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most sexist episode

I've got to toss the Changeling in.

Nomad: That unit is defective. Its thinking is chaotic. Absorbing it unsettled me.

Spock offers one sentence of explanation: That unit is a woman.
 
Tough to beat "Turnabout Intruder," no matter what kind of "retconning" (or, in English, "excuse making") one engages in.

I prefer to term it 'enjoyment permitting.' :)

"Metamorphosis" would be a contender, though. Everything about its characterization of women and assumptions about gender roles is shallow and hollow as a drum - well, except for Cochrane's moment of revulsion at Kirk and Spock's sexual broadmindness. That's a plausible and well-observed character touch.

That is a good one... I hadn't thought of that.
 
The transcript I found just had all the lines... It didn't have who said what. Did Spock or Nomad say "A mass of conflicting impulses?"
 
"It's just that I can't get used to having a woman on the bridge."

(On the other hand, "The Cage" probably had the strongest female character of all TOS.)
 
"It's just that I can't get used to having a woman on the bridge."

(On the other hand, "The Cage" probably had the strongest female character of all TOS.)


I haven't seen the original "The Cage" but the version of "The Menagerie" I saw recently on Netflix omitted Pike's line. I could swear I remember him saying that in a TV version years ago. I do like Number One, and it would have been nice if they had gone that direction with women throughout the entire series.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Mudd's Women. The entire premise is based on some very dated ideals for what women should be. It's one of those episodes that can't really be "fixed" by just changing some lines here and there. The whole thing is offensive.
 
^^^^I was about to say that I was surprised that no one has mentioned Mudd's Women, too!
Selling women for cargo? Come on!
 
Not so much 'selling' as 'pimping' I'd say.

And regarding Pike's line in 'The Cage,' I'm pretty sure that was omitted from 'The Menagerie' and only in 'The Cage' itself.

How I remember it:

  • Pike (studying clipboard) says: 'It's just that I can't get used to having a woman on the bridge...' (about Yeoman Colt)
  • Number One turns sharply to look at him, offended.
  • Pike looks up, notices and casually says: 'No offense, Number One. You're... different, of course.' trailing off as he resumes looking at the clipboard.
  • Number One is comforted for only a moment, then seems hurt when she realizes he doesn't think of her as a woman.
It is rather sexist, but I think it was more about the Pike-Number One-Colt triangle they were setting up than anything else.

I believe Drexler and Mandel's 'Enterprise Officer's Manual' (which makes Number One Christine Chapel's older sister, Leigh, rather brilliantly IMO) notes (as speculation) that Pike stepped down from command of the Enterprise after Number One married Jose Tyler. I guess he ignored her too long...
 
When I compare TOS with other 60s shows I like to watch, I am often struck by the frequency with which women are verbally put down on TOS. It's as if the show had to compensate for having women crew members by being snotty to them, putting them back in their place.
 
:guffaw: :guffaw: :guffaw:

Sorry, but I just read the whole thread only to find out that you actually don't mean the 'most sexiest episode'...
Well, that's me and my dirty mind...
 
^:lol: When I first saw the thread title, I thought it was a typo and that what Urbank meant was "sexiest." I actually shook my head sadly over yet another typo in the thread title error, only to find out that the error was in my head. Belated apologies to Urban.
 
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Tough to beat "Turnabout Intruder," no matter what kind of "retconning" (or, in English, "excuse making") one engages in.

Indeed. I still find it astonishing how many fans insist that the episode is not saying what it is (clearly) saying.


I think it goes with the insistence, or misunderstanding, that contradictory things cannot be in the "canon." Because the 23rd century was represented in one episode as being a place of equality and another as having gender-based restrictions doesn't mean that one of those two things didn't happen in a broadcast story or that it's possible (or desirable) to reasonably explain one of them away.
 
Tough to beat "Turnabout Intruder," no matter what kind of "retconning" (or, in English, "excuse making") one engages in.

Indeed. I still find it astonishing how many fans insist that the episode is not saying what it is (clearly) saying.


I think it goes with the insistence, or misunderstanding, that contradictory things cannot be in the "canon." Because the 23rd century was represented in one episode as being a place of equality and another as having gender-based restrictions doesn't mean that one of those two things didn't happen in a broadcast story or that it's possible (or desirable) to reasonably explain one of them away.


Righto. However, if I may pick bones, there's something weird about Turnabout Intruder. And I don't mean how terrible it is (except the Shat wiggling his arse all over the ship, hysterical). Kirk's last line, 'if only, if only' certainly is mysterious. If only what??? Women could be captains? If only she wasn't insane? If only we could help her? The episode makes it very clear her resentment for being excluded from the captains chair is her motivation for everything she does, less so her hatered for Kirk.

Is it just me (yes, I know that's likely) or doesn't there seem to be a big reveal missing here? Such as, yes women ARE starship captains and Janice was insane!

Excuse me, my horse just doesn't seem dead enough.
 
I think it was all part of Trek's middle-of-the-road approach to socio-political issues, like how "Let This Be Your Last Battlefield" seeks to equate militant civil rights activists with segregationist-types while washing its hands of the whole thing and how "A Private Little War" endorses US policy in Viet Nam, albeit with much hand-wringing. Kirk's "if only, if only" says nothing more to me than "if only she'd known her place and been happy with it."
 
Definitely "Turnabout Intruder."

Sorry ladies, you can be telephone operators (Uhura,) nurses (Chapel,) or secretaries (Rand,) but you can't be a Starship captain. Might start an intergalactic war if the Romulans or Klingons meet you at the wrong time of the month. :rolleyes:
 
Unless you're a female Romulan officer. Then you can be a commander, but you'll probably get seduced by a Vulcan Science Officer. ;)
 
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