Queen Paolana, textually, seems to object to Billups's abdication of royal responsibility by focusing on the fact that he chooses to be, not a prince, but ("...ughuhhh...") an "engineer," working for Starfleet. However, it's clear from the evidence presented that he has fled Hysperian culture not to embrace his love of engineering, but rather specifically to avoid the hypersexual norms and expectations of that society.
"Engineering" is the text, Asexuality is the subtext.
Consider:
-The Monaveen is a very nice, desirable, and impressive warp-capable ship. Rutherford is excited to work on it. ("I got to work on an expensive ship!" And "seeing how the other half channels their antimatter.")
-There are Hysperian engineers, they're just called "Blacksmiths." Monaveen's chief engineer is called the "Chief Blacksmith." There is no absence of engineering in Hysperian society.
-Billups defaults to referring to the Monaveen's "Dragon's blood flame," *before* correcting himself to say "primary fusion reactor" to help Rutherford understand. Billups clearly learned, and practiced, engineering within the context of Hysperian society before he left to join Starfleet.
Conclude:
-Billups could have been an engineer and worked on his beloved engines as much as he wanted, inside Hysperian society. That he chose to leave, therefore, implies he had other reasons.
"Hysperian culture can be a bit, uhh, distracting."
It is clear Hysperia was a human colony, but unclear whether it was established pre- or post- Federation. But I would think it is probably post-Federation, due to the timing around T'pol's skepticism about the existence of Berengarian dragons in 2154 and Federation Day being in 2161, versus the fact that presence of dragons on Hysperia was apparently well known and established at the time the colony was founded by "Renaissance Faire-types," which seem like events that would take longer than 7 years to happen.
Also, it is unclear whether Hysperia is a Federation member world as of 2381. Although they clearly can and do call upon the Federation for aid, as a (constitutional??) hereditary monarchy, they may or may not qualify to be an actual member world.
Hysperians, clearly, want some fuk. We have seen several examples of cultures that often want some fuk, Risa in particular. But where Risans evidently put an appropriate emphasis on consent (even ritualizing it, in the form of the horga'hn), Hysperians in their pursuit of their libidiny have rather institutionally romanticized an "earlier," unrealistically fantastical form of society, which (in, at least, the Royal context of Paolana Billups's family and royal court) not only expects, but constantly pressures and demands the physical expression of sexuality and sexual desire. (Although, notably, without apparent restriction on gender.)
Enter Andy Billups.
He not want some fuk.
In fact, he feels threatened by constant expressions of sexuality around and towards him.
"Billups loves his virginity!"
"...Will it hurt?"
And then, perhaps most tellingly, he can't get it up, even when he does "want" to.
Also, he does not want to.
"I needed more time to warm up." And finally, in celebratory exuberance, "This Prince remains dry!"
My friends, I submit to you that Starfleet Lieutenant Commander Andarithio "Andy" Billups is, and always has been, an Asexual man. A human man, whose existence on the human spectrum of sexuality is more toward the end of "no thanks." What we in the 21st century refer to, culturally, as Asexual or "Ace."
Why do they pretend he left Hysperia over engine stuff instead of sex stuff? I dunno -- Shame? Privacy? Narrative preference for allegorical subtext versus embarassing text? One thing is for sure. That man don't want some fuk.
Which is a shame, because both of those royal guards were cute af
(Source: Am a very sexual, polyamorous bisexual woman, currently on track to marry an Asexual lesbian woman who does not wish to make love regularly, and am consistently learning to live with the implications of that)
"Engineering" is the text, Asexuality is the subtext.
Consider:
-The Monaveen is a very nice, desirable, and impressive warp-capable ship. Rutherford is excited to work on it. ("I got to work on an expensive ship!" And "seeing how the other half channels their antimatter.")
-There are Hysperian engineers, they're just called "Blacksmiths." Monaveen's chief engineer is called the "Chief Blacksmith." There is no absence of engineering in Hysperian society.
-Billups defaults to referring to the Monaveen's "Dragon's blood flame," *before* correcting himself to say "primary fusion reactor" to help Rutherford understand. Billups clearly learned, and practiced, engineering within the context of Hysperian society before he left to join Starfleet.
Conclude:
-Billups could have been an engineer and worked on his beloved engines as much as he wanted, inside Hysperian society. That he chose to leave, therefore, implies he had other reasons.
"Hysperian culture can be a bit, uhh, distracting."
It is clear Hysperia was a human colony, but unclear whether it was established pre- or post- Federation. But I would think it is probably post-Federation, due to the timing around T'pol's skepticism about the existence of Berengarian dragons in 2154 and Federation Day being in 2161, versus the fact that presence of dragons on Hysperia was apparently well known and established at the time the colony was founded by "Renaissance Faire-types," which seem like events that would take longer than 7 years to happen.
Also, it is unclear whether Hysperia is a Federation member world as of 2381. Although they clearly can and do call upon the Federation for aid, as a (constitutional??) hereditary monarchy, they may or may not qualify to be an actual member world.
Hysperians, clearly, want some fuk. We have seen several examples of cultures that often want some fuk, Risa in particular. But where Risans evidently put an appropriate emphasis on consent (even ritualizing it, in the form of the horga'hn), Hysperians in their pursuit of their libidiny have rather institutionally romanticized an "earlier," unrealistically fantastical form of society, which (in, at least, the Royal context of Paolana Billups's family and royal court) not only expects, but constantly pressures and demands the physical expression of sexuality and sexual desire. (Although, notably, without apparent restriction on gender.)
Enter Andy Billups.
He not want some fuk.
In fact, he feels threatened by constant expressions of sexuality around and towards him.
"Billups loves his virginity!"
"...Will it hurt?"
And then, perhaps most tellingly, he can't get it up, even when he does "want" to.
Also, he does not want to.
"I needed more time to warm up." And finally, in celebratory exuberance, "This Prince remains dry!"
My friends, I submit to you that Starfleet Lieutenant Commander Andarithio "Andy" Billups is, and always has been, an Asexual man. A human man, whose existence on the human spectrum of sexuality is more toward the end of "no thanks." What we in the 21st century refer to, culturally, as Asexual or "Ace."
Why do they pretend he left Hysperia over engine stuff instead of sex stuff? I dunno -- Shame? Privacy? Narrative preference for allegorical subtext versus embarassing text? One thing is for sure. That man don't want some fuk.
Which is a shame, because both of those royal guards were cute af
(Source: Am a very sexual, polyamorous bisexual woman, currently on track to marry an Asexual lesbian woman who does not wish to make love regularly, and am consistently learning to live with the implications of that)
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ing show out there. I don't want it in Star Trek.
