The Emissary, The Price, and sex on TV

[JirinPanthosa]

I've been watching through TNG lately, and something struck me this time in these two episodes. In the Emissary, the sex scene is Puritanical. Worf squeezes K'elyhr's nails into her hand, it cuts to commercial, and when they come back they are done. Their uniforms are on and in perfect state of order with no sign they were ever taken off. Their hair is in perfectly groomed state. When I was a kid it went over my head they even had sex there, I thought Alexander was conceived in their prior meeting and K'elyhr had kept it a secret.

So I figure, okay, this is all they could show in 1989.

Then in The Price, Troi and Ral were under the covers and although their naughty parts were not visible they were clearly naked.

These episodes came out less than a year apart from each other. Were these scenes risqué or was that scene in Emissary just really badly shot?

 

[Mojochi]

I think there's supposed to be some stigma about Klingon sex, being rather violent, & this may have just been there way around that issue. Riker's gotten more risque than that scene as well, but it was always lovey dovey frolicking. I'd expect a renovation crew would need to be dispatched after 2 Klingons got it on, hence why the symbolic shot they did choose to show was bloodletting. That was probably just the tip of the iceberg. THAT kind of sex would surely have been inappropriate back then, or maybe even now

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Yeah, but they could have had hair messed up, uniforms rustled, items strewn about the ground, lying against an incline in exhaustion. They can leave visual evidence of what they did without showing it. The way they shot it didn't even seem like there was a time lapse. The only indication that they even did is Worf trying to insist on marriage after.

 

[Maurice]

The bloody hand thing WAS the sex. "Not everyone keeps their genitals in the same place."

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

And full body nekkid Klingon make-up would have cost the studio how much money and time?

 

[JesterFace]

And full body nekkid Klingon make-up would have cost the studio how much money and time?

If anyone even wanted to see that...

Either it might have been disgusting or so hot that no one would be aroused by a naked human again.

 

[Lyonsbannor]

I think what we learned about Klingon sex came a lot later in the series, and most of it was through DS9 with Jadzia and Worf becoming an item. I think it was just another case of the Ned Flanders Complex, where the original modest idea (Klingons have somewhat rough sex) ends up being blown completely out of proportion (Klingons actively try to kill each other/the room during mating). It got even more caricatured when it came to Neelix's turn.

As far as the rest of it, it was most likely artistic choice on the directors part, implying it rather than showing it. Star Trek rarely has been squeamish on the idea of sex, as Kirk was basically on one giant sexy walkabout of the galaxy, and would have been more graphic had they been allowed to.

 

[Karzak]

As I recall, "The Price" got a lot of attention precisely because of Troi's steamy love scenes with Ral.

 

[Zaku]

I'm trying to imagine a Klingon sex scene on HBO....

 

[SPCTRE]

Spoiler: NSFW

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Yeah, but they could have had hair messed up, uniforms rustled, items strewn about the ground, lying against an incline in exhaustion. They can leave visual evidence of what they did without showing it. The way they shot it didn't even seem like there was a time lapse. The only indication that they even did is Worf trying to insist on marriage after.

Also, K'Ehleyr makes a corny remark about some calisthenics programs being better than others, and they both talk about having done something they weren't ready for or lacked the courage for last time they were together. It's still super-obvious.

 

[BillJ]

I think what we learned about Klingon sex came a lot later in the series, and most of it was through DS9 with Jadzia and Worf becoming an item. I think it was just another case of the Ned Flanders Complex, where the original modest idea (Klingons have somewhat rough sex) ends up being blown completely out of proportion (Klingons actively try to kill each other/the room during mating).

It was established that Klingons have crazy rough sex in "Hide and Q".

 

[Karzak]

Even before "Hide and Q" they also go on about it in "Justice" :

WOMAN: Joy and happiness.
RIKER: It certainly is. The good life, Worf.
WORF: I am not concerned with pleasure, Commander. I am a warrior.
RIKER: Even Klingons need love now and then.
WORF: For what we consider love, sir, I would need a Klingon woman.
RIKER: What about plain old basic sex? You must have some need for that.
WORF: Of course, but with the females available to me, sir, Earth females, I must restrain myself too much. They are quite fragile, sir.
RIKER: Worf, if anyone else had said that, I'd suspect he was bragging.
WORF: Bragging, sir?

Also, early in season two, Worf and Pulaski have a flirtation of sorts after he gets the Klingon measles; they have tea and she asks him to recite some of that "Klingon love poetry."

 

[Jedman67]

Finding Parmach in all the Wrong Places. I kinda wish I hadn't seen that episode....

Sent from my HTC HTC6525LVW Using Ez Forum for Android

 

[Timo]

When I was a kid it went over my head they even had sex there, I thought Alexander was conceived in their prior meeting and K'elyhr had kept it a secret.

Well, that's still a possibility. Or even the default position, really. It's not as if anything to the contrary was ever stated on screen. All we have to go by is stardates and apparent ages, and neither counts for much.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Well, that's still a possibility.

No.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I think what we learned about Klingon sex came a lot later in the series, and most of it was through DS9 with Jadzia and Worf becoming an item. I think it was just another case of the Ned Flanders Complex, where the original modest idea (Klingons have somewhat rough sex) ends up being blown completely out of proportion (Klingons actively try to kill each other/the room during mating).

Also from TNG Season 2:

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zweQgrLjh_s[/yt]

 

[Marsden]

I think Pulaski could have handled it.

 

[Timo]

Well, that's still a possibility.

No.

Hmm. No evidence that Alexander was conceived in "The Emissary", vs. lots of evidence for him being relatively mature in all his appearances... Indeed, exactly those "missing" four to five years older, as far as actor ages and resulting character looks go.

On second thought, I agree it's not a possibility. It's a certainty.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[CorporalCaptain]