Sex Trek

In the beginning, there was Kirk. James Tiberius Kirk. A.K.A. James "Tomcat" Kirk to my college friends. We actually planned our weekend activities so that if it were possible to catch Star Trek on NBC we would, even when it was stupidly stuck on a Friday night. More than a few dates began after we had our quota of watching Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Star Trek was beloved by the group I hung out with, and even if the ratings overall weren't that great, I can attest to the popularity of the show among the young males who have always been so hard for advertisers to reach. Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Sulu, Chekov, Uhura, Chapel. The multi-racial, multi-species, multi-gender crew gave us all hope that there would be a future, not a given during that very unstable time.

For those of us who had discovered science fiction in the form of Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, et. al. early in life, like me, Star Trek was an amazing achievement. Yes, all the trappings of space travel were there: faster than light travel; aliens; instantaneous (or at least, apparently instantaneous) "subspace" communications; stories that examined human ethics and morality, safely cloaked by the time/space factor; strange new worlds--and some very interesting character relationships.

The interplay of the relationships tied the Enterprise crew to our own existence in the contemporary world. It was the pathway for the "willing suspension of disbelief." This principal is one of the most important tenets of all fiction, really, but especially for fantasy and science fiction. We, the viewers/readers, will accept the most outlandish plot points or scientific explanation as long as it is done plausibly enough. And from the very beginning, even in that original pilot that we didn't see until mid-season when "The Cage" was spliced into the two part episode, "The Menagerie," sex was right up front as part of the relationship mix.

It was the Sixties. Free love was in vogue, even though there were some of us, even then, who had a hunch it wasn't really as "free" as it was cracked up to be. In the movies, things were starting to get really hot. Television began to reflect that, and nowhere was that more in evidence than on Star Trek.

It is not true that Kirk made it with a female guest star every week. It was clear from the gleam in his eye, however, that he always entertained the possibility. That "Tomcat" nickname my friends and I dubbed him with was definitely deserved. Spock, McCoy, and even Scotty got into the act upon occasion, but Kirk was the one who usually got the action. I'm not sure whether I really mind, actually, now that I think back on it. After all, the guy's one true love was his ship.

The whole "slash" fiction thing originally came to be because there were never enough female regulars to go around to satisfy the fan fiction writers with romance in their hearts. Mary Sue's get tiring after a while. Kirk/Spock was never really the primary romantic relationship on the show, although it was definitely an easier pairing for those who longed to write love scenes than the true, natural Kirk/___ pairing. Writing Kirk/Enterprise fiction would have cramped the writer's styles. I mean, seriously, how do you write a love scene with a starship?

"My beautiful, beautiful ship," Kirk breathed, stroking her firm, shapely nacelles. Let me make love to you until your warp core overheats..."

Gotta tell you. Does nothing for me. Kirk's roaming eye was a lot easier to accept because he was Sacrificing His Personal Life for "My Ship, My Crew."

The costume department increased the steaminess factor. Kirk managed to have his costume stripped off his upper body as often as the producers could find an excuse. Those little minis and boots on Uhura and the other women of the crew may look laughable now, but while they have drawn much comment from those who did not live through the Sixties, I have to admit that I knew lots of coeds (and how's that for a nostalgic term?) who wore outfits that covered about the same amount of tush.

The guest stars were the ones that wore the really wild costumes, however. Leslie Parrish's Lt. Palamas had a strategically arranged toga in "Who Mourns for Adonis" that must have been held on with spit and a prayer. Louise Sorel as Rayna in "Requiem for Methuselah," Sharon Acker as Odona in "The Mark of Gideon," Kathie Browne as Deela in "The Wink of an Eye"--the list of female guest stars who wore gravity-defying costumes could go on and on. Every now and then Gene Roddenberry would throw in an episode like "The Apple," in which a bunch of men pranced around with only the most strategic parts of their bodies covered, for the pleasure and edification of the female viewing audience. For the most part, however, in episode after episode, the female form was revealed as much as the network censors would allow.

While it is easy to make fun of it now, I can't say it really bothered me all that much at the time. The costumes were creative. Despite, or maybe because of, the outlandishness of our everyday Sixties wardrobe, they usually worked well as "alien" garb.

Those overheated costumes and Kirk and Company's forays into the sack with people they hardly knew and were never going to see again were legendary, but let us see which segments of the show have stood the test of time, to be counted among the top episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS, hereafter, for reasons that are undoubtedly obvious to anyone reading this). Among those that seem to appear over and over again on fan "top ten" lists are "The Trouble with Tribbles," a delightful bit of fluff; "The Doomsday Machine," with an excellent and gripping science fiction premise; "The Devil in the Dark," the story of a foster mother protecting her brood from brutish murderers (as it turned out, insensitive humans were the murderers); "Journey to Babel," squabbles among the diplomatic corps as well as between father and son, and "Amok Time." Only this last had anything hot and sweaty in it, and that was Kirk and Spock fighting in the original "resolving the pon farr" episode (more slash inspiration). Oh, and a couple of "relationship" episodes usually show up, too: "This Side of Paradise" and "The City on the Edge of Forever," the episode that generally heads the list of "best" or "favorite" TOS episodes of all time.

What these two episodes have in common are believable romantic relationships that end unhappily, standard series fare then as well as now. Both, however, were well executed. In "This Side of Paradise" the supposedly unemotional Spock is able, for a brief time, to allow his romantic feelings for Leila Kalomi to show, thanks to some helpful spores. Because the spores ruin "ambition," however, they cannot be allowed to work their magic on the colonists or Enterprise crew. Giving In to Love, apparently, would mean the end of Federation Civilization As We Know It.

At least poor Jill Ireland's Leila got to live. Not so Joan Collins' Edith Keeler, a beloved character in Trek even though she only appeared once. Because she was right about world peace at the wrong point in history, Edith had to die. There aren't many scenes in all of television, not just on Trek, more heartbreaking than the climax of "City at the Edge of Forever." Kirk must hold back McCoy from saving the life of the woman the captain has grown to love. While McCoy rants about how he could have saved her, Spock quietly comments, "He knows, Doctor. He knows."

Of course, we know the real reason Edith Keeler had to die. Couldn't have anyone coming between Kirk and the next casual love affair, could we?

After three years of episodes, the last year due in no small measure to Bjo Trimble and others who activated a letter-writing campaign to keep the show on the air, TOS went to that great series graveyard in the sky.

And then, a miracle. The show became more popular in syndication than it had on the network. A pulse could again be detected. George Lucas' Star Wars erupts, and Paramount realizes that it has an exploitable resource that mines the same general territory. Movies are made.

During the course of those movies, we discover that Captain Kirk managed to find the time to reproduce at least once after all. (Considering his sexual history, there may be many Kirk descendants exploring the Alpha Quadrant in the twenty-fourth century, but not from David Marcus, since David was killed off in The Search for Spock.) Spock experienced pon farr again. The rumor is that Lt. Saavik was to have stayed on Vulcan at the beginning of The Voyage Home to bear Spock's child, but the producers got cold feet and left it out of the movie.

But, the movies made big money. The Franchise was born.

Cut to Star Trek: The Next Generation (hereafter TNG), a series much closer to Gene Roddenberry's original vision than TOS. Women and aliens comprised integral roles on the main bridge from the beginning. NBC may have balked at having Majel Barrett's Number One as second of command of the original Enterprise, but with Deanna Troi, Dr. Beverly Crusher, Security Officer Tasha Yar, Data (who has to be considered an "alien" in this context) and Worf the token Klingon, more than half of the TNG cast were either females or non-humans. Later recurring characters such as Dr. Pulaski, Guinan, and Ro Laren confirmed that impression of the Enterprise-D's multi-ethnic/gender crew.

Again, relationships were the glue that made us care about what was happening even when the science fiction plots were Way Out There. After all, the moral dilemmas the crew might face would not be all that fascinating without characters the viewers truly cared about: Picard and Riker, Geordi and Data, the widowed Beverly and her son Wesley, Beverly and Deanna, even Guinan and Picard (although they kept that relationship nicely ambiguous, didn't they?), among others. Tasha and Data even had a fling, although Tasha informed Data immediately afterward that, "It didn't really happen."

Captain Picard was devoted to his incarnation of the Enterprise, but he didn't seem to be married to it the way Kirk was (can't imagine a love scene between Picard and his ship, even in jest!). He had scruples. As captain of the ship, he would not distract himself from his duty by having an ongoing relationship with anyone on the ship (sorry, Beverly). Ah, the Loneliness of Command. Although he occasionally was drawn to a woman guest star and did not appear to be celibate, Picard was not one to hop in and out of bed indiscriminately with the guest star of the week.

He left that to his first officer, William Thomas Riker, the Best First Officer Never to Become a Captain, and the Enterprise's resident Gift to Females of All Humanoid Species. Two "past" relationships were established in "Encounter at Farpoint," Picard and the widow Crusher and Riker and Deanna Troi. Riker/Troi were Imzadi, a couple who were more than lovers, more than friends, in a life-long bond. In the closing episode of TNG, some bit of closure was achieved with Picard/Crusher, but not with Riker/Troi.

At one science fiction convention a few years ago, Marina Sirtis was asked if there were any chance that Riker/Troi would ever happen. She replied that she doubted it, since Riker had to be free to "shtupp the bimbo of the week." (not sure about the word, but I think you can catch the meaning from context.) Although Riker was not the only one to have affairs (Deanna herself managed several), the first officer was the one whose behavior would have to be considered predatory.

I am not using the word "predatory" lightly, either. One of Picard's stated reasons for not dating anyone from the ship's crew was that it was improper for him to do so, since he was in command of everyone on board. The possibility of abuse of power could not be discounted (sorry, Beverly). Current day newspaper headlines suggest he was right.

Yet, as people in the military have told me, the executive officer is also in command of everyone. Everyone answers to their department head, who answers to the executive officer, who answers to the commanding officer. There is just as much opportunity for abuse of power from someone in the position of first officer as there is from the captain (sorry, Deanna). Riker's sexual behavior always disgusted me in that context.

The obvious answer would be for the top officers to be married. TNG traveled through an Alpha Quadrant that was much better known than in Kirk's day, and the Enterprise was as much a mobile space station as it was a starship. The ship was full of families. Whether the spouse was a crew member or not, the abuse of power thing would hopefully not come up if the officer in question was having his/her needs met in their committed relationship. Balancing the needs of a family and the ship would be difficult of course, a potential for conflict. The basis for all drama and good storytelling.

Hmmm. Can anyone say, "missed opportunity," Boys and Girls?

Since the Enterprise was a huge ship that accomodated families, it was not exactly surprising that eventually there were a couple of relationships. Worf had Klingon sex with K'Ehleyr and managed to reproduce. Of course, since he was an alien and his enamorata was killed off as soon as Worf found out he had become a father, that was acceptable to The Powers That Be (hereafter to be known as TPTB). Unfortunately, this reduces K'Ehleyr, one of the most interesting of Trek characters ever, to the status of "bimbo of the week." Her son Alexander was promptly shipped off to Worf's adoptive parents on Earth. After Wesley was dispatched to Starfleet Academy, Alexander was allowed back on the Enterprise. I personally thought the relationship between Alexander and Worf was one of the more realistic on the show and helped to add to that "willing suspension of disbelief" that I mentioned earlier.

Eventually, we were allowed to have Keiko and Miles O'Brien. A real marriage, and a baby on board, literally. Of course, Keiko was never seen or heard of before her wedding day. One episode at least mentioning their courtship would have been nice. Since Keiko and daughter Mollie O'Brien were only plot devices to be trotted out whenever it might help a story, we did not really see much evolution of the O'Brien relationship until the couple moved their family to Deep Space Nine. I must admit, however, that I was frustrated enough by the Riker/Troi and Picard/Crusher phantom relationships to be thankful for small favors by this point.

Now we come to Deep Space Nine (DS9, from now on, of course). I personally love DS9. I have always liked the fact that one area of space is being explored in depth. The spirituality of the Bajoran people is fascinating, simply because religion is absent from so much of Trek. Some wonderful episodes have appeared on DS9, too: "The Quickening," "The Visitor," "In the Hands of the Prophets," "The Collaborator," "Dr. Bashir, I Presume," and "Nor the Battle to the Strong" to name a few of my favorites. The exploration of the Federations' conflict with the Dominion and Cardassians fascinates me. The stories in general are darker than other incarnations of Trek. There is more moral ambiguity, fewer happy endings. I like that, a lot. The science fiction plots are there, and so are the relationships between characters, but DS9 pulls off the "willing suspension of disbelief" more than the other series through the strength of stories which resonate with the rather ambiguous fin de siecle sensibilities of our own time.

Of course, relationships are essential here, too. The commanding officer was even a married man with a family! Of course, the wife was killed off in the opening sequence of the pilot, but we can't have everything. One of the greatest pleasures of this show, however, has been the wonderful father/son interplay between Captain Sisko and Jake. The romantic issues that Picard grappled with are less in evidence here, as there have always been plenty of civilians for Sisko to choose from if he wanted a relationship.

And that's a good thing, too, because that space station off Bajor would definitely be the "Love Boat" if it were as mobile as the Enterprise. It seems that everybody has been in love with somebody at some point, and most of them seem to be in active relationships right now. Sisko, I believe, is still involved with Kasidy Yates. Rom and Leeta have gotten married. That seems to be allowed since they are both of alien species. This proviso also extends to Dax and Worf, who expect to marry this season. With Alexander back for at least occasional visits, I look forward to watching Worf's family.

(Does anyone know why Klingon characters in Trek get so much romantic action, by the way? Do they have a better union, or something? Sorry. I digress. Back to topic.)

Kira has had a couple of long term relationships. Even though Vedek Bariel died, at least he had several episodes to his credit before he was killed off. I never was too impressed with Shakaar, but the relationship with Odo is an interesting one. What seemed at one time to be an impossible dream for Odo might not be. He has a lot to offer to Kira. Not only has he been devoted to her for years, but a being who can take any form offers some rather, shall we say, intriguing possibilities for romance. (I won't go any further into that; I am sure your active imaginations can supply a better punchline than I can.)

And here on DS9 dwell Miles and Keiko O'Brien with their expanding brood. The first honest-to-gosh, real, intact, nuclear family to be seen regularly, if sporadically, on Trek. They are even human! I wish that Rosalind Chao's Keiko was a regular, rather than a recurring cast member, since the show has confronted some important issues about raising children when both parents have careers. While their two children testify to the fact that Miles and Keiko must have a sex life, it isn't exactly being featured in the episodes. Still, as I said before, beggars can't be choosers. The O'Briens are married, are usually happy with each other, and neither one has been killed off. Yet.

Then there's Julian Bashir. The Designated Male Sex Machine of DS9. Now that we know little "Jules" Bashir was a mentally deficient child genetically enhanced to be the superior being we have known since the beginning of the series, his cherchez la femme proclivities becomes a little easier to understand. His self-esteem has needed that boost, as the good young doctor has apparently felt more than a bit like a fraud all of his life. Since Julian is not in the command hierarchy, I have had a much easier time accepting his . . . enthusiasm, let us call it . . . for the opposite sex. Interestingly, there is a lot more that has been hinted at than actually shown concerning Julian's sex life. No wonder the Julian/Garak and Julian/Anybody-Male slash writers have been busy.