Sex in Science Fiction (and fanfiction)

[Robert Bruce Scott]

Actually, this is not an article about the long history of sexploitation in science fiction. I used the cartoon portrait of the famous Barbarella to, of course, draw your attention to this article. Sex sells.

And sex sells sci-fi. Star Trek is no exception - e.g. the buxom T'Pol (Star Trek Enterprise) and Seven of Nine (Star Trek Voyager.) On the slightly less exploitative side, Star Trek was also the franchise that broke ground with the first general audience televised interracial kiss (Star Trek) and same-sex kiss (Star Trek Deep Space Nine.)

It shouldn't surprise anyone that sex is a hot-button issue. Sexual competition is a cornerstone of natural selection. No surprise that powerful people want to tell you who you can and cannot sleep with. In what position. For what reasons. Under what conditions. Probably nothing in your life is more socially regulated than sex. It's hard to get by design. The hardest itch to scratch.


While sex and romance are really in the background in Star Trek Hunter, I did take the opportunity to explore sexual and romantic storylines in the series. I used sex most often for humor, but I also used the series to explore a few hot-button issues in our culture. Here's a partial list:

Homosexuality (Investigator Buttans and Lt. Sarekson Carrera (Ep 6-15), Dr. Tali Shae and Mlady (throughout))

Heterosexual males dealing with men who are sexually attracted to them (Wesley Crusher with Sarekson Carrera (Ep 15))

Bearding (Belo Rys with Investigator Buttans (Ep 11))

Sexual/Romantic exploitation (Mlady uses sex to bind both Tali Shae and David Pepper to her so she can feed on their blood (throughout) and attempts to do so with Dolphin (Ep 8))

Sexual dependency (T'Lon using Dolphin to survive Pon Farr (Ep 3-7))

Sexual rejection (Dolphin/Mlady (Ep 8), Dolphin/Birlara (Ep 9))

Age gaps (Shran/Belo Cantys (Ep 3-14), Irons/Strahl (Ep 14))

Promiscuity (Red and Irons are both famously and proudly promiscuous, as is Navigator Eli Strahl (being betazoid, he really has a leg up on getting the ladies' legs up...))

Pansexuality/Polyamorous (Red and Mlady are both polyamorous and pansexual - meaning they maintain multiple romantic relationships and their sexual attraction is not limited by gender)

Gender Fluidity (Dragomut is introduced (Ep 22) as a character whose gender is regulated by mood)

Pronouns (Dragomut would be offended by the pronoun "it" and is fine with either "he" or "she," depending on mood, but encourages people to simply avoid using pronouns)

Extramarital pregnancy (Red chooses to have a child and has no intention of marrying anyone)

Casual sex (leads to romance in some cases: Dolphin/Red and simple friendship in others Dolphin/Holly Nash)

Note that this is a partial list - S&M/B&D, alternate marital arrangements, interspecies (standing in for interracial) relationships along with hybrid (standing in for multiracial) children and many other issues are also on the STH menu.

Again, sex and romance are very much background issues within STH. The series is focused first on providing action/adventure entertainment with spotlights on racism, politics and environmental issues. But sex and romance are integral to all of our lives and a large series like STH provides a big opportunity to have fun exploring these issues.

I'm opening this thread in hopes of other writers bringing in their opinions about sex and romance in their fanfiction and readers chiming in about their reaction to these kinds of storylines.

 

[Alexander Corrino]

Oooh this is right up my alley as a Picard-centric slash fic writer who likes to write naughty things when inspiration strikes

Sex sells, yes. Plain and simple. But that’s not why I enjoy writing it - I try to dismantle the old stereotype of “slash is just naughty stuff writen for the sake of writing it” by showing that naughty scenes can be tastefully written as PART of a slash story, not the driving point of it. Of course I also have some PWP ficlets, but even in those I make it a point to have some actual conversation and moments leading up to things and not just “and then there was a bed”.

The only people who have ever complained about my naughty scenes were homophobes who disliked the idea of Jean-Luc and a guy (despite me always making it clear what the story is about along with the rating so it’s beyond me why they’d even read it in the first place if it’s not their cup of Earl Grey), so I’d like to think I’ve done something right…

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

showing that naughty scenes can be tastefully written as PART of a slash story, not the driving point of it.

In Star Trek Hunter all the actual hanky-panky takes place off-screen, so to speak. But I have encountered a number of writers who wrote intensely erotic scenes into really high quality science fiction. An integral part of the story and of the character development.

I just decided I wanted to make write to a larger audience as the intimate depiction of sexual encounters would disqualify STH for several platforms. But I do include a number of immediately post coital scenes (and a few immediately pre-...).

Thanks!! rbs

not their cup of Earl Grey

 

[Alexander Corrino]

Yeah I know what you mean, I've encountered problems as well when I wanted to post my stories on message boards back in the day (I'm so glad there's AO3 for this now). Most of them are NOT meant for NC-17 rated bed scenes, and I'm the type of writer who absolutely HATES writing within boundaries so that things "fit". I can't write if I know "this story has to be PG-rated". It vaporizes my creativity even if I don't plan on writing an NC-17 rated scene at all.

I found a solution for myself - ficlets. My ficlets CAN often be PG-rated, and most of them ARE because I like to play around with genres and settings in them. If I write a longer story tho, it tends to walk into NC-17 territory at some point because I mostly write about relationships and characters and if you do something like that you're faced with the good old "how detailed do I want to be now" question sooner or later. And my answer is usually "VERY detailed, but still loving and gentle, this IS about two guys in love, after all".

In my experience x-rated fic is much like x-rated artwork - some writers/artists love digging into this subject matter, others don't. I've met a lot of fellow fic writers who said they don't write sex scenes at all, some said because they can't write them, others said they're uncomfortable about them and others said their stories don't need them. It always depends on the individual writer. I'm the type who loves his x-rated stories (I not only love to write them but also love to READ them), but not EVERYTHING I write has to fall into that rating category.

 

[fireproof78]

I'm so glad there's AO3 for this now

I use to be more familiar with fan fiction resources but I don't know this one. What is it?

Personally, when it comes to sex and fiction, well it's like any art. It works very well for some, and other's there is a real unnecessary feel. It comes down to what the story needs, and how can you build up the characters and what the sex says about them, i.e. in love, hurting, passionate, etc.

If I am writing fiction I may occasionally write out a scene but it rarely makes it in to the final draft. It's largely to work out the idea from my own head and then move the story along. I definitely prefer the scenes written out to seeing them in other media though.

 

[Alexander Corrino]

I use to be more familiar with fan fiction resources but I don't know this one. What is it?

Sorry, I should have specified, my bad. AO3 is Archive Of Our Own (hence AO3 for short). It's a fan-run and fan-funded site (no ads etc) where you can post ALL stories, ALL fandoms, ALL ratings. It also has a great tagging system, you can tag your stories with whatever you like. Also, if you write enough stories for a pairing that doesn't have a tag to search for yet it gets its own tag. Very neat. It's basically the successor/competitor of adultfanfiction net (that one was always a PAIN to navigate, I don't have that many fond memories of that one, lol).

 

[fireproof78]

Sorry, I should have specified, my bad. AO3 is Archive Of Our Own (hence AO3 for short). It's a fan-run and fan-funded site (no ads etc) where you can post ALL stories, ALL fandoms, ALL ratings. It also has a great tagging system, you can tag your stories with whatever you like. Also, if you write enough stories for a pairing that doesn't have a tag to search for yet it gets its own tag. Very neat. It's basically the successor/competitor of adultfanfiction net (that one was always a PAIN to navigate, I don't have that many fond memories of that one, lol).

Oh, OK. I thought that might have been it but wanted confirmation. Yes, that is a good system, though sometimes tags are not always accurate to what I am looking for.

 

[Alexander Corrino]

Oh, OK. I thought that might have been it but wanted confirmation. Yes, that is a good system, though sometimes tags are not always accurate to what I am looking for.

Yeah they allow for people to write up ALL their own tags which can lead to confusion. I always try to use tags that already exist and that are fairly clear. I also appreciate the rating system they have. Allows for clear ratings for storiest. (Although some people seem to have an annoying habit of tagging their stuff as x-rated when it's not even r-rated in my book. I don't know what the deal is with that... maybe it's a cultural thing and it's just European Me who only puts things into the x-rated category when it's REALLY explicit.)

 

[fireproof78]

Yeah they allow for people to write up ALL their own tags which can lead to confusion. I always try to use tags that already exist and that are fairly clear. I also appreciate the rating system they have. Allows for clear ratings for storiest. (Although some people seem to have an annoying habit of tagging their stuff as x-rated when it's not even r-rated in my book. I don't know what the deal is with that... maybe it's a cultural thing and it's just European Me who only puts things into the x-rated category when it's REALLY explicit.)

That's always an interesting conversation to have regarding sex in fan fiction. What is explicit to one will not be explicit to another. I personally always air on the side of caution and probably would rate things higher than they actually are to avoid offense, within reason.

Personally, I think if a scene is really well written, explicit or not, then it works really really well. If not, well then it is kind of humdrum. I recall reading a Heinlein novel and the pov character's reflection on the torture methods by her captors reflected my own attitude; "What's the point?" Most of the time I do not find a lot of sex scenes to have a point.

 

[Alexander Corrino]

That's always an interesting conversation to have regarding sex in fan fiction. What is explicit to one will not be explicit to another. I personally always air on the side of caution and probably would rate things higher than they actually are to avoid offense, within reason.

Personally, I think if a scene is really well written, explicit or not, then it works really really well. If not, well then it is kind of humdrum. I recall reading a Heinlein novel and the pov character's reflection on the torture methods by her captors reflected my own attitude; "What's the point?" Most of the time I do not find a lot of sex scenes to have a point.

I try to stay on the side of caution with the ratings as well but thankfully my stuff rarely goes into "halfway" territory, it's either REALLY explicit or not explicit at all, lol.

And I agree with what you said about sex scenes being hit or miss. A friend of mine once said "a sex scene at the wrong moment can ruin the most beautiful story", and I always keep that in mind when I'm writing my stuff. It has to fit in, if it doesn't, I leave it out. And then there's also the issue of how the scene is written. I've seen scenes that read like hardcore x-rated movies on paper and that SO wasn't my jam and was also jarring to read. I always say "every fic writer CAN write a sex scene if they want to but it's the writing it WELL part that can be difficult".

 

[fireproof78]

And I agree with what you said about sex scenes being hit or miss. A friend of mine once said "a sex scene at the wrong moment can ruin the most beautiful story", and I always keep that in mind when I'm writing my stuff. It has to fit in, if it doesn't, I leave it out. And then there's also the issue of how the scene is written. I've seen scenes that read like hardcore x-rated movies on paper and that SO wasn't my jam and was also jarring to read. I always say "every fic writer CAN write a sex scene if they want to but it's the writing it WELL part that can be difficult".

I guess it is kind of similar to writing a story in general. Am I writing it because I like this story and well it's really only for me? Or am I writing because I really like this story and think others would appreciate it as well? Well, sex scenes are the same way. There are several characters whom I have zero interest in seeing in any sort of romantic setting, never mind sexual. I don't subscribe to the idea that because "sex sells" then it must be included in a story that has romance characters in love. I just can't buy in to that.

Which is why I agree strongly that it has to fit in. And why if I write a sex scene it usually sits outside of the main draft for a month to be determined if it is to be included.

 

[Alexander Corrino]

I guess it is kind of similar to writing a story in general. Am I writing it because I like this story and well it's really only for me? Or am I writing because I really like this story and think others would appreciate it as well? Well, sex scenes are the same way. There are several characters whom I have zero interest in seeing in any sort of romantic setting, never mind sexual. I don't subscribe to the idea that because "sex sells" then it must be included in a story that has romance characters in love. I just can't buy in to that.

Which is why I agree strongly that it has to fit in. And why if I write a sex scene it usually sits outside of the main draft for a month to be determined if it is to be included.

I agree. I don't think I could write a sex scene that doesn't involve at least one character I care about. It's why my work is exclusively JLP centric. I just have no interest in writing about anyone else, x-rated or not x-rated. (Aside from some other characters Sir Patrick has played, those are a different matter.) I've always admired people who can just write any story about any Trek character. Doesn't work like that for me.

 

[Kor]

I don't want to read any graphic descriptions. But sexuality is a part of the human experience that can certainly be addressed in science fiction. Ideally in thoughtful ways, exploring alien concepts etc. and not in a prurient manner. Literary sci-fi was doing that (not always in thoughtful ways, of course) years before TV and cinematic sci-fi could really broach the topic. On TV it tends toward a juvenile approach.

Kor

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

On TV it tends toward a juvenile approach.

I felt the Dax/Kahn kiss was a little gratuitous - although I did like it that the taboo nature of the relationship didn't revolve around gender, which the kiss put the exclamation point on.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I've had a few ideas for gay erotic sci-fi stories (including a couple of Trek-based fanfic), even had the wild notion of writing a Visual Novel, but never followed through with them. Might make that something to focus on for 2022.

 

[XCV330]

i find sex scenes in fiction tedious, the moreso if they go on for longer than a paragraph. Either the writer seems to be having to go through the motions with it despite having reservations, or is WAY too into it and reveals about about him or herself I'd rather not know on the first date, thanks. I get some people like those details being filled in. I am not a prude by any stretch, it just does not interest me at all.
(deleted some stuff about smurfs)

 

[Guy Gardener]

In a fanfiction, I am writing, Sarah Connor from Terminator, just met Vladimir Putin circa 1988.

I think I am going to have them smash.

 

[Alexander Corrino]

In a fanfiction, I am writing, Sarah Connor from Terminator, just met Vladimir Putin circa 1988.

I think I am going to have them smash.

Just… don’t look for politics fic on AO3. You will find things you never wanted to find.

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

i find sex scenes in fiction tedious, the moreso if they go on for longer than a paragraph... (deleted some stuff about smurfs)

I'm more interested in the foreplay and the afterglow than in the creamy filling.

Smurf sex... now that's just so wrong on so many levels...

 

[Sgt_G]

Yeah, I've seen porn movies and such, so I'm not a prude by any means. But while reading si-fi, I could really do without all the details in sex scenes. For example, I read all of Mike Shepherd's "Kris Longknife" series, which had some story lines in the later books involving the main character having sex. The first couple times, it was all PG-13 stuff at most. Later, it tended more towards an R-rating. But in the first "Vicky Peterwald" spin-off book, he blew right past PG-13 into R and was borderline NC-17. I did not understand why the author felt the need to go that far. Seriously, I could not recommend that book to any 10-13 year old reader, not without tearing out about four pages.