From: bvan@ncs.dnd.ca (Bryan Van Blaricom)
Subject: Re: Female CO for the E  II
Organization: DND, Ottawa, CANADA
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 00:03:54 GMT

In article <1992Dec17.225700.499@fsl.noaa.gov> jkl@fsl.noaa.gov (Jennifer Longstaff) writes:
>christopher stone (cstone@husc8.harvard.edu) wrote:
>: As I interpret your argument, it would not be profitable for Paramount
>: to have a female captain, since 20th cen. TV viewers wouldn't accept
>: it.  I must disagree here.  First, television can *change* people's
>: opinions about the "macho image," much as TOS did in the 60's about
>: a lot of social issues and "Cagney and Lacey" did a few years ago
>: with regard to female detectives.  
>: Chris
>
>I agree that showing *competent* women in leadership roles in ST will
>work, and will change peoples' role model images.  However, tell me if
>I'm paranoid, but it seems to me that Paramount has done more to hurt
>people's impressions of women in leadership positions.  Just off the top 
>of my head, I recall two instances where women were shown in very 
>authoritative positions, and later in the show those women were shown to 
>be real ding-dongs.  I'm thinking of:
>    (1) Admiral Satie, in "the drumhead."  She was an *ADMIRAL*, highly
>respected, etc. etc.  But after a go-round with Picard she was "exposed
>for the paranoid dingbat she really was..."
>    (2) Dr. Kyla Marr, in the episode where the Crystalline Entity was
>destroyed.  She was originally a very intelligent women (other than
>her prejudice against Data), but as the show wore on she exhibited more
>and more signs of mental breakdown due to her guilt about losing her son.
>
>In both of the previous episodes, these women were also older (gray
>hair, probably in their 60's).  I hope we're not also trying to be
>ageist.
>
>And I can think of more examples where women were not shown in a real
>flattering light; how about "The Perfect Mate" where the woman's only
>reason for existence was to please men?!  Even in "The Game", Robin
>Leffler was originally smart and independent, but of course late in the
>show she had to succumb to the Game so that Wesley could save the ship
>by himself....
>
>I know there have also been plenty of men shown as idiots on the show, but
>I'm trying to remember when a woman was portrayed as *REALLY SMART* or
>competent or a good female role model.  Can anyone help me with this?
>
>And, don't get me wrong.  I'm really not trying to flame about sexism
>or ageism.  I'm just trying to find some good examples of women as 
>competent role models, and so far I can't remember any having emerged.
>I'm just curious about this, not trying to start anything.
>
>- Jennifer
>  jkl@md.fsl.noaa.gov
>
>

   Some that quickly spring to mind are:

   Dr. Leah Brahms
   The captain of the Enterprise C
   Beverly Crusher
   Tasha Yar
   Dr. Pulaski
   The commander from BOBW (a bit ambitious, perhaps, but still very
       competent :-)

   For that matter, there have been several female admirals who did NOT
turn out to be flakes and several male admirals who DID. (On some of these
shows I've had cause to wonder if Starfleet requires its officers to have a
frontal lobotomy before promoting them to admirals.  In many instances the
interests of the federation were promoted more in spite of its command
officers rather than because of them).

Bryan Van Blaricom