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Trek's catsuit problem with female actresses

I think the catsuits on Seven and T’Pol – two strong, brainy, daunting women characters –were supposed to make them appear less threatening to men….more feminine and approachable. Same with Kira to a lesser degree. But I dunno, maybe guys are actually more uncomfortable with the bimbo image than with the braininess.

At any rate, it seems that strategy pretty much ended after ENT.
I’ve always found that kind of behind-the-scenes decision making weird on the part of producers, because it basically assumes the worst about the audience, or maybe it’s an attempt to expand the audience and reach people that will only watch Star Trek for “pew-pew” battles and sexy women.

And maybe that’s realistic, since in recent years there’s a significant group that call themselves fans of this franchise that love to whine about “Woke Trek” because a show has the gall to have women, people of color, and LGBTQ characters front and center. I remember reading that Timothy McVeigh, an anti-federalist who killed 168 people and was tied to white supremacist groups, was a big fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and saw it as “a Utopian model for the future.” Just spend a moment trying to square that circle.

Because with the catsuits you have to assume that the people watching a show about an enlightened, utopian future that has achieved gender and racial equality still want their underlying sexist titillation satisfied while watching stories that castigate those attitudes.
 
yeah, she took credit. Like Nichols, she was proud of her legs. I think she said they planned on having the women wear pants like in WNMHGB and The Cage. It’s in one of those books Eaglemoss/Hero Collector put out.
Did Theiss ever chime on this?
 
Because with the catsuits you have to assume that the people watching a show about an enlightened, utopian future that has achieved gender and racial equality still want their underlying sexist titillation satisfied while watching stories that castigate those attitudes.
Welcome to the dialectic nature of Hollywood.
 
Did Theiss ever chime on this?
I don't know about Theiss, but memory alpha quotes Grace Lee Whitney as the one who suggested short skirts (shorts with flaps) instead of long pants for women in TOS.

There are as many Star Trek shows after ENT as before it.
Believe me, I'm glad others enjoy and find them meaningful....they're just not for me.

Catsuits-- and jumpsuits for the men--may have been pretty comfortable, except for having to remove them almost completely for bathroom breaks. Marina Sirtis complained about this.
 
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(I admit I didn't read all posts in this thread)

So what to do next? choose to not watch old Star Trek? ban old Star Trek so nobody watches it?

Of course not.

Better idea: Acknowledge that the stuff has flaws and represents a lot of misogyny that was normalized in American culture at the time.

Catsuits were undeniably sexy, but also practical--

I know a lot of practical women. None of them wear catsuits.

What really looked inconsistent with being an active officer, was high heels.

Heels are also ridiculous, yeah.
 
If we all had a say as to what's Star Trek and what's not Star Trek, nothing would be Star Trek.

Enterprise is now "acceptable Star Trek." If I told you 20 years ago that that's what people would think today, no one would believe me. It keeps inching forward. It's starting to happen to the Kelvin Films. 20 years from now, Discovery and Picard will be "acceptable Star Trek." Don't believe me? Wait and see.

Whatever you think of them now, you'll think whatever Star Trek series they'll have in the 2040s will be worse. Because the sensibilities will keep moving further and further away from the people complaining about them.
 
If we all had a say as to what's Star Trek and what's not Star Trek, nothing would be Star Trek.

Enterprise is now "acceptable Star Trek." If I told you 20 years ago that that's what people would think today, no one would believe me. It keeps inching forward. It's starting to happen to the Kelvin Films. 20 years from now, Discovery and Picard will be "acceptable Star Trek." Don't believe me? Wait and see.

Whatever you think of them now, you'll think whatever Star Trek series they'll have in the 2040s will be worse. Because the sensibilities will keep moving further and further away from the people complaining about them.
that's a very interesting POV.

But invites a question, at what point Star Trek changes so much it isn't Star Trek anymore?

The Star Trek of Theseus
 
As for hats....

Don't recall the title of the episode, but there was a scene where Archer is gallivanting around a Vulcan desert wearing two items forgotten in later centuries-a cap and sunglasses.
 
If we all had a say as to what's Star Trek and what's not Star Trek, nothing would be Star Trek.

Enterprise is now "acceptable Star Trek." If I told you 20 years ago that that's what people would think today, no one would believe me. It keeps inching forward. It's starting to happen to the Kelvin Films. 20 years from now, Discovery and Picard will be "acceptable Star Trek." Don't believe me? Wait and see.
Definitely. Many people forget that TNG and DS9 used to be disliked by large parts of the fandom too.
 
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