Making better use of UHURA with expanded Job duties

[Nerys Myk]

Kirk, Uhura and a landing party are trapped on a planet and something bad is about to happen:

KIRK: There's no way to contact the ship. Our communicators are useless here.

UHURA: Captain, by combining components from my tricorder and your phaser, I might be able to juryrig a device that can signal the ship.

KIRK: Get on it!

UHURA: It might take a while.

KIRK: You have 46 minutes....

 

[Maurice]

Perhaps you could start by taking my analogy as analogy instead of literally, as I nowhere said that Uhura should fill a "so-called 'Defense Operations'" role.

MAURICE - Perhaps it would be more beneficial, proper, and expedient if you would write literally and with specificity; as opposed to generally and analogically.

Hmm?

Are you saying there is no place for analogy in discussions? It's not "proper" to include them? If so, you and I have nothing further to discuss. Good day.

 

[Bixby]

While i commend this thread in trying to retroactively beef up Nichelle Nichols' contribution to the show, the basic problem with finding Uhura a second function on the bridge, or landing parties, ultimately just has her uttering MORE technobabble...which does increase her line count, gives her more exposition to say.

But it won't make her character more interesting, or more developed. Apart from having great legs, being "emotional" when the situation warranted it, and singing once in a while, there really isn't all that much to Uhura as a character, sad to say.

Scotty is the only one that escaped the third-banana guetto. Yes, he's the chief engineer but so was LaForge and he's barely above a one-dimensional cardboard cut-out.

Scotty is even more married to his job than Kirk is, he's a hilarious drunk, he enjoys a good belly dancer, he can pull out the charm once in a while, he's an engineering technical whiz, he's very protective of his engine room and his engineers, he's leery of bureaucrats, he can see through an obvious sham...

Even Kevin Riley, with only 2 appearances in 3 seasons, was more developed than Uhura...

 

[Mutai Sho-Rin]

Perhaps you could start by taking my analogy as analogy instead of literally, as I nowhere said that Uhura should fill a "so-called 'Defense Operations'" role.

MAURICE - Perhaps it would be more beneficial, proper, and expedient if you would write literally and with specificity; as opposed to generally and analogically.

Hmm?

Are you saying there is no place for analogy in discussions? It's not "proper" to include them? If so, you and I have nothing further to discuss. Good day.

OK peeps, let's go easy on the bitterness and sarcasm. Nobody has the perfect style of "correct" communication.

 

[Nerys Myk]

While i commend this thread in trying to retroactively beef up Nichelle Nichols' contribution to the show, the basic problem with finding Uhura a second function on the bridge, or landing parties, ultimately just has her uttering MORE technobabble...which does increase her line count, gives her more exposition to say.

But it won't make her character more interesting, or more developed. Apart from having great legs, being "emotional" when the situation warranted it, and singing once in a while, there really isn't all that much to Uhura as a character, sad to say.

Scotty is the only one that escaped the third-banana guetto. Yes, he's the chief engineer but so was LaForge and he's barely above a one-dimensional cardboard cut-out.

Scotty is even more married to his job than Kirk is, he's a hilarious drunk, he enjoys a good belly dancer, he can pull out the charm once in a while, he's an engineering technical whiz, he's very protective of his engine room and his engineers, he's leery of bureaucrats, he can see through an obvious sham...

Even Kevin Riley, with only 2 appearances in 3 seasons, was more developed than Uhura...

Writing and acting are the keys. Doohan was probably more fun to write for. Nichelle is a lovely woman, but not the sort of actress that get the writer's brain spinning.

 

[Pauln6]

PAULN6 - Completely understood.

Interesting you cited 'City',.. is this not one of those episodes wherein once the STAR TREK producer got her planet-side,... her character basically stands there next to SCOTT, until she finally says the equivalent of: "Captain,... I'm confused."?

That wasn't very interesting for anyone LOL!

But you didn't tell us what 'Interesting Stuff' would you have her doing,...????

Well actually she was replacing the yeoman again since Yeoman Rand was originally in the story, hence she was a bit sappier than usual. Still, I love the episode because they sneaked in a black woman being in charge of a bunch of white security guards. For the sixties that was deliciously subversive. Nichols' characterisation always had a much more commanding presence than Sulu or Chekov and she was as competent as Spock in her own way. I would have loved to see her lead a landing party.

 

[Captain Tracy]

Kirk, Uhura and a landing party are trapped on a planet and something bad is about to happen:

KIRK: There's no way to contact the ship. Our communicators are useless here.

UHURA: Captain, by combining components from my tricorder and your phaser, I might be able to juryrig a device that can signal the ship.

KIRK: Get on it!

UHURA: It might take a while.

KIRK: You have 46 minutes....

NERYS MYK - NICELY DONE!!!!! You postulated various conceptual solutions which brought the character forward JUSTIFIABLY and with PURPOSE, and then, most importantly you SHOWED US HOW YOU WOULD DO IT WITH A CONCRETE LITERAL EXAMPLE,... AND,... worked out a nifty never-been-done-yet-on-Star Trek McGiver for added interest to boot!!

OUTSTANDING!!!! though it did take some prodding, eh? LOL!

 

[Captain Tracy]

While i commend this thread in trying to retroactively beef up Nichelle Nichols' contribution to the show, the basic problem with finding Uhura a second function on the bridge, or landing parties, ultimately just has her uttering MORE technobabble...which does increase her line count, gives her more exposition to say.

But it won't make her character more interesting, or more developed. Apart from having great legs, being "emotional" when the situation warranted it, and singing once in a while, there really isn't all that much to Uhura as a character, sad to say.

Scotty is the only one that escaped the third-banana guetto. Yes, he's the chief engineer but so was LaForge and he's barely above a one-dimensional cardboard cut-out.

Scotty is even more married to his job than Kirk is, he's a hilarious drunk, he enjoys a good belly dancer, he can pull out the charm once in a while, he's an engineering technical whiz, he's very protective of his engine room and his engineers, he's leery of bureaucrats, he can see through an obvious sham...

Even Kevin Riley, with only 2 appearances in 3 seasons, was more developed than Uhura...

Hey there BIXBY -

Yes, perfectly stated on all counts, and I agree 100%; as it would take many small establishing 'bits' to flesh out her character' however since the producers were never interested in 'fleshing out a secondary' anyway, I limited the basic and immediate quandary of getting the UHURA character out of the chair, with something to say, and something to do - with proper motivation and justification.

HOWEVER,... like so many other things in STAR TREK, it COULD have been done, and wasn't,... and before you knew it,.... poof: CANCELED.

Interesting you cite RILEY,.. why do you suppose they developed his character - in just 2 episodes, as you say - and moreover, while letting UHURA rot in her chair?

 

[Navigator_NCC2120]

The first change was related to the character of Dr. McCoy.

Predominant In the earlier episodes, KIRK and McCOY shared a relationship wherein KIRK is able to voice - for the viewer - his inner doubts, concerns, reflections, insecurities, questions, etc., during these 'in two' conversations.

STAR TREK, slowly dropped these scenes from the format by-in-large, and developed the McCoy harassing SPOCK exchanges in its place,... which made for some of the best TREK moments.

But couldn't we have had both?

Would it have been plausible to use the character of UHURA to serve as the sounding-board for KIRK's inner conflicts?

Instead of Kirk, why not continue to have brief scenes with Spock talking with Uhura like the following from the Season 1 episode "The Man Trap" courtesy of the website http://www.chakoteya.net/StarTrek/6.htm:

SPOCK: Miss Uhura, your last sub-space log contained an error in the frequencies column.
UHURA: Mister Spock, sometimes I think if I hear that word frequency once more, I'll cry.
SPOCK: Cry?
UHURA: I was just trying to start a conversation.
SPOCK: Well, since it is illogical for a communications officer to resent the word frequency, I have no answer.
UHURA: No, you have an answer. I'm an illogical woman who's beginning to feel too much a part of that communications console. Why don't you tell me I'm an attractive young lady, or ask me if I've ever been in love? Tell me how your planet Vulcan looks on a lazy evening when the moon is full.
SPOCK: Vulcan has no moon, Miss Uhura.
UHURA: I'm not surprised, Mister Spock.
CREWMAN [Off Camera]: Transporter room to Bridge. Landing party returning. They report one death.
SPOCK: Bridge acknowledging.
UHURA: I don't believe it.
SPOCK: Explain.
UHURA: You explain. That means that somebody is dead and you just sit there. It could be Captain Kirk. He's the closest thing you have to a friend.
SPOCK: Lieutenant, my demonstration of concern will not change what happened. The transporter room is very well-manned and they will call if they need my assistance.

TAS broke the balance rule and featured Uhura in the episode "The Lorelei Signal" and to a lesser extent in the episode "The Slaver Weapon".

A brief description of "The Lorelei Signal" from Memory Alpha:

The Enterprise is drawn to a planet populated solely by women who dominate the male crew members's minds to the point where Uhura must assume command to rescue them.

Perhaps if the aborted 1978 "Star Trek: Phase II" televison series had been made they might have broken the balance rule and let the minor characters have a more substantial role in episodes, like the ensemble cast of the tv series "Hill Street Blues" which ran from 1981 to 1987.


Navigator NCC-2120 USS Entente
/\

 

[Captain Tracy]

Excellent example of giving proper and justified dialog, which over time, creates the illusion of a fully developed character.

What is most interesting about your post, is that if the TREK producers had continued in this vein, of MEANINGFUL 'Dialog Snipets' - as these sundry scenes actually serve to add dimension through exploration of BOTH CHARACTERS - UHURA's character 'never leaving her chair and only opening hailing frequencies' would never have been an issue, and ALL the characters would have FELT even more real to us.

So it makes me wonder why they stopped with UHURA's character, but then turned around and picked it up with the character of RILEY?

 

[7thsealord]

So it makes me wonder why they stopped with UHURA's character, but then turned around and picked it up with the character of RILEY?

Because Riley was Irish?

 

[Captain Tracy]

Well,... uh,... and what of it? How is THAT a reason? LOL!!

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

MAURICE - Assigning so-called 'Defense Operations' speeches to UHURA offers possibilities to be sure and one major potential problem, in that often reporting the status of the Deflector Screens was minor dialog shared randomly among SCOTT, SULU, and CHEKOV,.. except when it really counted dramatically, and then, of course, those speeches were always given to SPOCK.

Perhaps you could start by taking my analogy as analogy instead of literally, as I nowhere said that Uhura should fill a "so-called 'Defense Operations'" role.

MAURICE - Perhaps it would be more beneficial, proper, and expedient if you would write literally and with specificity; as opposed to generally and analogically.

Hmm?

,... figure a job for Uhura that would give her a more active role on the bridge, as on TNG, where they gave communications and defense operations to the same person,...

:::making scanner whirly noises::: My sensors MUST be faulty,... I keep seeing the words 'Defense Operations' in you post.

Obviously, the error is mine.

You know, I was going to post my thoughts on Uhura. But I don't care much for the direction this thread has taken.

 

[Redfern]

Riley in his first appearance was there primarily to "set up" the later scene when Sulu goes all Errol Flynn and to create the problem with the engines thus creating the "external" danger for the crew.

I suspect it was little more than chance that he was used again in "Conscience of the King". Really that role, that of the "next victim" could have gone to anybody. It would have worked as well for a "one shot" character that we never saw again. And as it was, we never DID see Riley after that episode. On top of that, it wouldn't have really affect the plot if he (or a "one shot" character) died. Actually it would have made the threat to Kirk that much more serious.

The actor who played Riley in the NT just happened to be available and with the simple stroke of a pen, Ensign Smith became Riley in the script. I will admit I could very well be wrong, but I don't think there was an active plan to flesh out Riley. It was probably just a fluke of casting, nothing more.

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[Captain Tracy]

Riley in his first appearance was there primarily to "set up" the later scene when Sulu goes all Errol Flynn and to create the problem with the engines thus creating the "external" danger for the crew.

I suspect it was little more than chance that he was used again in "Conscience of the King". Really that role, that of the "next victim" could have gone to anybody. It would have worked as well for a "one shot" character that we never saw again. And as it was, we never DID see Riley after that episode. On top of that, it wouldn't have really affect the plot if he (or a "one shot" character) died. Actually it would have made the threat to Kirk that much more serious.

The actor who played Riley in the NT just happened to be available and with the simple stroke of a pen, Ensign Smith became Riley in the script. I will admit I could very well be wrong, but I don't think there was an active plan to flesh out Riley. It was probably just a fluke of casting, nothing more.

Sincerely,

Bill

NICE POST! Thanks for jumping in Bill.

 

[plynch]

The Kirk - McCoy scenes had a really nice feel and pacing. Lost as produciton streamlined and they got to cranking out Star Trek eps. And the character moments like Spock-Uhura mainly got jettisoned like an ion pod. Thus the affection some of us feel for first half of S1. Different feel/pacing from the rest of the run. But the rest is good too!

 

[Captain Tracy]

PLYNCH - Yes, that was actually postulated back in the OP; so let me ask you, do you think the character of UHURA could have been used in the 'confidant' bits, once they stopped doing them with McCoy,... or do you see any problems with the idea?

Thanks.

 

[plynch]

PLYNCH - Yes, that was actually postulated back in the OP; so let me ask you, do you think the character of UHURA could have been used in the 'confidant' bits, once they stopped doing them with McCoy,... or do you see any problems with the idea?

Thanks.

That just isn't the direction the series took. Fewer moments between the subluminaries (e.g. Riley, rec dec, Uhura w/ Spock). Fewer quiet moments even with the main cast. Instead of doing stories set in a future universe, they got better at making Star Trek episodes, which are more streamlined, if that makes sense. And certainly there are SOME character moments after early season 1. McCoy and Spock in the cell, and Spock after killing Kirk. But it's a different feel.

Oh well, so it went. Uhura sure could have had more moments, had someone cared to write them.

I know GR gets criticized a lot here, but he was real active in S1, superintending and rewriting a lot. Those more personal moments probably show his hand, as he considered himself a writer first, I believe.

 

[Bixby]

Hey there BIXBY -

Yes, perfectly stated on all counts, and I agree 100%; as it would take many small establishing 'bits' to flesh out her character' however since the producers were never interested in 'fleshing out a secondary' anyway, I limited the basic and immediate quandary of getting the UHURA character out of the chair, with something to say, and something to do - with proper motivation and justification.

HOWEVER,... like so many other things in STAR TREK, it COULD have been done, and wasn't,... and before you knew it,.... poof: CANCELED.

Interesting you cite RILEY,.. why do you suppose they developed his character - in just 2 episodes, as you say - and moreover, while letting UHURA rot in her chair?

Captain Tracy,
I don't know about a lack of interest on the creative team's part to develop the supporting actors. Just look at Chekov in 'The APPLE' where he got a nice little subplot (and make-out session) with Yeoman Martha, being the unwanted object of desire in 'The Gamesters of Triskelion', doing the usual Kirk bit in 'The Way to Eden'. And don't forget his never-ending and often hilarious references to Russia...

Uhura, as much as she appears a very warm and charming person, just isn't the most expressive type of actress. She could deliver her lines usually, but had a limited range of facial expressions...

I'd mentioned Kevin Riley before, and I agree totally with Redfern's assumption that Bruce Hyde's second appearance in The CONSCIENCE of the KING was more than likely pure chance. The character was likely renamed Riley because Hyde was available to play the part, but he could have been any number of generic crewman. The part in TCOTK was memorable and sympathetic because of Hyde's performance (note his face as he overhears McCoy revealing the presence of Kodos on the Enterprise, his desperate need for closure as he pleads to be allowed to shoot the murderer of his family).

Hyde's screentime in TCOTK is very small, but he completely made the best of it.

It's the same in The NAKED TIME, before he's infected he plays the part well, then ratchets it up as he goes crazy, walking thru the corridors (blowing open the sickbay doors was brilliant!), and singing ''Kathleen''. His singing was so outstandingly annoying they even made another crewman do the same thing to Janice Rand in a corridor, to a much lesser appeal...

Back to Uhura, in the Man Trap when she encounters a male black crewman, there was her chance to display some chemistry and appeal, but the final performance unfortunately marked her as too limited.

There's also been some discussion as to making her the Captain's confidante...the problem is I don't think Kirk could ever be open about his feelings with any woman. Plus that would have seriously curtailed his glorious skirt-chasing...
And two, we have to remember that Uhura is a lower-ranked officer. Showing any sort of preferential treatment like that would have started rampant rumours of an affair, or improper conduct. Not only would that have hampered Kirk's effectiveness as ship's Captain, but ostracized Uhura from the rest of the crew...

 

[Captain Tracy]

There's also been some discussion as to making her the Captain's confidante...the problem is I don't think Kirk could ever be open about his feelings with any woman. Plus that would have seriously curtailed his glorious skirt-chasing...

And two, we have to remember that Uhura is a lower-ranked officer. Showing any sort of preferential treatment like that would have started rampant rumours of an affair, or improper conduct. Not only would that have hampered Kirk's effectiveness as ship's Captain, but ostracized Uhura from the rest of the crew...

BIXBY - Excellent points,... and probably the #1 difficulty which would make the idea of her candidacy as the Captain's confidant, unworkable within the format.