• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

En-Gay-ify a character.

There is one thought on this, since Star Fleet is based on a forces background, most do not allow 'gays' in their ranks. This maybe the reason why you dont see them openly in the episodes.

This is ofcourse based on the Uk forces, where 'gays' would not be openly allowed.
 
Yes, we do not restrict on sexual orientation in the military. We also have women in our combat arms who are serving on the front lines in Afghanistan.
 
T'Girl said:
A Hoshi - T'Pol pairing makes a fair amount of sense, they are a intellectual match for each other. Both socially reserved. They can speak each others languages, which would help Hoshi understand T'Pol and her culture more. Hoshi explaining Humans to T'Pol, I don't know. Maybe T'Pol's mother would have been more accepting of T'Pol bring Hoshi home for a visit than she (the mother) was of Trip's visit. Personally, I would still hold out for a honest relationship, not just a weekly lesbian sex scene, err we can have that too.

While I would never want a main character to be just "The Gay Character," the reoccurring character would pretty much be "The Partner," they would be brought on to the series to show that Tasha, Worf or Geordi (or whoever) had an off-duty life.
Click to expand...

I completely agree about Hoshi and T'Pol - but I know the only reason it ever would have happen on Enterprise is if B&B had another brilliant idea to boost ratings - "Ohhh, I just had a great idea! Let's make catsuit Vulcan have a relationship with a lady - tee hee hee, ladies making out!" :rolleyes:

Same with Seven. If either she or T'Pol were lesbians, fans would be outraged at the cheap tactic to get ratings. Which is rather unfortunate, as if done well (i.e. tastefully) it could have made for some interesting episodes and character development.

Purdy Bear said:
There is one thought on this, since Star Fleet is based on a forces background, most do not allow 'gays' in their ranks. This maybe the reason why you dont see them openly in the episodes.

This is ofcourse based on the Uk forces, where 'gays' would not be openly allowed.
Click to expand...

Major problem - Starfleet is not today's military. Starfleet is set 400 years in the future (or 150, Ent, or 300, TOS) - they allow men and women to serve equally, in any role, and they allow any sort of alien race to serve equally. The Federation is a (supposedly) enlightened society, where racism and prejudice are (supposedly) non existant.

This must therefore extend to sexual orientation. Its bad enough that discrimination of this variety exists today, I find it very hard, if not impossible, to believe that it would continue to exist in such an enlightened future.

Besides, the few examples I can think of where same-sex relationships are shown (coincidentally, both involve Trill hosts) - "The Host" from TNG, and "Rejoined" from DS9, the same-sex aspect of the relationship was never the issue. Sisko didn't tell Jadzia not to pursue Lenara Khan because "she's a WOMAN Dax, you know how Starfleet frowns on gay people". If he had, not only would I have turned the TV off in disgust, but I highly doubt I'd consider Star Trek my favourite show of all time - and I especially doubt that DS9 would still be my favourite of all of Trek.

However, I am disappointed that both potential same-sex relationships ended for other reasons in both those episodes. And I am even more disappointed that no other same-sex relationships were explored in over 700 episodes of a show about a Federation of people who are supposed to be above things such as prejudice and intolerance.

The only conclusion I can draw, is that it is a symptom of a bunch of straight, middle-aged, male writers. Star Trek has always seemed to have trouble exploring any kind of relationship, let alone sex, or same-sex relationships, in anything other than a simplified or childish manner...

I can only hope that this changes with any future Trek TV series. :)
 
bbailey861 said:
Yes, we do not restrict on sexual orientation in the military. We also have women in our combat arms who are serving on the front lines in Afghanistan.
Click to expand...

Israel has gays in their military, I remember chatting with one a few months ago. Very handsome young man in his early 20s. From what I heard a few soldiers are getting booted the numbers are going down slowly. One will relise when the time comes you can't exclude men and women from joining the military because of their sexual orietation.
 
Purdy Bear said:
There is one thought on this, since Star Fleet is based on a forces background, most do not allow 'gays' in their ranks. This maybe the reason why you dont see them openly in the episodes.

This is ofcourse based on the Uk forces, where 'gays' would not be openly allowed.
Click to expand...

Not futuristic enough. We'll clone all straight white males at birth and raise their copies in Jem'Hadar-like camps where they know only war, and where they can think of only combat to satiate their natural sexual urges. They'll be far superior to anything we've ever had.


P.S. Here's a disturbing article I read recently on the real world alien-planet-of-the-week that is North Korea. It's not about gays or war...well part of war...just here, the title says it all:

http://www.slate.com/id/2243112/
 
Arpy said:
Purdy Bear said:
There is one thought on this, since Star Fleet is based on a forces background, most do not allow 'gays' in their ranks. This maybe the reason why you dont see them openly in the episodes.

This is ofcourse based on the Uk forces, where 'gays' would not be openly allowed.
Click to expand...

Not futuristic enough. We'll clone all straight white males at birth and raise their copies in Jem'Hadar-like camps where they know only war, and where they can think of only combat to satiate their natural sexual urges. They'll be far superior to anything we've ever had.
Click to expand...

*pokes* You've ignored my past 2 posts in this thread, not that I'm trying to be pushy or anything...
 
Just letting your suggestions bask in their glory.

I'd have probably been one of the ones thinking T'Pol/Hoshi reeked of desperation - of course they'd make those two get it on. Possibly after an intense decon scene...and then T'Pol realizes the whole thing was her trying to distract herself from her feelings for Trip with an individual who's intellectually interesting yet with whom she's all the same entirely incompatible.

Eventually T'Pol and Trip stop denying their feelings for one another, and after that week's crisis is dealt with, the two find themselves declaring their love for each other in Trip's quarters. They kiss, and in his arms, T'Pol jokes in mock regret about what might have been with her union with Hoshi. Trip smiles and jokes right back she can invite her over any time. "Oh, you." They kiss again, stars streaking past through the window, credits floating over amorous embrace, fade.

Blech.
 
Arpy said:
Just letting your suggestions bask in their glory.

I'd have probably been one of the ones thinking T'Pol/Hoshi reeked of desperation - of course they'd make those two get it on. Possibly after an intense decon scene...and then T'Pol realizes the whole thing was her trying to distract herself from her feelings for Trip with an individual who's intellectually interesting yet with whom she's all the same entirely incompatible.

Eventually T'Pol and Trip stop denying their feelings for one another, and after that week's crisis is dealt with, the two find themselves declaring their love for each other in Trip's quarters. They kiss, and in his arms, T'Pol jokes in mock regret about what might have been with her union with Hoshi. Trip smiles and jokes right back she can invite her over any time. "Oh, you." They kiss again, stars streaking past through the window, credits floating over amorous embrace, fade.

Blech.
Click to expand...

:vulcan:

Agreed, it would have been AWFUL.
 
It would have been groundbreaking, and anything's possible so it might have been great, but...

Odo with a male Founder might have been interesting. It would have made sense since they're not actually males or females, so visually it would have been striking. It would also make that relationship versus his with Kira all the more wrong and the Dominion more odious and the "links" other than heterosexual just plain trouble. Nah, I suppose it would have had to be with a female...a woman of his own kind, who could be with him in their way, and who had a right to the men of her species.

I really liked your Janeway educating Seven on different UFP members suggestions. That's Star Trek.
 
Arpy said:
It would have been groundbreaking, and anything's possible so it might have been great, but...

Odo with a male Founder might have been interesting. It would have made sense since they're not actually males or females, so visually it would have been striking. It would also make that relationship versus his with Kira all the more wrong and the Dominion more odious and the "links" other than heterosexual just plain trouble. Nah, I suppose it would have had to be with a female...a woman of his own kind, who could be with him in their way, and who had a right to the men of her species.

I really liked your Janeway educating Seven on different UFP members suggestions. That's Star Trek.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, yeah, on second thought - portraying the Female Shapeshifter as a Male would indeed have implied that the relationship was 'wrong' for all the wrong reasons!

However, a further study of Data, Odo and even The Doctor's sexual orientation would have been interesting - why do each of them choose to identify themselves as 'Male'? What if one of them decided to experiment with being Female, and observe the difference in their relationships because of the change.

Alternatively, having a Hermat character (from the New Frontier novels) or any other hermaphrodite race, would also have been interesting.

I remember studying gender and its portrayal in texts when I was studying post-modernism in school, so I find this stuff fascinating! :lol:

I'm glad you liked my suggestion regarding Janeway and Seven - their relationship, as well as T'Pol and Hoshi (or either of them, and another female) could have been interesting if done well.

Janeway helping Seven understand human sexuality seems like a logical part of teaching her about humanity and relationships.

But of course, if done badly, it would have been any teenage male's fantasies come to life. :rolleyes:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top