Star Trek Too Woke? How About Not Woke Enough?
"Strange New Worlds" shouldn't try to "straight-wash" Christine Chapel
Although Star Trek in recent years has occasionally been accused of having become “too woke,” there have been more than one instance when it just hasn't been woke enough.
Take the scene from the final broadcast episode of the original series, “Turnabout Intruder,” in which we're told flatly that — even in the 23rd century — women aren't allowed to captain starships.
Or, well, the entire Next Generation episode, “Code of Honor,” which rightly is seen as nothing but racist dreck.
Is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in the midst of setting up a new flub?
It's perhaps looking that way from the series’ penultimate episode of its second season, “Subspace Rhapsody.”
The story breaks up the nascent relationship between Spock (Ethan Peck) and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) as she is accepted for a fellowship with Dr Roger Korby.
That would be the same Dr Korby (Michael Strong) we meet in the TOS episode, “What Are Little Girls Made For?”
In that episode, the Enterprise travels to Exo III.
We learn that Chapel (Majel Barrett) eventually became romantically involved with Korby and two were set to be wed.
According to Memory Alpha:
In or shortly before 2261, Korby led an expedition to Exo III, where he was badly injured by exposure to the planet's bitter cold. He lived long enough to discover an ancient android civilization there. Using their techniques, he constructed an android body into which he transferred his consciousness. His ruined corporeal form expired that year, but his consciousness survived for over five years as an android.
It's a nice bit of lore and continuity to connect Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in this way to the events of the original series.
Great, except that we learned during the first season of Strange New Worlds that Nurse Chapel is bisexual.
But, except for a line of exposition in “Spock Amok” referring to “that gal on Argelius II,” Chapel’s been portrayed as aggressively heterosexual.
She enters into a relationship with Spock, only then to be connected quickly with another man who will become her fiance.
It's entirely valid that bisexual folks — myself included — can be both bi and lean one way or another.
We can even experience what's known as the “Bi-Cycle,” which is defined as “the ebb and flow of attraction to different sexes that a bisexual person may experience.”
Again: completely valid.
And the completely casual way in which Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) referred to Chapel's same-sex relationship points to just the kind of future which I want to see in which pursuit of relationships with whatever gender pleases you is so accepted and the norm that there's no longer a need to “come out” as gay, lesbian or bisexual.
And, yet, we have problem here.
It seems like a complete cop-out to bother to go out of your way establish a given character as open to queer relationships and then completely walk away from pursuing that ever again.
I only hope that this is not some kind of misguided backlash in light of the fans who complained about the strong LGBTQ representation on Star Trek: Discovery.
“Straight-washing” gay characters is a phenomenon I had hoped that Hollywood had firmly consigned to the past.
But it's also a practice with a long history, as well.
Back in the 1970s, the TV series Soap introduced the character of Jodie Dallas, played by a very young Billy Crystal.
Jodie was a gay character — clearly described as gay, not bisexual — but very quickly the writers and producers started putting him in bed with women.
Lest you think straight-washing was a thing of distant past, as recently as 2007 an episode of the network series Las Vegas called for the character of Delinda (Molly Sims) to kiss another woman.
What she does instead, on-camera — bizarrely — is lick the other woman's neck.
These are but two examples of straight-washing mainstream Hollywood
It would be a terrible betrayal of Star Trek’s legacy if the creative team on Strange New Worlds chose to bring it back now in the 23rd century.
This Away Team Takes Our Heroes … To The Picket Lines
Star Trek's family of writers and actors continue to spend the summer supporting the dual strike going on in Hollywood, lending some familiar faces in the franchise out on the picket lines.
Those involved in the strike, representing both Tinseltown’s writers and actors, are fighting for such core issues as equitable pay and residuals as well creative protection from industry use of artificial intelligence instead of human actors and writers.
The picket lines have reunited some old friends, such as Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Gates McFadden and her “space son,” Wil Wheaton.
And, others are working their social media on behalf of the cause, like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Melissa Navia, who is online raising money to try to keep strikers financially afloat.
This effort is crucial, especially as the big studios essentially want to try to starve the strikers into capitulation.
If you can, please donate online today.
Hailing frequencies open….
Here's the latest that we've been keeping up with…
Star Trek’s new musical episode happened because of Lin-Manuel Miranda
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Just Pulled Off a Secret Cameo
Leonard Nimoy said he “resented” Star Trek 3 The Search for Spock
MOMENT FOR TREK
Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 10 — Sneak Peek Scene + More Details
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