Star Trek and Singleness

[Tracy Trek]

Wasn't there speculation (around the time The Motion Picture came out) that in a society like the Federation, that some people entered into what was called contract marriages. Where if your contract was up and you decided against staying together, you simply did not renew your contract. So no messy divorces.

 

[BillJ]

I'd rather the crew be single so they can make booty calls at any port.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Wasn't there speculation (around the time The Motion Picture came out) that in a society like the Federation, that some people entered into what was called contract marriages. Where if your contract was up and you decided against staying together, you simply did not renew your contract. So no messy divorces.

That was in the TMP novelization (about Kirk's marriage to Lori Ciana), and it's been in a few other novelverse material as well.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

I'd rather the crew be single so they can make booty calls at any port.

Good. DS9 can remain what it was.

 

[BillJ]

DS9 can remain what it was.

DS9 just had the booty come to them. None of them were sexual prudes.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Funny thing: although the bit about McCoy's failed marriage was always intended to be part of the character's backstory, it never actually made it onto the screen until the 2009 movie

And even then, wasn't it because Karl Urban ad-libbed the line?

 

[DrCorby]

I'd like to point out that Janeway was depicted as being in a long-term relationship with "Mark"; they were probably even cohabiting , since the expectant dog was portrayed as being theirs, not just hers. Also, it seemed like Kim was living with his girlfriend before Voyager's mission. Both more "modern" depictions of non-marital relationships, with the partners not in Starfleet staying at home and having careers of their own.

For that matter, Spock was betrothed to T'Pring from childhood, despite being depicted as having at least one serious romantic relationship with a human (Leila Kalomi), probably while at the Academy. Of course, they disposed of T'Pring in a single episode, much as a romance-of-the-week usually was in typical 60s TV fashion.

(I'm on a roll now...) And Dr Pulaski said she'd been married multiple times previously, once almost to Riker's father! Just a few more data points (no pun intended) on main characters depicted as having been in a variety of relationships.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

I'd like to point out that Janeway was depicted as being in a long-term relationship with "Mark"; they were probably even cohabiting , since the expectant dog was portrayed as being theirs, not just hers. Also, it seemed like Kim was living with his girlfriend before Voyager's mission. Both more "modern" depictions of non-marital relationships, with the partners not in Starfleet staying at home and having careers of their own.

Those relationships were never depicted at all. As far as I remember, Mark was never more than a picture and a letter, and Libby was only reality in an alternative existence. Mostly they were placekeepers that helped the writers to explain the characters' hesistations with becoming intimate with crewmembers, and there was no exploration of those relationships. Certainly, there was no real time interaction between Janeway and Mark, and Kim's brief fantasy life with Libby was just a vehicle to explore his sorrow and regret, not his relationship.

 

[sbk1234]

Although in one episode where Tom was trying to set Harry up on a date, Harry made it a point of telling him he had a girlfriend. So obviously she was real, and he felt some sort of commitment to her.

 

[Kor]

Perhaps Mark was Janeway's imaginary boyfriend... a delusion that she somehow developed in trying to deal with the mental stresses of being so far from home.

Kor

 

[Greg Cox]

For that matter, Spock was betrothed to T'Pring from childhood, despite being depicted as having at least one serious romantic relationship with a human (Leila Kalomi), probably while at the Academy. Of course, they disposed of T'Pring in a single episode, much as a romance-of-the-week usually was in typical 60s TV fashion.

What exactly went on between Leila and the young Spock is (deliberately?) ambiguous. There was obviously some sort of connection forged back in the day, but whether it blossomed into an actual romantic relationship is a matter of interpretation. My best guess is that the possibility of such a relationship was in the air at one point, but that, ultimately, Leila wanted more than Spock was capable of giving, so it was more a matter of "what might have been . . . ."

But, again, that's just my take on it. (I know Margaret Bonanno recently wrote a novel about the whole Spock/Leila thing, but, alas, I haven't found time to read it yet.)

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Although in one episode where Tom was trying to set Harry up on a date, Harry made it a point of telling him he had a girlfriend. So obviously she was real, and he felt some sort of commitment to her.

Yes, of course, Libby was real. What I am saying is that the real Libby had no presence on the show, thus there was no real relationship to see. It was never depicted.

 

[Griffeytrek]

You both missed my main point or perhaps you simply didn't read the entire post.

I never said that married or partnered people needed to be predominant, but rather, why did the majority of the singles need to have been of the never been married variety, rather than the previously married, but now single type.

I also noted why the writers would prefer to write about single characters in my original post in detail, yet that section was either ignored or left unread, as you pointed out to me what I'd already written in the original post, as if it wasn't even there .

The lack of married characters in TOS is fairly easy to explain. The crew of the Enterprise is the ST Navy. It's not a civilian vessel. Nor is it the comfortable family cruise ship of Picard's era. Remember Roddenberry served in the US Navy. He modeled a lot of the original show from that. Further extend that thought out to the fact that the Enterprise was out on an extremely long term deep space exploration mission. Intended to last 5 years before returning to it's home port. It is likely that they selectively crewed the ship to minimize family impact.

And finally we really don't know what the family status of most of the crew is, beyond that the bulk of them were mainly young twenty somethings. The only clear backstories we have are the principles. Kirk we know was briefly married at one point to Carol Marcus (did they only define it as married in the novelization? I can't remember now.) Scotty was a classic Seaman. Never been married, never will. McKoy was an older divorcee. Chekov was a young officer fresh out of the Academy. Spock is... well Spock. We never actually get any backstory on Uhura to know what her family status is. And we know that somewhere in there, likely after that initial 5 year mission, Sulu did start a family. We do also see two crewman get married in Balance of Terror (along with the illustration of why it is likely not common on a ship such as the TOS Enterprise.)

 

[Griffeytrek]

Wasn't there speculation (around the time The Motion Picture came out) that in a society like the Federation, that some people entered into what was called contract marriages. Where if your contract was up and you decided against staying together, you simply did not renew your contract. So no messy divorces.

That was actually in the novelization for Wrath of Khan. It was used to describe Kirk and Carol Marcus's marriage. One might safely suspect that that might have been born out of Hollywood Wish Fullfillment.

 

[2takesfrakes]

... If Starfleet wanted its officers to have a significant other, it would've issued them one!

 

[Nyotarules]

Why is it more likely they'd be previously married? If we're going by modern US societal percentages, 60% of crew in their 30s and 40s should be married (currently) and about 20% of the 25 year olds.
Marriage has declined in the recent past, too - those figures were 80 and 65% in 1960. So it's entirely possible marriage is much rarer by Treks era.

Source: fivethirtyeight

But the US is not a reflection of human society for the rest of the world. Society can change, I guess World War Three changes a lot of things for humanity, the general human culture might become more liberal in certain areas and/more conservative in others. Considering the emotional damage done to children especially with divorce the 23rd century folks might decide to find a way to avoid the mistakes of their ancestors and take marriage more seriously by deferring it for a later stage of their life, Especially since humans can live to way past 130 in the ST universe, I guess a way would be found to extend female fertility as well so a woman of 50 would be like a woman of 30 in terms of fertility.

 

[Nyotarules]

Yep, to the extent that pop stars were pressured to hide any secret marriages or serious relationships.

True since most of their target audience were immature, adolescent females.

 

[BillJ]

As far as I remember, Mark was never more than a picture and a letter...

He was in "Caretaker", if I remember the episode correctly.

MARK [on monitor]: The doctor called.
JANEWAY: And?
MARK [on monitor]: And I was right.
JANEWAY: She's pregnant?
MARK [on monitor]: The puppies are due in seven weeks.
JANEWAY: Oh, Mark. You've got to take her home with you.
MARK [on monitor]: With me? I just got the rugs cleaned.
JANEWAY: She's with child. I can't leave her in a kennel while I'm
MARK [on monitor]: Is this another 'love me, love my dog' demand?
JANEWAY: Yes.
MARK [on monitor]: How could I ever refuse you?
JANEWAY: Thanks, honey.
MARK [on monitor]: So, when are you leaving?
JANEWAY: As soon as I approve these systems status reports.
MARK [on monitor]: All right. Then I won't bother you anymore.
JANEWAY: Hey. You never bother me, except the way I love to be bothered. Understand?
MARK [on monitor]: I'll remember that.
JANEWAY: See you in a few weeks. Oh, Mark, go by my house and pick up the doggie bed. She'll be more comfortable.
MARK [on monitor]: I already did, an hour ago.
(Janeway blows a kiss and ends transmission. Doorbell.)

 

[Nyotarules]

The only Starfleet ships that can leave significant others behind for less than seven years are Vulcan ones, unless they are bonded to persons named T'Pring or Stonn.

 

[Tracy Trek]

That was actually in the novelization for Wrath of Khan. It was used to describe Kirk and Carol Marcus's marriage. One might safely suspect that that might have been born out of Hollywood Wish Fullfillment.

I believe the novelization of TMP had Kirk in a contract marriage with an admiral named Lori Ciana. That they were considering not renewing. Correct me if I'm wrong (if someone remembers), the choice was taken out of their hands as she was the second person killed in the transporter accident.