Unfortunately, there are people who think exactly that, and we've had posters expressing such views here before. So you know, once burned and all jazz. I'm happy it was just a misunderstanding.
On a TV series? Of course that's what it means. All the main characters sexualities are heterosexual. All romances, sexual encounters, lustful longings and marriages are heterosexual. Riker's "girlfriend" in Outcast was in fact female, while androgynous in appearance the J'naii did have two genders. But their attitudes, positions on sexuality and fears do manifest themselves within the series. Episodes like Measure of a Man, and Drumhead. Bashir's forbidden genetic enhancements. .
They should have just had him shirtless all the time! Shirtless on the bridge, just sittin' there at the helm.. shirtless. Every episode. No one would even complain that he didn't speak then. OH yeah..
Here's the thing. I know of several straight -8 guys who have experimented with other guys. This MOSTLY happens during adolescence. These guys are straight, and perfectly happily married...and would not confess to most people about experimenting with other guys. Lots of women do the same thing...but they seem to get a free pass...and nobody thinks strange of it. But many straight guys have experimented 'some' in their lifetimes...and mostly when they were young...going thru puberty. So...let' say that in the future...most people are supposed to be a bit more tolerable to same-sex experimentation. Let's take a look at Jim Kirk. He's had sex with just about every type of alien there is to mention...but they are always female. In the latest movie, Kirk is awakened in bed with two alien women...with tails. Surly if Kirk has experimented this MUCH...he's had to have at least one session with another guy. And I bet he has. It would have been hilarious if Kirk had partied hard the night before and got stoned...and instead of waking up with the two women with tails...he wakes up with a huge hangover with some naked andorian or Vulcan guy right beside him. It would have been a hoot! This new movie series especially explores Kirk as a HIGHLY sexual being. So...if Kirk is so danged willing to hump aliens....then it shouldn't be so crazy that he might hook up evey now and then with another human, even if it does happen to be male. It personally wouldn't bother me.
So why did Riker go after an individual who was from a species without gender if he only goes for chicks? Have you even seen the episode? They very specifically claim that the J'naii only have one gender. How do any of these apply? Measure of a man? What does that episode have to do with adjusting a person's brain so they are no longer homosexual? The Drumhead? Again, what does that have to do with it? At least Bashir has the advantage of actually being modifying a person's genetic structure. But none of it had anything to do with his sexuality!
The only example of a gay male character that I've come across is Peter Kirk (Captain Kirk's nephew) in, Star Trek, Phase 2, "Blood and Fire." There are other Phase 2 episodes, but most of what I've seen so far do not have Peter in them. I'll let you all know if I come across any more episodes with Peter. http://images.wikia.com/lostinspace/images/1/13/Peter.jpg
Ahhh. I finally found one. It's called Star Trek Phase II - "Enemy Starfleet." Handsome Peter is in this episode...but alas...his boyfriend/fiancé Alex has gone to the land beyond the stars. So, Peter is pretty much like the average Star Trek character...which I guess is good in some ways. But it would be nice for him to meet somebody new. The actor who plays Kirk looks a bit better. The actor playing Spock is better too. However, the Chekov they have now is not nearly as good as in the first episode. There is also another Vulcan, named Xon? He has his hair parted in the middle...and in some episodes he has blond highlights. Here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hLejxHPNBo http://images.wikia.com/lostinspace/images/3/3a/Peter2.jpg
Just for fun.. this is the actor who portrays the character of Peter Kirk. His name is Bobby Rice. Nice looking guy! http://images.wikia.com/lostinspace/images/4/45/Bobby.jpg
Those New Voyages/Phase Two films are pretty good, and I'll admit that they didn't cheese out on the portrayal of a homosexual relationship. However, I think it falls into a typical trap: the gay couple never get to be happy, as one or both meet a tragic end. There are already a lot of those kinds of romances in Trek, where there is not longterm possibility to develop the relationship. Edith Keeler must die? Well, so must Alex Freeman.
I'm personally NOT crazy about the Phase Two episodes. But I have to agree ^ at least they didn't flake out on a gay relationship. They had one...key being "had." Of course Peter KIrk's same-sex fiancé (Alec) has to get killed. I remember the Edith Keeler affair as well. If Edith was going to die...they could have faked Edith's death...then bring her back to the future so that she an Kirk could be together. But that's just how things go in Star Trek. Kirk's only son HAS to die... Jean Juke Picard's nephew Renee had to die. It would be nice if there could be a reasonably happy ending. I would have loved to have seen Peter meet somebody new...build a relationship...and be happy. But Phase Two even whimped out on that. They basically dwindled the Peter character until he wasn't there anymore. Maybe he went to one of the pleasure planets and found him a boyfriend?
I agree with you, Melakon. In fact, I've already said that in one of my other posts here. BUT, at least they dared to have a gay major character. And to have him as James T. Kirk's nephew was pretty ballsy. It was just sad that they gave up on that character and let him just diminish.
Wasn't there a fan film series a few years ago called "Hidden Frontiers" with a gay character? As I remember, it was shot entirely against green screen with the only real part of the "set" being an office chair or something. I lost interest in it fast.
All they had to do was make those supposed Caitians male. I originally thought make one of them a male, but I'm sure that would cause it's own problems and people would still say doesn't prove anything. I agree though, J.Kirk is highly sexual and open in perspective, especially in youth (he gets a big crotchety about stuff in the TOS films LOL).
I have to apologize about my Star Trek ignorance. I've gotten VERY rusty on some things. So, the aliens that Kirk is seen in bed with in "Into Darkness" are called Caitians? I've never heard of them before. AND, please forgive me, but what does "TOS" mean? Thanks!
IIRC, Soren went after Riker, not the other way around. And Soren purported to have a female identity, and said so to him. So as I understand it, Riker responded to Soren as if she was what she said she was - a woman. If Soren had not done that, there's no evidence Riker would have given her a second look. @SpaceLover: TOS = The Original Series
Idk. There are things that Phase II really gets right, like young Sulu experiencing the life of his daughter and Peter and Alec's first embrace. I don't know what happened to the Peter Kirk character. In some ways it's better to not dwell on his sexuality, lest all his actions be interpreted in terms of his sexuality (see Felix Gaeta), at least as long as his life love is gone.
Because Soren was a female. Soren: "I am tired of lies. I am female. I was born that way." Soren was in fact a female, she lived in a society that had officially done away with traditional gender identities, members of the population were require to conform to the cultural norm of not personally identifying as either male or female. But despite of their androgyny, the J'naii did have the two genders of male and female. Soren wanted to be openly feminine, and not androgynous. Through the years she selected J'nailan males for her lovers. Soren's crime within her society was that she wanted to manifest a "traditional" non-androgynous female identity. This is why she was "reprogrammed" by her society, the official position was that the J'naii had evolved beyond gender.