Is Star Trek homophobic?

[T'Girl]

Dude, do you realize how many gay Christians there are out there?

Hello!

There was absolutely no representation of Catholics, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Budhists, etc ...

Angela Martine in Balance of Terror was apparently either Catholic or Episcopalian (she was crossing herself) so that accounts for Christians. Kirk was a monotheist by his statements, now Kirk received a lot of attributes from William Shatner, appearance, voice, mannerisms ... Shatner is Jewish so perhaps Kirk is too? There was a Hindu festival aboard the Enterprise Dee in one episode. Chakotay, Worf, Tuvok, Spock, Kira all possessed a faith. I can't recall any Buddhists or Muslims.

How do we know homosexuality is perfectly normal and accepted in the Trek universe?

Some fans on this board wish that Star Trek was darker than it usually is. Perhaps the reason there are no gay depicted, is because the Federation eliminated them all!!!!

No one discusses gays owing to the enormous shame of what was done.

... trolling ...

How so?

 

[KJbushway]

If you want to argue on religion I made a thread about it.

On topic, Star Trek has always preached about being fair and understanding, its the times that stopped them from showing it.

 

[DonIago]

I'd buy that in the '80s. Not so much in the '90s or later.

 

[KJbushway]

I do. Look at today if it was so accepted people of all kinds would be able to marry.

 

[DonIago]

Gay marriage is becoming increasingly more legal, the US is working to revoke "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", and I think people are generally not too surprised to see a gay person on television even if they aren't necessarily happy about it.

Trek had its window and squandered it.

 

[KJbushway]

Gay Marriage becoming legal?
California went back on its word. Yeah you have Vermont, but really where else?

 

[goofy]

The beauty of fan-fic. If Paramount must not or feels it cannot deal with "potentially unpalatable content" during the current political climate, then its up to us to step-up at conventions by means of fan-zines and online fics/fan productions, & letter writing campaigns.

My website openly invites, embraces and encourages contributors to submit LGBT content, & links (to youtube fan productions, personal homepages with fics and/or petitions, et al.)

Plug your site elsewhere. - Misfit

It's up to ~Us~ to show advertisers that they need not live in fear of disgusted public reprisal if they support gay characters in print/electronic media such as Sean Hawk in "Section 31: Rogue" or openly gay actors playing gay characters in the studios' motion pictures they're sponsoring in cable/satellite timeslots in-future.

 

[DonIago]

I'll have to do some looking around the site, though FWIW the front page is content-heavy enough that Opera wasn't entirely happy loading it.

 

[AstroSmurf]

... trolling ...

How so?

If you feel that someone is trolling then you need to use the "Notify Moderator" button instead of discussing it within the thread.

And just for the record, we are watching this discussion very closely and so far everything is above board. If I felt anyone was stepping over the line (or was about to step over) I would have said something already. I actually read every single post that is made in this forum and just because I haven't joined in the discussion doesn't mean I am not here.

Now back on topic and no more derailing this thread with back-seat modding. Any further discussion about this needs to be done by PM.

 

[-Brett-]

I think I will never understand this kind of logic. Don't you guys have any imagination?

"I want a show about the future, but it shouldn't be too futuristic!"

Why are Doctor Who and his sidekick British? There are more than just Brits on the planet Earth. But I accept that it is a British show produced by British people for a British audience first and foremost. YMMV.

The United States is a secondary market.

Granddaughter - Gallifreyan
Vicki - Orphan, human from unknown 25th century
Katarina - from ancient Troy
Zoe - Librarian in space in the far future, unknown origin
Leela - From the far flung future, tribe of people who had crash-landed on another planet.
K9 - no country of origin
Romana - Gallifreyan
Adric - From another universe
Nyssa - From planet Trakken
Turlough - From another planet named Trion
Kamelion - Robot used by the Master, from the planet Xeriphas
Peri - From America
Ace - From the future
Grace - American
Captain Jack - From the 51st century, another planet
Astrid - Not Human

And that's without even getting into companions such as Erimem, a Pharaoh.

What was it you were saying? His companions are British? Might want to check your facts again.

You could play similar games with the Star Trek cast to argue that it isn't American-centric. Everyone would probably say that it's bullshit though.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Same thing could be said about Data. He is an android whose sexuality was programmed-yet he goes or has gone for women only.

Was there a chance Data might have chosen a same sex partner, or was he deliberately designed to be attacted to women only, by his creator?
.

He was approached by women twice and one of them was a Borg, and he approached one once. I suspect he was probably able and willing to choose a male partner if for nothing else than scientific research in his quest to be human - but in any case he's pretty much just a talking sex toy, and useable by either sex...

 

[T'Girl]

Star Trek has always preached about being fair and understanding, its the times that stopped them from showing it.

Star Trek says one thing and practices another.

I do. Look at today if it was so accepted people of all kinds would be able to marry.

And if the Federation and Starfleet actually accepted people of all kinds, we would see gay marriage in the "in-universe." We would see it. But we don't. It's all well and good to say that "out-universe" TPTB were deliberately holding back on all things gay. But the end result of that is that "in-universe" in the 22nd, 23rd and 24th centuries gays are not seen or heard. We in effect don't exist in the future. The decisions made by the producers and others define the Star Trek universe and what it contains.

It doesn't contain gays.

he was probably able and willing to choose a male partner.

Able yes, but willing? It goes back to orientation, while a product of his programming, Data is a obvious heterosexual, in order to be with a male partner Data would have to want to reprogram himself in the first place. It pretty clear that Data doesn't seem to possess a particularly strong sex drive. But I guess he could reprogram that too.

 

[JarodRussell]

This very message board is also homophobic. There's a Babe of the Week thread, but it only features women.

 

[KJbushway]

Well, I guess we would like to think Star Trek is not homophobi. Being fans and all. But T'Girl makes good points.
I just thought of this, but Enterprise came the closest to showing gay. The episode Cogenitor. Its both Male and Female.

 

[T'Girl]

There's a Babe of the Week thread, but it only features women.

I'd just like to say that I for one am loving your avatar. That's you right?

 

[Capt_Pickirk]

^ That's the old spice guy

 

[SiorX]

This very message board is also homophobic. There's a Babe of the Week thread, but it only features women.

Yes. I can't imagine aaaaanyone other than heterosexuals being into hot women.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Star Trek writers' attitude to sex is repressed to the point of insanity. Someone pointed out there were 600 odd episodes of ST over the decades and the steamiest it got was the odd chaste kiss.

You don't recall Troi's warm oil massage with Devinoni Ral in "The Price"?

in order to be with a male partner Data would have to want to reprogram himself in the first place.

"I am programmed for multiple techniques" - "The Naked Now".

It's all well and good to say that "out-universe" TPTB were deliberately holding back on all things gay. But the end result of that is that "in-universe" in the 22nd, 23rd and 24th centuries gays are not seen or heard.

In "The Host", Bev Crusher didn't reject female Odan, at the end of the episode, because she was suddenly female. It was because Odan may continue to switch bodies in the future and Bev found that possibility difficult to deal with. Had she fallen only for the male Odan, and was it still the same person when the worm was within Will Riker? I know many people felt this was a gay cop-out episode, but I thought it was well played and it certainly did get people talking about how they might handle that situation.

 

[DonIago]

While I'd like to agree with you Therin, I don't believe the end of the episode is as clear-cut as you're making it out to be as to Crusher's reasoning.

I wouldn't ever call Crusher homophobic, but I do wish that part of the episode had been rewritten to make her decision seem less abrupt. As portrayed, it raises a number of questions which weren't necessarily what the writers were aiming for.

DISCLAIMER - I haven't actually seen the episode in a long time and am willing to be corrected enough I got things that are explicitly shown in the episode wrong.

 

[Bishop76]

I don't think there was a single problem at the end of the episode. Dr. Crusher was established as a heterosexual character. Why WOULD she choose to pursue a relationship with a female Odan?