| TV-Commentary - Star Trek Classic |
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Uhura as the Barbie Doll Moesha of the 1960's
In Classic Trek women were little more than ornaments. On the Enterprise there were no senior officers that were women and if Starfleet had any senior women officers they certainly never visited the Enterprise. The women crewmembers were yeomen and junior officers on the ship, universally clad in the short skirts, black nylons, tall black boots, and low-cut blouses. These women were of limited capabilities. Even Lieutenant Uhura, the most capable of them, was most likely to cry out or scream when the unexpected occurred and was the most easily intimidated.
For example, in "And the Children Shall Lead", a group of children with the power to create hallucinations and strong feelings come aboard and threaten the ship. They disable various members of the crew--they cause Kirk to lose his self-confidence, for example, and they cause Sulu to think that the ship is about to crash if it deviates from its course. But how do they disable Uhura? They create the illusion that she looks old and ugly! That paralyzes Uhura with fright. (Interestingly enough, it appears only Uhura has a mirror at her duty station. Maybe she needs it so she can make herself presentable if the Klingons attack).
Now imagine if a man like Kirk were made to look old. In fact, in one episode he did age rapidly. Did his looks paralyze him? No, but they did Uhura, because the show portrayed her as a vain woman, more concerned with her looks than her job.
In various other episodes Uhura has confessed that she's scared, such as the time she was forced to kiss Captain Kirk in "Plato's Stepchildren", and when she was transported into the uniform of a federation dominatrix in "Mirror Mirror". But in neither episode do we hear Kirk or Bones admit they're scared. What the show is saying is that only women get scared in tense situations, and it's the job of men to comfort and protect them.
It's also important to note that Uhura was the most senior woman officer on the show, and she was little more than a glorified telephone operator! In fact, the only time we see a woman captain is when Janice Lester takes over Kirk's body in "Turnabout Intruder". And furthermore Janice Lester is found to be insane! In other words, any woman who aspires to senior command roles has something wrong with her mind! What Star Trek is showing here is that women simply aren't capable of being Captain, that it's purely a man's job.
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The commentator Porthos the Ronin
posts on 4/8/2007 8:20:58 AM
Uhura was 4th in command of the ship, a trailblazing role for women in general and black women in particular. Not to mention she was the first interracial kiss on television. Uhura was a pioneer and ought to be regarded with respect
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The commentator Delia
posts on 3/30/2007 11:20:39 PM
TV programming reflects the times. In the 1960's, we all wore miniskirts and aspired to finding a man to protect and care for us. That's just the way it was.
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Kilroy
posts on 8/1/2005 1:49:48 PM
That says it all, Lewis. Furthermore, I might add that Uhura was so upset about 'getting old" because even today, a older actress has a harder time getting work than her male counterpart. Uhura was just looking at her career go down the drain. Little did she know that typecasting relegated her to only one post-Trek role as a hooker in "Truck Turner" with Issac Hayes riding shotgun.
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The commentator Lewis
posts on 7/31/2005 10:13:54 AM
OK my comment is this. Find me a 1968 or 1969 televsion series that treats women as full equals in all situations, one in which women are never put in a position of admitting to fear? What show of that era would be more egalitarian, Pettycoat Junction? My Three Sons? I love Lucy? I am not saying Trek is perfect but you have to consider the era in which it was shown.
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The commentator Gemma
posts on 7/5/2005 8:50:29 AM
I always thought that kirk didn't get upset about getting old because, to me atleast, it feels like men are allowed to get old in our society. They are still considered intelligent, sexy etc. However it seems to me, unfair as this may be, that when women get old, Men, I think, don't really want to listen to what they say or be around them as much because they don't look as nice as they did when they were young. Maybe uhura thought she wouldn't be treated in the same way by men and possibly young beautiful women because she looked a bit less good.
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