Did married women serve in TOS era Starfleet?

[CorporalCaptain]

Spock remained unmarried for TOS.

From "Amok Time", Bridge scene when the Enterprise approaches Vulcan:

UHURA: Captain. We're standing by on Vulcan hailing frequencies, sir.

KIRK: Open the channel, Lieutenant. Vulcan Space Central, this is the USS Enterprise requesting permission to assume standard orbit.

VULCAN [OC]: USS Enterprise from Vulcan Space Central. Permission granted. And from all of Vulcan, welcome. Is Commander Spock with you?

SPOCK: This is Spock.

VULCAN [OC]: Standby to activate your central viewer, please.

(Nurse Chapel enters.)

CHAPEL: Doctor, what's going on?

(The viewscreen lights up with the image of a very beautiful woman.)

T'PRING [on viewscreen]: Spock, it is I.

SPOCK: T'Pring, parted from me and never parted, never and always touching and touched. We meet at the appointed place.

T'PRING [on viewscreen]: Spock, parted from me and never parted, never and always touching and touched. I await you.

UHURA: She's lovely, Mister Spock. Who is she?

SPOCK: She is T'Pring, my wife.

That's pretty conclusive.

Fast forward to just after, in the next act:

SPOCK: This is the land of my family. It has been held by us for more than two thousand Earth years. This is our place of Koon-ut-kal-if-fee,
MCCOY: He called it Koon-ut what?
KIRK: He described it to me as meaning marriage or challenge. In the distant past, Vulcans killed to win their mates.

[...]

SPOCK: The marriage party approaches. I hear them.
KIRK: Marriage party? You said T'Pring was your wife.
SPOCK: By our parents' arrangement. A ceremony while we were but seven years of age. Less than a marriage but more than a betrothal. One touches the other in order to feel each other's thoughts. In this way our minds were locked together, so that at the proper time, we would both be drawn to Koon-ut-kal-if-fee.

"Less than a marriage." And since T'Pring chose the challenge instead of the marriage, and then after winning Spock gave T'Pring to Stonn, there was no marriage of T'Pring to Spock. Spock was never married.

 

[borgboy]

Damora's scene was brief, but I thought she was cute and likable.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Perhaps the best illustration of how Spock's dominance hurt the rest of the ensemble is "Spock's Brain."

I'm just impressed you managed to use "best" and "Spock's Brain" in the same sentence!

For what it's worth, I'm surprised that the actress was 33 she looked much younger, and since she was an ensign, I'm assuming the character was intended to be younger.

I agree that she was probably intended to be younger than the actress, especially with Chekov's "I was never that young" lament. But this kind of thing happens all the time in TV & movies, so it's not really that big a deal to me.

 

[Wingsley]

"Less than a marriage." And since T'Pring chose the challenge instead of the marriage, and then after winning Spock gave T'Pring to Stonn, there was no marriage of T'Pring to Spock. Spock was never married.

And later, in the final scene on Vulcan...

SPOCK: Why the challenge, and why you chose my captain as your champion.

T'PRING: Stonn wanted me, I wanted him.

SPOCK: I see no logic in preferring Stonn over me.

T'PRING: You have become much known among our people, Spock. Almost a legend. And as the years went by, I came to know that I did not want to be the consort of a legend. But by the laws of our people, I could only divorce you by the kal-if-fee. There was also Stonn, who wanted very much to be my consort, and I wanted him. If your Captain were victor, he would not want me, and so I would have Stonn. If you were victor you would free me because I had dared to challenge, and again I would have Stonn. But if you did not free me, it would be the same. For you would be gone, and I would have your name and your property, and Stonn would still be there.

SPOCK: Logical. Flawlessly logical.

One can only get a d-i-v-o-r-c-e if one is married. Therefore, Spock and T'Pring were in fact, married.

 

[T'Girl]

"Less than a marriage." And since T'Pring chose the challenge instead of the marriage, and then after winning Spock gave T'Pring to Stonn, there was no marriage of T'Pring to Spock. Spock was never married.

What about the brief time period between Kirk's "death" and Spock giving T'Pring to Stonn. Married yes?

How else would Spock have had the power and authority to give his wife to another male?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

"Less than a marriage." And since T'Pring chose the challenge instead of the marriage, and then after winning Spock gave T'Pring to Stonn, there was no marriage of T'Pring to Spock. Spock was never married.

What about the brief time period between Kirk's "death" and Spock giving T'Pring to Stonn. Married yes?

How else would Spock have had the power and authority to give his wife to another male?

No. Spock freed her from the obligation to complete the ceremony.

"Less than a marriage." And since T'Pring chose the challenge instead of the marriage, and then after winning Spock gave T'Pring to Stonn, there was no marriage of T'Pring to Spock. Spock was never married.

And later, in the final scene on Vulcan...

SPOCK: Why the challenge, and why you chose my captain as your champion.

T'PRING: Stonn wanted me, I wanted him.

SPOCK: I see no logic in preferring Stonn over me.

T'PRING: You have become much known among our people, Spock. Almost a legend. And as the years went by, I came to know that I did not want to be the consort of a legend. But by the laws of our people, I could only divorce you by the kal-if-fee. There was also Stonn, who wanted very much to be my consort, and I wanted him. If your Captain were victor, he would not want me, and so I would have Stonn. If you were victor you would free me because I had dared to challenge, and again I would have Stonn. But if you did not free me, it would be the same. For you would be gone, and I would have your name and your property, and Stonn would still be there.

SPOCK: Logical. Flawlessly logical.

One can only get a d-i-v-o-r-c-e if one is married. Therefore, Spock and T'Pring were in fact, married.

It's already been established that "w-i-f-e" was a bad translation of Vulcan into English. Why not the same with "divorce"?

Spock never rang the gong after the ceremony began, because T'Pring put her hand up.

 

[Christopher]

I agree that she was probably intended to be younger than the actress, especially with Chekov's "I was never that young" lament. But this kind of thing happens all the time in TV & movies, so it's not really that big a deal to me.

Right. Tom Welling was as old when Smallville started as his character Clark Kent was when the show ended nine and a half years later.

And then there's Shirley Henderson, who played Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter films. Myrtle was the ghost of a 14-year-old student, but Henderson was about 39 when she played the role -- which makes Myrtle's flirtatious behavior toward Harry kind of creepy in the film.

 

[Nerys Myk]

For what it's worth, I'm surprised that the actress was 33 she looked much younger, and since she was an ensign, I'm assuming the character was intended to be younger.

I assume she was in the movie because George didn't want to do a cameo? I don't recall any TOS , movie or voyager content with sulu that showed or implied marriage.

PS. I recall thinking the actress (Kim) who played demora was less than good, had bad hair and was quite average looking. Given her age vs the intended (implied ) age of the character I am left to wonder what the casting director was thinking.

Originally the character was Chekov's daughter. Which plays into the getting old thing as Chekov was the youngest character. Nimoy and Kelley declined to be in the film and their parts were taken by Doohan and Koenig, so Demora became Sulu's daughter.

On a different note, Koenig was over thirty when he was cast as the twenty-one year old Chekov.

 

[T'Girl]

It's already been established that "w-i-f-e" was a bad translation of Vulcan into English. Why not the same with "divorce"?

And while we're at it, also "Less than a marriage."

Koenig was over thirty when he was cast as the twenty-one year old Chekov.

Twenty-two years, yes?

 

[Nerys Myk]

Kirk and McCoy were both married in TOS ( for one episode). Kirk to Mirimanee and McCoy to Natira.

 

[Nerys Myk]

It's already been established that "w-i-f-e" was a bad translation of Vulcan into English. Why not the same with "divorce"?

And while we're at it, also "Less than a marriage."

Koenig was over thirty when he was cast as the twenty-one year old Chekov.

Twenty-two years, yes?

Could be.

 

[PCz911]

For what it's worth, I'm surprised that the actress was 33 she looked much younger, and since she was an ensign, I'm assuming the character was intended to be younger.

I assume she was in the movie because George didn't want to do a cameo? I don't recall any TOS , movie or voyager content with sulu that showed or implied marriage.

PS. I recall thinking the actress (Kim) who played demora was less than good, had bad hair and was quite average looking. Given her age vs the intended (implied ) age of the character I am left to wonder what the casting director was thinking.

Originally the character was Chekov's daughter. Which plays into the getting old thing as Chekov was the youngest character. Nimoy and Kelley declined to be in the film and their parts were taken by Doohan and Koenig, so Demora became Sulu's daughter.

On a different note, Koenig was over thirty when he was cast as the twenty-one year old Chekov.

Sorry to ask a tangential question: but that role would have totally worked if it was checkovs daughter. Any Insight on why they would change it to be sulus daughter?

 

[Nerys Myk]

I assume she was in the movie because George didn't want to do a cameo? I don't recall any TOS , movie or voyager content with sulu that showed or implied marriage.

PS. I recall thinking the actress (Kim) who played demora was less than good, had bad hair and was quite average looking. Given her age vs the intended (implied ) age of the character I am left to wonder what the casting director was thinking.

Originally the character was Chekov's daughter. Which plays into the getting old thing as Chekov was the youngest character. Nimoy and Kelley declined to be in the film and their parts were taken by Doohan and Koenig, so Demora became Sulu's daughter.

On a different note, Koenig was over thirty when he was cast as the twenty-one year old Chekov.

Sorry to ask a tangential question: but that role would have totally worked if it was checkovs daughter. Any Insight on why they would change it to be sulus daughter?

Because Chevok was now an on camera character. Works better with dad not there plus they didn't have to change the script much. You'll note that the dialog said by Chekov and Scott could be said by McCoy and Spock. Especially when Chekov recruits "medics".

 

[FormerLurker]

It's already been established that "w-i-f-e" was a bad translation of Vulcan into English. Why not the same with "divorce"?

And while we're at it, also "Less than a marriage."

Koenig was over thirty when he was cast as the twenty-one year old Chekov.

Twenty-two years, yes?

Could be.

"Who Mourns For Adonais"

Kirk: How old are you?
Chekov: Twenty-two, Sir.
Kirk: I'd better do it.

 

[Nerys Myk]

And while we're at it, also "Less than a marriage."

Twenty-two years, yes?

Could be.

"Who Mourns For Adonais"

Kirk: How old are you?
Chekov: Twenty-two, Sir.
Kirk: I'd better do it.

He was Twenty-one when he met Khan the year before.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

It's already been established that "w-i-f-e" was a bad translation of Vulcan into English. Why not the same with "divorce"?

And while we're at it, also "Less than a marriage."

Since Spock is explaining it to us here that T'Pring isn't really his wife, he's speaking in more correct English than he was before. But even if he weren't, he's still using the comparison "less than," meaning whatever relationship they have isn't as strong as this other thing, so that wouldn't really get us anywhere, would it?

 

[FormerLurker]

Could be.

"Who Mourns For Adonais"

Kirk: How old are you?
Chekov: Twenty-two, Sir.
Kirk: I'd better do it.

He was Twenty-one when he met Khan the year before.

Unless he met Khan the day after his birthday, and Apollo a week before it.

 

[f14peter]

I agree that she was probably intended to be younger than the actress, especially with Chekov's "I was never that young" lament. But this kind of thing happens all the time in TV & movies, so it's not really that big a deal to me.

Indeed it happens a lot, actors older than their characters, especially in teen-oriented programming ... or as I like to refer to it: 27 year old actors portraying 17 year old characters behaving like 7 year olds

 

[T'Girl]

And Patrick Stewart was about a decade younger than Picard.