What's the deal with Saavik?

@TrickyDickie
If you prefer to think of Kirk as a guy who wouldn't have sex with a woman who he wasn't married to, I don't feel a need to change your mind.
I don't need to yuck your yum, as the kids apparently say these days.
My main point still holds: women generally found him attractive, and not just physically. If he had asked Yeoman Rand, for example, he probably would have gotten a yes, even though (perhaps even because) he wouldn't ask.
He sees that David has that too, and is simultaneously proud and jealous.

 

Actually no. In Rand's case, he did ask, and she said no. As both characters were written, they placed duty above their feelings and whinged about it when only their minds were unbalanced.

That said , it doesn't change the fact that she wanted to, which is the point you are making. ;-p

 

I never really got the sense that Kirk was a womaniser or into casual sex. Just that he had a tendency to fall in love easily only to discover that his commitment to Enterprise outweighed his ability to commit to a relationship.

 

In my opinion, it just doesn't fit his character as depicted in TOS....including the TOS movies.

In TVH, Spock has this line, describing Kirk:

"He is a man of deep feelings."

In TWOK, we got that he wanted to be around when he could for David growing up. But Carol thought that his career as a starship captain would create a negative influence.

These and other things suggest that he would be unlikely to have casual sex whenever the opportunity presented itself.

 

Kirk witnessed half the people on the planet he was living on vaporized right in front of him as a teenager. And he certainly seems to have bumped around a lot world to world as a Starfleet brat, never putting down roots, unlike his brother. He might have had trouble committing. Anyway he was married to the Big E.

 

This begs the question, was his self imposed ban on dating subordinates sensible? If he'd found the right woman among his crew, could they have made it work? He's not Picard. Kirk sends Helen Noel into danger in a heartbeat.

 

We don't know what he thought, because the producers didn't follow up on those plot elements in later episodes.

I took it as being more Starfleet frowning on fraternization with subordinates in the chain of command.

 

It's unclear because it only seems to apply to the captain so it might be self imposed. We see officers of different rank dating and marrying while serving on the same ship. Kirk mentions that other crewmen are ' allowed ' to notice Rand.

Chekov was technically Landon's superior officer.

 

Yeah, it might only be a prohibition where the captain is concerned.

I've been thinking about the whole casual sex issue and whereas we have HIV, HPV, and other issues to concern us in the here-and-now, that may all be resolved by the 23rd century.

On the lighter side, maybe they solved it by everyone having some kind of a greeble on an inner thigh that sounds a loud alarm if disease is detected.

Could get a bit awkward, though.

 

Space herpes can be a bitch!

Seriously though, incompatible bacterial biomes leaking out in breath or saliva, or sweat would be far more of a concern than STIs.

 

Just ask the crew in Ice Pirates!

To use one of the theories regarding the origins of many STIs, incompatible bacterial biomes could create a whole slew of new ones.

 

Maybe that was with Spock's help, sneaking up on him when he was unconscious and making him forget.

 

The memories may fade but the rash remains.

 

There's nothing that indicates a requirement for celibacy. Just rules on fraternising with subordinates. Which really only impacts the Captain and 1st Officer as the only ones without other crew at the same rank. And if it's anything like military fraternisation rules it's more about ensuring that the chain of command isn't compromised and there is no appearance of unfairness or improper use of rank for personal gain. So relationships (even between a captain and an ensign) might not be prohibited, but if the ensign that's sleeping with the captain gets a sudden series of promotions, there would be questions asked.

 

I agree that even in the here-and-now if it can be done reasonably, with no abuse of any kind, let them alone about it.

 

HPV is a new one on me??
JB