TAS - The Lorelei Signal (S1E4)

The issue was that the studio objected to a female First Officer because she was played by Gene's mistress, not because she was a woman.
Once Gene started circulating the "who does she think she is" type of stories about the intolerant studio heads, he could hardly start casting women in senior command roles on the show. Majel would have had questions!

 

If it were made in 1995, you'd see Captain Katherine Janeway and Chief Engineer Belanna Torres.

 

Actually, she responds because she's the switchboard operator and should have always been the one to answer. Or at least say "I've got the landing party" and switch it to "audio." Other than production reasons (salaries, expediency), it didn't make sense when landing parites would get Kirk directly. Even Sulu mentioned it in The Enemy Within:

"Hot line direct to the captain! Are we that far gone?"

McCoy hitting an intercom button in Space Seed and getting Kirk's "bridge" response withot McCoy saying a word always brings a chuckle. Was that really a direct line to Kirk's chair?

 

Yes, almost certainly, in the real world, it was a cost saving exercise but, as you say, on screen, there are many instances where people dial up the chair directly, so that either could be correct.

It's also worth noting that, while Uhura mans the bridge station, there will be automated systems and specialist petty officers triaging traffic in the communications bay. She isn't receiving every call direct, so it may be that the Captain receives calls directly from them when Uhura is dealing with something else.

 

I'll totally buy that certain officers would get Kirk directly. He may have even said "when I'm on the bridge, have Spock's calls sent directly to me." At the same time, McCoy sometimes says "get me the Captain." Other times, people call certain workstations ("Bridge, navigation.") So it could be voice command, much like the communicators seem to operate. Sometimes it goes to Uhura when they call the general bridge line. I just felt that McCoy hitting abutton and Kirk answering "bridge" was strange. Why not "Kirk here" if it's a direct line?

None of this assumes Unura is ever in actual command when she answers the phone. It's just that when she does, she's doing her job as communications officer.

 

Maybe it's a touch-sensitive button like on an iPhone, so that holding it for a certain time or swiping in a particular direction connects sick bay straight to the person commanding the bridge. That now seems less far-fetched than it used to.

 

"Hey Alexa. Get me the captain."
"Captain Kirk will receive your communication."
"Kirk here."

 

True but none it demonstrates conclusively that she is answering that call from her station or from the Captain's chair. When Sulu stands up to go on landing party duty, someone else takes his place. Palmer could be at comms while Uhura is in command. "Route the landing party to me directly if they contact us, lieutenant." ;-p

 

Sometimes Kirk calls 'Bones' and gets McCoy without going through Uhura so nicknames must be programmed into the Enterprises communication system on and off planet.
I'm thinking when the senior offices want to talk to each other they go straight through but say when Ensign Ricky wants to talk to the captain he goes through Uhura.