I don't like that they tacked on a romantic subplot with Spock, which is typical of male writers on blockbusters having no idea what to do with female characters outside of their profession, that their personal lives only gravitate towards boys. Granted this is something that has persisted through most of Trek, but I wish a reboot would have done away with that.
except when this is what writers maybe do with white female characters, but Uhura is black and black women are hardly ever the love interest, let alone portrayed in a mutual loving relationship with the main guy like Uhura is.
In fact, a relationship between her and Spock, that was hinted as idea in tos too, became a possibility now for the first time in 50 years. In the original thing, Uhura didn't even have a first name, let alone a romance. The forced Kirk/Uhura kiss was as progressive as trek could be about interracial relationships (that in some countries were forbidden by law), and they almost couldn't even do that.
Your comment may actually come across as you basically making the argument that the reboot is bad for not keeping her character to the racist standards of the 60s. It's like you are saying they are bad for not denyind her, AGAIN, a romance and a personal life.. and because they didn't completely define her with the 'strong independent woman' stereotype that, frankly, is annoying and dehumanizing for female characters in general, let alone those who are part of minorities.
If dudes aren't 'weak' just because they have feelings and relationships, then women aren't either.
Again, McCoy is much more defined as 'the friend' than Uhura is as the girlfriend, but no one is complaining about that here. or elsewhere. You all WANT him to be defined by relationships, that's the only purpose he can have in the story according to some. So, please, for the love of everything that is holy, stop concern trolling about Uhura and her own relationship just because she isn't a 'bro'. That's pathetic.
In a thing like trek that is so much based on relationships, and those are so beloved to fans, it seems beyond ridiculous to harpy on another kind of relationship just because it wasn't in the original, and just because it isn't another friendship between boys.
Are we supposed to have interpersonal relationships getting represented by bromance
only just because that's everything tos, in the 60s, allowed?
Who said that romantic relationships, and specifically the dynamic with Uhura, is less important or relevant to the story and the characters, and to humanize them to the audience, than friendships? It's just your own personal preference that, while legit, it means absolutely nothing in terms of wanting to establish what is 'needed' or not in the actual narrative, let alone what is 'needed' for the whole audience.
Lastly, the notion that a female character is automatically 'weak' and 'just the girlfriend' only because she has a romantic relationship is as sexist as that stuff you are projecting on the creative team. It's as sexist as the concept that a woman can have a purpose in the story only if she's a love interest.
The writers simply made a narrative choice. They wanted to elevate Uhura to the original trio level, and did that in the same way the original series elevated McCoy and Spock compared to the other secondary characters: by making them important to the main guy who was Kirk. THROUGH A RELATIONSHIP.
Making Spock and Uhura 'friends', though, wouldn't be, in this case, that new and groundbreaking for this trek. For one, trek doesn't 'lack' friendship dynamics, especially for Spock. It may be more 'new' for these characters to have a romantic relationship since they never had one in tos, and for reasons that in her case were connected to the racism AND sexism of the era too ( not to mention it's more challenging for Spock and creates a nice parallel with his father/parents that you can't have with the friendships that, again, he already had in tos). Secondly, she DOES have the friendship with Kirk anyway (and for him, to have a female friend might be as new and different as Spock having a girlfriend. In both cases, it isn't what the audience would expect by default due to their 'reputation'), but some of you just ignore it because you seem to be capable of paying attention to the dynamics only if they are 'bros' (even Scotty/Kirk is overinflated, by some, as a 'friendship' compared to Kirk/Uhura). Third: why the heck not?
So yeah, that whole shuttle ride in STID was a low point for me as well. Uhura should be better written than relegated the nagging girlfriend.
she wasn't the nagging girlfriend, she just has agency in her relationship just like the dudes. This is all about how you choose to perceive the scene and reduce her character to. Not the writers.
It doesn't help that right after that scene she fails in her communication with the Klingons in achieving diplomacy (though Khan coming in guns blazing didn't help either).
I'll argue that in the scene the only damsel in distress, whose contribution to the action was completely useless, was KIRK, not Uhura. And Uhura is the only one in that mission whose unique skills seem to be at least used in a way that explains her presence there. Why were Kirk and Spock specifically needed there, by the way? what kind of skills they have, and what contribution they made to the mission, that other guys couldn't have easily replaced them? If we wanted to nitpick, both of them were emotionally compromised so they shouldn't even be there.
But the main issue of your argument is the notion that a scene showing a character being brave and using their skills is a failure just because the character's plan doesn't work. No offense, but it's silly. Not all the heroes succeed, a lot of them fail too.
It doesn't compute to you that, perhaps, the purpose of the scene is not showing that Uhura can do the impossible, but. rather, she is competent and that, in her group, she's the one who is willing to make an attempt and even sacrifice her life if only to give her crew mates more time, or try to give them a chance.
If they were to follow Kirk's idea to just get out and fire at the klingons, they'd be all dead by now. If anything, her scene is more in the 'trek' spirit because even if hopeless, she's using communication to try to resolve the situation like it's expected from a starfleet officer. And she's showing a lot of bravery. For someone who called her klingon rusty, thus not perfect, she not only speaks it flawlessly, even her body language suggests knowledge about that race on cultural level (e.g., her choice of words, the way she looks at the dude, Kirk could never replicate that with an universal translator)
but hey, it was so much better when she did a fan dance, or she used a dictionary to speak klingon. Or when she was definited only by her job (in a reality where women shouldn't even feel like they still need to make a choice), and never allowed to have romantic feelings for anyone.. unless she got manipulated by crazy mofos.
