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The Complex Sex of Star Trek

Written by Will Stape on August 5, 2009 – 5:28 pm -

Gene Roddenberry set his space fabled sci-fi show, Star Trek, hundreds of years in the future from when it was actually created for TV in 1966. Setting Captain Kirk’s Enterprise in a far flung era guaranteed that Roddenberry could explore facets of human society which were difficult to broach in 1960′s America. One of the most difficult to get by censors and sponsors was the then nearly taboo subject of sexuality. Though even with a far future timeline safety net, the original Star Trek never boldly dipped into sexual taboos – at least not obviously. Aside from legendary Lothario James T. Kirk’s many romantic involvements, there wasn’t much exploration on the wide range of sexuality.

You could humorously point out, the only ones getting sex were little furry critters called Tribbles. These horny fuzzballs engaged in so much sex, they were born pregnant. The final episode which aired in 1969, ‘Turnabout Intruder’ did posit a notion of body switching between male and female. When an old, bitter flame of Kirk surfaces, her revenge is switching bodies with him. William Shatner plays most of the show turning in a more ‘feminine’ performance and one may argue it verges on an exploration of trans-gender experiences. Also in the first big Star Trek movie, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the character of Lt. Ilia (Persis Khambatta) is a Deltan – an alien race incredibly comfortable with sex in all forms. When introduced she says, “My celibacy oath is on record.” One can only surmise that if this oath was not pledged or enforced, there would be more than a few broken hearts on Starship Enterprise.

What follows are some of Star Trek’s most memorable, fantastic and all around fascinating sexual stories.

Star Trek: Original Series‘Amok Time’ – Vulcan Mating Cycle

When Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) goes into a kind of Vulcan version of “heat’ – Kirk gets Starfleet’s permission to take him back to his homeworld of Vulcan, where he’s forced to battle his first officer to the death over a beautiful Vulcan girl.

One of the most popular and intriguing episodes of any Star Trek series, it takes the powerful sexual urges of mating which all species experience and use it to show more backstory of the Spock character and about his Vulcan homeworld. Seeing the normally reserved, even aloof Spock scream at colleagues – his Captain included – then try to bash in Kirk’s head with a Vulcan fighting staff is disconcerting to say the least, but incredibly fun. Ultimately, we realize just what a complex alien race Vulcans are and how much their sexuality controls them – though they’d of course logically argue that point to a deathmatch or tridimensional chessmatch as well

Star Trek: The Next Generation

‘The Host’ – Symbiotic Lifeform Romance

Starship Enterprise 1701-D Chief Medical Officer Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) falls hard for a handsome alien ambassador. Unknown to the good doctor, Odan is a ‘joined species’ – a Trill. These aliens appear to all the galaxy as only humanoid, however they carry a large worm like entity within which shares the physical body and mind. It’s like getting two for the price of one.

When Odan is mortally wounded, his symbiont is temporarily placed into Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes), so his diplomatic mission can conclude. The now ‘joined’ Riker continues an affair with Crusher, and has sexual relations with her. Finally, when a biologically compatible host is found on the Trill world, the new Odan becomes female. Despite Crusher’s romantic and emotional feelings, she tells a now female Odan she just can’t adjust to such physical changes, though she hope’s humanity will mature to the point where such physical things won’t be primary in romances.

While a complex and wonderful story in most ways, when the finale brings Dr. Crusher smack dab into the prospect of a lesbian relationship, it sums things up way too tidy, or idealistically. Crusher’s excuse to Odan is more platitude than personal truth. The simple fact is Dr. Crusher isn’t attracted to the same sex. She’s a heterosexual human being and that’s her truth. In our world today, it’s possible for people to get sex changes, or reassignments. Whatever you want to call them, the fact remains that if a husband lost his wife for awhile, only to find her again a year or so later as a man, I’m betting he wouldn’t be able to carry on the marriage. Humans have very powerful sexual needs. To deny that power and simply say that emotional ‘love’ is the only answer, is being woefully simplistic.

‘The Outcast’ – Androgyny – Asexual Life

When Commander Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) works closely with an alien named Soren (Melinda Culea) of the J’naii race, he learns Soren’s people have no gender – no male nor female – they are androgynous. Soon, Soren expresses romantic interest in Riker and explains that in J’naii society to take on a gender is a crime, however confesses to him that she feels she was born a true female. Riker engages in sexual relations with Soren, but J’naii officials discover Soren’s crime and she’s imprisoned. A now enraged Riker goes to break out his new love from confinement, however when he meets Soren again, the gender mindset and feelings for him have been banished by a psychological treatment. Riker sadly leaves the androgynous world alone.

It’s a wonderfully effective episode, with great acting performances. It proves quite sympathetic for Cmdr. Riker. From his Imzadi Counselor Troi, to Soren, he never seems to be able to hold on to love. What seems a bit convenient is Soren’s transformation into a proper and law abiding member of J’naii society. Although, it can be argued that this is a strong metaphor for our own world. Soren now lives a life society wants for her, demands for her, much the way many homosexual men or lesbian women live a life of lies, for fear of rejection from friends and family for being different.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

‘Rejoined’ – Lesbian love

When the Trill alien science officer Lt. Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) of station Deep Space Nine, meets up with a long lost love, Lenara Khan (Susanna Thompson), in a new female body, their romance is reignited. However Trill rules of law explicitly state that this is forbidden – it’s called ‘re-association.’ It promotes a too closed or even incestuous society, since Trill feel that symbionts and hosts must be as open and experience as many things as possible in their lifetimes. Holding on to old loves and relationships is not good for their collective wisdom. The two reject that notion and try to become a couple again, but they realize that if they continue, they’ll be abandoned from the Trill homeworld and their symbionts would not be accepted back into new hosts. They mutually agree that this is too high a price to pay for their love – and sadly go their separate ways.

Again, this is a story which becomes outstanding more for acting, than plot. While again the metaphor for gays and lesbians being rejected from society is here, it seems convenient, even predictable at the tale’s end. Actresses Terry Farrell and Susanna Thompson share Star Trek’s first ‘same sex kiss’ – similar in TV historic nature as when William Shatner (Kirk) and Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) shared TV’s first interracial kiss back in original series episode “Plato’s Stepchildren.”

Star Trek: Enterprise

“Unexpected” – Male Pregnancy

When Enterprise engineer Trip (Connor Trinneer) engages in a playful game with an alien female, he is unintentionally impregnated with a female embryo. After a short, but lively confrontation with Klingons, it’s concluded Trip’s little bundle of joy can be transferred safely to another host. As the Enterprise departs, T’Pol tells Trip that he’s the first male on record in human history to be pregnant. He snaps back, “… Just how I always wanted to get in the history books!”

Shades of “Junior” – the Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy as a pregnant man abound here. The story, while fun, doesn’t contain much depth other than perhaps Trip’s empathic connection now to all future pregnant women he meets. It seems an opportunity lost. If there was more of a pressing concern or a conscious effort on the part of Trip, or the wacky, impregnating aliens to volunteer for such a unique, difficult medical procedure, it would be a chance to discuss gender and procreation roles seriously, not just laugh at hapless Trip’s accidental pregnant plight.

Honorable Mention

Spock & Uhura’s Romance In J.J. Abram’s Star Trek

Though not sexually fantastic in a broad or rare way, the pairing of Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana as half Vulcan, half human Spock and all human Uhura respectively, was not only surprising, but romantically dynamic. Both these young performers are not only incredibly physically attractive, but their chemistry onscreen is undeniable. We can only look forward breathlessly to more sizzling, erotic moments between this sexy duo in future Star Trek movies.

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Tags: androgyny, Deep Space Nine, Gene Roddenberry, Leonard Nimoy, Lesbian, male pregnancy, sex, Star Trek, trans-gender, William Shatner
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