Posted on 5/11/2004, 3:45:28 PM by presidio9
Leonard Nimoy endorsed the idea; so did Patrick Stewart. And for more than 17 years, fans have been clamoring for it. Yet still, Star Trek has not a single gay character on any of its shows. Now, the fans are tired of waiting, and some of them are taking matters into their own hands.
It's the final days of the Dominion War and a mysterious race, called the Grey, have attacked several Federation ships in the McCallister C-5 Nebula, using devastating psionic attacks and leaving few crewmembers alive. The USS Excelsior NCC-77246, under the command of Capt. Ian Quincy Knapp, is sent to investigate.
The USS Excelsior is the lead ship of Star Trek's latest incarnation, "Hidden Frontiers." "Hidden Frontier" isn't a Paramount production, however; it's produced, directed, filmed and written from a spare bedroom in executive producer Rob Caves' Southern California apartment.
And, oh yeah, there's a gay character.
"Hidden Frontiers" is a fan-based series, now entering its fifth season, that has successfully managed to go boldly where no official Star Trek show has managed to go before: to the virtually uncharted social space of same-sex relationships.
"To date, it's still one of the most downloaded episodes off the site," said Carlos Pedraza, staff writer for the Internet-based show, at hiddenfrontier.org. "I think, overall, we were really pleased with the way people reacted. Even people who didn't like it still watch the show."
Despite public endorsements from venerable Star Trek actors like Leonard Nimoy and Patrick Stewart, promises from late Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry, and 17 years of intermittent letter-writing campaigns by gay fans asking for at least one gay character, Star Trek has never had an openly gay or lesbian character. This absence has many gay fans outraged, saying that Star Trek has strayed far from the high hopes of the original show.
When the original show premiered on prime time in 1966, its ensemble cast featured a Russian man who was not bent on socialist world domination; an Asian man who wasn't a kung fu master; and a black woman who was actually a working crewmember -- all this in a Cold War, xenophobic, racially divided America. From the first interracial kiss on prime-time television to thinly veiled allegories of racial inequality, Star Trek established itself as consistently on the forefront of subtle social commentary, melding complex societal issues with 1960s special effects and the myriad conquests of Capt. James T. Kirk.
The original show spawned a billion-dollar industry, including four spin-off series, the latest starring Scott Bakula, "Enterprise"; 10 films; innumerable comic books, novels, computer games and action figures; and a rabid fan base. But throughout the myriad incarnations, the Star Trek franchise never addressed the issue of homosexuality.
"All it would have taken is an acknowledgment that same-sex relationships occur normally in the Star Trek universe," said Wayne Wilkening, 36, chairman of the Gaylaxian Science Fiction Society, the Boston chapter of the international Gaylactic Network. Both groups are dedicated to promoting fellowship between gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender science-fiction fans.
On a recent night in April, the Gaylaxian Science Fiction Society held its monthly meeting in the living room of Wilkening's apartment. The theme of the night was "Fan-based Productions," a showing of the latest Star Trek offerings from the Internet, all made by dedicated fans using desk-top technology. By far, the biggest hit of the evening was "Hidden Frontier."
"I'm a fan," said Wilkening. "The meeting was hosted at my place when we showed it, and it was the biggest turnout we've had in the last four years."
The decision to include a gay character on the show's crew roster was one that Caves, the show's executive producer and creator, and Pedraza, the staff writer, didn't take lightly.
"We kind of picked up the ball and said that if this is important to people, we should do it," Caves said.
Added Pedraza, "One of the things that has been really a priority for us has been to treat the issue with care. We wanted to show that obviously, gay people still exist in the future and that they're a normal part of what goes on. We don't go over the top or anything, but we try to present stories with characters where being gay is who they are."
Fans are responding.
"It fits very well in the Star Trek universe; it treats homosexuality and gay characters as normal parts of the crew. It's positioned as it's OK socially, but that individuals still have to come to terms with how they feel about it," Wilkening said. "That's what I really like about how they're handling it."
With the show entering its fifth season, Pedraza and Caves think there's still a lot of drama to be mined from the gay subplot. And according to fans, the show is maturing quickly on all fronts: acting, directing, special effects, story lines. And while fans like Wilkening still watch the Paramount-affiliated shows, often out of a long-standing loyalty, they are grateful that there's another show out there, one that represents what they want to see. Caves hears that all the time.
"It's tremendously rewarding to get the feedback from fans online: 'Thank you for giving us a gay character,'" he says. "'Thank you for giving us another story in the Star Trek universe.'"
::rolling eyes::
There's a homo name if I've ever heard one. How did he get command? Probably made a name for himself in the Klingon Butt Pirate Raids or something...
--The Shatner on SNL
"Hmm...Mr. X? Do I dare cross the final frontier?"
LOL!
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