Rewatching TOS with my wife

[new_mercury]

My wife still struggles with TOS even after all these years. She's watched TNG, DS9 AND VGR through several times. And the movie's (except what she calls the slow motion picture which she has vowed never to watch again) but struggles with TOS. Although she has admitted that the few she's seen or overheard whilst I've been watching the plots, for the most part, still stand up after all this time.

 

[Thomas Amundsen]

If she doesn't like the blatant sexism, you may want to skip Mudd's Women. It should be coming up soon for you, too.

 

[A beaker full of death]

My wife still struggles with TOS even after all these years. She's watched TNG, DS9 AND VGR through several times. And the movie's (except what she calls the slow motion picture which she has vowed never to watch again) but struggles with TOS. Although she has admitted that the few she's seen or overheard whilst I've been watching the plots, for the most part, still stand up after all this time.

Struggles? I don't understand.

 

[Kor]

Does she also struggle with other older shows such as Mission: Impossible or the Twilight Zone?

Some viewers just seem to have an insurmountable mental block when it comes to watching anything they perceive as "old."

Kor

 

[Thomas Amundsen]

It's all about suspension of disbelief. I find I need a similar degree of suspension of disbelief as watching a play when I watch TOS. For those who can suspend the disbelief, the returns on entertainment are invaluable. IMO.

 

[Marsden]

Struggles? I don't understand.

Me, too.

I thought Spock referring to Nomad's comment that Uhura was a mass of conflicting emotions with simply, she is a woman, was the worst sexist thing in the whole series. But then I really don't like that episode anyway, which is a rare thing, I love so many of them.
Both times, all 2, that Uhura said she was frightened were at very frightening times and she just seemed open enough to admit it. What bothered me about Arena, one of my favorites, is that Uhura screams ridiculously when Kirk disappears and over reacts with her hand up upon seeing the Gorn. I blame either the script or director because just the previous episode when Trelane steals Kirk, she doesn't scream, she reacts appropriately. But I'm probably the last person that should be discussing this subject because I don't go looking to see if something has some ism in it, I just like to accept it as is and enjoy it if it's good. Sorry if I ranted.

 

[Forbin]

I thought Spock referring to Nomad's comment that Uhura was a mass of conflicting emotions with simply, she is a woman, was the worst sexist thing in the whole series.

On the other hand, that joke is ageless. You can still find wise cracks like that on today's shows, right along with the equivalent "men are lazy couch potato man-children"-like gags. We're just ribbing each other. Some may find it offensive, but, at least these days, both genders are getting equal ribbing.

Worse, I think, on TOS, were comments like Lt. Palamas someday leaving her career to become a homemaker, like that should be every woman's goal. And the constant referring to Mira Romaine as "The girl."

 

[Kor]

It's all about suspension of disbelief. I find I need a similar degree of suspension of disbelief as watching a play when I watch TOS. For those who can suspend the disbelief, the returns on entertainment are invaluable. IMO.

Television at that time was more like stage play production.

Kor

 

[Noname Given]

Me, too.

I thought Spock referring to Nomad's comment that Uhura was a mass of conflicting emotions with simply, she is a woman, was the worst sexist thing in the whole series. But then I really don't like that episode anyway, which is a rare thing, I love so many of them.
Both times, all 2, that Uhura said she was frightened were at very frightening times and she just seemed open enough to admit it. What bothered me about Arena, one of my favorites, is that Uhura screams ridiculously when Kirk disappears and over reacts with her hand up upon seeing the Gorn. I blame either the script or director because just the previous episode when Trelane steals Kirk, she doesn't scream, she reacts appropriately. But I'm probably the last person that should be discussing this subject because I don't go looking to see if something has some ism in it, I just like to accept it as is and enjoy it if it's good. Sorry if I ranted.

I think some people take Star Trek too seriously, and forget that it's also entertainment (and sometimes has humor). The whole exchange:

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

SPOCK: "That unit is a woman."

NOMAD: "A mass of conflicting impulses."

Is hilarious to this day - and was most likely included (and meant) as humor (something the post 1987 Star trek series did HORRIBLY at.)

 

[scotpens]

Television at that time was more like stage play production.

Most prime-time television production in the 1960s was more like shooting a low-budget movie. AFAIK, the only Trek TOS episodes that call to mind live theater are "Spectre of the Gun" and "The Empath."

I think some people take Star Trek too seriously, and forget that it's also entertainment (and sometimes has humor). The whole exchange:

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

SPOCK: "That unit is a woman."

NOMAD: "A mass of conflicting impulses."

Is hilarious to this day - and was most likely included (and meant) as humor (something the post 1987 Star trek series did HORRIBLY at.)

Indeed, Spock was actually coming to Uhura's defense there -- saying that she's not a "unit," she's a human being!

 

[alpha_leonis]

Dear Wife and I watched "Mudd's Women" tonight as part of our 2016 viewing of the series. Her verdict: she actually liked it quite a lot.

She very much appreciated the discussion of "looks versus substance" when judging a person's character. She also has been an activist in the past for human trafficking awareness -- she valued the notion as communicated by the episode in "consensuality" in that type of arrangement. She compared it to the concept of "mail order brides", which she doesn't have a problem with -- so long as the bride willingly chooses the arrangement instead of being forced into it.

Context: we met on eHarmony, and she moved states to be with me.

She also was interested to notice there were no yeomen in this episode. Uhura was the only Enterprise woman in the entire episode (even among background characters!), and she had little to do this time around.

 

[new_mercury]

My wife does struggle with most older Sci Fi shows. She can't see past the sets, costumes and effects. She was the same with black and white movies, couldn't watch anything in black and white but recently she's seen a few. Progress!
Also she finally watched Logan's Run and loved it.
There's Hope yet....

 

[Steve Roby]

This is reminding me of Neil Perryman's blogs and books about watching shows like Doctor Who and Blake's 7 with his not-a-fan wife (Adventures With the Wife in Space, etc). Some fun reading there if you haven't encountered it already.

 

[Forbin]

My wife does struggle with most older Sci Fi shows. She can't see past the sets, costumes and effects. She was the same with black and white movies, couldn't watch anything in black and white but recently she's seen a few. Progress!

Show her Casablanca. There's no way to not love that film, color or not.

 

[new_mercury]

Show her Casablanca. There's no way to not love that film, color or not.

I'll add that to the list!

 

[RAMA]

My wife cant be described a a scifi aficionado, however, she does watch a lot of it with me, and now watches almost all the modern shows, even some that I'm not a fan of. She saw all or most of TOS with her ex husband because he was a TOS fan. She much prefers the newer shows, and the rare times she watches TOS with me, I can tell she gets into the stories but has a hard time getting through the 60s trappings. I should note even though she is older than me, she doesn't like old movies or Tv very much. She does watch Twilight Zone (we watched 6 episodes parallel to the New Year's eve marathon) or Outer Limits with no sexism qualms that I can recall.

Her favorite ST show: STNG. Her current favorite show: Arrow My stepdaughter's is ST Voyager.

Happily, my nephew is getting into star trek, he has watched some of TOS STNG and Enterprise. I even bought him some models for birthdays and Xmas.

 

[alpha_leonis]

We just got done with "What are Little Girls Made Of?"

Overall, she enjoyed the discussion of what makes a person truly human.

In between the sarcastic comments about gratuitously shirtless Kirk (again), and nearly-shirtless Andrea.

She also picked up right away on the "Redshirt" trope -- right when the security guards beamed down at the beginning, she knew exactly what was about to happen.

 

[Forbin]

Sherry Jackson.

 

[alpha_leonis]

Today's episode was "Miri". Interesting premise, but Dear Wife got hung up on the idea that a person's mental age corresponds exactly with their physical age. One might think that after 300 years these kids might "grow up" to some degree, even if they were trapped in smaller bodies.

 

[RAMA]

Today's episode was "Miri". Interesting premise, but Dear Wife got hung up on the idea that a person's mental age corresponds exactly with their physical age. One might think that after 300 years these kids might "grow up" to some degree, even if they were trapped in smaller bodies.

The idea was without guidance there was no frame of reference to become completely "adult". They would be an arrested culture. My only issue is that many adults who think they act "adult" really are not. Donald Trump is a good example though are a lot more mundane ones I see every day.