I can understand why the topic wasn't spec addressed in TOS - the censors would have gone thermal - and none of the principal actors would have been comfortable with the idea.
But throughout the following series and movies, I cannot see where the subject has been directly addressed. Yes, I know Dr. Crusher was 'uncomfortable' with her Trill boyfriend becoming female - but she only mentioned it obliquely - saying someday humans could handle such changes.
I have yet to note any 'out' gays - or mention of them in Trek - whether alien or human - civilian or Starfleet.
When Enterprise was first announced, I heard that there would be a crewmember who would be openly gay. No sign yet.
Now I am wondering - apart from the studio's avoiding of the issue, what could be the 'Trek Universe' reason for such a lack of homosexuality (feel free to speculate - I myself am really puzzled):
1- It was a peculiarity of the human genome (okay, terran genomes since some animal species on Earth are homosexual). None of the other billions of species have it (or even knows what it is). [Seems a tad unlikely - and still doesn't address why no humans are gay!]
2- It eventually breeds itself out of the genome. [as if another 300 years of evolution would matter].
3- Federation medical science found the underlying cause - and 'cured' it. [not exactly genocide - since homesexuality by definition probably isn't 'passed on' genetically, but I personally find the idea offensive].
4- The tendency was deleted as an unexpected side-effect of Retinax 6. Thus, ever since we gave up eyeglasses, gays have been extinct. (This would explain the lousy decor aboard starships and starbases.) [Sorry - too much Wil & Grace the other night].
-------------------- 'One man's theology is another man's belly laugh.' - Lazarus Long
Registered: Feb 2001
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Well, it's really only the main characters from each series that we've seen, mostly. For all we know, there could be hundreds of gays roaming the ships all the time. We just never saw any of them stick their heads onto the bridge and yell "Any of you fellas up for some buttsex?!", so we don't know that they're gay.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
In the TNG era, it seems that people have close friendships and families, but have evolved beyond the wild sexual gratification stage. Odd, considering that a society that by it's very nature has a lot more free time. I Suppose I would vote for option 2, and/or it just not mattering at all, socially.
-------------------- joH'a' 'oH wIj DevwI' jIH DIchDaq Hutlh pagh (some days it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps in the morning) The Woozle!
Registered: Nov 2002
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I think it seems to just not matter anymore. When Jadzia and Lenara hooked up briefly, no one even flinched at the idea.
I've heard that Lt. Hawk in FC was originally supposed to be gay. It also seemed (to me anyway) that Malcolm Reed was going to be gay, there for awhile.
posted
Don't forget gay Kira and gay Ezri from the Mirror universe.
-------------------- "Never give up. And never, under any circumstances, no matter what - never face the facts." - Ruth Gordon
Registered: Mar 2000
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
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posted
TPTB didn't "avoid" anything, but they did wisely decide against the inclusion of gay characters only for the sake of having them on show, if you catch my drift.
-------------------- ".mirrorS arE morE fuN thaN televisioN" - TEH PNIK FLAMIGNO
Registered: Nov 1999
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I see your point, oh fellow Canuck, but while not including them for the sake of not including them is good, by now, in all of the canon stories, we should have run into a romance or two. We have certainly seen a few hetero romances - within our species and 'rishathra'. Why not have an Enterprise crewperson romance an alien of the week of the same apparent gender.
I say 'apparent' because, after all, we have more in common with an avocado than an alien. Therefore, sex outside our species should be even MORE bizarre to the bible belt than sex within our gender.
-------------------- 'One man's theology is another man's belly laugh.' - Lazarus Long
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
An attempt to find some sort of "in-show" reason strikes me as, at best, intensely creepy, like those "Maybe all the Chinese were killed in WWIII" threads. Ick.
Registered: Mar 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Sol System: An attempt to find some sort of "in-show" reason strikes me as, at best, intensely creepy, like those "Maybe all the Chinese were killed in WWIII" threads. Ick.
More like almost all the people of Middle Eastern descent, the Indian subcontinent, and Africans.
As for Asians... Everyone's for some reason, Koreans, or Koreans pretending to be Japanese...
-------------------- "God's in his heaven. All's right with the world."
Registered: Apr 2001
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