Star Trek episode
I enjoyed tonight’s Star Trek Enterprise episode, about these women who visit the ship and secrete powerful pheromones that impair the judgement of the men on the ship. For a TV series franchise with a long history of progressive social thought, I felt the show could have taken a much more feminist approach to solving the problem. It would have been so easy for the captain to hand off control of the bridge to his female second-in-command. If he was alert enough to interrogate the visitors, he should have been alert enough to temporarily check into sick bay.
posted by Tom Cleland @ 4/15/2005 09:56:00 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
I also had a problem with the weightlifting scene. I’m not much of a body builder, but I do know you’re not supposed to throw your back into it in a swinging motion, risking injury. Better to reduce the amount of weight, keep the back straight, and concentrate on exercising the specific muscle group.
Hey Tom,
Star Trek may have a history of progressivism, but they also have a history of plot inconsistencies and pathetic remakes. Hahahaha.
I seem to recall a pheromone plot or two from the original series. There was Mudd's women, for example, and I think there was another one similar to that as well.
So whereas it's a fun show, I wouldn't ask too much from it, particularly the remakes.
If you want escapism with strong women, I recommend the Avenger series with Diana Rigg from the 60s. The Dr. Who episodes from the 70s and 80s with Mary Tamm and Elisabeth Sladen. They might be sexy actresses, but they are also strong characters.
I like strong women characters in my fiction as well. That's why my favorite Shakespeare play was always Much Ado About Nothing.
It's also why I like a lot of chinese movies. The government of China has been active in promoting strong women characters in many of their films.
Oh, and the reason that the strong women characters in Star Trek usually fail is that they are so intent on making them "strong characters" that they forget that what made the male characters strong was their sense of humor. I remember when they introduced Captain Janeway, she was such a tight assed bore.
Look at the original series. The reason we loved Captain Kirk and Spock and McCoy was not that they were strong or that Kirk was macho. It was the funny interplay between the three.
The same thing is true for the Avengers and Dr. Who episodes I mentioned. You have great interplay between the key woman lead and the key male lead.
And in fact, the battke of the sexes makes such an interplay more feasible rather than less. If you look at the Avengers, they always played on the fact that "Mrs. Peel" knew she was sexy, that her counterpart knew she was sexy, but they both also knew that she was smart and powerful. I think that worked very well.
Oh, and Mrs. Peel was never second fiddle, even though the male lead had been in the show through a partner or two before her and continued in the show once she left. I mean, even removing sexism, there is sometimes seniority, so I liked that show that way.
Oh, I keep thinking of things. You know the one where the gender positions really devolved was Remington Steele. The first season was absolutely wonderful, but then the producers decided the female was too strong and that they would give the male character not only equal power, but more power. That was a real putoff. But it was a great show initially.
Yes, I enjoyed Janeway. That actress, Kate Mulgrew, played the councilwoman who dated Sam Mallone on Cheers. Thanks, I should check out those shows you mentioned.
Maybe they evolved Janeway's character. I ony watched the first episode or two of that version of Star Trek.
I was in New Zealand at the time and was overdosing on TV because my ex enjoys tv more than I do.
We were already watching The Simpsons, Dr. Who, The Avengers, Red Dwarf, Ironside, etc, etc.
Oh, then Richard also wanted me watching Babylon 5 and South Park with him, which I didn't even care for.
Since I have been back from New Zealand, I've watched Bill Moyers Now, some online news streaming, but that's almost it--I just don't miss the tv at all. Once in a blue moon I'll get movies from the library or get dragged along to watch something.
Perhaps I have turned into a bore. I just have more fun exploring the internet. Or like right now trying to get this new used computer updated and to do midi. Hands on activities are more enjoyable.
That's not to bad mouth the medium. Some tv is really brilliant...occassionally. :)
I like West Wing. I've also watched Numbers, Medium, and I've seen a couple episodes of Desperate Housewives. Saw that new "Revelations" show. Right now I'm watching Dr. Phil. Good show on bullying.
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