From: pcp2g@fermi.clas.Virginia.EDU (Gilligan)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Strong Women
Summary: We need more!
Date: 12 Aug 92 17:56:00 GMT
Organization: University of Virginia

In article <BsvDCA.2q4@acsu.buffalo.edu> v130qh57@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (sandra guzdek) writes:
>In article <1992Aug11.203551.6025@msdhsv.ingr.com>, foxx@foxxjac.b17a.ingr.com writes...
>>(Roberta Rheaume (CPB)) writes:
>>|> Just my $0.02
>>|> [...]
>>|> BTW, why do all the women on ST:TNG have traditional (1992) jobs:
>>|> Guinan - waitress
>>|> Crusher - nurse/doctor
>>|> Troi - social worker (with bad taste in clothes)
>>It seems like nobody likes the jobs females have, but when they
>>have jobs of less traditional roles, nobody likes the characters
>>(Tasha, Shelby, Rho).  I would bet part of the problem lies in us
>>the viewers.           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>^^^^^^^^^^^^
>BINGO! :)
>precisely why a strong woman is considered a "bitch," a strong man, "macho."
>(where the hell did THAT tangent come from? :)

No, I disagree here. Keylahr was a very strong character, but I don't know
of anyone who thought of her as a bitch. And Locarno (from "The First Duty")
was strong, but he was also an asshole.  And don't forget the terrorist from
"The Higher Ground", or Durass, or any other number of strong men in the show 
that were "bitches".

As far as the women go...

Tasha's *character* is excellent; the actor was bad. 
Denice Crosby was the weakest link on the show, and I was happy to see
her go. I liked Tasha and wish they had cast her differently.

Shelby does seem to be disliked by the net in general; however, she tried
to stab Riker in the back, and no one likes to see a "friend" treated that 
way. She was scheming and self-serving, and got slapped down for it when
Riker took over command. Afterwards, when she had "learned her lesson", she 
became much warmer and friendlier, but, I assume, lost none of her ability
to command. In "Vendetta", Peter David extrapolated very nicely what she
would be like after the BOBW incident. Conclusion: *I* like her, especially
after the events shown. And she served well to give Riker a kick in the pants.
The actor was good, too, and I would like to see her return.

Ro again was originally potrayed as belligerent, whiny and stuffy (which I found 
funny because that seemed to be just what she was rebelling against). After a 
few shows, she seemed to warm to her job more and I started to like the 
character more. The actor is a bit stiff, but that may wear off with time
(although it hasn't for Gates McFadden or Marina Sirtis, who still act like
they're made of wood).

The reason the women are cast in "traditional" roles (and since when is a 
doctor traditional for a woman? Bones was a man, remember) is because that's
how the people that make the show cast them. Whether we like those roles or not
is irrelevant to the original question, which was "Why do all the cool roles
for women wind up leaving the show? (paraphrased, of course)?" That's the way
they're written. 

I agree 100% that Trek needs more cool women on the show (like Keylahr,
or Rachel Garret, or Selar, or Shelby, or or or or). It's up to the writers
to get them in there.

--
* Phil Plait                  PCP2G@astsun.acc.virginia.EDU
* 
* "Aardvark, Percolator, Five Cent Cigar...
*  Cat Hips, Fish Lips, Midgets in a Jar"
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current