Seriously how did ‘dig it in there Mr Spock’ get aired on television. There is no heterosexual explaination
lol I know this is kind of a joke post, but I have some thoughts! If interested!
So, my dad was alive in the 60′s, he got to watch Star Trek as it aired (lucky) and he’s also gay as it happens. As such, he and I have had many discussions over the years about the underlying themes of Star Trek, the LGBTQA+ presence. He and I don’t always agree about what the subtext of the show is trying to say, but where we think things were being alluded to as regards a romantic/sexual component to Kirk and Spock’s relationship, he always explained it as folks in the 60′s not being as aware of this representation as we are today.
That’s not to say there wasn’t homophobia, of course, and that’s not to say people didn’t realize gay folks existed, but as my Dad explains it (at least from his perspective of growing up as a closeted gay man in that time) it was 100%, completely taboo. When people talked about it they spoke of it in hushed whispers and darting eyes. It wasn’t something people wanted to see or were predisposed to seeing, because the rhetoric then was that non-straight people were...well, again, as my dad puts it, not really considered ‘people’. They were described as evil, as predators, and the idea of two male-identifying characters having a loving, romantic relationship, flirting, being cute and sweet the same way a man and woman were expected to be seen then, wasn’t something most people were even willing to consider.
At least from my dad’s perspective of things, this is one of the reasons why they were probably able to get away with a lot more. The backrub scene definitely has the sexual energy we can recognize and see today, but back then it likely came natural to people to just favor a different interpretation because, yknow...heaven forbid. Homophobia and all. What that interpretation would have been I really don’t know, we’ve gone back and forth on that scene for a long time and the only thing I can think is, well. What we all think now lol. Kirk was trying to flirt and he failed.
But also there’s the fact that a lot of people just didn’t watch the show. Star Trek was primarily watched by the kids at that time (like my dad), adults weren’t really into science fiction and the low ratings are what contributed to the show being moved to the Friday night death slot and then cancelled after season 3. Star Trek, in many ways, was far beyond it’s time. Of course, when those kids grew up Star Trek saw a resurgence- but that’s another post.
Anyway sorry to hijack, I just thought it was an interesting point and figured I’d let my Dad sort of ‘take the mic’ even indirectly as he was there and might be able to provide some insight for anyone curious about the cultural attitudes (in the US) at that point in time.
I agree with your dad. I wasn’t there either but I’ve studied the Civil Rights era, the 60s, and not only did black people struggle considerably but the LGBTQA community had it waaaayyy worse. Blacks and anything other than straight was considered sub-human. It’s disgusting really how awful people can be to each other.
#Spirklivesforever
