Season 1: Ep. 1 Pilot: The Cage -- or -- Dammit, Jim! I'm a gentleman, not a cavalier!

Oh dear. This is a doozy.

What IS she wearing?!

It's the first pilot episode (as in, there were two) of Star Trek: The Original Series submitted and rejected by NBC, and let me tell you... 

If this episode had been my first exposure to Star Trek as an adult, I'd probably not lovingly consider myself an honorary Trekkie.

I'm just... so... ashamed.

First, let me say that for its time it was incredibly advanced and forward thinking when it came to the equality and competency of women in the workplace; however, I cringed at modern-day implications of several statements and inferences. The officer known only as "Number One" or "Lieutenant" is a woman: tall, brunette, blue eyes, portrayed as smart and competent, but still a woman.

There is one unnamed female officer with no dialogue who has only a short time on the screen on the bridge,

and a young, female Yeoman (Colt) joins them on the bridge briefly, but notably.

I say notably because of this summation by Captain Pike:

Captain Pike: She does a good job, all right [referring to Yeoman Colt]. It's just that I can't get used to having a woman on the bridge. No offence, Lieutenant [referring to Number One]. You're different, of course.

The blatant misogyny of the era can be well-documented in this episode:

Give us SEXY!

Star Fleet officer pouty face.

I got here by daydreaming my way out of problems.

Well, I heard about those creatures on Talos V... best manicure in the galaxy.

I mention this because my son and niece are starting to discover difference (perceived or observed) between the genders. "Girl stuff" and "boy stuff" is a legitimate division to them. The idea that everyone should fit into one neat category or the other is not new for our species, but it's nevertheless outdated. My goal is not to indoctrinate the children into the campaign for total gender equality (read: gender sameness) that some people have experienced since the 60s, but to empower them to celebrate their differences AND revel in their similarities. Women and men ARE different if you look at whole populations. But there is far more variance WITHIN the genders than between them. I'm encouraged now more than ever about the direction I see my society heading. Take the "Throw Like a Girl" or the Dove Real Beauty commercials along with a plethora of other articles and posts from empowered women on Facebook and Twitter.

The climate for a gender worldview update is now. I'm proud to bear a torch for humanity, not just women or children or elderly, but all the disenfranchised. Today we fight the good fight for a change in perception, a change in attitude. I see the seeds of that throughout the Star Trek series, even though we view it through a filter of male-dominated storytelling. While a majority of the characters in the original series were caucasians, the entire series' foundational theme rests of the discovery of "new worlds and new civilizations," unknown beings, and inherently different ways of life to bring peace and unity to the galaxy. Instead of being angry at the show for it's period treatment of women (because: puns HA!), I choose to appreciate the step it took at a crucial time in history that set us on a path where women today are more supported in their attempts to break from the narrow mold of womanhood into leading lives more completely and fully, even *gasp* those deciding never to have children.

If taken at modern-day face value, this episode would be incredibly offensive. I still advise watching it to appreciate the distance we have come from those oppressive and pervasive presumptions that women are not capable of the clear thought and presence of mind that men are depicted as mastering. The struggle for this equality "carrot" we all chase will be the journey that gives and our progeny the foundation needed to take us up into the stars as a unified species just as Star Trek predicts.

Voyage of the Starship MissPerception

I recently began to voyage my way through Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) on Netflix. Originally, it was a nostalgic endeavor; I grew up watching Star Trek: Next Generation and had seen scattered episodes of TOS here and there, and I've seen every single Star Trek movie several times.

I grew up thinking Captain Kirk was a badass, too, although I'd never call him that to my parents' faces.

So, the purist in me wanted to go back to when it all started and watch TOS from beginning to end. I know there are some pretty historic moments in this series: the first televised interracial kiss (Season 3, Episode 10), Khan's origin story (Season 1, Episode 22), and the first appearance of the (very-different-looking) Klingons (Season 1, Episode 23), to name a few. Initially, I wanted to document my thoughts about the stories and themes, do a little nerdy stardate chronology, and keep some quotables handy.

I made my way almost completely (some 28 episodes) through the first season when I realized how just watching the series over again had affected my perspective of humanity and attitude toward parenting the future. (My little man HAS included the TV series' intro theme music in his mindless humming catalogue.) In almost every episode there is a meme-able life lesson or line that when I heard it, made me feel guilty for not jotting it down or posting it on Facebook. Other times, the crew gets into situations and has to work out a solution for a problem that may not have a good or straightforward answer. It is these episodes that prompt me to ruminate about what it means to be "right" or "just" or to have "virtue". These topics are thought-provoking on their own, but I have a child to raise, one who bears a striking, if not disturbing likeness to Captain Kirk both in mannerism and voracity of life. What say you TOS to the challenge of PARENTING?!

I am a parent.

duh!

As such, I have a certain opinion about what is decent, what is just, what is noble, based on my experience growing a tiny person. These episodes feed me the kind of intellectual stimulant that can help develop new methods for enriching and encouraging my son to grow in wisdom and truth, like this nugget:

Captain Kirk: "Let me help." A hundred years or so from now, I believe, a famous novelist will write a classic using that theme. He'll recommend those three words even over "I love you."

For those who don't yet know the boss-ness that is Captain James T. Kirk's classic gaze or the restless hounding from Dr. McCoy toward the logical Mr. Spock, I implore you to put on your imagination hats...

These will do nicely.

... and take yourself on a journey to rediscover one of the most treasured sci fi universes in the galaxy (and beyond) by watching the series. My hope is that anyone who wonders why I love Star Trek will understand how magical and ground-breaking this series really was and give it a chance to provoke thought and discussion about the human condition, whether or not you have a brood.

A couple more things to look forward to:

1)

Dr. McCoy has some of the best lines/faces in the show! I want you to know what they are!

2) There have also been a couple of episodes where members of the crew (or the whole starship) have travelled to different times in the past (by our standards AND the characters') to revisit the show's current (at its air date) cultural climate. In these episodes we get to hear fun little predictions about World War III in the 1990s and how in 2018 man was finally able to overcome obstacles to travelling long distances through space. I think it would be fun to draw out a Star Wars Predicts calendar. #imnerdyandilikeit

I know there are probably a billion other blogs out there dissecting Star Trek canon minutiae to an annoying capacity, and I hope this won't read that way for my readers. I just want to pique interest in a "nerdy" pastime that raises so many valid points about what it means to lead with integrity and respect and how those lessons can be applied to raising a child. In a world that can be condescending, judgemental, contemptuous, and prejudiced, the ideas and philosophy perpetuated throughout the Star Trek Universe are poignant and timely for CFs (child-frees) and parents alike.