Gene's original pitch to the network.

[Pauln6]

Actually that was an example of Spock's feelings compromising his performance of his job. Uhura was supposed to go to the Enterprise, but Spock decided to send her to a different ship to avoid the appearance of favoritism. He was the one who let their relationship get in the way. She was entirely professional and focused on the job (i.e. her determination to earn a post on the flagship, which she did fair and square, and she was furious that he tried to deny her that for personal reasons).

I can not believe that this isn't more self evident to people. It was obvious in the movie, yet some how people (like Pauln6) turn this on Uhura.

Uhura was right, Spock was wrong.

I'm not so sure that it is that straightforward. Despite Spock saying that he chose to assign her elsewhere to avoid the appearance of favouratism (which I agree is a bogus reason, especially considering she has a brilliant record, he is a Vulcan, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that Starfleet doesn't have a ban on crew relationships, and he didn't discuss it with her first) there are other, valid reasons why lovers should not serve on the same ship (Kirk, Picard, and Troi all ended or avoided relationships because of potential or actual complications). Spock is already assigned to the Enterprise. If he thinks her presence could affect his performance then he SHOULD assign her elsewhere - he should just do so after discussing the situation with her and his superiors.

However, it is also an example of how a junior officer could exert undue influence on a senior officer. What she did, quite cleverly, was apply a logical argument, coupled with her personal influence to manipulate him to change his mind. As his junior officer she should follow his orders and this is a temporary assignment - she can apply to transfer to the Enterprise formally at any time later, after they have discussed it.

This particular scene is an example of the sloppy writing that favours instant gratification in the movie; a necessity because of the way they chose to throw all the crew together in an instant. She wins the argument through the application of logic and he should not have made the decision as portrayed but many junior officers disagree with their superior officers - they still have to follow those orders. Janeway also points out to Tuvok that it isn't as hard as you think to justify almost any position using logic - it's her influence over her senior officer that is the issue here - and she does seem to be the 'aggressor' in the relationship - Spock's sense of bafflement and hesitation was wonderfully played.

As I said, I was being facetious earlier about the sexism element but it is an example of the problems that can arise if the crew cross the line set out in the early and phase II pitches. On balance I'm a fan of the Spock/Uhura pairing, I'm just not in favour of them snogging in front of other crew while on duty just because they're stressed. Is it sexism to suggest that a woman can twiddle her little finger in her superior officer's uniform and get somebody else assigned to her shift or is it just an example of the character flaws of these particular characters?

I thought it was more sexist that Uhura wasn't going on the mission with them (she speaks Romulan fluently whereas Spock might be able to understand it because the language is similar to Vulcan - French and Spanish are similar but I can barely understand Spanish). However, it would be more accurate to say that sexism itself isn't the main motivation of the writers, just a consequence of the traditional obsession with the Kirk/Spock relationship. The sexism is a result of the reluctance to adjust the crew dynamic a bit more to give the women a fairer shot. Instead the characters make a howlingly bad tactical decision just to spotlight those two characters (Kirk is rewarded for the results not the dumb decisions he took to achieve those results). It was just a missed opportunity to apply story logic and give Uhura some action based on information already given in the movie.

What's more interesting is to speculate about the various reasons why, behind the scenes, Rand transferred off the ship (the Captain's Daughter cheekily implied that she left because she was pregnant). What would Picard have done if Neela Daren had decided she wanted to stay on the Enterprise?

We also have to remember that the sixties networks were nervous at the implication that the Enterprise crew were shagging all the time. So it may have been that portraying Kirk's (or April or Pike) reluctance to act on his feelings was an attempt to appease those concerns. Unrequited love has been a staple of tv shows for decades and Chapel took up the mantle more fully after Rand's departure. I wonder if the writers were going to set up an unrequited love triangle with April/Pike, Number One, and Colt?

 

[Christopher]

I'm not so sure that it is that straightforward. Despite Spock saying that he chose to assign her elsewhere to avoid the appearance of favouratism (which I agree is a bogus reason, especially considering she has a brilliant record, he is a Vulcan, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that Starfleet doesn't have a ban on crew relationships, and he didn't discuss it with her first) there are other, valid reasons why lovers should not serve on the same ship...

Except it's not clear that they were lovers prior to that point. There's nothing in the film to definitively rule out the possibility that that scene in the turbolift was the first time they'd actually kissed, or at least the first time Spock accepted her advances. It could've been that their relationship was close but platonic and tentative prior to then. (I'm basing this on a comment Roberto Orci made in a Q&A on TrekMovie.com, basically responding to a question about Spock and Uhura being lovers with words to the effect of "Who says they've had sex?") It's ambiguous enough that it can be interpreted in more than one way.

(Kirk, Picard, and Troi all ended or avoided relationships because of potential or actual complications).

Well, not entirely; Riker and Troi eventually did marry and then went off to serve on the Titan together. And in the current novels, Picard and Dr. Crusher are married and serving together, though of course that's not canonical.

I thought it was more sexist that Uhura wasn't going on the mission with them (she speaks Romulan fluently whereas Spock might be able to understand it because the language is similar to Vulcan - French and Spanish are similar but I can barely understand Spanish).

If language proficiency had been the only criterion, then that might be valid. But it was a combat mission, and Spock presumably had more field experience than a fourth-year cadet.

However, it would be more accurate to say that sexism itself isn't the main motivation of the writers, just a consequence of the traditional obsession with the Kirk/Spock relationship. The sexism is a result of the reluctance to adjust the crew dynamic a bit more to give the women a fairer shot.

Are you kidding? The movie did a great job countering the sexism of TOS and giving Uhura a much larger, more central role in the narrative than she'd ever had before. Heck, in TOS, the central triad was Kirk, Spock, and McCoy; here it was Kirk, Spock, and Uhura, with McCoy coming in fourth. Sure, it's not perfectly egalitarian, but it's a lot more so than its source material.

Instead the characters make a howlingly bad tactical decision just to spotlight those two characters (Kirk is rewarded for the results not the dumb decisions he took to achieve those results). It was just a missed opportunity to apply story logic and give Uhura some action based on information already given in the movie.

I think it's rather shallow to define the degree of a character's participation in physical action as the only standard for whether the character is treated equally. What's so bloody great about the ability to hit or shoot people?

 

[Anticitizen]

Are you kidding? The movie did a great job countering the sexism of TOS and giving Uhura a much larger, more central role in the narrative than she'd ever had before.

Unfortunately, her larger, more central role in the narrative was mostly the role of 'love interest'. It's not just ST09, it's most shows and movies. Women characters exist to serve as the love interest for male characters, while the male characters are the ones who fight and save the day, etc. I didn't feel Nu-Uhura was any more progressive than the old one.

 

[Christopher]

Well, I don't accept the assumption that a romantic or emotion-driven role is somehow less worthy than an action-driven or intellectual role. I think that assumption is sexist in itself, assuming that traditionally masculine roles are somehow more important or worthy than traditionally feminine ones. Yes, Uhura was shown in a largely romantic context, but she was clearly the aggressor, the initiator, the source of greater emotional strength. It was hardly a passive or weak role, and thus I don't consider it a sexist portrayal.

And isn't there a double standard being applied here? Neither Chekov nor Scotty was directly involved in the action at any point in the film either. They just came up with ideas, worked equipment, and served as comic relief. And McCoy didn't do anything action-oriented either, and was cast in the role of friend and nurturer. Yet nobody's questioning their "equality" just because they didn't punch or shoot or stab anyone. To me, the people who are seeing Uhura's portrayal as sexist are simply imposing their own gendered assumptions and double standards onto the film.

 

[Pauln6]

Well, not entirely; Riker and Troi eventually did marry and then went off to serve on the Titan together. And in the current novels, Picard and Dr. Crusher are married and serving together, though of course that's not canonical.

Yeah, I suppose they married once they'd reached a stage where Troi & Picard respectively felt that they could perform their jobs properly with their other half on board. Spock's real reason for keeping Uhura at arm's length could be his own lack of confidence in his ability to control his emotions. I wasn't assuming that they'd had sex when I used the term 'lovers' although as I said before, I thought the writers and actors nailed that scene.

If language proficiency had been the only criterion, then that might be valid. But it was a combat mission, and Spock presumably had more field experience than a fourth-year cadet.

Bad example. Kirk is only a third year cadet with even less experience and he doesn't speak a word of Romulan. I would term it an inflitration mission rather than a combat mission but nevertheless, they should have beamed on board with a security team, a technician (Uhura fits the bill) and a medic (for Pike). There were several occasions where they were almost killed due to lack of back up.

Are you kidding? The movie did a great job countering the sexism of TOS and giving Uhura a much larger, more central role in the narrative than she'd ever had before. Heck, in TOS, the central triad was Kirk, Spock, and McCoy; here it was Kirk, Spock, and Uhura, with McCoy coming in fourth. Sure, it's not perfectly egalitarian, but it's a lot more so than its source material.

I don't view tokenism as a sign of equality - take Uhura out of the equation and who have you got? Given that we are now in the 21st century I found the new movie to be less egalitarian than the sixties version where at least it was a bit avant garde to have women officers at all. I thought the movie fell down because they didn't write in Number One or T'Pau and had men in positions they could have occupied instead; we had no Rand and Chapel only got a name check; only male admirals had lines; Robau's bridge crew seemed overwhelmingly male (or at least the focus was on male crew and the alien, despite being played by an actress was listed as male in the script); the women who did get roles tended to in caring positions (doctors, nurses, mothers) plus Gaila who, despite being a fun character, hardly struck a blow for women's lib rolling around in her underwear.

I think it's rather shallow to define the degree of a character's participation in physical action as the only standard for whether the character is treated equally. What's so bloody great about the ability to hit or shoot people?

This is true and not every character needs to be gung ho (McCoy as a gun-toting martial artist definitely wouldn't ring true - NuScotty seems a lot less physical too). However, landing parties can't only be staffed by crewmen who can shoot and fight like experts. That is the purpose of the security teams after all.

For my part I think the frustration is that most of the male characters seem to be given the benefit of combat training and they are allowed to use it. Spock is a scientist and yet he fights like a professional. Should not SOME of the female characters be given that option too? Ask the actresses if they'd like to engage in more combat scenes and they most often say yes please - Saldana has also said this.

I favour them bringing Rand in to fill the action heroine role. The sixties concept was mired in sexism but I can see no reason why the captain's yeoman couldn't also be security trained. As his assistant she would have a reason to accompany him on some landing parties and it might be a fun running gag for action junkie Kirk to be denied fisticuffs by an overzealous bodyguard. The crush element of her character could be omitted entirely.

Today some elements of Gene's pitch look a bit sexist. I think that re-imaging the most sexist elements is a necessity if they want the new version to shake off those shackles.

 

[Anticitizen]

Gaila who, despite being a fun character, hardly struck a blow for women's lib rolling around in her underwear.

Uhura, too...

 

[Christopher]

Bad example. Kirk is only a third year cadet with even less experience and he doesn't speak a word of Romulan.

But he was the acting captain, so he decided who went on the mission.

I would term it an inflitration mission rather than a combat mission but nevertheless, they should have beamed on board with a security team, a technician (Uhura fits the bill) and a medic (for Pike). There were several occasions where they were almost killed due to lack of back up.

Good point, but I don't see that as evidence of sexism, since they didn't bring McCoy either. It's just evidence of the fact that movies need to be very economically told and the priority of that sequence was on the bonding of the two main characters.

This is true and not every character needs to be gung ho (McCoy as a gun-toting martial artist definitely wouldn't ring true - NuScotty seems a lot less physical too). However, landing parties can't only be staffed by crewmen who can shoot and fight like experts. That is the purpose of the security teams after all.

But we're not talking about "landing parties" as a general class. We're talking about one specific mission.

If we do see landing parties in the next movie, I definitely expect Uhura to be included, since the filmmakers are definitely treating her as the third lead and since Saldana's made a lot of noise in the press about wanting more action this time around.

I favour them bringing Rand in to fill the action heroine role. The sixties concept was mired in sexism but I can see no reason why the captain's yeoman couldn't also be security trained.

Sorry, that doesn't make any sense to me. A yeoman is a clerk, a secretary. Why use a secretary as a security guard when you've got plenty of actual security guards? And it's not like the characters need to have the same roles they had in the original. For instance, in the movie, Chekov isn't actually the navigator, more a junior science officer like he was in the very early 2nd season.

Anyway, I never liked Rand. Though I guess if they cast someone interesting, and ditched the stupid beehive hairdo, it might redeem the character.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Robau's bridge crew seemed overwhelmingly male (or at least the focus was on male crew and the alien, despite being played by an actress was listed as male in the script); the women who did get roles tended to in caring positions (doctors, nurses, mothers) plus Gaila who, despite being a fun character, hardly struck a blow for women's lib rolling around in her underwear.

.

There were women on the Kelvin bridge. The ships helm officer was a human female and she has a couple of lines and a some reaction shots. There was also reaction shots from other female officers and one has a line as well. And the first redshirt death of the movie is a woman, who also has a line.

The shuttle conductor who shouts down McCoy is a woman. And one of the two officers giving ship assigments is also a woman. On the Enterprise we see women operating the transporter,while we see men in medical roles and in communications. Not major roles granted.

Kirk is also rolling around in his underwear in that scene with Gaila.

Oh and he's not a third year cadet. Hes a "fourth year" cadet who managed to complete a four year curriculum in three. As he told Pike he would do.

 

[Captain Robert April]

Excuse me, but

 

[Pauln6]

Robau's bridge crew seemed overwhelmingly male (or at least the focus was on male crew and the alien, despite being played by an actress was listed as male in the script); the women who did get roles tended to in caring positions (doctors, nurses, mothers) plus Gaila who, despite being a fun character, hardly struck a blow for women's lib rolling around in her underwear.

There were women on the Kelvin bridge. The ships helm officer was a human female and she has a couple of lines and a some reaction shots. There was also reaction shots from other female officers and one has a line as well. And the first redshirt death of the movie is a woman, who also has a line.

The shuttle conductor who shouts down McCoy is a woman. And one of the two officers giving ship assigments is also a woman. On the Enterprise we see women operating the transporter,while we see men in medical roles and in communications. Not major roles granted.

Kirk is also rolling around in his underwear in that scene with Gaila.

Oh and he's not a third year cadet. Hes a "fourth year" cadet who managed to complete a four year curriculum in three. As he told Pike he would do.

Lol - not sure if you are arguing for or against me with that list. Or put it another way, now that I can see the significant contribution those women made to the movie I simply cannot understand why I thought the movie was sexist!

I think what Christopher says is true, in a movie franchise they do have to be economical but we will always be critiquing a particular mission - after how many missions can we start to say that the pattern is now sexist? Trek has a tradition of Spock and Kirk hogging the action but the reasons given don't justify the failure to use female characters more frequently or more effectively overall. If Robau and one more of the Kelvin bridge crew had been a woman, if Olsen had been a woman, if T'Pau had been the Vulcan criticising Spock, or if Number One had featured and transferred onto one of the other ships temporarily to make way for Spock to be Pike's first officer, I would probably have given them a pass. It's because they only have a short time to tell a story that they must put that bit of extra effort in.

Put it another way: if they had flipped the ratio so that all the supporting male characters were now female and vice versa (excluding key established characters like Pike, Mrs Kirk, Gaila etc) would you have thought that there were an awful lot of women in this film?

What's curious is that in Gene's day, it was intentional that only a third of the crew should be women. Forty years later thant STILL seems to be the case. I'm just trying to establish why the writers and casting people just seem incapable to rectifying that imbalance. It's hardly rocket science.

 

[T'Girl]

the captain's yeoman

Sorry, that doesn't make any sense to me. A yeoman is a clerk, a secretary. Why use a secretary as a security guard when you've got plenty of actual security guards?

But one of the traditional jobs of a yeoman is as a bodyguard. If Rand's role on the Enterprise is as Kirk's "batman" (British military), then part of her duties could be to watch his back. Given Rand's uniform color during TOS it's not hard to see her as security personnel.

Part of her relationship with Kirk could be that he rankles that Starfleet even assigned him a "bodyguard."

 

[Warped9]

A small note. In GR's revised guideline for Phase II he states that while a third of the crew in TOS were women in Phase II half the crew were to be women.

I guess they never followed through with that in subsequent films and series..

 

[T'Girl]

If the number of men and women in the crew were supposed to be equal, and one-third of the crew were women, then one-third would then be men.

Ever wonder Warped9 what the other (un-specified) third of the crew were?

 

[Christopher]

^You misread his post. What he said was that in TOS, a third of the crew was women, but in Phase II -- the abortive sequel series to TOS, which was abandoned in favor of doing ST:TMP -- the percentage of women in the crew would've gone up to 50.

 

[Pauln6]

the captain's yeoman

Sorry, that doesn't make any sense to me. A yeoman is a clerk, a secretary. Why use a secretary as a security guard when you've got plenty of actual security guards?

But one of the traditional jobs of a yeoman is as a bodyguard. If Rand's role on the Enterprise is as Kirk's "batman" (British military), then part of her duties could be to watch his back. Given Rand's uniform color during TOS it's not hard to see her as security personnel.

Part of her relationship with Kirk could be that he rankles that Starfleet even assigned him a "bodyguard."

This is absolutely what I was aiming at. Some people are overly hung up on Rand's very passive role from the sixties but very few of the women then were any good in a fight (I think Celeste Yarnell was trained in Judo so her yeoman got to beat up some guys but that was about it).

On a more general point, Gene's original idea was that all the crew were trained astronauts - so they all had a certain level of training in flying and fixing the ship, science, diplomacy, and combat. Sulu was a physicist, a pilot, and a botanist and yet he was also an expert swordsman. Spock was an astrophysicist and computer expert and yet he could fight it out with the best of them. Whose to say that Rand shouldn't have more than one such skill (heating coffee with a hand phaser)? Plus modern Rand is the product of the butterfly effect in the same way as older Chekov or Scotty the buffoon. I'd prefer it if they kept her as Kirk's yeoman (enlisted crew) because it is a nod to TOS and it makes it very simple to involve her in the story. I can see no cogent argument for saying that her new background couldn't be one in security.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Robau's bridge crew seemed overwhelmingly male (or at least the focus was on male crew and the alien, despite being played by an actress was listed as male in the script); the women who did get roles tended to in caring positions (doctors, nurses, mothers) plus Gaila who, despite being a fun character, hardly struck a blow for women's lib rolling around in her underwear.

There were women on the Kelvin bridge. The ships helm officer was a human female and she has a couple of lines and a some reaction shots. There was also reaction shots from other female officers and one has a line as well. And the first redshirt death of the movie is a woman, who also has a line.

The shuttle conductor who shouts down McCoy is a woman. And one of the two officers giving ship assigments is also a woman. On the Enterprise we see women operating the transporter,while we see men in medical roles and in communications. Not major roles granted.

Kirk is also rolling around in his underwear in that scene with Gaila.

Oh and he's not a third year cadet. Hes a "fourth year" cadet who managed to complete a four year curriculum in three. As he told Pike he would do.

Lol - not sure if you are arguing for or against me with that list. Or put it another way, now that I can see the significant contribution those women made to the movie I simply cannot understand why I thought the movie was sexist!

I think what Christopher says is true, in a movie franchise they do have to be economical but we will always be critiquing a particular mission - after how many missions can we start to say that the pattern is now sexist? Trek has a tradition of Spock and Kirk hogging the action but the reasons given don't justify the failure to use female characters more frequently or more effectively overall. If Robau and one more of the Kelvin bridge crew had been a woman, if Olsen had been a woman, if T'Pau had been the Vulcan criticising Spock, or if Number One had featured and transferred onto one of the other ships temporarily to make way for Spock to be Pike's first officer, I would probably have given them a pass. It's because they only have a short time to tell a story that they must put that bit of extra effort in.

Put it another way: if they had flipped the ratio so that all the supporting male characters were now female and vice versa (excluding key established characters like Pike, Mrs Kirk, Gaila etc) would you have thought that there were an awful lot of women in this film?

What's curious is that in Gene's day, it was intentional that only a third of the crew should be women. Forty years later thant STILL seems to be the case. I'm just trying to establish why the writers and casting people just seem incapable to rectifying that imbalance. It's hardly rocket science.

Just pointing out where the women ( or is the the Women!) are and what positions they held. You seem predisposed to shout "sexism" if the numbers aren't to your liking. I'd rather the jobs go to the actor they think can bring somethimg to the role and not based on having an equal number of penises and vaginas on the set.

I have to say I didn't even notice the sex of each character as they came on screen, until I watched it after you and other started whining about sexism. Part of me is really bothered by all that head counting, Seems to do more harm than good.

 

[Christopher]

This is absolutely what I was aiming at. Some people are overly hung up on Rand's very passive role from the sixties but very few of the women then were any good in a fight (I think Celeste Yarnell was trained in Judo so her yeoman got to beat up some guys but that was about it).

I wasn't "hung up on" that at all. I was simply going from my understanding of the "yeoman" rating (in the present-day US Navy -- I don't know about the old-time British Navy) as referring to a clerk or secretary. The suggestion of a secretary being expected to double as a bodyguard as a normal part of the job struck me as odd.

Plus modern Rand is the product of the butterfly effect in the same way as older Chekov or Scotty the buffoon. I'd prefer it if they kept her as Kirk's yeoman (enlisted crew) because it is a nod to TOS and it makes it very simple to involve her in the story. I can see no cogent argument for saying that her new background couldn't be one in security.

Okay, maybe; as I said, my questions were only about the general matter of how the term "yeoman" is defined. I suppose a yeoman-cum-security guard could be justified somehow. But it would take a pretty impressive actress and character to overcome my rather intense dislike of Janice Rand.

Given that the '09 movie was actually set closer to the era of "The Cage" than the era of TOS, I'd be happy to see the ratio of female characters increased by adding Number One or Colt, say, or maybe Elizabeth Dehner. Although I know that's unlikely, since the filmmakers clearly preferred to go with the familiar characters from the series. I also wouldn't mind seeing an original character or two added.

 

[Captain Robert April]

If the number of men and women in the crew were supposed to be equal, and one-third of the crew were women, then one-third would then be men.

Ever wonder Warped9 what the other (un-specified) third of the crew were?

Let's clarify.

In the original proposal to the network, the crew was 50% men, 50% women, which prompted another visit from the executives. There was no way, no how they were going to go along with a 50/50 crew. In answer to the question of "why the hell not?" their response was, "Because, don't you see, it'll look like there's a lot of fooling around going on up there."

A few days went by, and the exec came back with a one-time offer: They could have 30% women.

Roddenberry thought, "Well, hell, thirty percent healthy young women should be able to handle the ship, so..."

 

[Potemkin_Prod]

very few of the women then were any good in a fight (I think Celeste Yarnell was trained in Judo so her yeoman got to beat up some guys but that was about it).

Not sure that this is all that true. Yeoman Tamura beat the crap out of an Eminian or two, iirc. The problem was that women were rarely seen in a combat situation, probably as a result of the sensibilities of the 60's.

By the time the animated series came about, there were women serving as asst. security chief (Anne Norad in "The Survivor") and the like. Uhura even beams down with a squad of female security guards to Taurus II in "The Lorelei Signal." It was the 70's and times had changed, especially with DC Fontana at the helm.

 

[Pauln6]

Just pointing out where the women ( or is the the Women!) are and what positions they held. You seem predisposed to shout "sexism" if the numbers aren't to your liking. I'd rather the jobs go to the actor they think can bring somethimg to the role and not based on having an equal number of penises and vaginas on the set.

I have to say I didn't even notice the sex of each character as they came on screen, until I watched it after you and other started whining about sexism. Part of me is really bothered by all that head counting, Seems to do more harm than good.

A lot of people don't notice. It isn't that the numbers aren't to my liking, I have concerns about the disconnect between saying the sexes are equal and then having 70% of the characters as male. As a lawyer I would say that is evidence of a lack of equality. I don't head count though, I just automatically notice that most of the characters with lines are men - and I don't even consider myself to be that observant. For example, I bang on about BSG and Farscape being better but I have no real idea if the ratio was better or not. They certainly gave me the impression that they were better because a lot more women were speaking a lot more often.

I'd agree with you about the actors if they had open casting of both sexes before casting the roles but I think the characters are designed as one sex or another before casting and if so then the women are being denied the opportunity to prove that they are better. It's easier for guys to claim sexism doesn't exist because they are the ones who are subconsciously engaging in most of it but the numbers speak volumes. I asked Mira Furlan about this at a convention once and she said she thought the problem was that most sci fi was written and controlled by men. And I don't think that the writers, producers, and casting people (who are often women) are sitting down and deciding to be sexist; I think there is a general mindset that the default setting is male and women only get cast if they make a conscious decision to do so. One example is when Seven was slated to replace Kim, she was going to be a man; when they decided to replace Kes instead, they turned her into a woman to retain a balance of the sexes in the cast notwithstanding that replacing Kim with a woman would have balanced the cast while replacing Kes simply kept the original imbalance in place. Another example is soap operas where you see a fairly balanced cast because the focus is on heterosexual relationships compared to cop dramas where the balance is overwhelmingly in favour of males. Legal dramas seem to fare much better on equality stakes. Given that some shows do manage to strike a balance any suggestion that 70% of actresses are worse than the actors seems very unlikely to be true.

very few of the women then were any good in a fight (I think Celeste Yarnell was trained in Judo so her yeoman got to beat up some guys but that was about it).

Not sure that this is all that true. Yeoman Tamura beat the crap out of an Eminian or two, iirc. The problem was that women were rarely seen in a combat situation, probably as a result of the sensibilities of the 60's.

By the time the animated series came about, there were women serving as asst. security chief (Anne Norad in "The Survivor") and the like. Uhura even beams down with a squad of female security guards to Taurus II in "The Lorelei Signal." It was the 70's and times had changed, especially with DC Fontana at the helm.

Ok so the upshot is then that there is precedent in TOS for combat trained yeomen. Groovy. Don't forget as well that, while she was essentially filling the role originally intended for Rand, Uhura also took charge of a security team in City on the Edge of Forever - I love that scene - the black woman takes charge of the white men - it just feels deliciously subversive for the times but has been eclipsed by her claim that she was afraid in that episode, which rankles people, and by the interracial kiss that came later. Defintely in my top 10 Uhura moments.