What the most controversal scene on TOS?

[Joel_Kirk]

^Desi Arnaz was Cuban, which I suppose makes him Latino...

Of course, "race" is pretty much how you want to define it. I'd guess that most Americans think of Cubans as white. Until recently, I worked with a Cuban lady who's paler than I am.

That doesn't say much about most Americans in 2010... (Must be the lack of funding going to education....*ahem*)

Anywho, Afro-Cuban's were actually the ones who pretty much created salsa music; Mambo Kings touches on this a bit...(as does the novel)...

Celia Cruz, an Afro-Cuban, was pretty much the most popular Cuban singer, AFAIK, before she passed away....

Pitbull, is a current rapper from Cuba...(And he sure doesn't look white).

Was it controversial, though? Bold and daring, certainly perhaps, but I remember hearing that they didn't recieve any hate mail. Maybe my memory is stupid again I don't know.

I know there was some negative letter about Uhura, but I forget whether or not it was due to the kiss.

I vaguely recall it in one of the behind-the-scenes books....

It turned out that the guy who sent the negative received a photo of Nichelle Nichols, and a thank-you letter...or something to that effect...

You're thinking of Letters to Star Trek by Susan Sackett. It's an interesting read - one person even asked for an autographed picture of the U.S.S. Enterprise!

Yeah, that was probably it. (I don't recall reading the book, so I probably read an excerpt in Starlog, or some sci-fi magazine...)

 

[ToddPence]

Kirk's line in the last scene of City on the Edge of Forever ("Let's get the hell out of here."). According the Michael Hemmingsen's book "Star Trek: A Post-Structural Critique of the Original Series", this was the first instance of the word "hell" used as a curse on American television. Probably pretty controversial in its day.

In a 1960 episode of "Route 66", Jay C. Flippen says (referring to Arlene Sax-Martel's character) "Just get her the hell out of my sight." I guess Hemmingsen doesn't consider that a curse.

 

[Gary7]

Lets not forget that, apparently, the original script had Spock kissing Uhura, where the writers thought there wouldn't be much noise since Spock is an alien. It wasn't until Shatner realized the potential importance of the scene when he wanted to be the one to do it.

Yes indeed. What makes it odd for me is that rather than using a camera angle that might leave the kiss ambiguous, you got to see part of Shatner's mouth. His upper lip wasn't touching hers. It looked very peculiar.

I read somewhere that they had many takes on this scene, possibly because Shatner wanted to milk it for all it was worth.

 

[Anji]

Nah. Shatner's a lady's man no question, but I think they did multiple takes ( although I never heard that) because incase the one they chose didn't make it past the network they had other shots they could switch out.

By the way, it was controversal just to have a black woman on TV in the 60s.

 

[Nightdiamond]

Kirk also kissed, married and impregnated a Native America Woman type on TOS, and no big deal was made of it .

No real controversy, but it was only or mainly reserved for Uhura and Kirk.

There was obviously a double standard (back then) that couldn't be ignored, most of it from society itself.


Another is when Abraham Lincoln says to Uhura 'an enchanting negress', or something, to which Uhura isn't offended but replies that by her century humans have evolved beyond being offended by labels.


Gene, bless his soul, main intention of creating Trek was to address a society that evolved out of bigotry-it didn't exist in his creation.


Sexually, when Kirk is seen submitting to Deela's advances (Wink of an Eye")-at first he's shown kissing her- a cut to a bridge scene, then back to Kirk and he's sitting on the bed looking as if he's putting back on his boots, while Deeal is combing her hair.

Did they do it?

 

[Warped9]

It may not be considered controversial but evil/Kirk's attempted rape of Janice Rand in "The Enemy Within" still strikes me as pretty potent.

 

[number6]

Chekov's attempted rape of Mara in Day of the Dove seemed pretty dark..

 

[klh]

I think this!

Was Gene Rodenberry trying to play the race card?

I don't know about controversial, but it certainly should be in the running for worst makeup. I've seen football fans made up better than that.

"I'm melting, I'm melting!"

 

[ToddPence]

Last month at the animal shelter I saw a kitten who had an almost perfectly half-black, half-white face divided right down the middle. That cat must have been imported from Cheron! Whoever adopts him should name him Lokai.

 

[Nerys Myk]

By the way, it was controversal just to have a black woman on TV in the 60s.

Just how controversial was it? While shows weren't exactly overlowing with black women one could find them on more than a few shows. Diahann Carroll in Julia, Denise Nicholas in Room 222, Eartha Kitt in Batman and other actresses in various one off guest spots. Variety shows also featured black female performers.

 

[omgahitsbritt08]

I definitely agree. I believe it was the kiss between Uhura/Kirk.