Star Trek writer/producer Brannon Braga regrets leaving gay characters out of the sci-fi franchise, insisting it was "a shame" the futuristic show failed to incorporate a wider range of sexualities.
The screenwriter admits his creative team often contemplated introducing an openly gay character to a Star Trek film or TV series, but they repeatedly decided against the idea.
Braga regrets failing to explore that final frontier.
"It was a shame for a lot of us that... I'm talking about the (TV shows) Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and there was a constant back and forth about well, how do we portray the spectrum of sexuality?" he told AfterElton.com, a pop culture website for gay men.
"There were people who felt very strongly that we should be showing casually, you know, just two guys together in the background in (starship lounge) Ten Forward.
"At the time the decision was made not to do that and I think those same people would make a different decision now because I think, you know, that was 1989... I have no doubt that those same creative players wouldn't feel so hesitant to have, you know, have been squeamish about a decision like that."
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 9:48 pm
by oldr_n_wsr
Considering how the original Star Trek broke so many "taboos" (black/foreign officers, Kirk kissing Uhora sp? ) they should have looked back to the original for guidence.
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 1:11 am
by Jarlaxle
Actually, I think the first lesbian kiss on network TV was shown on Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (Terry Farrell and Susanna Thompson).
It was a one-liner, but the intimation was there on an episode of Next Generation ("The Host, season 4): it is the episode that first showed the Trill...Dr. Crusher and a Trill diplomat (Odan, played by Franc Luz)) the Enterprise was carrying had a fling. The ambassador was badly injured and the host died; the symbiont's new host was a woman...who is interested (to put it mildly) in continuing the affair.
The Trill's apearance changed radically for DS9...mainly, the facial makeup had to be changed because Terry Farrell was allergic to it.
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 1:17 am
by Sean
Jarlaxle wrote:Actually, I think the first lesbian kiss on network TV was shown on Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (Terry Farrell and Susanna Thompson).
That was one of the first but LA Law beat them to it. by a few years...
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 4:44 am
by Crackpot
The thread title made me think of this:
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 10:46 am
by loCAtek
Straight sex, gay sex? I've always been baffled by SF television's lack of sexual creativity; namely that they only show two: male and female. And breasts- why would every species of alien in the known universe have breasts? Those are mammalian secondary sex characteristics, that should be unique to earth and it's sexes.
Brannon Braga was the worst of the lot, who decided not only that Roddenberry's creations had to have breasts, but that they had to be as huge as possible.
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 3:28 pm
by Big RR
I thought the android guy on TNG (Data? I only saw a couple of episodes early on) was gay (or at least programmed that way). I guess he wasn't.
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 5:08 pm
by Crackpot
We don;t know for sure the only pther android out there was his "brother" and that would have raised a bunch of other questions.
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 6:30 pm
by Guinevere
I'm pretty sure Data tried to have romantic relationships with women, or females anyway. Never had any thought he was gay.
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 8:00 pm
by kristina
Guinevere wrote:I'm pretty sure Data tried to have romantic relationships with women, or females anyway. Never had any thought he was gay.
BBC America aired an episode a day or two ago in which Data was involved with a woman on the rebound.
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 8:13 pm
by Big RR
Well, shows what I know; but I did warn I had only seen a few episodes.
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 8:29 pm
by kristina
The Spousal Unit and I were really into TNG when it started, and I thought I'd seen most episodes. BBC America has been showing it just before supper on weekdays, and I'm seeing lots of episodes I've never seen (or don't remember...!).
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 10:07 pm
by Rick
Welll there was Sulu...
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 1:55 am
by dales
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 2:59 am
by loCAtek
Jarlaxle wrote:Actually, I think the first lesbian kiss on network TV was shown on Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (Terry Farrell and Susanna Thompson).
It was a one-liner, but the intimation was there on an episode of Next Generation ("The Host, season 4): it is the episode that first showed the Trill...Dr. Crusher and a Trill diplomat (Odan, played by Franc Luz)) the Enterprise was carrying had a fling. The ambassador was badly injured and the host died; the symbiont's new host was a woman...who is interested (to put it mildly) in continuing the affair.
The Trill's apearance changed radically for DS9...mainly, the facial makeup had to be changed because Terry Farrell was allergic to it.
I thought so too, it (the kiss)was made such a big deal at the time.
I've mentioned, I've met Terry Farrell? Seems she got a lot of good and bad reactions from that ...and it had made her a bit sensitive about the subject.
It was my Ex who commented to her on doing the scene... when she quickly and gruffly declared she was NOT a lesbian! Taken aback, my Ex continued to say it was a great bit of acting. Always a pro, she brightened immediately and accepted the compliment, chatting it up a bit more; she gave us a nice picture and autograph. Plus this amusing anecdote
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 3:41 am
by @meric@nwom@n
Oh come on, it is quite clear that Kirk and Spock had a thang going on....
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 5:38 pm
by loCAtek
However, the series Babylon 5 had gay characters, alien and human. Two of the leading ladies, Susan Ivanova and Talia Winters were implied to be lesbians.
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:11 am
by Jarlaxle
Never watched B-5.
Re: Boldly going where lots of men have been before?
Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 3:21 am
by dales
@meric@nwom@n wrote:Oh come on, it is quite clear that Kirk and Spock had a thang going on....
