Uhura and the Communications Post

[Jeyl]

And in imagining how people act and react, I am at the same time trying to imagine a way in which this scene could be constructed in which Uhura's involvement wouldn't look...well, silly and melodramatic. And I can't.

Well, when Spock lost an entire planet and his mother in the span of 20 seconds, Uhura does the best she can to comfort him. Than a day later when he's being harassed by Kirk and being called out in front of the entire crew, she does absolutely nothing both during and after. Ya, I'm sure that's perfectly ok for a person who just survived genocide and had the responsibilities of command put on his shoulders. Just let him walk off the bridge humiliated and hope for the best.

Consistancy?

 

[JustKate]

I don't perceive the scene at all the same way that you do, Jeyl. You have a bee in your bonnet that I just ain't got, and we are simply NOT going to agree on this.

But here are a few things that come to mind. They won't change anything, but I'll put them out there anyway:
1. Humilitated? Says who? If somebody says something insulting about me or my heritage, I'm not humiliated. I might be angry, I might be amused, I might be indifferent, but what in the world makes you think Spock is so easily humiliated?
2. You don't see a difference between comforting him in private and stepping in while he is arguing on the bridge? In front of the entire bridge crew? The crew he is supposed to command? Really? That doesn't seem inappropriate to you? And weak? And un-captain-like?
3. And rather than coming across as caring (or whatever is that you were hoping for here), I think Uhura would come across as hysterical, ridiculous and unprofessional.
4. And when she did comfort him in the turbolift, what did he say he wanted from her? He said he wanted her to continue to perform her duties - I don't remember the exact words, but it was something like that. So that's what she did. She did him the courtesy of taking him at his word and giving him what he asked for.
5. And even if he hadn't said that, do you honestly think Spock would want Uhura to step in and help him out? As though she thinks he can't take care of himself? Honestly?

But enough of this. I've told you what I think, so why don't you tell me what YOU think she should have done?

 

[trevanian]

If it were the OTHER Uhura, she'd probably have given Spock's attacker THE LOOK and froze him into silence, which works since it just SEEMS insubordinate w/o being something that gets you locked up in the brig.

Wait, they don't have a brig, do they? Well, it'd be a move that wouldn't get her shot into space to some alien planet that jumped 10,000 ly between prime and abramsverse that is filled with wampas and such. (just going by the trailer and comments.)

 

[davejames]

Well, when Spock lost an entire planet and his mother in the span of 20 seconds, Uhura does the best she can to comfort him. Than a day later when he's being harassed by Kirk and being called out in front of the entire crew, she does absolutely nothing both during and after. Ya, I'm sure that's perfectly ok for a person who just survived genocide and had the responsibilities of command put on his shoulders. Just let him walk off the bridge humiliated and hope for the best.

Consistancy?

If I remember right, she DOES give him a concerned look when he leaves the bridge that second time, but it seemed pretty clear he wanted to be left alone.

After witnessing such a violent outburst, I know I'd probably want to keep my distance for awhile too, and let him cool off.

 

[SonicRanger]

Well, when Spock lost an entire planet and his mother in the span of 20 seconds, Uhura does the best she can to comfort him. Than a day later when he's being harassed by Kirk and being called out in front of the entire crew, she does absolutely nothing both during and after. Ya, I'm sure that's perfectly ok for a person who just survived genocide and had the responsibilities of command put on his shoulders. Just let him walk off the bridge humiliated and hope for the best.

Consistancy?

If I remember right, she DOES give him a concerned look when he leaves the bridge that second time, but it seemed pretty clear he wanted to be left alone.

After witnessing such a violent outburst, I know I'd probably want to keep my distance for awhile too, and let him cool off.

See the teaser for Amok Time for precedent.

 

[Nerys Myk]

If it were the OTHER Uhura, she'd probably have given Spock's attacker THE LOOK and froze him into silence, which works since it just SEEMS insubordinate w/o being something that gets you locked up in the brig.

Wait, they don't have a brig, do they? Well, it'd be a move that wouldn't get her shot into space to some alien planet that jumped 10,000 ly between prime and abramsverse that is filled with wampas and such. (just going by the trailer and comments.)

I thought they had a brig, but Spock decided that getting Kirk off the ship would be a better option.

 

[seniorsleuth]

I think TPTB were specifically shooting for this; note that the main publicity poster features Kirk, Spock, and Uhura. I think that the Kirk, Spock, McCoy thing is just something else that the film has altered.

Not necessarily. Kelley bitched lightly about being airbrushed out or otherwise omitted from the posters in favor of Khambatta and Alley, so the studio people have always known that including a female on the poster is advantageous.

If they want a strong woman in these films w/o throwing out the (presumed) successful interaction of Kirk Spock & McCoy, she probably ought to be in command of another ship, maybe as the antagonist, like a Starfleet officer gone bad or throughly disillusioned with the PD ... somebody I could root for. One of the reasons I love BATMAN BEGINS is that I can get behind the Neeson character's motivations completely. Or to bring it back toward TREK, a bit, the antagonist played by John Vernon in THE QUESTOR TAPES, who is probably the most admirable opponent i can recall (though I'm sure that was Gene Coon's doing, not GR's.)

I agree that they are upgrading Uhura to broaden the audience, and there is no reason why they won't continue to want the audience broadened.

So what you are saying is that any "strong" woman should be an antagonist, possibly not even a regular character, not someone who becomes a key element of the fabric of the new Trek universe. Well, there's "strength" (however one may define that), and then there's significance. I think they are shooting for both here in upgraded Uhura.