Why was Mabel Barret really dropped as Number One?

[tim0122]

There's some talk in the Too Cerebral thread about why Majel Barret was really dropped as Number One from The Cage to Where No Man Has Gone Before. I had always heard that it was because it was thought that people at that time wouldn't have excepted a female first officer. But now people in that thread are saying that is an urban myth and that it was really because of her performance and the fact that she was Gene Roddenberry's mistress. Still, others in that thread propose that the non-exceptance of a female first officer might still have been a factor.

So I'm wondering what the truth is about this.

 

[Therin of Andor]

As with most old chestnuts, there is probably a grain of truth in each of the possibilities. Yes, it was early in TV history to have a woman in a command position. Yes, she was an unknown quantity as a leading lady. And yes, Gene wrote the role for her because she was his mistress. (Ditto the role of Lwaxana in TNG.)

Your thread title calls her "Mabel".

 

[urbandefault]

GR was a money-grubbing horndog, in that order.

The suits didn't like Number One, so ol' G-Rod did what he had to do. He fired M. Lee Hudek, and later re-hired her as Majel Barrett. Network happy, girlfriend happy. Most important, Gene-O happy.

I'm sure there's a Rule of Acquisition in there somewhere.

 

[CrazyMatt]

Per the Justman/Solow book, they didn't like the actress, and they suspected she may have gotten the role because she was GR's mistress.

 

[Zaku]

I saw the episode with the Italian dubbing so I can't really judge, but... was she so bad?

 

[CrazyMatt]

I thought she was fine. But GR stated that she was supposed to be unemotional (essentially predating Spock's persona), and that could have been misinterpreted as a wooden performance.

 

[Zaku]

^ thanks.

 

[Terok Nor]

I thought Majel Barrett was a pretty good actress to be honest. I didn't see any problem with her performace as Number One.

 

[johnnybear]

I didn't see a problem with how she performed in the episode! But does anyone know what her real name was, ie: the character in novels, fan fiction! I could never understand how women were not allowed to be Starfleet Captains in TOS and were in TNG and there were also female Captains in ENT (not that I acknowledge that mess of a show)
JB

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I really liked her in "The Cage" and the enigmatic character was definitely interesting with a lot of potential.

I did read somewhere (possibly another thread here) that the PTB were open to a female XO but just with a different actress in the role. That would of course cause Roddenberry's relationship with Barrett complications, so the character was dropped.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I didn't see a problem with how she performed in the episode! But does anyone know what her real name was, ie: the character in novels, fan fiction! I could never understand how women were not allowed to be Starfleet Captains in TOS and were in TNG and there were also female Captains in ENT (not that I acknowledge that mess of a show)
JB

I think that'll be something we'll never know. In the original pitch (which had Robert April as the Captain) the role was down simply as:
The Executive Officer -- Never referred to as anything but "Number One", this officer is female.

She isn't even expressly described as being human.

 

[borgboy]

If tptb objected to Majel just on the basis of her acting, why did they allow her to play Chapel? I don't believe that rumor, and think it was made up by Majel haters, with a fair dose of sexism added.
I think it's far more likely that Number One was rejected because of sexism, seeing as how we never saw a female Starfleet officer with that level of rank and authority. By comparison we had the great female Romulan Commander (another powerful nameless woman) and Mara the Klingon first officer and science officer. It looks like they could get away with more powerful women as long as they were antagonists.

 

[urbandefault]

If tptb objected to Majel just on the basis of her acting, why did they allow her to play Chapel?

Main character/regular vs tertiary character/recurring. Big difference.

I tend to think the suits had nothing really against a female as 2nd in command. Remember, the 2nd pilot was almost a complete recast--a clean slate. Dropping Number One in that context isn't really a big deal. Yeoman Colt didn't make the cut, either.

Maybe it was Gene himself who wanted to drop the character and just blamed it on the network.

 

[1001001]

Poor Mabel....

 

[Pauln6]

I rather like the way Number One cuts through the crap, spots that Vina is fake, and takes it upon her own initiative to blow stuff up, including herself. She would have been great with Majel playing her. In fact, Chapel in TMP is more like Number One than Chapel was in TOS. Even if they'd carried that forward she would certainly get more respect in novels and fan fic. After all, she shared consciousness with a Vulcan, why couldn't some of that rub off on her?

 

[PCz911]

Poor Mabel....

I admit, I laughed. And then felt super guilty for laughing as I, too, have been the victim of autocorrect on many a type. But, now that I've confessed I'm also guilty, I can laugh again. No offense.

 

[Harvey]

The suits didn't like Number One, so ol' G-Rod did what he had to do. He fired M. Lee Hudek, and later re-hired her as Majel Barrett. Network happy, girlfriend happy. Most important, Gene-O happy.

The M. Lee Hudek pseudonym didn't come into play until they decided to use the first pilot (with new scenes, called the "envelope") during season one. All the casting and production files from "The Menagerie" (the first pilot wasn't rebranded as "The Cage," one of it's earlier, working titles, until after the series was canceled) refer to her as "Majel Barrett."

 

[urbandefault]

GR was a money-grubbing horndog, in that order.

The suits didn't like Number One, so ol' G-Rod did what he had to do. He fired M. Lee Hudek, and later re-hired her as Majel Barrett. Network happy, girlfriend happy. Most important, Gene-O happy.

I'm sure there's a Rule of Acquisition in there somewhere.

The M. Lee Hudek pseudonym didn't come into play until they decided to use the first pilot (with new scenes, called the "envelope") during season one. All the casting and production files from "The Menagerie" (the first pilot wasn't rebranded as "The Cage," one of it's earlier, working titles, until after the series was canceled) refer to her as "Majel Barrett."

A nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat, eh? Say no more!

 

[Harvey]

A nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat, eh? Say no more!

So you like...photography, eh?

 

[Greg Cox]

I didn't see a problem with how she performed in the episode! But does anyone know what her real name was, ie: the character in novels, fan fiction!

If you'll allow me a shameless plug, the question of her name is addressed in my new Trek novel, CAPTAIN TO CAPTAIN, which just went on sale a few days ago. I won't divulge it here because SPOILERS, but I can mention that I realized early on that we were going to have to finally come up with a name with her because, minor spoiler, the book spans decades, both before and after her stint on Pike's Enterprise, and calling a young ensign--and, later, a seasoned captain--"Number One" just wasn't going to fly.

And, yes, Number One does end up as a captain in her own right, at least in the books.