Gender Genders ( or sexes ) were a type of biological variation between different members of the species . They were key to sexual reproduction , the creation of offspring . In many humanoid species , this involved a combination of two or more individuals ' gene tic material . It was also possible for members of certain species with compatible or related genetic structures to practice inter - species reproduction . Certain culture s facilitated this bonding with some form of a wedding ceremony . In many animal species , the female initiated the mating ritual . Captain Janeway reminded Tom Paris of this when they hyper - evolved into salamander - like species and produced offspring . ( ) Male and female gender . Many humanoid cultures had a two - sex system based around the division between male and female , or the masculine and the feminine , each of which contained a number of minor anatomical differences . One each of both sex , known as mates , were required to reproduce in a process called sexual reproduction . ( ; ) According to Counselor Deanna Troi , " " Human males are unique . Father s regard their son s as children , even into adulthood . Sons chafe against their fathers ' perceived expectations . " " ( ) Some more - advanced lifeform s also maintained such distinctions . When two members of the Q Continuum chose to practice two - party reproduction , they manifested themselves in such a manner . ( ) However , Q revealed a scornful attitude toward Human females when he discovered Humans in the Delta Quadrant a century sooner than expected : " " This is what happens when you put a woman in the captain ' s chair ! " " ( ) Gender roles . William T . Riker referred to an Earth nursery rhyme , " What Are Little Boys Made Of ? " , which stated : " " Girls are made from sugar and spice , boys are made from snips and snail s . . . and puppy dog tails , " " to describe the " old - fashioned way of looking at the sexes " to the androgynous Soren . He later clarified that " physically , men are bigger , stronger " and that they " have different sexual organs . " He also noted , " " Men can ' t bear young . " " ( ) Worf once explained , " " It is my understanding that in most Human families , the woman shares in the cooking . " " ( ) In Earth ' s past , it was noted that only landowners of a particular gender had any rights at all . ( ) The planet Angel I was considered " an unusual matriarchal society " where the female was aggressively dominant , as well as larger and stronger than the male counterpart , in what was considered an arrangement most sensible and natural . ( ) Vissian cogenitor s had the same learning potential as the male and female sexes . However , it was considered " not right " for one to learn to read . ( ) Other variants of sex and gender . There were also various alien sexual makeups which consisted of different constructs or combinations of sexes : Androgynous species . Androgyny , also known as being " genderless " or " neuter " , was the absence of distinct genders . A number of androgynous species were known , including the Axanar , Xindi - Insectoid s , Bynar , and more . When considering the health of Sluggo , a slug - like creature discovered by Hoshi Sato in 2151 , she referred to it as a " she " . However , Doctor Phlox questioned the identifier , stating , " " We haven ' t been able to determine its gender yet , if it has one . " " ( ) Hermaphroditic and transgender species . Hermaphrodism referred to having the characteristics of two or more sexes . Unlike androgynes , hermaphrodites could function as either a male or a female during sex , or undergo a functional transformation from one gender to another . During the wedding ceremony of William T . Riker and Deanna Troi , Data also welcomed the " invited transgendered species . " ( ) More than two sexes or genders . Some species had more than two sexes , or different capacities were assumed by sexes not conforming to the pattern of male / female bonding which seemed to be common throughout the galaxy . According to T ' Pol , " " Tri - gender reproduction [ was ] not uncommon , " " while Phlox noted that , " " Multi - gendered techniques [ for reproduction ] aren ' t always the same . " " For example , Vissians required three separate sexes to reproduce : male , female , and a cogenitor . Phlox speculated that " " the cogenitor provides an enzyme which facilitates conception , " " and it was later revealed by a Vissian that cogenitors were " " only needed when a couple ' s trying to have a child , " " and made up a small percentage of the overall population , about three percent . ( ) Species 8472 had as many as five sexes , and Doctor Phlox believed Rigelian s to have four or five genders . ( ; ) Appendices . Background information . Kate Mulgrew as Captain Janeway was the first female lead actor of a " Star Trek " series . The first female captain seen on " Star Trek " was the " Saratoga " captain seen in , played by Madge Sinclair . While Majel Barrett ' s character Number One was the first female first officer to appear in " Star Trek " , it was Nana Visitor ' s character , Kira Nerys , that was " Star Trek " s first female regular character to serve as first officer . The first pairing of a female captain and a female first officer serving aboard the same starship as each other was the ' s Philippa Georgiou and Michael Burnham in and . ( ) According to and , Andorian marriage s typically involved four partners and Bolian marriages might include co - spouses . It was not revealed what , if anything , this said about the genders of the aforementioned species . Only male and female Andorians have been referred to on screen , and no on - screen Andorian child has been referred to as having more than two parents . In ultimately unused dialogue from the writers ' first draft script of , Dr . Phlox tried to reassure Hoshi Sato that his Pyrithian bat bit males only , but Sato wasn ' t so sure that the bat could tell the difference between genders . Apocrypha . Several non - canon novels and comics ( such as the DS9 series ) have portrayed Andorians as having four distinct sexes required for mating . Other novels portray other cultures having three or more sexes , such as Diane Duane ' s description of a Horta character as being an " orthomale type B4 - A " .