There are still episodes I haven't seen, and I just watched The Outcast.
I'd heard Trek had never dealt with homosexuality, but I get the feeling this was a thinly veiled reference with a take on the issue I sure didn't see coming.
Thoughts?
The Outcast
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Mikey
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Re: The Outcast
I'm not sure I saw the issue as homosexuality per se, as the what's-their-nuts were an androgynous race; but the idea of a societal ethos on sexual preference sure was present.
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Graham Kennedy
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Re: The Outcast
The Outcast was specifically made as an analogy to homosexuality.
One could say that the DS9 episode Rejoined explores the issue of homosexuality by ignoring it. It's the one where Dax meets the lover of an old host, and they want to get back together. The whole plot revolves around a Trill rule that you can't be with the mate of a previous host, but the fact that the two of them are both women now doesn't even rate a mention from anybody in the whole episode. They depict it as a non issue, which in Trek is just what it should be.
One could say that the DS9 episode Rejoined explores the issue of homosexuality by ignoring it. It's the one where Dax meets the lover of an old host, and they want to get back together. The whole plot revolves around a Trill rule that you can't be with the mate of a previous host, but the fact that the two of them are both women now doesn't even rate a mention from anybody in the whole episode. They depict it as a non issue, which in Trek is just what it should be.
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Re: The Outcast
Agreed. In a day and age in which we find common cause with aliens that are so different from us, we can't even understand their languages...it would strike me as rather ludicrous that anyone would bat an eye at one's choice in sexual partners. Of course, that shouldn't be confused EITHER with a individual characters orientation. Sort of a bombshell to reveal several seasons in that a character goes both ways without at least SOME previous backstory (of course with Trill its rather different I suppose....you get an embryo that likes women and a host that likes men things could get confusing)
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Re: The Outcast
Well, I don't think I'd go that far. They're probably still cracking NAMBLA heads. Though maybe not.Mark wrote:it would strike me as rather ludicrous that anyone would bat an eye at one's choice in sexual partners.
Hmmm I suppose it's possible that The Outcast is suppose to be an example of how not to do it. I.e. that the society is in fact bad for changing "her" despite her not wanting to go back later.
Rejoined could be more of the Federation stance.
The two could just be different writers in different moods, or I suppose a message could be that even if sexual orientation can be "corrected" it should be up to the indavidual.