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onwhatcaptain · 7 months

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To Star Trek TOS fans that say "TOS was so bad, but I love it."

One thing I noticed is that Star Trek TOS fans really will throw their own show under the bus out of pure self-consciousness. Star Trek TOS fans hate themselves a bit and will immediately make it known so others won't attack them for liking it, as if pre-emptively admitting TOS was bad will protect them from any criticism of it. They'll be like "yeah I know it's garbage YEAH everything sucks the plots the costumes the effects the acting blah blah BUT I LOVE IT!"

I mean, not really. Actually, I don't think it's bad. I think plenty of it is fantastic and has some misses and moments that warrant criticism... like everything does.

But frankly, it's no worse than shows they make today. I mean, Riverdale exists. Even Star Trek today can be garbage, like the SNW episode where they said Spock's bowl cut and every single Vulcan behavior is genetic.

You're allowed to like TOS, people. It's really not that bad and tbh the insistence that it was just awful totally contributes to the popular culture image of the whole womanizing rash captain in space concept. Star Trek TOS was great. The costumes and the effects and yes, the acting. Star Trek would not have survived without every single aspect you insist is really bad. I have no idea why we insist on being embarrassed. The effects and costumes were actually fantastic given what they were working with. Let's not be so quick to admit that TOS was shit but we love it. We love the fun, the characters like our lovely and amazing Uhura, Chekov, Scotty, the plots, we love the intense chemistry between the leads and if you're in the same circles as me then, especially K/S, and there's a lot to love—and plenty that was good.

It was good and we love it.

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your-name-is-jim · 5 months

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"Ted, why doesn't Spock die when he doesn't get laid?"

Listen, I have to make a post about this because I'm laughing out loud :D

In 1967, Gene L. Coon (Star Trek showrunner) wrote to Theodore Sturgeon after reading the first draft of Amok Time:

First of all, Ted, let me say that we are all generally pleased with the first draft of "Amok Time," although, of course, a certain amount of polishing and so on will be necessary. [...] We have to learn why Spock will die if he doesn't get to Vulcan in eight days. What kills him? Swollen gonads?... [And] since we have established that Spock either gets to Vulcan within eight days or dies, why doesn't he do so when he doesn't get married or laid? We must establish a sound explanation and have it explained or a lot of people will be unhappy with us…

The source unfortunately doesn't report if Sturgeon ever gave an answer about this. We just know that in the actual episode we never got it.

What I find hilarious is that Coon was worried about a lot of people potentially being unhappy about the lack of "a sound explanation"… But what actually happened is that a lot of people found their own based on what we saw on screen… aaand they wrote and drew a lot about it :)

#spirk #james t. kirk #spock #star trek the original series #star trek tos #k/s #kirk x spock #meta #sort of I guess #theodore sturgeon #gene l. coon #slash fandom #fandom history

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anewstartrekfan · 3 months

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Reading an old Star Trek book and to my surprise Jim Kirk has always had Daddy issues

So the only Star Trek book I’ve read was the one explaining how the tribbles episode was made and the aftermath, so trying to read Enterprise (1986) with some basic knowledge of trek post 2009 is fascinating. Cuz you see where the breadcrumbs of some of the characterization and even backstory come from.

In chapter 2, Sam Kirk and Kirk’s mom show up to Kirk’s ceremony where he takes command of the enterprise. They talk about George Kirk Sr. being in Starfleet, (he’s dead here too) something that I don’t think was in any of the episodes or movies. And how he was always distant and away. And they’re clearly going for some parallels/dramatic irony with the Wrath of Khan when it comes to Kirk not believing he could’ve developed a relationship with his father as an adult. And it plays into the tragic aspect I love about Kirk.

Upon reflection he’s happy that Carol rejected him (he proposed to her in chapter 1) because he doesn’t want to leave anyone behind while on the job, only returning for sparse visits the way his father did. But at the same time, Jim craves companionship. And he can’t get it in his current job because as captain, it is not ethical for him to date anyone else on the Enterprise.

Anyway the long and short is if we take this book into account, Kirk has always had daddy issues. It’s just in TOS EU it was abandonment issues whereas in 2009 it was dad sacrificed himself so high expectations issues.

The little details like the mom’s name getting carried over into the aos movies are a good touch, but then seeing George Kirk being a Starfleet officer actually get incorporated into the 2009 movie as an important plot point, and then also using his absence in Kirk’s life but just in a different way as part of Kirk’s backstory is so cool to me.

A difference though is unlike fanfic tropes, Winona is actually a good mom and wants Jim to succeed in his career where his father failed in his Starfleet career. Unfortunately though Jim appears to be falling into the same pitfalls. As in lack of communication and unwillingness to play workplace politics.

That last burn from Winona tho… like damn girl I felt that.

Another thing I want to backtrack to, Sam Kirk. Sam being the alleged chosen child, the one that was supposed to follow in George Kirk’s footsteps but didn’t, and then Jim strolled in and did even more than what Sam was supposed to do, and Sam and George never reconciled. Like dudes this book is almost 40 years old and this stuff was in strange new worlds last year. Tho xenobiology appears to have morphed into xenoanthropology (tho according to the fan wiki he’s still a biologist so idk what the deal is)

For the record Sam’s characterization isn’t remotely the same here. Likely the choice to keep him out of Starfleet all together removed any sort of resentment of Jim potential like he has in SNW. There’s still tension though, as Sam tries to force Jim to confront why he’s reacting like this to his first mission for the enterprise being an escort job for a flying horse.

Shifting gears back to Jim needing to learn how to play workplace politics. The assumed reason for Pike leaving the enterprise. While SNW is doing the whole, Pike knows he won’t fly the enterprise forever and about the disfigurement and is cool with it, I find if fascinating that he’s more, sad about it here and that he got promoted out of the way for pushing too many buttons. It would be a sad ending but I wonder if SNW would incorporate that into its eventual ending. Hell I wonder if that’s what happened to Kirk between TOS and TMP.

Anyway big picture is this book is a fascinating time capsule and it’s fun seeing just how much has stuck around over the years both in fandom and in the franchise itself. Whether or not that’s the book’s doing is questionable but still. Fun to think about.

#star trek #star trek tos #james t kirk #spock #star trek enterprise #Star Trek enterprise 1986 #it’s a fun read #sam kirk #Star Trek meta #Star Trek analysis #star trek strange new worlds #strange new worlds #snw #star trek the original series #Star Trek enterprise the first adventure #Star Trek AOS #star trek alternate original series #Jim Kirk meta

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smhalltheurlsaretaken · 8 months

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Into Darkness is by no means a perfect movie, but Spock's speech about caring is one of the hardest hitting moments in all of Star Trek in my opinion.

There is such a deep longing to the music as Spock brings up the destruction of Vulcan (by the way, the track is called Spock and Uhura and yes it’s a reprise of An Endangered Species from the first movie), and such a raw vulnerability to the characters. Nyota and Jim are at a loss for words as they see Spock’s distance for what it is: deep, deep seated trauma, combined with extraordinary resilience.

There’s something so spot-on about Vulcans in general too. Everyone here already knew that Vulcans do experience emotions, but Spock admitting to it leading with a simple “You misunderstand” still feels like the unearthing of a closely kept secret. You can see the realization in Nyota and Jim’s eyes, as Spock explains that he’s not rejecting emotions because he holds them in contempt but rather because they’re just too vast and too painful – that who he is is a choice he’s holding onto, and not a character flaw he’s in denial about. The intimate confession flips the script on the humans who wanted the Vulcan to feel the full weight of their anger, annoyance and concern, and end up grappling with the full weight of his grief instead.

And the fact that they’re not facing each other! Like it’s something too monumental to discuss face-to-face! How Spock’s soft words are so powerful they convey everything. Combined with the music and the duality of the soft, warm light and blue shadows, it’s like the echoes of Vulcan are right there, like desert sands and ocean-deep sorrow.

And of course there is the absolutely heart-wrenching ode to romance that is the last line: “Nyota, you mistake my choice not to feel as a reflection of my not caring. Well, I assure you, the truth is precisely the opposite.” This is the single most achingly tender thing ever said.

(video transcript:)

[Spock, Nyota Uhura and Jim Kirk are flying in a shuttlecraft. They're all facing their consoles/the viewports and all have their backs to each other, with their seats in a triangle.] Spock: "Your suggestion that I do not care about dying is incorrect. A sentient being's optimal chance at maximizing their utility is a long and prosperous life." [Nyota rolls her eyes] Nyota: "Great." Jim: "Not exactly a love song, Spock." Spock: "You misunderstand. It is true I chose not to feel anything upon realizing that my own life was ending. As admiral Pike was dying, I joined with his consciousness and experienced what he felt at the moment of his passing. Anger. Confusion. Loneliness. Fear. [Nyota's expression shifts. Spock and Uhura/An Endangered Species starts playing] I had experienced those feelings before, multiplied exponentially on the day my planet was destroyed. [Jim is listening intently, with a somewhat pained expression.] Such a feeling is something I choose never to experience again. [Spock speaks over his shoulder in Uhura's direction while she listens, looking touched.] Nyota, you mistake my choice not to feel as a reflection of my not caring. Well, I assure you, the truth is precisely the opposite." [Nyota leans back against her headrest with a soft smile.]

#spock #jim kirk #nyota uhura #spuhura #james t kirk #star trek #star trek 2009 #star trek aos #spock x nyota uhura #spock x uhura #vulcans #destruction of vulcan #meta

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bewitched-bullet · 2 months

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Oh....my god

I found it

I finally found it.

I have been looking for this for...ten years?? Maybe longer. My best friend showed me this, and introduced the concept of love just was...love despite gender (was raised in a culty family). We eventually became girlfriends then fiancés because of my understanding in reading this.

My time in taking the time to read, ask questions, and explore, were the happiest in one of the darkest stretches of life I had.

Eventually, I was blacklisted from my own family and no....we (me and her) unfortunately did not get our happy ending.

If my former family finds this post. First of all, fuck you. Secondly, I am a queer in all iterations of the word and I haphazardly stand awkwardly proud on this gay rock.

To the woman that had infinite patience to help guide me to remove the layers of blinders I had on.....one sorry, nor a thousand, or till the end of time would ever cover the pain. You were my rock, may your foundations never crumble.

This meta by Brittany Diamond on Kirk and Spock (my first ever ship) was so instrumental to my starved mind. Have a little piece of me, Tumblr

(BTW, I've been dying to get my hands on a glass 3D chess set since reading this 10+ years ago).

Don't mind me, I may be a bit melancholy for the next few days.

#spirk #captain kirk #mr spock #spock/kirk #when i realized #i was queer #brittany diamond #star trek tos #meta

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edzephyr · 11 months

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Presenting, for your viewing pleasure

Star Trek Infinities: Test Footage

WATCH NOW ON YOUTUBE! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

youtube

For more info on the hows/whys and character/Trek analysis, click on the 'Making of' video below (some spoilers).

As well as those credited, I'd like to extend a huge thank you to all the fans I've met on my travels and online, whose enthusiastic response to my "real life" Kirk encouraged the production of this small flavor of possibility...

Score composed by musical maestro @pazak, who is also here, so give her a follow!

I hope you enjoy it!

youtube

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tprings-hair · 1 month

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I'm sorry I just cannot believe that 3x22 the savage curtain introduced the dilemma of spock having to choose between following the actual personification of vulcan history and philosophy, or kirk, and then resolved it so quickly that it was barely even a source of stress for either of them. the answer was kirk, btw. in case that wasn't obvious.

SURAK: I will not harm others, Captain.

SPOCK: His convictions are most profound in this matter, Captain.

KIRK: So are mine, Spock. If I believed that there was a peaceful way out of this --

SURAK: The risk will be mine alone. If I fail, you lose nothing. After all, I'm no warrior.

SPOCK: The captain knows that I have fought at his side before and will do so now, if need be. However, I too, am a Vulcan, bred to peace. Let him attempt it.

spock is saying, let him do as he sees fit. let him follow his own principles. and let me stay by your side. kirk tells him to gather weapons in case surak fails, and spock does. he is casting aside the philosophy he was raised with in favour of war, and he's doing it for kirk.

KIRK: Your Surak is a brave man.

SPOCK: Men of peace usually are, Captain. On Vulcan, he is revered as the father of our civilisation. The father image holds much meaning for us.

KIRK: You show emotion, Spock.

SPOCK: I deeply respect what he has accomplished.

KIRK: I hope he accomplishes something here, and soon.

kirk is complimenting surak, and I do think he genuinely means it, but the way he says it comes off like an apology. like he knows what spock just let go of for him, and he wants to make sure spock is okay.

spock says, men of peace, and he is not counting himself as one of them. I think that's what makes kirk look up like that. throughout the show, he does use violence, but outside extreme situations he does it sparingly and elegantly -- the nerve pinch, the simple side step of a punch -- and usually advocates for a more peaceful solution. now, he's admitting how he has changed. he values peace. but he can't call himself an instrument of it.

and now he's comparing surak to a father image. christian implications aside (and that is difficult with star trek sometimes), he is standing beside kirk in spite of surak's and his own vulcan father's teachings, too. he sharpens his spear and looks frustrated with himself. he shows emotion. and he doesn't deny it, either! he says sincerely that he respects surak's accomplishments, and kirk stares at him, because that's more emotion than he generally cares to show, especially after it's pointed out to him. (early in the episode, surak points out his emotion on seeing him, and spock begs forgiveness. he is no longer looking for that from surak. spock has made his choice.)

he's angry at himself. and as a peace offering, kirk says he hopes surak has managed to broker peace here and now. even though you can tell from his tone and the fact that he's still making his own weapon that he isn't optimistic.

(and all of this is putting aside the fact that surak is definitely a jesus figure and spock rejecting his philosophy and forgiveness for an imperfect man is another kind of huge character choice. this has to be pointed out.)

idk how they managed to air this in the 60s. but I'm very glad they did.

#star trek tos #emotional security #star trek #spock #james t kirk #jim kirk #meta #analysis #the savage curtain #3x22 the savage curtain #s3ep22 the savage curtain #tos #the original series #episode #surak

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1shirt2shirtredshirtdeadshirt · 1 year

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I was crunching some numbers about TOS with other fans re: the twelve ships that originally launched during Kirk's era as Captain of the Enterprise for that first five year mission.

It made me really appreciate the TOS crew and the wild frontier era that they managed to survive -- not only survive, but became the staple and measure of success for the Starfleet that took shape after them.

Folks forget that Kirk's crew were one of the few of the original 12 Starships launched that actually returned from their assigned mission with some semblance of crew and ship intact.

A lot of information was gathered and established during that exploratory time -- the reason the TOS crew findings are often mentioned in TNG onward is largely due to them being among the lucky few crew who made it back to share their findings during that time.

This benefited every crew afterward who built upon their findings as they revised based on experiences. Things that happened in that time were addressed in regulation later as a lesson learned.

Regarding the 12 ships:

- The Immunity Syndrome (USS Intrepid)

- The Doomsday Machine (USS Constellation)

- The Tholian Web (USS Defiant).

Considering only 12 flagships were in the OG launch during Kirk's time, that is a solid 1/4 of the ships and crews that never made it back.

But those aren't even the ones that were partially destroyed with casualties, or all of the ships where 100% of the ship and crew did not return. There are more:

- The Excaliber was crippled and lost all hands in The Ultimate Computer, and severe damage was dealt to the Lexington, Potemkin, and Hood.

- The Exeter lost almost all hands in The Omega Glory.

So that's 8 of the 12 ships/crews that were launched circa Kirk's Enterprise 5 year mission that were either entirely destroyed, or severely damaged.

When you consider those odds and how so many extraordinarily capable and well trained crews never made it back, it makes the original series crew all the more remarkable.

Not only did they return with the flagship and crew relatively intact, but they literally became the standard on which Starfleet measured and trained others moving forward.

TLDR: They're kind of a big deal.

#star trek #tos #uss enterprise #tos crew #star trek tos #star trek meta #1shirt2shirtredshirtdeadshirt #octrek #octrekmeta #kirk #spock #bones #sulu #uhura #chekov #scotty #ncc 1701

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ichayalovesyou · 2 years

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Just thinking about how often Kirk and Spock touch…

I think I can count the number of times Spock deliberately touches someone/allows himself to be touched on purpose on only my hands (barring having to be violent on occasion and T’Pring, even then he’s hella robotic with her):

Hitting the dirt with Pike during the ion storm

Mind meld with La’an

Helping Angel with their necklace

Adultery ruse with Chapel

Letting Chapel hug him after Hemmer’s funeral

Mind meld with Pike (alt timeline)

That is literally only six times, barely more than one hand ✋🏻 ☝🏻 only one hand if you don’t count the meld with Pike in the Balance of Timeline!

Then you look at how often Jim & Spock touch?? Where normally Spock makes a point to avoid physical touch whenever possible???

I mean

I don’t know how else to interpret this information as anything other than very fruity 🍒🍓🍎🍉🍑🍊🥭🍋🍌🍐🥝🫐🍇

#like even in tos he tends to strongly avoid being touched… unless it’s Jim #how the hell is this not supposed to be interpreted as some MAJOR mlm vibes?#like how????#anyway Spirk is canon bi4bi I don’t make the rules #star trek #star trek tos #star trek strange new worlds #spirk #k/s #the premise #spock #James kirk #Jim kirk #lar trek #star trek meta #meta

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spritelysprites · 4 months

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star trek season 1 episode 24 "a taste of armageddon" truly has everything. a society entirely removed from person-to-person violence waging war by simulating casualty numbers and executing people via neat disintegration to match the numbers, kirk using genuine commando fighting techniques from ww2, the idea that reducing the understanding of war to numbers or individual conflicts makes people lose sight of how terrible war genuinely is, scotty taking command and telling mccoy his idea of a good diplomat is a phaser, spock trying to rescue kirk and looking genuinely impressed that he managed to get control of the situation himself only for kirk to assure him he does need spock's help, kirk delivering the fantastic line "we're human beings with the blood of a million savage years on our hands, but we can stop it. we can admit that we're killers, but we're not going to kill today. that's all it takes. knowing that we won't kill today", and ends with spock and kirk flirting in the most obvious way yet. what more could you ask for?

#star trek #a taste of armageddon #i love this episode so much #james t kirk #spock #montgomery scott #bones mccoy #leonard mccoy #analysis #meta

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favvn · 2 months

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I'm still in the process of caramelizing this thought (under 12 hours in the ol' brain) so like it might be undercooked as the metaphor goes, but when Kirk caught the virus in The Naked Time, he went into his rant about love vs duty and how the ship takes both his life and his love from him due to that overbearing sense of duty he lives by. (Which still drives me nuts to think about! Spock burdens himself by trying to be 100% Vulcan to the expense of his humanity (that he still can't completely suppress!), and Kirk bludgeons himself through duty, keeping his personal feelings/desires/love tampered and locked down as a result! The willful repression of it all!! I am so so so not normal about characters struggling with repression!)

But later by The Balance of Terror, Kirk starts breaking down at the stress of keeping his entire crew alive while close to the Neutral Zone between Earth's Asteroid Outposts and the Romulan Empire. Any action taken in this area could signal death if not a renewed war between Earth and Romulus, making the Enterprise's moves that much larger than just one individual ship, and making Kirk's actions hold more weight than just the lives of the Enterprise.

And I realize a lot of this comes from the original pilot and the characterization of Captain Pike as he also expressed the same fears and the same desires to walk away from these duties entirely. It's no secret that character elements were reused for the second pilot and series proper (the "I will kill myself and everyone else to avoid anyone getting trapped, especially the Captain" attitude of Number One is definitely something given to Spock for the rest of the series. Call it duty or devotion or love (or all 3 at the same time), it's all there in both characters).

Only for Kirk to find his mirror in the Romulan Commander!

Now fine, maybe the Romulan Commander says "creatures of duty" to refer to the Romulans in general, and I'm just making a mountain out of a few phrases (as per usual). It makes sense: they're an offshoot of Vulcans, and it would follow that both species are bound to a strong sense of duty no matter the cost. But! If that was the case, why have the Commander tell Kirk they are alike before this line? Or spend the episode highlighting their similar tactics and planning? Or include the line, "In a different reality, I could've called you 'friend.'" (Which. If the designation of "friend" is a huge deal to Vulcans when it comes to species outside of their kind..... Is James Kirk the equivalent of catnip for Vulcans and Romulans alike? Half joke, half asking in earnest here / the reality is that Kirk probably does attract their respect and more because he is so terrifyingly duty-bound in such a way that sets him apart from other humans.)

Like. I don't know if I'm necessarily correct in thinking it (because I know Spock is used to show humanity from the outsider's perspective/make the viewer ask what makes one human), but sometimes Kirk seems more Vulcan than Spock as Spock seems more human than Kirk, which maybe works after all. If one can find the humanity in an alien, why not also see the alien in humanity?

#trekposting #star trek tos #captain kirk #hi hello i am so normal i am so so so normal (my brain worms are getting worse)#anyways my point is always this: spock & kirk are 2 sides of the same damn coin. perfect foils.#still steeping my silly brain in spirk #even tho god this ep.... having the romulan commander wishing to die to avoid war!! screaming and chewing dry wall this aired in 1966!!!#trek meta

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electronickingdomfox · 1 year

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TOS season 3: subtext becomes text (part 2)

Continuation from this other post: https://www.tumblr.com/electronickingdomfox/705554052352770048/tos-season-3-subtext-becomes-text-part-1

Plato’s Stepchildren

This episode is kinky, in general, though I don’t think there’s much K/S in it. It contains, however, the first appearance of Shakepeare’s homoerotic sonnets in relation to Kirk. He’s forced to recite Sonnet LVII while crawling on the floor towards the Platonian lord: Parmen.

The sonnet in question deals with the poet’s “slavery” under the love demands of a younger man. This is the full text (Kirk only recites up to fourth line, before being interrupted by McCoy):

Being your slave, what should I do but tend Upon the hours and times of your desire? I have no precious time at all to spend, Nor services to do, till you require. Nor dare I chide the world-without-end hour Whilst I, my sovereign, watch the clock for you. Nor think the bitterness of absence sour When you have bid your servant once adieu; Nor dare I question with my jealous thought Where you may be, or your affairs suppose, But like a sad slave, stay and think of nought, Save, where you are how happy you make those. So true a fool is love that in your will Though you do anything, he thinks no ill.

The sonnet was probably chosen because of its relation to slavery. But it’s an interesting choice nonetheless...

Wink of an Eye

Yet another episode in which Kirk is forced into a relationship with a woman, or isn’t really able to consent. I read somewhere that Fred Freiberger, producer of season 3 in place of Roddenberry, wanted more romance in the series. Though I can’t locate the exact source, so take it with a grain of salt. But anyway, there’s indeed quite a lot of love stories here, for several characters: Chekov (Spectre of the Gun), McCoy ( For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky), Scotty (The Lights of Zetar) and even a brief scene for Spock in The Cloud Minders (I’m not counting episodes in which Spock was just acting, or not being truly himself). For some of these characters, it’d be the first time they have a genuine romance in the series.

Did this mean more female love interests for Kirk as well? You know, since he’s supposed to be “space Casanova” according to some fans? Well, not really. There’s Rayna, of course. But season 1 alone had both Ruth and Edith. What happened instead was a dramatic increase of episodes in which Kirk is forced, or otherwise manipulated, into a relationship with a woman. So far, we’ve seen a marriage while under amnesia in The Paradise Syndrome, a forced kiss in Plato’s Stepchildren, and now a kidnapping in this episode. And we’re not even done yet: there’s still the love potion of Elaan of Troyius, Marta’s assault in Whom Gods Destroy, and a semi-forced situation in The Mark of Gideon. To compare, there were only two episodes in the previous seasons, all together, in which I’d classify the “romance” as forced: Dagger of the Mind and A Private Little War.

What it’s interesting in this episode, in terms of Kirk/Spock, is the following scene:

Queen Deela links Kirk’s interest in Spock with “affection”. Affection, of course, can be just friendly affection... But this is not what she’s thinking about. For starters, she wants a demonstration of such affection, and it’s not friendship what she’s looking for. Deela’s interest in Kirk is explicitly sexual in nature (she needs him to beget children). And then there’s, of course, her lover Rael’s jealous reaction.

Moreover, this isn’t the last time a telepathic being reads into Kirk or Spock’s minds, and finds love in there. Because after this episode comes...

The Empath

A really lovely, heartwarming scene, in an otherwise dark episode filled with torture. Spock is looking at Kirk, while he rests after being tormented by their alien captors.

This attracts immediately the attention of Gem, the empathic woman who can sense other people’s feelings, and she turns towards Spock.

Finding himself under surveillance, Spock quickly averts his eyes, but Gem approaches him and touches his shoulder, to better feel his emotions. And whatever she feels, it must be something really beautiful, since she makes this expression (coupled with sweet music in the background):

Gem can’t talk, but her face says it all. There’s also no dialogue in this scene, and yet it’s everything in the script. Could be friendship or loyalty what she’s sensing there? Could be... But Gem has been around Kirk, Spock and McCoy for a while at this point. Those kind of feelings shouldn’t surprise her anymore. Moreover, McCoy is right there, and he’s about to sacrifice himself for his friends. Yet she doesn’t turn towards McCoy. She must have sensed something new in Spock, a feeling she probably didn’t know till now. And I think it’s love.

Whom Gods Destroy

The second appearance of Shakepeare’s homoerotic sonnets, though this time, its relation with Kirk is weaker.

It’s actually Marta who starts reciting sonnet XVIII, till the fourth line. This is the full text:

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

She’s interrupted, but then turns to Kirk and asks him how he liked it:

Yeah, she knows you’re into this stuff, Kirk. Deela knew, Gem knew, and now Marta knows too. These guys are so obvious... They’re not fooling the ladies.

Requiem for Methuselah

And speaking of obvious, this episode is as subtle as a brick through a window (“como un elefante en una cacharrería”, as I’d say in my own language).

First there’s Kirk falling in love at first sight with an android woman, who talks about sciency stuff just like Spock, and also has problems dealing with her emotions (for another example of parallels between Spock and an android struggling with emotions, see Star Trek: The Motion Picture).

And of course, there’s the final scene:

MCCOY: Well, I guess that's all. I can tell Jim later or you can. Considering his opponent's longevity, truly an eternal triangle. You wouldn't understand that, would you, Spock? You see, I feel sorrier for you than I do for him because you'll never know the things that love can drive a man to. The ecstasies, the miseries, the broken rules, the desperate chances, the glorious failures, the glorious victories. All of these things you'll never know simply because the word love isn't written into your book. Goodnight, Spock. SPOCK: Goodnight, Doctor. MCCOY: I do wish he could forget her.

McCoy accuses Spock of being unable to feel love (specifically romantic love, since that’s what Kirk felt for Rayna). What does Spock do once McCoy leaves?

Exactly. He mind-melds with a sleeping Kirk and makes him forget Rayna (coupled with romantic music in the background). Now, if it wasn’t for McCoy’s speech, we could assume that Spock was just trying to help his Captain, even if using some unorthodox methods. But McCoy’s speech changes everything. He just told the viewer that Spock is unable to feel something like romantic love. Those were harsh words. And now Spock proves to the viewer that McCoy is wrong, that he can, indeed, feel love.

Again, it’s all in the script. It’s so obvious, that even people you wouldn’t usually link with K/S shipping seem to have got it. For example, this is what Marcy Lafferty (married to Shatner from 1973 to 1996) said about it in an interview (Shatner: where no man..., 1979) :

Turnabout Intruder

The final episode of TOS, and written by Roddenberry himself. Since it was the final episode (and probably everyone knew it at the time), it should have some grand plot, right? Something really glorious, and heroic, and epic. Maybe the Enterprise finally defeats the Klingons and Romulans, and achieves inter-planetary peace or something. Actually, the production team called this episode......... Captain Kirk: Space Queen.

Fuck yeah. Of course, the plot revolves around Kirk switching bodies with a crazed ex-girlfriend, who then proceeds to take hold of the Enterprise. But I wonder if, at some level, it was really about Shatner playing a woman inside a man’s body, or instead, playing a flamboyantly gay Kirk right under our noses. Specially since, while filming this episode, he changed a line out of nowhere to say “Spock, it’s always been you. Please say you love me too”. Was this finale a way for Roddenberry to give the middle-finger to the network that killed his show? Hard to know, and pure speculation on my part. But fun speculation nonetheless.

At the story level, there’s the scene where Kirk, inside Janice’s body, says that Spock is closer to the Captain than ANYBODY ELSE IN THE ENTIRE FREAKING UNIVERSE. And then Spock mind-melds with him. He didn’t make any mind-link with Kirk in previous seasons, but this is the fourth episode in which he melds with him in season 3. He got kind of an addiction to it. There’s also the moment where Spock leads Kirk, taking him by the wrist.

The effect of all this is kind of mitigated by the fact that Kirk occupies a female body at the moment. So even if, for story purposes, is a rather gay scene, the 60′s viewer is still seeing an actor having a tender moment with an actress (which would be nothing new).

But there’s the other side, as well:

Yeah, it’s actually Janice but, from the audience point of view, what we’re seeing here is the Captain Kirk that we got used to for 79 episodes. Getting all lovey-dovey with a man (unfortunately not Spock), and seducing him to kill for his sake. Also, the guy doesn’t seem to mind much that Janice has turned into this hunk of a man. He’s only concerned because of the murderous plan. Now think, was it really necessary to make Janice’s accomplice her lover as well? She already had a love interest in Kirk, and in the episode’s beginning, she was complaining about how lonely she felt.

Well, that’s all I have to say about this subject for TOS season 3 (which was a lot). If you’ve made it through all this text, thank you very much. And I’d be glad to hear your opinions.

#star trek #star trek tos #meta #tos season 3 #k/s #kirk/spock #spirk

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