Trek stereotypes

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

We've all debated whether Kirk was a ladies man or a skilled strategist who used every advantage he had. What about other stereotypes?

Are Vulcans really as logical as they're supposed to be? Are Klingons really honorable? Is McCoy as emotional and irrational as Spock claims? Is Picard really that arrogant?

Discuss.

On the McCoy subject, I think it's only natural that a doctor would care about individuals, because he sees each crew member as a person and an individual patient. Rarely does he regard the crew as a whole (unless there's a shipwide epidemic or something). (I wonder what it would have been like if the doctor had been a Spock-like figure.) McCoy personally made a difficult choice for his father (though we didn't know that until the movies) and it likely affected the choices he made since.

Vulcans as a whole employed logic as a survival mechanism and a peacekeeping tactic. They'd seen what had happened to their world and others, and believed dispassionate logic to be a preventative of senseless violence. What violence they do display is controlled and surgical, usually justified.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Laura Cynthia Chambers, what you're describing is one of Star Trek's most famous of Tropes is the "Planet of Hats" where ___ alien species/culture is all about this one thing "____"
Like the Romulans are traditionally views as Strict Military Dominated society where everybody is Conspiring & Plotting & Scheming.

It'd be nice if we broke away from the "Planet of Hats" trope/ StereoType and brought nuance to when dealing with species.

More like IRL where nuance needs to be emphasized and not blanket categorize everything as "___".

 

[F. King Daniel]

The uglier and more inhuman the alien makeup, the more evil the alien is. This is true for 90% of episodes.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

The uglier and more inhuman the alien makeup, the more evil the alien is. This is true for 90% of episodes.

I don't think that's actually accurate, though if someone's supposed to be from a tough warrior race they're usually made to look scary.

 

[maneth]

Equating beauty with goodness and ugliness with evil feels rather medieval at this point. It would be interesting to see a hideously ugly but nevertheless humane species pitted against a beautiful but cruel one, and to see the largely human crew deal with their biases.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

You get that in the Voyager episode Nemesis!

 

[maneth]

You get that in the Voyager episode Nemesis!

True, but given how common the trope is, I wish we'd see it reversed more often.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

Equating beauty with goodness and ugliness with evil feels rather medieval at this point. It would be interesting to see a hideously ugly but nevertheless humane species pitted against a beautiful but cruel one, and to see the largely human crew deal with their biases.

Ticket to Janus?

 

[Nerys Myk]

/ Stereo Type

Stereotype. Unless you're talking about a sound system.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Stereotype. Unless you're talking about a sound system.

Okay, compromise solution:
StereoType

 

[Nerys Myk]

Okay, compromise solution:
StereoType

Still wrong. It's not a made up alien name.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Laura Cynthia Chambers, what you're describing is one of Star Trek's most famous of Tropes is the "Planet of Hats" where ___ alien species/culture is all about this one thing "____"

So what would the individual character stereotypes be called? One-hat character?

 

[Nerys Myk]

So what would the individual character stereotypes be called? One-hat character?

Like what? The greedy lawyer? The caring doctor? The hooker with a heart of gold?

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

So what would the individual character stereotypes be called? One-hat character?

It could be, depends on the setting & whose character is assigned what role.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Stereotypes about Trek characters, as I said above. Arrogant Picard. Ladies man Kirk. Loose cannon McCoy.

Also, do species, whatever else may be true of them, live up to their reputations?

 

[Nerys Myk]

Stereotypes about Trek characters, as I said above. Arrogant Picard. Ladies man Kirk. Loose cannon McCoy.

Also, do species, whatever else may be true of them, live up to their reputations?

I prefer to think of those as characterization.

McCoy isn't really a loose cannon, even though he often leads with his heart. In the operating room or exam table he's all business and just as much a scientist as Spock. So he's a complex character.

Yeah, Picard can be arrogant and we love to joke about that. He'd rather see a species go extinct than violate the prime directive and all that. He's stand offish but he also cares.

 

[Firebird]

I prefer to think of those as characterization.

Agreed. Stereotype is used more to paint a brush over a particular group of people, rather than a singular person.

 

[Alexander Corrino]

I tend to call this the "pop culture image" of characters. Kirk as the funny and cheeky ladies man who has a different woman every episode when this is actually not true (I remember a massive article or blog entry or something that debunked that entire ladies man thing).

Jean-Luc as the stoic humorless dude who never smiles and is the model image of a perfect commanding officer who always has the answer. I've always wanted to write a massive article myself where I debunk this weird pop culture image and show that he's an awkward (and also adorable, but that is probably Biased Me speaking) dork who is simply very good at pretending he ISN'T a massively insecure nerd (and who is actually very good at smiling and has a terrific sense of dry humor).

I think Jean-Luc and Kirk suffer the most from those images because pop culture loves to compare these two in particular because at first glance they seem like polar opposites in every possible way when in reality it's mostly their command styles that differ.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

I remember reading an article like that too, and if this is the one I'm thinking of it might be the one you're thinking of too: Freshly Remember'd: Kirk Drift

I reckon part of the reason Kirk and Picard are perceived the way they are is because of their first officers. Anyone is going to seem like a reckless loose cannon who follows their gut compared to Spock, while Picard is always telling Riker they need to be more patient and consider their options. When Kirk had Decker as his first officer, he came off as stern and cold by comparison, while Picard is warm and sentimental when working with Data.

 

[WarpTenLizard]

I frequently find myself comparing Bones McCoy to Trip Tucker, as portrayals of Southern Americans. McCoy was clearly and unapologetically Southern, but not in any stereotypical way. I never doubted his intelligence or competency, and he's easily a contender to Spock for the smartest character of the main cast of TOS. Trip Tucker on the other hand is such an over-the-top stereotype of a Southerner that it can be difficult to take him seriously, especially regarding his intelligence (though the show’s writing in the early seasons doesn't help matters).

Then there's the infamous handling of Chakotay's character. I'm a bit surprised that in the 20 years since "Voyager" ended, "Star Trek" hasn't attempted any Native American representation to try and make up for it. It shouldn't have been hard to just have Sam Rutherford, Hugh Culber or someone drop some casual references to being Chippewa or Navajo or something. All I can think of is maybe they're hyper-paranoid that the actor's ethnicity must match the character's to a T.

If we must also bring up the infamous "Code of Honor," all I can say is that the stereotypes are so jaw-droppingly offensive that it comes off as unintentional comedy. (Helped of course by the all-around poor quality of the entire episode.) Just when you thought they'd hit every African American stereotype under the sun, the queen's Disco jumpsuit comes out.

On a final note, in a franchise somewhat notorious for ethnic stereotypes, my all-time favorite is Finnegan and his Leprechaun music from the TOS episode "Shore Leave."