(continued from page 1...)

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.

If there is any criticism I can make about the relationships on DS9, I think it would have to be that since there has been so much sexual activity there, TPTB seem afraid to allow much slack for romances between the characters on Voyager (hereafter to be known as Voyager, no italics, to differentiate the series from the ship). The funny thing is, Voyager is where one would expect the action to be.     --> onto the next page...

Page 1 | Page 3