Elaan of Troyius - Mess of an episode
- Thread starter Terran_Empire
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Kirk had to teach her to be a livable person at first.
This oddity is mainly a plot hole, since the Enteprise seens to always have avalaible quarters in TOS...and all quarters seems to have the same size. And frankly, you're condescending and infantilizing toward Uhura by calling her quarters girly.
The Uhura character is an ELEGANT WOMAN, not a girl. I suppose that was the idea behind having Uhura offering her quarters. Unpleasant is euphemistic, she was already to stab herself anybody who could upset her. Diplomatic immunity has its limits. Protocol works in both directions: she didn't recognize the Federation authority on its own ship.
You're also forgetting each time Kirk had been irreverent toward unpleasant male officials.
But a similar question is addressed in Charlie X. The romance was a major element of the story (because it's TOS). Uhura doing Mrs. Robinson with a prince would have been Charlie X#2.
What Kirk was trying to teach her went beyond being a good wife, Elaan was going to become the Queen to an entire planet. Not just a figure head but part of a ruling family.
If Elaan wanted the privileges and comforts of her position, she needed to embrace the responsibilities as well, which would likley include projecting a image. The Troyian people needed to be able to accept her, or the marriage would not have the desired effect and the two planet would in time annihilate each other.
There was more at stake than simply what Elaan wanted to do, and she did (apparently) have the option of stepping aside.
And presumably be ostracised by their community. Perhaps be left penniless and uneducated in the streets.What Kirk was trying to teach her went beyond being a good wife, Elaan was going to become the Queen to an entire planet. Not just a figure head but part of a ruling family.
If Elaan wanted the privileges and comforts of her position, she needed to embrace the responsibilities as well, which would likley include projecting a image. The Troyian people needed to be able to accept her, or the marriage would not have the desired effect and the two planet would in time annihilate each other.
There was more at stake than simply what Elaan wanted to do, and she did (apparently) have the option of stepping aside.
Like girls in some religious/ethnic groups today who refuse arranged marriages.
I'll add that if people only know Jay Robinson from Star Trek and Dr. Shrinker, they really should see him in his breakthrough. His first film role, when about 22 or 23, is as Caligula in The Robe (1953), followed by a semi-sequel, Demetrius and the Gladiators, in 1954. He steals every scene he's in.
That must be why he came to mind when Bewitched had to cast the role of Julius Caesar.
Yes, and he'd had a big rough spot in his career. After his success in the two early films, fame went to his head, he became difficult to work with, and got addicted to methadone. After a few arrests and time in prison, he had to start from the bottom again, working odd jobs like a diner cook until he could get acting jobs. He had no film work at all between 1957 and 1965, then disappeared again until 1968 due to an outstanding warrant he didn't know about.
His first job in 1968 was Wild Wild West, then Star Trek. He started getting more work, and did 2 episodes of Bewitched in '69 and '70, as well as some other shows. He didn't get another film though until 1971, when friend Bette Davis got him into her film Bunny O'Hare. It looks like he worked steadily until 1999, when he was nearly 70.
So Star Trek was early when he was getting back on track, which may be why he's so good in it, he was 38 and eager to work again.
Conjecture on my part here, if Elaan were to step down as Dohlman, another member of the Elas royal family would be selected as Dohlman and the marriage would go forward.
Would Elaan be basically thrown out of the royal family? Perhaps she would CommishSleer, but peace would exist between Troyius and Elas. Billion wouldn't die.
Elaan wasn't just some girl picked off the street, she was born to position and privilege.
Holy crap - I never realized what he had done that I'd seen previously until you mentioned it. Wow. I agree about his performances in The Robe and Demetrius and the Gladiators; but can't believe I never connected those with his Star Trek appearance as he has the same vocal inflections when confronting Elan - especially the "...for your lovely neck.." line delivery.
I had to look up Jay Robinson to see what all the fuss was about. It turns out that he - supposedly - had a promising career sidelined because of drug abuse. And also of note was that Betty Davis was a good friend of his, whose correspondence got him through his incarseration. I also detected a vaguely European accent used for Petri, I just thought that's how Jay spoke. Apparently he's from New York! He seemed like he might've been an interesting person to know, in life ...
I think Jay's acting accent might have had something in common with the fake upper-class, oh-so-proper diction that a lot of old-time stars adopted to cover their humble origins:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_English
Note Jonathan Harris and Angela Cartwright from our sister show are mentioned in the Wiki article.
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertai...all-of-katharine-hepburns-fake-accent/278505/
That's simply one of the cultural norms of that particular *fictional*, future society. Other humanoid cultures living in other star systems, centuries in the future, are in no way obligated to act consistently with what by that time will likely be considered rather quaint, archaic and culturally-bankrupt notions such as "early 21st century Anglo-Earth feminism." Assuming the folks of the future remember it at all. Most likely if 21st century first world feminism is remembered at all, it will be a footnote in an unread history professor's PhD thesis.
You hope the Federation is above respecting the cultural traditions and norms of other planetary systems, specifically, intermarriage of royals to maintain interplanetary peace? You would rather the Federatigon say "You go grrrllll" to little Elaan, possibly resulting in interstellar warfare and the deaths of billions of innocents?
Yup that sounds like 21st century feminism allright.
I think you're missing that she was a selfish spoiled little brat. She wanted to retain the privileges of royalty, the power and perks, but without the responsibililties (i.e. intermarriage to prevent a war which would have hurt her subjects). She could have abdicated to avoid the wedding but then she wouldn't be a princess anymore, would she? Probably just a slave-girl, and obviously she didn't want to be just a slave girl.
Her ATTITUDE seems remarkably like that of many 21st century feminists--"me me me me me"--fancy that.
They weren't Earth standards. They were the standards of how royals are supposed to behave in HER culture of the future. It's YOU who want to impose "Earth standards" such as 21st century feminism on that other-worldly culture.
She became docile for the same reason that every other love interest of Kirk becomes docile--he da MAN.
Just like a 21st century Earth feminist who finally meets an uber-alpha male who makes her "melt," then all that political nonsense goes right out the window.
I would be disapointed if any TOS episode passed.
No, clearly, this was about a particularly difficult woman, not a particularly difficult person.
In his universe Kirk's job is not to be compassionate. He's a military or quasi-military officer with a mission to complete. He's the uber-Alpha male of his universe, not some beta orbiter Pajama Boy type with his privates in the Dohlmann's purse. That was one of the themes of the episode--she beta-ized him with her magical tears, yet his devotion to his duty as a star fleet officer enable him to overcome those tears. (After he had sex with her that is.)
The analogy is that no, a man on a mission should not give up on his mission, his purpose in life, just because some babe tents his pants.
So OF COURSE a 21st century Earth feminist would be REVOLTED by such a notion--it goes against their entire politico-social agenda.
That's why Kirk is far more alpha than all of the other captains put together. Look, those subsequent series have been overly-infested with P.C. ideologies which will be long dead by the 23rd and 24th centuries. But human biological realities will still be here. Kirk is the star trek version of the eternal archtype of the alpha male.
Is there any concern that the leader of Troyius might be in a similar situation to Elaan? Compelled by his government to enter into a marriage.
He probably anticipated a political marrage of some sort was in his future, but to a Elasian female !
Who initially came up with this bright idea, and is it too late to have them killed?
Also, good table manners.
Agreed. For anyone to argue for what boils down to a version on "identity politics" to take priority over the fate of worlds is...missing the bigger picture.
2X08 “The Changeling” - Chapel helps Uhura to speak.
3X19 “The Cloud Minders” - Vanna and Droxine argue about Troglyte rights.
Sad now?
I'm not sure the first example technically qualifies since Uhura and Chapel aren't actually talking with each other about a discussion topic. Chapel is teaching Uhura how to speak because her mind had been wiped.
I'm not sure the second example really qualified either since the Troglytes whose rights were most at issue in that discussion were the hard-working males. The Troglyte babes mostly stayed home doing their nails and playing Candy Crush.
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