No Love Story For You!

[Spock's Barber]

At one point or another, all of the main characters of TOS had at least one episode where their love interest was heavily involved in the plot; all except Uhura and Sulu for whatever reason. I can think of several 3rd season episodes that could have been replaced with a better script that involved the fore mentioned 2 cast members which highlighted their fictional personal lives. Your thoughts may differ greatly…

 

[PCz911]

Don’t leave us hanging … which 3rd season shows would you nominate?

 

[mb22]

"This Side of Paradise" (first season) was originally involved Sulu in love before being replaced by Spock.

 

[Spock's Barber]

Don’t leave us hanging … which 3rd season shows would you nominate?

Dump ‘And The Children Shall Lead’ and let DC Fontana write a script about *Spoiler Alert* Sulu fathering a child. Gasp!

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Uhura flirted with the salt creature and Mr. Spock in "The Man Trap." She flirted with Spock through song in "Charlie X."

Sulu looked delighted to meet the women replicants in "Shore Leave," and he flirted with a space hippie in "The Way to Eden."

It wasn't much, but at least they were portrayed as warm-blooded.

 

[Spock's Barber]

Uhura flirted with the salt creature and Mr. Spock in "The Man Trap." She flirted with Spock through song in "Charlie X."

Sulu looked delighted to meet the women replicants in "Shore Leave," and he flirted with a space hippie in "The Way to Eden."

It wasn't much, but at least they were portrayed as warm-blooded.

I knew of those instances, but I thought whole episodes devoted to Uhura’s or Sulu’s development would have been interesting. Alas, The Big Three came to take center seat, especially in the 3rd season.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Dump ‘And The Children Shall Lead’ and let DC Fontana write a script about *Spoiler Alert* Sulu fathering a child. Gasp!

In the context of 1968 episodic television, what happens to the kid at the end?

 

[The Salt Umpire]

In the context of 1968 episodic television, what happens to the kid at the end?

The Enterprise has needed a daycare for quite some time by S3.

 

[Spock's Barber]

In the context of 1968 episodic television, what happens to the kid at the end?

She surprises Kirk in Generations.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I generally want Star Trek to be about bigger stuff than Mr. Sulu's personal life, unless it would be a really good subplot. The fan episode "World Enough and Time" gave him a good story.

Personal stories should be the occasional exception, or the show becomes a soap. Kirk had COTEOF and "The Paradise Syndrome" for his deeply felt ones, the ones that left a mark. Spock had "This Side of Paradise", "Journey to Babel", "Amok Time", "All Our Yesterdays", and "Yesteryear." That's a lot right there. They weren't skimping on us as it was. Going down the roster for supporting cast romances would have seemed like too much diversion to the producers of a Shatner-centered adventure series.

And yes, Chekov had a nice, underrated one in "The Way to Eden." But WK simply wasn't leading man material at that point in his haircut history career. While George may have been a little stronger in that sense, he wasn't all that great.

Nichelle was a total smoke show, and by today's standards her "personal subplot" episode was a missed opportunity. But being a woman would set her up for the ST producers to give her the short end of the stick. Look at the love stories of Nurse Chapel, Marla McGivers, the Romulan commander...

 

[Spock's Barber]

Well, I guess Mirror Sulu tried unsuccessfully and briefly to have a go at Uhura, but she put a stop to that.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Well, I guess Mirror Sulu tried unsuccessfully and briefly to have a go at Uhura, but she put a stop to that.

"Now you're making sense."

 

[Spock's Barber]

Sulu thinks this is the same as ‘hands on experience’.

"Now you're making sense."

***TrekCore supplied image***

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

And yes, Chekov had a nice, underrated one in "The Way to Eden." But WK simply wasn't leading man material at that point in his haircut history career. While George may have been a little stronger in that sense, he wasn't all that great.

Acting is always a major factor. But add a few doses of excellent writing and direction, and you could get Spock-like popularity. Even Spock began erratically, while D.C. Fontana definitely boosted his character-cred. In a roundabout way, the same factor boosted Shatner to new heights with mad-cow Denny Crane.

 

[Qonundrum]

I generally want Star Trek to be about bigger stuff than Mr. Sulu's personal life, unless it would be a really good subplot. The fan episode "World Enough and Time" gave him a good story.

^^this

As for personal lives', any of theirs - even Kirk - were more flavorful as vignettes or set pieces. Their first duty was to the ship, of course. Apart from Kirk, who got a love interest every third week or so (I'll count the episode list for the tally later) and, yep, it got silly. As much as "The Gamesters of Triskeleon" has some great moments, Kirk going out of his way to "teach luuuuurve" fall flat (plus, in that story, it feels more like "dine'n'ditch" as it'd make more sense for Kirk to offer asylum, though part of me headcanons that Kirk knew Shahna would make a great leader and already had signs, knowing she needed to stay. Sadly, we never got "Star trek - The Wrath of Shahna", "Star trek - The Wrath of Galt", "Star trek - The Wrath of red green and blue brain things", etc... still was a better ending than "Plato's Stepchildren", though!)

Personal stories should be the occasional exception, or the show becomes a soap. Kirk had COTEOF and "The Paradise Syndrome" for his deeply felt ones, the ones that left a mark. Spock had "This Side of Paradise", "Journey to Babel", "Amok Time", "All Our Yesterdays", and "Yesteryear." That's a lot right there. They weren't skimping on us as it was. Going down the roster for supporting cast romances would have seemed like too much diversion to the producers of a Shatner-centered adventure series.

^^this!

These occasional one-off stories are rendered sweeter because of their rarity, combined with care written for the character and I wish all the TOS crew had more moments of that. The main duty is to the ship and situations encountered, and TOS generally knew when to do one of these one-offs in order to make a more balanced show with.

And yes, Chekov had a nice, underrated one in "The Way to Eden." But WK simply wasn't leading man material at that point in his haircut history career. While George may have been a little stronger in that sense, he wasn't all that great.

Nichelle was a total smoke show, and by today's standards her "personal subplot" episode was a missed opportunity. But being a woman would set her up for the ST producers to give her the short end of the stick. Look at the love stories of Nurse Chapel, Marla McGivers, the Romulan commander...

^^this

More 60sisms prevailing, not much could have been done, even with the Romulan Commander where it almost felt like we got a shake-up (but alas, little was explored beyond her jonesing for Spockalicious there...). It's a trope you're bringing up, not a good one either, and it took a great story to make the tropiness feel less cheesy.

At least for Uhura, occasional moments like in "Who Mourns for Adonis" (aka "Who Wants to see more of 50' Apollo up there") where Spock (in his own Spocktacular way) compliments her and states nobody else was better qualified for a situation requiring great care to do the level of precision needed - helped add character emphasis above and beyond general dialogue.

 

[Pauln6]

Come on guys. Uhura is totally banging the maintenance guy. She wasn't being subtle when she asked him to fix her 'rattling doors'. Even the salt monster clocked that she was horny - I mean 'lonely'. I would have been totally on board if he had been given a few episodes - trying to stand up for her in Space Seed, joining her on the planet in This Side of Paradise, visiting her in the Changeling and volunteering to help her remember, suffering in the Trouble with Tribbles, helping her in Tholian Web. It could have been a really sweet slow burn.

That said, I think avoiding romance for Uhura was likely deliberate because of worries about the censors. She's one of the few female characters who keeps her cool in most emergencies. There was a bit of trolling in season one but they calmed it down

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Come on guys. Uhura is totally banging the maintenance guy. She wasn't being subtle when she asked him to fix her 'rattling doors'. Even the salt monster clocked that she was horny - I mean 'lonely'. I would have been totally on board if he had been given a few episodes - trying to stand up for her in Space Seed, joining her on the planet in This Side of Paradise, visiting her in the Changeling and volunteering to help her remember, suffering in the Trouble with Tribbles, helping her in Tholian Web. It could have been a really sweet slow burn.

That said, I think avoiding romance for Uhura was likely deliberate because of worries about the censors. She's one of the few female characters who keeps her cool in most emergencies. There was a bit of trolling in season one but they calmed it down

OMG how did I never notice the "door rattle" as talking in code, or at least putting down breadcrumbs? I can seriously believe that was the script's intention!

The medieval equivalent was a woman dropping her handkerchief when a knight is looking. The door thing is so obvious now.

 

[Pauln6]

OMG how did I never notice the "door rattle" as talking in code, or at least putting down breadcrumbs? I can seriously believe that was the script's intention!

The medieval equivalent was a woman dropping her handkerchief when a knight is looking. The door thing is so obvious now.

Did you clock the grin on his face? He knew it was a booty call.

 

[The Salt Umpire]

Did you clock the grin on his face? He knew it was a booty call.

Well, semen is salty...

 

[JonnyQuest037]

It's been in my headcanon for a while that Sulu had a thing for Uhura. Notice how he goes to "protect" her when he's under the influence of the virus in "The Naked Time" and how his Mirror Universe counterpart was so interested in her in "Mirror, Mirror."