleet duty was particularly safe,” said Spock. “You’ve followed the logical and correct course and done everything a commander could do.”

Kirk nodded sadly. “Thank you, Spock.”

“Captain,” said (Y/N), glancing to the side as they felt new emotions enter the clearing. “Our friend is back.” They nodded imperceptibly in the direction.

“Marple, Mr. Chekov, at attention,” said Kirk. He spoke quietly. “Gentlemen, someone is behind that rock. I want them. Marple, cut around the rock to your right. Make a loud noise. Be careful. Mr. Spock, you, (L/N), and Chekov create a diversion, and make it loud.”

“Mr. Chekov, your tricorder readings are totally inefficient!” said Spock loudly.

“Uh, mind your business, sir!” said Chekov dramatically. “For your information, I have a very high efficiency rating!”

“No way you do!” said (Y/N) loudly.

“Yes, I do!” declared Chekov.

“Ensign, I will not have you address your superiors in that tone!” ordered Spock.

“What do you want, violins?” cried Chekov.

As they argued and their spy listened in, Marple and Kirk circled around and caught him. Kirk punched him and prepared to fight, but instead of attacking, the man started crying.

“I won’t hurt you,” said Kirk, realizing he was afraid. “Do you understand? I won’t hurt you.”

“You struck me…with your hand.” He seemed surprised, as if it had never happened before.

“Well, I won’t strike you again,” said Kirk. The landing party joined him, realizing their little diversion had done it’s job. “You’ve been following us, watching us. Why?”

“I am the eyes of Vaal,” said the man. “He must see.”

“Who is Vaal?” asked Kirk.

“Vaal is Vaal,” said the man. “He is everything.”

Strange. He seems confused on why we would ask, thought (Y/N). “Do you have a name?” they asked.

“I am Akuta,” he responded. “I am the leader of the Feeders of Vaal.”

“Akuta, we come in peace,” said (Y/N), smiling as they tried to keep him calm. “We would like to speak to this Vaal.” They figured they’d need to, if they were ever going to get out of this place.

“Akuta alone speaks to Vaal,” said Akuta. “I am the eyes and voice of Vaal.”

So Vaal is their leader, with some religious-like following. Best to treat it respectfully, thought (Y/N) as they assessed their situation as they were trained to do as a negotiator.

“Why were you following us?” asked Spock.

“It is Vaal’s wish,” said Akuta.

“Captain, this is fascinating,” said Spock. He reached up, and Akuta flinched. “If you will permit me, sir.” Akuta let Spock touch the small wires woven into his hair. “Antenna.”

“They are my ears for Vaal,” confirmed Akuta. “They were given to me in the dim time, so the people would understand his commands and obey.”

“The people of Vaal. Are they nearby?” asked (Y/N).

“We are close to Vaal so we may serve him,” said Akuta, nodding. “I shall take you there.” He turned and began leading them through the forest.

“Enterprise to Captain Kirk,” said Scotty through the communicator.

“Kirk here,” he replied as they walked.

“Captain, something has grabbed us from the planet’s surface, and we can’t break loose,” said Scotty urgently.

“Are the warp drives still out?” asked Kirk.

“Aye, sir,” replied Scotty regretfully. “All we have is impulse drive.”

“Put it on maximum,” ordered Kirk. “Full emergency circuits.”

“They’re all on, Captain,” said Scotty.

“Status. Are you still holding?” asked Kirk.

“We might be able to pull out with warp drive, but without it, we’re like a fly on flypaper. Even worse, we’re starting to lose ground,” said Scotty.

“Maintain full reverse thrust against the pull,” commanded Kirk. “Put a team on that warp drive. Get it working.”

“It’s no good, Captain. With maximum thrust against the pull, we’ll only be able to maintain full power for sixteen hours. Then we burn up for sure,” warned Scotty.

“Scotty, you’re my Chief Engineer. You know everything about that ship that there is to know—more than the men who designed it. If you can’t get those warp engines working…you’re fired,” said Kirk, using the threat for motivation (not actually meaning it).

“I’ll do everything there is to do, sir. Scott out.” The communication closed.

“Tell us about Vaal,” invited (Y/N) as they walked by Akuta.

“All the world knows about Vaal,” said Akuta. “He, he causes the rains to fall and the rain to shine. All good comes from Vaal.”

“Can you take us to him?” asked (Y/N), smiling. “We would like to speak to him.”

Spock had to admit, he would be swayed if they were trying to negotiate for his trust. Their bright smile and gentle tone would have him singing like a bird with whatever information they asked of him.

“I shall take you to him, but he will not speak to you. He speaks only to me,” said Akuta. He turned and continued on through the forest.

“Interesting,” remarked Spock to (Y/N).

“I wonder if Vaal will give us the answers we’re looking for,” said (Y/N). “We’ll find out soon.”

Taglist:

@a-ofzest

@grippleback-galaxy

@genderfluid-anime-goth

@groovy-lady

@im-making-an-effort

@unending-screaming

#logos and pathos #s'chn t'gai spock #ambassador spock #star trek spock #mister spock #spock #spock x reader #spock tos #tos spock #star trek tos #star trek the original series #star trek fanfic #star trek #star trek x reader #x reader #nb reader #x nb reader #x gn reader #gn reader

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dawnotella · 3 months

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They Know

The look Chekov exchanges with her. lmao

They all know

Spock walks into forcefield and is thrown back.

Kirk rushes to check on him.

Kirk: A forcefield?

Spock: Obviously.

Kirk: You alright?

Spock: Yes, quite.

Chekov exchanges look with Yeoman Landon. They both smirk.

#star trek #star tres tos #kirk/spock #james t kirk #spock #tos chekov

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paintbrushinacoffeecup2 · 16 days

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Adam, Spock, and Eve -- an Analysis on The Apple from TOS

“The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it”, in a promised vow Adam and Eve swore to allow themselves to remain blissfully unaware of the nature of sin or face divine punishment for eating the apple that would give them this knowledge. Star Trek season 2 episode 5, "The Apple", captivates viewers with its exploration of these themes of autonomy and the consequences of blind obedience in the face of authority; or so the episode tries to sell. I would argue that it does tackle these topics in an interesting manner, though not how the writers initially intended. The crew of the Starship Enterprise continually demean the autonomy and personhood of the people of Vaal, denying them the freedom of choice and posit themselves as white-knighted heroes who would fix the unjust systems of Gamma Trianguli Six. However, the landing party fails to acknowledge that they have been here for less than a day, and their understanding of the culture of this small part of the planet is flawed. Ursula K. Le Guin’s essay, American Sci-Fi and the Other tackles these themes, highlighting how limits in our perspective leads to the alienation and dehumanization of people and practices we do not understand, which results in a denial of their autonomy.

Le Guin outlines 4 forms of alienation that have become popular in contemporary Science Fiction – the sexual alien, the social alien, the cultural alien, and the racial alien. Though each comes from a similar vein of popularized ignorance, their manifestations vary greatly in Sci-Fi. The sexual alien in The Apple takes the form of the narrative treatment of female characters like Yeoman Martha Landon. Landon’s 14 lines throughout the hour long episode quickly characterize her as a character whose femininity undercuts her competence as an officer of the Starship Enterprise. Chekov and Landon share a brief, intimate encounter early in the episode,

MARTHA: All this beauty, and now Mister Hendorff dead, somebody watching us. It's frightening.

CHEKOV: Martha, if you insist on worrying, worry about me. I've been wanting to get you in a place like this for a long time.

The conversation gets interrupted by Kirk returning and asking them to not “conduct a field experiment in human biology”. Landon is one of the only characters regularly referred to by her first name rather than her title. While this could be attributed to her low rank as a red shirt, the four other redshirt officers are still often only referred to by their last names as a sign of respect.

"KIRK: Mallory! Marple, stand back! Watch it! The rocks! (kneeling by the body) Kaplan. Hendorff. I know Kaplan's family. Now Mallory.”

Yeomen in The Original Series are often almost exclusively young women, with a notable exception being the season 1 episode The Cage, where the male Yeoman is killed to show the competency of the villain of the week. Their role is to dutifully fulfill the petty orders given by their captain, such as light administrative work or ensuring the wellbeing of the captain and his surrounding male officers. These female Yeomen are often treated by the narrative to have the sole imperative goal to be “an object of desire for the surrounding men.” This is seen especially in The Apple, when Landon voices her concerns for the Starship she is told to be quiet and sit down by Kirk, or silenced by Chekov’s seductions. Her views, questions, concerns, and opinions are constantly used as punchlines for men, as though she’s too stupid to understand the complexities of what is going on around her.

“MARTHA: But these people, I mean, if they don't know anything about. What I mean is, they don't seem to have any natural– er. I mean, how is it, done?

KIRK: Mister Spock? You're the science officer. Why don't you explain it to the young lady.”

She is alienated from the rest of the cast for being a woman, and as Yeomen often are, the women of Starfleet “are also assigned a sexed identity in their professional lives, based on their supposedly “innate” qualities” of “modesty, sweetness, fear, shyness, compassion, [and] languor.”

The social alien is one that focuses on class and hierarchy, specifically, on the lower ranks of it. This form of alienation has many reflections throughout the episode – from Kirk’s treatment of Scotty as they struggle to pull the Enterprise from the tractor beam, to the Vaalian’s role of feeding Vaal. Those who are not leading men are treated as “masses, existing for one purpose: to be led by their superiors.” Those in the Starfleet are under threat of losing their jobs – their financial security and role on the ship – if they do not listen to their superiors. The Vaalians, however, must actively choose to listen to Vaal for their instructions. There is no threat of violence as they do not know what it means to kill, nor incentive for greed as they are already provided everything they need for a happy and healthy life. As the Vaalians go to feed Vaal – their sole role in exchange for eternal life and long lasting prosperity – Spock notes that in his view, this is “a splendid example of reciprocity”.

This point of view, however, is heavily contested by Captain Kirk and Chief Medical Officer McCoy, and is a prime example of the alienation of the Vaalians and S'Chn T'Gai Spock as Racial and Cultural Aliens. Multiple times throughout the show, Spock’s vulcan lineage has placed him in an uncomfortable position in relation to Starfleet.

“MCCOY: Negative. Did you know this is the first time in a week I've had time for a drop of the true? Would you care for a drink, Mister Spock?

SPOCK: My father's race was spared the dubious benefits of alcohol.

MCCOY: Now I know why they were conquered.”

Many of his conversations with McCoy end with a quip from McCoy about how vulcan biology is inferior to human biology, how their culture is strange and alien to him. He complains about how Spock has green blood, and a heart closer to his abdomen than his chest, even after Spock nearly died protecting them from the deadly flora of Gamma Trianguli Six. McCoy also overdoses Spock, in a blind attempt to get him to wake up from the poisoning. While these could be read as light-hearted quips to maintain the lighthearted tone of the series in face of the Hamlet-ian deaths of the redshirts, McCoy’s refusal to learn about vulcans speaks to a larger theme throughout the episode of doxastic ignorance about other people and cultures.

The Vaalians are repeatedly noted to be happy and healthy, as explained by McCoy, as he cannot tell if they have been around for “twenty years, or twenty thousand years”... “add to that a simple diet, a perfectly controlled temperature, no natural enemies, apparently no vices, no replacements needed”. Their only natural exchange for this is the gifting of some excess fruit to Vaal each day. McCoy takes issue with this manner of living, and that the Starship must intervene, stating that their society is stagnant, and needs something to strive for. However, Spock states in the episode that the Vaalians, as any other group of people, reserve the right to choose a system that works for them. This argument continues throughout the episode, and exemplifies their alienation of the Vaal due to their ignorance, as the human crew of the Starship attempt to overthrow the system of Vaal. They eventually settle on a final course of action, with the Starship trapped in Gamma Trianguli Six’s atmosphere – to kill Vaal. This response could be predicted by LeGuin’s explanation that “[t]he only good alien is a dead alien”, especially in the context of racial and cultural alienation. The Starship landing party alienates and subverts the autonomy of an alien community because their ignorance leads them to believe they are superior . Le Guin’s essay outlines precisely in each area how this episode creates divides in its cast, both between the Starship Enterprise and Vaalians, but within the Starship as well. At the end of the episode, Spock, McCoy, and Kirk ruminate on the consequences of killing a being who was providing for an entire community of people, and the starship leaving that community with nothing but their own wits.

SPOCK: Captain, I'm not at all certain we did the correct thing on Gamma Trianguli Six.

MCCOY: We put those people back on a normal course of social evolution. I see nothing wrong in that.

KIRK: Well, that's a good object lesson, Mister Spock. It's an example of what can happen when a machine becomes too efficient, does too much work for you.

SPOCK: Captain, you are aware of the biblical story of Genesis.

KIRK: Yes, of course I'm aware of it. Adam and Eve tasted the apple and as a result were driven out of paradise.

SPOCK: Precisely, Captain, and in a manner of speaking, we have given the people of Vaal the apple, the knowledge of good and evil if you will, as a result of which they too have been driven out of paradise.

KIRK: Doctor, do I understand him correctly? Are you casting me in the role of Satan?

SPOCK: Not at all, Captain.

KIRK: Is there anyone on this ship who even remotely looks like Satan?

(McCoy and Kirk walk around Spock. McCoy is gazing intently at Spock’s pointed ears.)

SPOCK: I am not aware of anyone who fits that description, Captain.

KIRK: No, Mister Spock. I didn't think you would be.

This is not to say all of Star Trek treats its nonhuman, lower class, and female characters with this lack of respect throughout the entire series, but The Apple speaks deeply to both Le Guin’s thoughts on Alienation and Patriarchal White Supremacy, and Star Trek’s need to appeal to the larger American audience in its messaging. Landon’s alienation stems from her role in patriarchal systems that would create a divide between her and the leading male cast; The Vaalian and Spock’s alienation is due to being foreign to a capitalist system that pushes for constant productivity, and being denied agency by those who believe their own views are the ‘correct’ ones. Considering the episode was released in America during the Cold War, it’s not hard to infer that this episode was cautioning Americans against communism. However, it treats everyone who isn’t coded as a Red Blooded American Man as mindless and abused, in need of a push in the right direction. This episode tries to speak for a better, more unified divine future – to take people from a corrupted garden and give them true Eden – but it regresses directly back into idealizing colonization in its efforts to homogenize any culture it can touch.

Works Cited under the cut

Boquet, Damien, et al. “Editorial: Emotions and the Concept of Gender.” Clio. Women, Gender, History, no. 47, 2018, pp. 16. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26934334. Accessed 10 Apr. 2024.

Hulshult, Rachel. “Star Trek: What Is a Yeoman & Why Did They Disappear from Starfleet?” ScreenRant, 4 Aug. 2023, screenrant.com/star-trek-yeoman-rank-disappear-why-explained/.

Le Guin, Ursula K. “American SF and the Other.” Science Fiction Studies, vol. 2, no. 3, 1975, pp. 208–10. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4238969. Accessed 10 Apr. 2024.

Pevney, Joseph. Star Trek. 13 Oct. 1967, episode 31. TV Series Episode. The Apple.

Trivers, Barry. Star Trek. 8 Dec. 1966, episode 13. TV Series Episode. The Conscience of the King.

Vatican. “The Book of Genesis.” Www.vatican.va, www.vatican.va/archive/bible/genesis/documents/bible_genesis_en.html. Genesis 2:15.

#Star Trek #Star Trek TOS #TOS #jim kirk #james t kirk #spock #s'chn t'gai spock #leonard mccoy #bones mccoy #s2 ep5 #The Apple #I have so many thoughts on this episode #Thank you again to my friends and boyfriend who suffered my insane ramblings

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