Captain Pike's weird comment about "women on the bridge"
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The question is "Was it used with respect?"
I don't believe it was used as a slur and I think some prominent black leaders used it as a term of self-identification. If I remember correctly I think activist Angela Davis referred to herself that way but I can't be sure. It was a long time ago.
Maybe people found it impractical.
And such a comment makes him an idiot? That's rather emotional.......
No, his behavior makes him an idiot. Emotions are good. They're the difference between us and robots.
I honestly don't think Pike was an idiot. @Warped9 makes a good point about Colt, actually: it's not because she's a woman, but because she's gangly and awkward and nervous, and that's what put Pike off. Picard would have reacted much the same.
Pike is simply used to discipline on the bridge, that's all. Number One has it, Colt didn't.
Pike is simply used to discipline on the bridge, that's all. Number One has it, Colt didn't.
Pretty much.
What would be the proper way to refer to, for example, Idris Elba? He is a person of color who is British. So what's the appropriate reference?
IFAIK - speaking as a Brit myself - that "black" is the usual term (though I believe Negro and "coloured" have been used in the past (IIRC, some older people have used the latter). Black British or African are occassionally for statistical purposes, but former is never used directly AFAIK, and the latter is more likely to be used indirectly (African is unlikely, but if the specific country is known (ie Kenya, Uganda, Jamaica) it is relative common for that to be used.)
Elba specifically might be refered to a Ghanian-Sierra Leonean (as his parents came from those countries), but IIRC is usually refered to as a Black British/English actor.
I tend to agree with this. It was a clumsy nod and a wink to tell the audience, look...THE WOMEN!
^ Sorry. 
I may have been too late editing in that wink smiley, I was afraid that might be taken seriously which it wasn't meant to be.^ Sorry.
I would say that it's less bad writing than just an artifact of Roddenberry's mid 60's sexism.
Eh, TOS fans bend over backwards to try to justify the sexism behind "Turnabout Intruder"'s plot point that women can't be starship captains. This is just a stray line that's easily ignored. I don't see why it's a big problem, unless you insist on judging the past by the standards of the present, rather than seeing the episode in the context of its time.
I assumed Pike's remark about Number One being "different" referred to her cool, logical, thoroughly professional demeanor, as opposed to a "typically" emotional female. We saw a bit of that same 1960s mindset in the second pilot, where Gary Mitchell calls Elizabeth Dehner a "walking freezer unit." Later, Dr. Dehner says, "Women professionals do tend to overcompensate."
When I was growing up in the 1950s and '60s, "Negro" and "colored" were used pretty much interchangeably. As I recall, most of the mainstream media were using "black" by 1970.
As for "African-American" -- well, what do you call Charlize Theron?
Now back to our topic in progress . . .
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Hot?
Still think Pike could not handle Colt as she behaved. I do not think he would mentor junior offices , Number One might do that. I also cannot see a problem with female bridge officers. Maybe he is subconsciously hot for Colt and does not want to slip up at a critically moment?
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