When they do my boy wrong in SNW
"We need an essay on the 'Spock drift' like the 'Kirk drift', the former being less a pop culture misremembering that bleeds into officialdom, but a relentless barrage of straightwashing an iconically queer coded character in officialdom. Cynical, shallow, boring queer erasure. Typical unimaginative pairing with every single female character that so much as had a hint of even one-sided un-mutual interest. To what point? To what narrative purpose? It doesn't enrich the character. It actually completely detracts from it. It dilutes the charatcer basis and arc. It is just paying lip service to male and/or heterosexual insecurity. Even the 'official fan film' pushes a narrative of getting a woman he mentored pregnant, that was cut from the film because it added nothing (if not distasteful). The novels also did it. The constant obsession with or emphasis of some indicator of heteronormativity. It is dull in the extreme. What is this thing of having to constantly hetero-validate? What is this thing of the hint of NON heterosexuality being discredited, despite it having every bit more integrity and relevance and character/narrative value than the plotlines of 'lets make him sleep with this woman' 'lets make him conceive a child with this woman'; but you criticise it and they say 'Oh but he smiled at so and so' yeah well by that comparative scale the reboots would have been an R-rated K/S orgy. But don't mention THAT. What is this constant cultural insecurity about and need for insipid, tedious hetero-validation?"
YOU SAID IT!
(I thought I had already posted this when I first saw this reblog but it has been in my drafts languishing since then aksidhkajs)
@purpleenma @spacewizardtrek personally, I think there's a stronger case for Spock being bisexual. Reading him strictly as a gay man requires the viewer to only focus on the Spirk subtext at the expense of ignoring or reinterpreting the multiple scenes and acting decisions in TOS that show he likes women, too.
(I am a Spirk truther, but I also think Spock's other romances are interesting in their own right and enrich the Spirk dynamic.)
Spirk shippers, in particular, have a history of ignoring and downplaying the Spuhura subtext of TOS and lead the slander against AOS-era Spuhura without considering the actors' intentions or the importance of this ship both during and post-Hayes Code:
Spuhura was the original Spock ship, approved by Gene Roddenberry himself. Leonard Nimoy and Nichelle Nichols were trying to hint at Spuhura despite the Hayes Code not allowing interracial relationships. Gene was on board with this from the very beginning (scenes like the "Charlie X" serenade are, in fact, subtext).
(Spock was even supposed to kiss Uhura in "Plato's Stepchildren," but was replaced with Kirk so NBC couldn't use the "he's half-alien" excuse to mitigate audience backlash.)
I wrote a ton of notes where I break down the importance of TOS Spock's on-screen romances. While the post is ultimately a Spocklaan analysis, I also point out what these "OOC Straight Spock" episodes tell us about Spock's "hidden" personality and how this likely influenced his SNW character writing.
(Many complaints about SNW Spock are answered by the smaller details/subtext in TOS. Imo it makes watching both series at the same time , well, fascinating.)
We also get a pretty complete profile of what Spock likes in his ideal romantic partners.
SPOILER: Both La'an and Kirk fit this profile to a T. Not surprising bc they were written to be complimentary to Spock, albeit in slightly different ways.
Additionally, if Kirk and Spock are bisexual, then their patterns of sexual/romantic attraction mirror Gene Roddenberry's own: primarily attracted to women but realizing later in life that they love men (each other) too.
Yes, Gene Roddenberry was bisexual himself. Unfortunately, he didn't realize/admit it till near the end of his life:
"I'm sorry I never had a homosexual relationship, because I know there must be many joys and pleasures and degrees of closeness in those relationships." (Gene Roddenberry; The Last Conversation, by Yvonne Fern, 1994)
(There's a fuller quote where he explicitly said he loved men, but i can't find it rn. I'll have to order the book and screenshot it.)
Forwarding this response "the multiple scenes and acting decisions in TOS that show he likes women, too"
"Actually, most of them in analysis end up arguably reinforcing the opposite. And for that matter, what 'romances'? Leila Kalomi for example, as she indicates, was entirely one-sided - in the referenced past she was interested, if not indicatively infatuated, and tried, really, really hard, but she couldn't get to him. He is sympathetic, clearly, but take the 'I am what I am' line - and the context of the rest of what he says, it is one of those big 'not saying gay but thats a big lean into 'I'm different' ' moments. Of course the sex pollen was a case of being drugged, etc, etc and most people forget that, or misrepresent is at merely 'uninhibiting' - not correct; the life forms in the spores actually influenced the way the crewmembers thought; altered their goals and priorities to make them want to stay, so it was in fact more akin to mind control - or a love potion. With Zarabeth equally, he was out of his mind, so there is no actual present, truthful engagement - and she, knowing this, actually took advantage. You might argue she was desperate, but still not exactly a healthy basis for or exemplary as 'romance'. If she weren't a pretty (bewilderingly clean shaven) woman, flip the genders, it might not sit as easily with people. Consent is dubious in both those cases. The Romulan commander is interesting, SHE liked him, but note his approach: he is extremely 'vulcan' in how he 'fake-romances' her - i.e. no slipping of the stoicism, no 'accidental' emoting (which he does, all the time, when the right people push the buttons); very vulcan, very much…not how he is when he is 'affected' by someone. Similarly, his 'curiosity' in Droxine is played the same; very stayed, controlled, scientific. He seems interested in the way someone might look at someone who is not their 'norm' and go 'what if..' but ultimately, it's a passing whimsy that is not explored beyond asides in one episode. Chapel has a crush on Spock, the entire point is it's painfully one-sided. And obviously, the firm inference of Spock and T'Pring is that it is a childhood betrothal with zero mutual interest besides the compulsion behind pon farr. What do we learn from all this? Women like Spock. He has clearly learned to deal with this for over a long time. He can be curious but doesn't take it far. We don't have indication of physical reciprocity except where drugged/mind-altered. He doesn't seem to be 'affected' - in fact the point is made that he can't/won't 'feel' or engage. He is uncomfortable with losing control. How, then, is he to engage in a romantic relationship?
As for Spock and Uhura, there is very little tangible that forms a structured, consistent character arc or subtext in the realms of romance, unless you want to springboard off the smiling when she sings (is she flirting with Rand a bit too?); or the 'vulcan has no moon' scene etc, in which Nimoy chooses to have Spock entirely 'miss' any playful flirtation; to return it in some subtle way (as he does with certain other characters) would have changed the meaning of that interaction a lot. There's banter and familiarity, but no tension; no recurring lingering gazes after relatively innocuous whatevers, no 'heavy' moments episode to episode. Imagine if Spock really was gay (or leaning that way), or some form of asexual, actually, the interactions we see between them shine somewhat if you think of Uhura as perhaps the 'girl-friend' as opposed to 'girlfriend'. He's relatively comfortable with her - which is the main point of note. As is very much shown, if not hammered home recurrently, he is deeply uncomfortable and ashamed when he is genuinely wrestling with 'feelings' (or compulsions) - so in actuality, again, the lack of moments of tension are the tell. Perhaps if there were a later point where he acts in reaction to her, in a significant plot moment or arc, you could maybe tie them together and reinterpret, but I think as with Kirk and Rand, who were also 'intended' to be a romance, you can see the moments contrived to suggest it, but it never landed, and they didn't force it. Not even when it could have been picked up in the movie era. They let chemistry run where it was working. A writer or director or actor may initially intend something, but often what comes out on screen is different, and ultimately, that is the result.
Compare with Kirk, for example, on romantic type. His unambiguously reciprocal romances exemplify what he connects with - the lawyer, in Court Marshall; the scientist Carl Marcus; we can count Rayna who he falls hard and fast for - intelligence; strong minds, independence. (I don't count when he is drugged, coerced, memory loss, under duress or using tactics, only when he is not influenced and is sound of mind). There is, however, little similar comparison for Spock, because there are no examples of genuinely, unambiguously meaningful, reciprocal, 'romantic' relationships of endurance, in his own sound mind and body, with women, portrayed or indicated historically in TOS or the movies. A logical, pardon the term, conclusion to draw about spock on the face of that is that he might be some form of asexual or demisexual - except for the fact that the tension in the Kirk/Spock chemistry does have undertones of other kinds in some notable moments. His overall character subtext is certainly 'other' - I support the idea of him being potentially bi or just not bothered about gender, but it's interpretative.
It is very much a thing, and let's not pretend this isn't the bias in many walks of life, that any interaction between a man and a woman will be either read or projected into, and new series or movie writers don't need cues, they can just rewrite or do as they please. The very hint of m/f engagement is like a red rag to a bull; it is often given more importance, more legitimacy, even if it pales in comparison with other 'pairings'; and regardless of if it is toxic or has little basis for a healthy relationship. Take all of Roddenberry's remarks on Kirk and Spock, that their affection was sufficient for 'physical love' as could be 'the style of the 23rd century'. Their chemistry was in episode after episode after episode, ridiculously blatant moments of barely even subtext. It's very much the societal thing of assuming because a man and a woman might get on, heaven forbid they make eye contact, are cordial, or enjoy each others company, or share a hobby, there must be more to it; however if a man and a man have similar and even more blatant signs of connection, the possiblity is entirely invisible. 'They were roommates' syndrome, etc. I really don't think reboot and SNW writers were/are thinking that deeply about all the Straight™ Spock 'romance'. Not to negate it all off hand, but from a writers perspective, there are no especially revealing or profound romantic arcs for Spock and women in the original series. There was a lot of episodic comp-het, and mostly 'special circumstances', that is hard to draw coherent conclusions from Spock's perspective. The most effective way they could write a romance for Spock could be to draw similarities with Kirk, or use him as a kind of template, because it's the nearest thing we see to a 'complete' relationship, and you'll get the full spectrum - the things he chimes with, shared intellect, but also tension and gravity to give the connection the right undertone and meaning. But does a character really need romantic relationships to be interesting? My main point of contention with the reboot Spock/Uhura is Uhura - for all the character stood for and achieved in TOS, she deserved far more than to be reduced to a love interest. Yes there is more to her than that but it is her primary and most emphasized story point, and it was superfluous to plot. But back to prequels; if you are true to character, giving Spock 'romances' he would do exactly as he does in TOS. He'll awkwardly, unemotionally engage, and it won't really go anywhere; or he'll feel actual feelings and freak out. That is Spock. That is one of the key point of his entire character, and it's part of the entire series and movies (well, until he sorts it out in TMP, and then fin; but of course a certain section of folks will fixate on the TSFS pon farr with his drone body WITH NO SOUL so it is NOT ROMANCE. Come on guys, these are basics; you need a present living essence at the very least to qualify an interaction as mutually 'romantic', like 'not being drugged', seriously). Anyway, it seems the only way to have Spock just 'have girlfriends' is to change the character"
