Kirk’s Comment in Elaan of Troyius

Some of us just don't find belittling women particularly funny.

 

Its just that over-emotional illogical women have no sense of humour.

Its easy to think a joke is funny when its not directed at you though.

Of course these sexist lines were intended as jokes and weren't meant to be taken seriously.But these and racist/religious/sexual orientation jokes put people down and unless you're the subject of them you don't really know. If Spock had replied with a man-putting down joke then it would have balanced it out and confirmed it as a joke.

And when it came to TOS there were as many nuts, illogical. over-emotional men as women so why is Kirk just pointing out the women.

 

Trek could be plenty funny without resorting to taking cheap shots at women. Yes, it's of its time, but so is Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs with its casual racism.

 

I love that Klingon ship turning up in the episode and it's the revelation of it's reveal to us rather than Kirk and Spock who already know the look of their enemy's vessel! The way it duplicates each move by the Enterprise, convincing the crew that it might be a sensor ghost is magnificent! Better than a glowing figure L this version is well equipped and the equal of the Enterprise! Shame that they screened Elaan so far into the third season, losing the great impact of the Klingon and showing Klingon ships as being used by the Romulans in The Enterprise Incident was not really a good call by the suits!
JB

 

Fully agreed, JB. Do you know why they held Elaan, which IIRC was the second ep made in the third season, for so long before it aired?

 

I would think, for a similar reason that "Corbomite" was held up for weeks: that the Klingon miniature had be delivered by AMT, and the space battle took forever to film and then process on the triple-head printer seen in The Making of Star Trek.

 

Remember this is the same series where pike had this line:
“She does a good job alright, it’s just that I can’t get used to having a woman on the bridge.”

You then have Gary micthell referring to a woman as a “walking freezer unit.”


We are not exactly dealing with a a particularly up to date series of time fame it was made in.

Honestly there is no excuse of justification. its out of date and a example of how incredibly sexist the 1960's were.

 

I wondered that too, but the same D7 model appeared in The Enterprise Incident

 

Maybe "light flashing photon torpedo hits superimposed over the Klingon ship" takes much more time than just having a ship or 3 ships just hanging in space and moving a little (The Enterprise Incident). Then again, the disintegrating Klingon ship in Day of the Dove is also before Elaan of Troyius by airdate making EoT the last appearance a Klingon ship even though it was filmed first. Airdate is so fickle; we need a better system.

Now if you use Stardate order, Elaan of Troyius is moved into the second season giving it a true first appearance...<ducks.>

 

In Stardate order Elaan comes before Tribbles!!!
JB

 

In 1981 the BBC screened Elaan, Enterprise Incident and Day of The Dove together in that order and for many years I had all three episodes on one video tape!
JB

 

Good point. I hadn't thought of that.

I never noticed that, but I just looked it up on the Star Trek Concordance cover wheel, and you're right. That's crazy.

 

Aww! I love that book and the wheel! It must have ended up in a box in storage; I haven't seen it in years. I need to get with my folks and find it.

 

The title is very familiar but I'm not sure if I've ever had it or not?
JB

 

Nomad's characterization of women is based on its opinion of Uhura. Maybe she was in some kind of emotional distress (work stress, etc) at the time. It stereotypes all women based on its interactions with one, whose current emotional state is in no way indicative of any woman's "normal", nor hers, for that matter.

 

It's based on what ideas the writer (or rewriter) had about women. I doubt either one was digging that deep to explain the comment.

 

Also, it is Spock who offers the sexist explanation. Since it was Spock, he could have easily said 'that unit is a human' and the line would have worked without being sexist.

 

Oh please, that's quite a bit of hyperbole, equating that one line to be on the same level as "Coal Black and the Sebben' Dwarves" which yes, I have seen.

If it were on that level, I'm sure the line would be edited out, or the entire episode pulled from the syndication package.

Again, it's amazing toe that something like this is honestly blown so far out of proportion.

 

Saying that a woman, especially a given woman, has conflicting impulses is not false. It is a nuanced, insightful, and factual observation. A woman seeks power and control in life, but at the same time, a straight woman is biologically wired to be the receptive partner, which means she has some submissive fantasies. Those are conflicting impulses. Even the most ardent feminists, if they are hetero, may have submissive fantasies.

Nichelle Nichols, in real life, stood strong and took charge, pursued a bold career path-- and she is the same woman who admits she got her kicks hiding naked under Gene Roddenberry's desk and servicing him. During the work day. At risk of unspeakable humiliation. Those "conflicting impulses" drove a successful woman to be sexually submissive.

The real trouble now with "The Changeling" is that, to be fully compliant with today's dominant ideology, and thus safe from attack, we have to throw nuance out the window and pretend that everyone's mind and body are wired exactly the same. When referring to a protected class in 2019, anything less than wild praise puts one at risk of being called a monster. The "mainstream" is enforcing an unchecked, extreme ideology that forbids nuance and honest observations of humanity.

You may now call me a monster.

 

What you've done here is string together a number of unsupported assertions based on poor generalizations and sloppy use of terminology and thus you've arrived at logical gibberish. Is this really your best work?