James T. Kirk: The Anti Womanizer, Season 2 (Part 2)
Part 1
"Obsession"
Lady of the Hour: none
--There is zero female presence outside of Uhura in this episode. Yes, Kirk gets snippy with her,
UHURA: Oh, Captain. Subspace message from Starfleet. They're inquiring--
KIRK: Not now. Have the security duty officer report to me immediately.
but he's snippy with everyone at some point in the episode. As in "The Conscience of the King," Kirk is dealing with a highly traumatic incident from his past, which is already testing his emotional control, and he has to deal with the fact that even his closest friends doubt his instinct (totally correct, by the way) that the creature is sentient and dangerous.
"Wolf in the Fold"
Lady of the Hour: Maybe Kara? Sybo? -Ish.
--First and foremost, the reason that Kirk, McCoy, and Scotty are in this particular bar is for Scotty's benefit--what better place to help Scotty get over his "total resentment toward women" than where there's a nice, pretty girl who is a talented and sexy dancer and who, by her nature as an Argelian, would pose absolutely no threat towards him, either directly or indirectly? After all, as soon as Scotty's all taken care of, Kirk and McCoy make plans to head elsewhere immediately.
--Kirk does not ask Kara to come over to the table for his own benefit, but to allow her to work her charms on Scotty.
--As far as where Kirk and McCoy plan to go after accomplishing their task with Scotty, all that we know about it is what Kirk says:
KIRK: Bones, I know a little place across town where the women--
MCCOY: Oh, yes. I know the place. Let's go.
Now, for all we know, these women could be phenomenal chess players or learned orators or whatever, but considering just how interested McCoy is, I consider that unlikely--as we know, McCoy is more prone than Kirk to savoring the odd romantic interlude when given the opportunity, so for him to be this eager about the women, it's pretty likely there's a sexual element involved. Also increasing the odds toward that possibility, it is explicitly established that Argelian society is completely hedonistic.
Still, that's not to say that it would involve either of these two men hooking up with someone. This place could be famous for its exotic dancers or sexual performances or something like. However, even if sex is on the minds of both men, really, why the hell not? We can be pretty sure that McCoy has no moral objections to sex, seeing as how it's completely healthy as long as safety concerns are met. Granted, we've seen that Kirk is not prone to one-night stands, but were he to have one, I think this would be a prime opportunity--someone from a completely hedonistic society would believe that pleasure is the chief good in life, that pleasure should be had where it can be obtained = free love, man. There would be no expectations on Kirk, no possibility of hurt feelings, no lingering attachment. Besides, the captain's got to get his rocks off sometime if Spock's not going to put out.
--Quick question, if Scotty has potentially killed one woman in a fit of rage so intense he's blacked it out of his memory, doesn't anyone think it's a bad idea for the psycho-tricorder technician to be a woman, considering he's got to be alone with her, and all? Just sayin', I'm all for equal opportunity, but in this case, a man really would have been better suited for the job.
--Even considering that Argelius is the ideal place for Kirk to get some periodic sex, he is more concerned that this fiasco might result in Argelius' loss as a strategic spaceport. If Kirk were a shameless skirtchaser, I'd think he'd have made at least a bit more noise about losing access to a completely hedonistic society.
--Kirk is completely respectful of Sybo's empathic abilities; however, he does push for the psycho-tricorder test and using the ship's computers to detect falsehoods because he wants to use every tool available to him to prove Scotty's innocence.
--After Rejac has been beamed into nothingness and the crew has been doped up, Kirk contemplates a return to Argelius:
SPOCK: Captain, since you came to Argelius to rest, I suggest you take advantage of the opportunity.
KIRK: That's a splendid idea, Mister Spock. I know a cafe where the women are so--
MCCOY: I know the place, Jim.
SCOTT: Let's go see!
KIRK: You, gentlemen? In your condition? Don't be ridiculous. Mister Spock, this cafe has women that are so... No, I guess not. Alone?
First of all, I think this confirms that this cafe Kirk's on about has something to do with sex or the allure of women, in some way, as he quickly realizes that Spock (who only is affected by a pretty face when he chooses to be) is totally not interested--and I do mean totally:
However, what's of particular interest is that Kirk has absolutely no desire to go down to that little cafe alone. As we see, he instead herds his drugged to the gills flock out of the transporter room and seems to intend to spend his rest time aboard ship. This exchange turns around previous assumptions about Kirk's earlier discussion of the cafe with McCoy. It seems that Kirk was not, in fact, interested in hooking up with some nice lady--otherwise, he would have gone back down alone, despite not having a wingman--but was more interested in spending time with his friends in a pleasant, non-work-related environment. Kirk would rather stay on board the Enterprise with a loopy crew, his only sober companionship Spock. Well now, if that doesn't poke some holes in the skirtchaser!Kirk idea, I don't know what will.
But really, when does Kirk get his rocks off, if he's bypassing opportunities like these? Is he in a committed monogamous relationship with his right hand or what? Pining away for Spock so severely that he feels no sex drive otherwise? Dude, maybe he is celibate, after all. That would explain some of his "don'tlikethisdon'tlikethisdon'tlikethis" faces he pulls when he's seducing female villains.
"The Trouble with Tribbles"
Lady of the Hour: Lieutenant Uhura
--Kirk seems to have a really rather teasing off-duty relationship with Uhura,
KIRK: I see you didn't waste time taking your shore leave.
UHURA: (pointed) How often do I get shore leave?
a little like Uhura seemed to have with Spock in earlier episodes. However, there is still a formality there, an acknowledgement of their on-duty personas. Not even a hint of flirtation in sight. I still maintain that that alone could end this argument once and for all, that Kirk never once hit on Uhura, who has to be the most beautiful woman ever to appear in the original series.
--After McCoy finally figures out Tribble reproduction, he comes to the bridge:
MCCOY: And from my observations, it seems they're bisexual, reproducing at will. And, brother, have they got a lot of will.
By "bisexual," I feel pretty certain that McCoy actually means "hermaphroditic," considering we're talking reproduction and not just attraction, but does anyone else get a cheap thrill at the word "bisexual" being used in a 1960s television program? No? Just me?
--After discovering the infestation of the bridge by the tribbles and despite some pretty obvious frustration, Kirk remains professional with Uhura, though he does have a right to become at least a little put out with her, considering she was the one who brought that first tribble aboard.
"The Gamesters of Triskelion"
Lady of the Hour: Mary Sue (what? I can't be the only one who thinks so) Shahna, Lieutenant Uhura
--After Kirk, Chekov, and Uhura find themselves transported to Triskelion, Kirk immediately pops up and starts recon of their location. No, he does not help Uhura up, but neither does he give Chekov a hand. The most important thing now is gathering information as quickly as possible, not wasting time with niceties. Kirk trusts both crewmen to take care of themselves.
--Although they all put up a good fight, our valiant heroes are all eventually defeated by the thralls, Kirk coming closest to besting his before being finally defeated by Shahna. Being taken down by a woman does not bother Kirk's masculine pride--he does not even seem particularly angry, at least at first, which would be understandable given the situation, just wary and concerned, but still maintaining his diplomatic posture.
--During his first confrontation with Galt, after he's been collared, Kirk's eyes do not stray once (and believe me, I was watching him like a hawk) to all the female flesh on display from Shahna and Tamoon (gosh, I love her). His eyes are locked on Galt as he attempts to reason with him.
--When Uhura puts up a fight against Lars, after he's been selected for her, Kirk pretty much flips the fuck out:
KIRK: Lieutenant, are you all right? Uhura! Lieutenant! Lieutenant, are you all right? Lieutenant, answer me! Lieutenant! What's happening to Lieutenant Uhura? Lieutenant, are you all right?
It's not because Kirk wants Uhura for himself, but rather because she is his crewman and colleague, friend and fellow human, who, as far as he knows, is getting fucking raped not fifty feet from him. We know that Kirk feels responsible for the welfare of each member of his crew, and the idea that one is being harmed when he is so powerless to do nothing...it's no wonder he's losing his shit. He only calms down when Lars emerges looking disgruntled and unsatisfied and he sees that Uhura appears relatively unharmed.
Now, one might take Kirk's different reactions to Uhura and Chekov’s introductions to their drill thralls as indicative of some kind of sexism or interest or whatever. There are several reasons why Kirk did not kick up such a fuss when Tamoon came to Chekov:
--Pretty much the second Shahna enters Kirk's cell, he's pumping her for information. Absolutely everything he says and asks is to a purpose. Then:
KIRK: I must say, I've never seen a top sergeant who looked like you.
SHAHNA: What does that mean?
KIRK: It means you're a very beautiful woman.
SHAHNA: What is beautiful?
KIRK: You mean nobody's ever told you that before? Well, ah, beautiful is... Beautiful... (He holds up his tray cover so she can see her reflection.) That's beautiful.
It starts off with a throwaway comment, which Kirk must then clarify because she asks him about it. It's an exchange that doesn't seem calculated on Kirk's part, like he's already identified that Shahna's an innocent in all this and he's seeking more to bolster her self-worth than anything, but it's also Kirk testing the waters somewhat, to see if his seduction method of "lure the henchman to my side" will work with her.
The kind attention Kirk pays Shahna pays off pretty damn quickly, as she tells him how to beat Kloog during the punishment. And after it's already worked so well and so quickly, why wouldn't Kirk push forward with the seduction? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
--Speaking of the punishment, Kirk steps in to take Uhura's place because as a member of his crew, she is his responsibility. Kirk's not going to stand by and let someone under his charge die--he would have done the same thing for Chekov. (Geez, I feel like I'm sounding like a broken record at this point, but I did say every interaction of note, didn't I? Dammit. My fingers are tired.)
--Later on, Shahna takes Kirk for a jog (in boots--yeowtch) over by some lovely soundstage, and when they stop to rest, Kirk once again immediately begins to pump her for information:
KIRK: Shahna, why do the Providers... Why do they like to watch others being hurt, killed?
SHAHNA: That is the way.
KIRK: Their voices sound mechanical. Are they computers?
SHAHNA: Computers?
KIRK: You've seen them. Do they have bodies?
SHAHNA: Not such as ours.
KIRK: What is this place?
SHAHNA: It is not used.
KIRK: It's very old. Does it have a name? Shahna, could it have been a city for the Providers?
SHAHNA: I do not think it is well to ask such things.
KIRK: They do have bodies, or did have.
SHAHNA: One does not talk of such things.
Notice Kirk's attitude and posture while he's interrogating her:
He's completely focused on gathering information. He maintains a very clear distance between the two of them, and there's not even a glimmer of sexual interest. Now, at the end there, she shuts down his questions twice. Kirk knows that straight questioning is not going to work at this point. His whole persona changes right before our eyes:
(The stills unfortunately don’t convey this change fully. Watch this bit of the episode again--you'll see what I mean.)
He goes over to Shahna, gets into her personal space, and starts in with the seduction that seemed to produce results before:
KIRK: Very pretty country. Very much like my home planet, Earth.
SHAHNA: Planet?
KIRK: Where I was born. Shahna, don't you ever look at the night sky? The lights up there?
SHAHNA: I have looked at them.
KIRK: Well, those are stars. And around them are planets. And there are people that live on them, just like us.
SHAHNA: How can one live on a flicker of light?
KIRK: From Earth, Triskelion's three suns are just a flicker of light. Actually, this is the darkest planet I've ever seen.
SHAHNA: Dark? But all is lighted. Here, the chambers.
KIRK: The thralls have no freedom, Shahna. You don't think or do anything but what the Providers tell you.
SHAHNA: What else would one do?
KIRK: Love, for one thing.
SHAHNA: What is love?
KIRK: Love is the most important thing on Earth. Especially to a man and a woman.
SHAHNA: We, too, have mates. When it is time to increase the herd, my Provider will select one for me.
KIRK: On Earth, we select our own mate. Someone we care for. On Earth, men and women live together, help each other, make each other happy.
SHAHNA: I do not think your words are allowed.
KIRK: All right. All right. Tell me about the Providers. What do they look like? Where do they live?
SHAHNA: I have never seen them, but they are said not to be like us. They stay in--
Even in the midst of the seduction, we see several themes reappear, those things that Kirk frequently uses to try and win people to his side: a reminder that we are not alone in the universe, that we have a responsibility to our fellow sentient beings; a denouncement of slavery; the importance of human feeling, specifically love.
At this point, nobody buys that Kirk is actually interested in Shahna, right? I mean, we know that Kirk likes 'em smart, and bless her heart, she's sweet, but she ain't too swooft. However, by romancing Shahna, Kirk is showing her what she could have if she weren't subject to the whims of the Providers, so that she will eventually aid him in bringing them down.
We also get another look at Kirk's view on relationships. For Kirk, it's all about an equal partnership: you help each other, you make each other happy. Specifically, Kirk references a heterosexual relationship because this is applicable to his situation with Shahna--Kirk does not expect a woman to be subservient in a relationship, does not expect her to cater to his needs. For Kirk, the ideal relationship is one based on caring and love, making each other happy. He indicates that a couple lives together, most likely meaning that his go-to-relationship-of-choice is monogamous and long-term.
And again, at the end of this, watch Kirk change tacks yet again when he hits a wall with Shahna. He switches right back to interrogation mode--but it does seem that his masculine wiles have paid off, since she's willing to give up more information now.
--Again, to beat a dead horse (although, what a fine thoroughbred it is. Uh, was?), Kirk shows concern for Shahna when the Providers torture her for giving Kirk information not because of his burning desire to find out if the carpet matches the green drapes, but because he possesses human compassion and can't sit idly by while someone is being tortured in front of him.
However, that being said, Kirk still remains focused on his duty here and works the situation to his advantage. Notice that although Kirk yells at the Providers to stop, offering to take the torture upon himself, he does not hold Shahna as she writhes (beyond the initial catch he makes to keep her from falling when it first starts), as one might expect of someone with romantic designs upon her. Instead Kirk goes to support her after the after the torture has all but ceased--the "when" is critical here, because what Kirk is doing is setting himself up in contrast to the Providers so that Shahna will continue to help him move against them: "these guys are bad, they hurt you, but if you side with me, I'm all warm, fuzzy cuddles." It's Kirk showing his core of compassion, but it's also the captain refusing to be distracted from his duty to his ship and his crew.
Kirk kisses Shahna the first time as a continuance of the afore-mentioned warm-cuddly offensive, but it is Shahna who asks for the second kiss:
SHAHNA: (Of the first kiss) And this--is this also helping?
KIRK: You could call it that.
SHAHNA: Please, help me once again.
--After they've returned to the cells, when Shahna comes in with the meal tray, Kirk immediately begins picking at the scab of the wound he created earlier:
KIRK: You're disturbed about what happened today.
SHAHNA: Yes. You have made me feel strangely. If it were allowed, I would ask that you have another drill thrall.
KIRK: I wouldn't like that, Shahna. I wouldn't like that at all.
Man is really going for blood at this point, because as we find out, he, Uhura, and Chekov are making their move right now. Kirk moves in for the kiss so that he can distract Shahna to get close enough to knock her out (and isn't it nice that Kirk doesn't just immediately assume he can overpower her? Which would be a stupid assumption to make, anyway, because Shahna's been trained for combat all her life).
When Kirk apologizes to an unconscious Shahna, he is genuinely sorry. As with Lenore (before he found out she was a murdering loony tune), Kirk has been forced to manipulate an innocent so that a particular end can be reached, the sacrifice of one person's feelings for the greater good. Using someone like that clearly is not something that Kirk enjoys doing, although he's not about to throw such an effective weapon out of his arsenal.
--When Kirk tries to talk the providers into taking his bet, he realizes that he's got to do some fast talking, because he has no power in this situation; he's got to make the Providers believe that a human is a worthy competitor, at least as far as wagering. The Providers think of themselves as so far above humans that Kirk has to do some major bullshitting to get them to consider wagering with him:
KIRK: My people pride themselves on being the greatest, most successful gamblers in the universe. We compete for everything: power, fame, women, everything we desire, and it is our nature to win. And for proof, I offer you our exploration of this galaxy.
Does Kirk really believe that women are something to be fought over and won barring third season disastrous writing? Not likely, since as we saw in "Charlie X," Kirk advocates the "be gentle, go slow" approach. Pawing the ground and charging at another male like two bucks competing for a female is neither going gently or slowly.
Kirk's bluff here is very much like the one we see later in "A Piece of the Action," bluster to hype himself up so that his enemy will see him as a worthy opponent and accept his challenge. We don't believe Fizzbin really exists, do we? So why should we believe Kirk's put-on bluster as him telling the truth here?
--In the end, Kirk cannot kill Shahna because she has done absolutely nothing even remotely worthy of being killed over, because Kirk rarely (ever?) kills anyone who threatens him personally (though mess with his ship or crew and he's not as forgiving), not because green, curtains, carpets, yadda.
--After all's done but the shouting, Kirk himself clarifies his intentions towards Shahna:
KIRK: I'm sorry, Shahna. I didn't lie. I did what was necessary. Someday, I hope you'll understand.
And the thing is, if we review, Kirk never once lied. He never promised her anything or made any disingenuous protestations of being in love with her, because that would have only hurt her more when the inevitable occurred.
--In the end, Kirk makes it very clear that he has, and never did have, a romantic interest in Shahna:
SHAHNA: I would like to go to those lights with you. Take me?
KIRK: I can't.
SHAHNA: Then teach me how, and I will follow you.
KIRK; There's so much you must learn here first. The Providers will teach you. Learn it, Shahna. All your people must learn before you can reach for the stars.
Shahna is very, very, so very willing to follow along behind Kirk, but Kirk immediately shuts that idea down. When Shahna tries a different tactic, Kirk quickly deflects, making their conversation about all of her people, rather than just the two of them.
--Given Kirk's pretty explicit lack of interest in Shahna, I can only assume that he kisses her in goodbye because she's so clearly desirous of it and he's feeling guilty enough because of his treatment of her to indulge her.
"A Piece of the Action"
Lady of the Hour: none
--We've really only got one interaction of note in this episode. When Kirk is brought before JoJo Krako, Krako uses a couple of different angles to try and win Kirk over, including getting a woman to lean all over Kirk and massage his shoulders.
Far from looking pleased at the attention, Kirk is tense the whole time, leaning forward in his chair and sending annoyed looks back at the woman, segueing in to an exasperated "well, finally" look after Krako finally calls her off. Certainly, Kirk does not relax into it like he did in "Shore Leave" when he thought Spock was the one giving the backrub.
"The Immunity Syndrome"
Lady of the Hour: none
--In this episode, we get what are, I believe, the only instances of Kirk (while in his right mind) looking at a female crewman with what could be considered sexual desire, and I'm still not 100 percent convinced it is.
The episode begins and ends with Kirk briefly staring off after a random yeoman while talking about how much he's looking forward to getting some rest on "some lovely planet."
Now, why do I doubt that he's leering at his crewmen when saying these words, when the words themselves are written to be so suggestive? Well first of all, Kirk mentions in his log that his crew is absolutely exhausted:
KIRK: Captain's log, stardate 4307.1. Approaching Starbase Six for a much-needed period of rest and recreation. The crew has performed excellently, but is exhausted. And I, too, am looking forward to a nice period of rest on some lovely planet.
And certainly Kirk himself is exhausted if he's looking forward to his shore leave, considering getting him to go down to the planet in "Shore Leave" was like pulling teeth.
This kind of exhaustion is going to affect you in all kinds of ways, so it is quite possible that Kirk's "crewmen are not objects of lust" switch was turned off due to his weariness and he was ogling the two yeomen a bit. However, I know that when I get tired, I'm easily distracted by anything moving anywhere close to me in a very "follow the bouncing ball" kind of way. When that distraction occurs, my speech tends to trail off, just like Kirk's does in the latter instance,
KIRK: I'm still looking forward to a nice period of rest and relaxation on some lovely (pause while gaze follows the yeoman) planet.
though of course Kirk's trailing off could be sexually suggestive or due to distraction of the purty lady.
Something else that puts me in the camp of "more likely to be exhausted distraction" is the fact that neither of Kirk's gazes drops below the backs of the yeomen's heads:
There is no lingering, perusing once-over, like there was so obviously with, say, Captain Christopher in "Tomorrow Is Yesterday."
To my way of thinking, if there was anything sexual in those looks, it is not due to a desire Kirk has to bang those particular yeomen, but rather they are symbols of the kind of "relaxation" he hopes to enjoy on some lovely planet, just as Yeoman Rand was his symbol for that beach he'll never get to walk on in "The Naked Time." After all, Kirk's got to be able to get his rocks off sometime--or maybe he's just looking forward to spending time with someone who he doesn't see everyday, particularly after what was evidently a very trying mission. Again from "The Naked Time," we know how much Kirk longs for companionship, and because of his hands-off policy with crewmen, he's not going to get it on the ship. (Not until Spock gets his act together, anyway.)
The interpretation of this pair of scenes could really go either way--Kirk's sexually interested or just mentally exhausted. I tend towards the latter possibility because of what we already know about Kirk.
--When Kirk touches Uhura, it is to help bolster her after the shake-up by the cell. She is the one most affected by it, at least on the bridge (which might indicate something about Uhura's extrasensory sensitivity, particularly since she was also the first to see Kirk's "ghost" in "The Tholian Web"). It's been established many times over that Kirk is a very tactile person, conveying many emotions through touch--he does the same thing with Spock and Bones, too, to differing degrees.
"A Private Little War"
Lady of the Hour: Nona
--Yet another instance of Kirk not being in his right mind when associating with a woman (you know, I should be keeping a running tally. I'll save that for the finale. It'll be fun!). The witchy woman Nona herself explicitly states that she has cast some sort of spell over Kirk when she healed him,
NONA: Our blood has passed through the mahko root together. Our souls have been together. He is mine now.
and we've already seen the effect her spells have on men, when she demonstrated her power over Tyree earlier in the episode.
The moment that Kirk wakes after being healed and the subsequent rest, we know that there's something wrong with Kirk, since McCoy finds him sitting dazedly on Nona's bed, like he sleepwalked his way there. I think if Kirk had a habit of sleepwalking his way into women's beds, we'd know about it by now.
--What is so, so fabulous about Kirk being under Nona's spell is how hard Kirk fights to resist her, without even knowing he's doing so--during these earlier interactions with Nona, Kirk is repeatedly distracted, often looking over in Nona's direction, but like the good ship's captain he is, Kirk always manages to pull himself back on course without help and very firmly resists Nona's attempts to make him break the Prime Directive.
Clearly, that personal feeling shouldn't interfere with one's duty is a concept so ingrained in Kirk that even under the influence of a woman who has bound Kirk to her, declared him hers, and holds clear sway over his mind, Kirk remains focused on the task at hand.
--Big, Fat K/S Sidenote: When Dr. M'Benga (yay!) is slapping Spock's face to rouse him from his healing trance, to get M'Benga to stop, Spock grabs him by the wrist. Let's think back to a similar situation...someone slapping Spock repeatedly to bring him back to his senses...oh, yes, Kirk in "The Naked Time." And how did Spock stop him? By grabbing his hand.
Now, the significance of handholding in canon is still pretty much debatable, despite fanon convention, but it makes sense it would be a pretty big deal, given that bonded pairs use the touch of paired fingers to demonstrate that bond and that the caress of paired fingers seems to play into intimate relations between Vulcans. And yeah, Spock was emotionally compromised and might not have been thinking clearly, but that Spock deliberately grabbed Kirk's hand, and even held it for a few beats, seems to be a pretty big deal to me.
--When Kirk goes searching for Nona towards the end of the episode, he's not searching so that he can put the moves on her, but so that she can come convince Tyree to fight the Hill People.
When he finds her, she's half naked, bathing next to a small waterfall. Kirk does not take a moment to ogle her, instead immediately looking away, addressing her only when she's clothed herself again. When Kirk says, "Pardon me," there's not a trace of the leering innuendo that could have so easily fit in right there, were Kirk's reputation to be believed. However, Kirk does not succumb to her wiles--never would, if allowed a choice, because she's Tyree's wife, and we know from precedent that Kirk does not hit on women who are with other men--and tries to steer Nona towards the issue with Tyree.
Nona, quickly realizing that Kirk will need further encouragement, uses the same spell/potion/plant-thing she used on Tyree earlier. It still takes Kirk two separate whiffs of the thing and several seconds before falling completely under her influence. Even still we can see Kirk trying to hold himself back when she demands that he kiss her.
If we need further evidence of Kirk's compromised state, he barely reacts to the appearance of the mugato, so intent is he on Nona now. No one can question that that's out of character.
"Return to Tomorrow"
Lady of the Hour: Dr. Ann Mulhall/Thalassa
--At the beginning of the episode, we have another instance of the sound guy having a crush on the lady of the hour. When Mulhall enters the conversation, Kirk turns around to regard her, but the only "hey, sexy lady" we get from this moment is from the music. Kirk is simply confused--he doesn't know who Mulhall is or why she is even in the transporter room, since he didn't summon her. However, as soon as introductions are made, Kirk turns right back to the business at hand, with not a hint of sexual interest once shown.
--It's established in the episode that even when Sargon is merely sharing Kirk's body, Kirk has no control over what his body does:
SARGON (in Kirk's body): Have no fear. Your captain is quite unharmed, although his mind generates insufficient energy for him to speak from there as I do.
We also know that, after the deal is done to let the aliens borrow their bodies, Kirk is not even inhabiting his body when Sargon is. Instead he's in the glowing beach ball:
KIRK: Scotty, I need your approval, too. Since you'll work with them, furnishing them all they need to make the android robots. You won't be working with them, you'll be working with us, our bodies. They'll be inside us, and we'll be--
Kirk breaks off when McCoy interrupts him, but McCoy himself finishes the explanation of where Kirk, Spock, and Mulhall's minds are while their bodies are inhabited. After the Henoch beach ball has been destroyed, McCoy says:
MCCOY: Jim, the receptacles. Spock's consciousness was in one of them.
Therefore, if anyone submits as evidence "Kirk totally hits on Mulhall/Thalassa," it will be summarily thrown out, and counsel will be found in contempt of the fandom court. That is all.
--Canon Sidenote: For anyone who was wondering--i.e., none of us--McCoy confirms, in explicit terms, that Spock is Kirk's best friend (after Spock's beach ball has been destroyed):
MCCOY: There is no Spock to return to his body. You've killed a loyal officer, your best friend.
--In the end, when Sargon asks if he and Thalassa can use Kirk and Mulhall's bodies one last time, I don't think there's anyone on the bridge who doesn't know that they want a last kiss. Still, Kirk doesn't jump forward, eager to get some kind of vicarious thrill--he knows he won't feel a thing, won't even be aware; by agreeing, he's showing compassion towards two beings about to send themselves into nothingness to protect mankind. He looks over to check with Mulhall first, to make sure she's okay with the idea--both of them are all business.
When the kiss begins, neither Kirk nor Mulhall are participating. It's Sargon and Thalassa who abandon the bodies mid-kiss, leaving Kirk and Mulhall in an awkward situation when they come back to themselves. The break apart immediately, both of them then sharing an amusement of the sort evidenced by people who've been well and truly "gotten" during a practical joke. Again, no sexual desire evident.
The most interesting thing about this interaction is how Spock cannot bring himself to look at Sargon and Thalassa as they use Kirk and Mulhall's bodies to kiss. There is a very pointed "must look away" posture when we cut back to Spock and the peanut gallery:
You know, I'm just going to leave this moment open to your own interpretation, because I forgot to preface it with "K/S Sidenote." Simon says, "Slash."
"Patterns of Force"
Lady of the Hour: Daras
--Continuing the precedent Kirk set in "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" when the "Nazis" invade the Zeon underground and threaten Kirk, Spock, and the Zeons, when Daras is distracted, Kirk grabs her, takes her gun, and uses her as a human shield. Kirk doesn't give a rat's left testicle that Daras is a woman--she's just killed a man (as far as he knows), she's the closest by, and she's got a weapon; he's going to do whatever's necessary to defend himself and those he's responsible for.
--Kirk asks Daras if she will be at the Nazi shindig because he wants to use her as a means to get inside Nazi headquarters and see John Gill, not because he wants to escort her, like they're going to Nazi prom or something.
--Kirk grabs Daras' shoulders in the age-old "I'm trying to get through to you and/or make you see my point" gesture.
I mean, we've seen this move countless times by now. I don't have to clarify that Kirk means nothing sexual by it, do I? No? Good.
--He touches Daras again later, during their ruse of "filming a documentary." His only motivation in doing so is to direct her movement, to make sure she's going where he wants her to go--they've got to be stealthy and not let on what their real intentions are, so the quickest and safest way to make sure Daras gets where she needs to be is with a touch, rather than telling her point blank "Go over there so I can get a look at that door."
"By Any Other Name"
Lady of the Hour: Kelinda
--Starting off, an oldie but a goodie: Kirk touches Yeoman Thompson so as to bolster spirits through physical contact. What I like about it in this episode is that we pretty much get a side-by-side look at Kirk doing the same thing with a male crewmember, Lieutenant Shea. See:
This is just what Kirk does--he's a very tactile person; it doesn't matter the gender of the recipient.
--When Kirk touches Kelinda after knocking her out, it never goes beyond what is necessary to make sure she's out and to get the device from her. There is no groping of the unconscious lady, even though I'm sure he could have gotten in a little touchy-touchy with no one else in the cave being the wiser. He just doesn't want to, and there is no indication of yearning lingering.
--Kirk's first real conversation with Kelinda indicates no sexual desire at all despite plenty of opportunity for romancing and innuendo in the words:
KELINDA: (picks a flower) These are lovely. Captain Kirk, what is it you call them?
KIRK: Flowers. I don't know the variety.
KELINDA: Our memory tapes tell us of such things on Kelvan--crystals that form with such rapidity, they seem to grow. They look like this fragile thing somewhat. We call them Sahsheer.
KIRK: A rose by any other name.
KELINDA: Captain?
KIRK: A quote from a great human poet, Shakespeare. That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
Just looking at the words, this could be straight out of some romance novel. However, if we keep our eyes on Kirk's expression and body language, we see absolutely no hint of any seduction.
If anything, he's seems annoyed with Kelinda's question about the flowers, that she would strike up casual conversation at all, considering what she and her people are subjecting Kirk and his crew to and that her compatriot has already killed one of Kirk's crew. Indeed, the only emotion we see in Kirk, beyond irritation, is sadness, as he's still mourning the needless loss of a crewmember.
--When the Fab Four are coming up with ways of combating the Kelvans, Kirk states specifically the reasoning behind his coming seduction of Kelinda:
KIRK: If they all respond to stimulation of the senses, then maybe we can distract them. They can't have been able to handle the senses yet. If we can confuse them enough, we can get those devices from their belts.
The command posse has to come up with different ways to stimulate each Kelvan, because if you try and get them all drunk or lure them all in for "vitamin" shots, they'll get suspicious. Since Scotty and McCoy are using the two methods mentioned, Kirk goes with his old standby: seduction of the enemy female so as to overwhelm her senses, as he's done with Andrea from "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" and Sylvia in "Catspaw."
Kirk's method of stimulating the senses is really rather efficient, as it affects two of the Kelvans at once, distracting Kelinda with romance and Rojan with jealousy, though it's a method he clearly doesn't relish. For instance, let's look at Kirk's face just after this exchange:
KIRK: I don't usually go around beating up beautiful women.
KELINDA: Why not?
KIRK: Well, there are better things for men and women to do.
KELINDA: Like what?
Kirk knows that this is his opening to throttle up his seduction. He's going to get up close and personal with a beautiful woman, and this is his expression? This is not the face of a man happy with what he's about to have to do, and after Kirk does kiss her, he immediately drops contact with her, because HE DOESN'T REALLY WANT TO DO THIS.
Something telling in this exchange about Kirk's opinion on intimacy re: kissing is this:
KIRK: Well, among humans, it's meant to express warmth and love.
It's a pretty big blow to the opinion that Kirk indulges in continuous one-night stands. If a mere kiss carries with it connotations of warmth and love in Kirk's mind, it's unlikely that Kirk would have sex with someone he wasn't at least fond of--i.e., a person he's just met and doesn't know anything about, or for that matter, a woman who poses a threat to him and his crew.
But back to the seduction itself, Kirk is prepared to give up entirely when it seems that his methods are not going to be effective against Kelinda:
KELINDA: Oh. You are trying to seduce me. I have been studying you.
KIRK: Me?
KELINDA: All humans. This business of love. You have devoted much literature to it. Why do you build such a mystique around a simple biological function?
KIRK: We enjoy it.
KELINDA: The literature?
KIRK: Kelinda, I'm sorry I brought up the whole subject.
And he goes to leave. Yes, you heard me, he goes to leave. If Kirk is such a horny asshole and is seducing Kelinda just to get in her, uh, jumpsuit, would he really give up so easily and with so little relative fuss? Rather, Kirk's disappointed that his methods have been ineffective and that he has to go back to square one.
It is Kelinda who initiates their second kiss,
KELINDA: Do you really regard this touching of the lips as pleasurable?
KIRK: I did.
KELINDA: Curious. Let me try.
and the whole time, Kirk's arms remain firmly at his sides. He makes no attempt to embrace her.
When this second kiss is interrupted by Rojan, we find out that Kirk's seduction is toward a second purpose as well:
ROJAN: Is there some problem, Captain?
KIRK: Not when I came in.
With this line, we see that Kirk hopes he's opened up a can of worms as far as Kelinda and Rojan's emotions. It's not an expression of disappointment that his seduction was interrupted--Kirk's tone is a little too sly and he leaves too quickly to be disappointed. Also, he says there wasn't a problem when he himself came in. If he was upset about Rojan's intrusion, it would make more sense for Kirk's reply to have been "Not before you came in."
--Later, when Spock is playing chess with Rojan, he explains Kirk's "motivation" for kissing Kelinda:
ROJAN: Well, I do not understand this business of pressing with the lips to apologize.
SPOCK: I believe you're referring to a kiss. But it is my understanding that such apologies are usually exchanged between people who have some affection for each other.
ROJAN: Kelinda has no affection for Captain Kirk.
Spock does not actually believe that Kirk feels affection for Kelinda--he's Kirk's closest friend; he would know better. Rather, he's working in conjunction with Kirk to help Rojan feel jealousy. This intention is iterated later when Spock prods McCoy out of the rec room so that Kirk can be alone with Kelinda, and also when Spock pokes at Rojan on the bridge, when he tells him that Kirk and Kelinda are alone together.
--It is Kelinda who initiates the second encounter with Kirk. She finds him in the rec room with Spock and McCoy, where they are discussing the progress of their plan. Like Shahna in "The Gamesters of Triskelion," she explicitly asks Kirk to kiss her again, using a euphemism employed earlier in the episode:
KELINDA: I was wondering, would you please apologize to me again?
Kirk, for his part, continues twisting the knife as far as eliciting emotion from Kelinda, getting her to realize her own emotion, how human she's become:
KELINDA: Rojan has forbidden me to see you.
KIRK: Yes, that's too bad. Why do you defy him?
KELINDA: It's not a question of defiance. We were told to find out everything we could about you.
KIRK: Huh. And how's the research going?
KELINDA: I need some more experiments.
And again, it's Kelinda who resumes the make-out session.
As soon as Rojan enters the rec room, having been prodded there by Spock, Kirk drops Kelinda's hand--his mission has been accomplished, both targets successfully stimulated, Kelinda with romance, Rojan with jealousy. Had Kirk really wanted Kelinda for himself, wanted to take her from Rojan, he would have kept contact with her the entire time. As it is, he only resumes touching her when he sees Rojan needs a further push into violence.
For comparison, observe Kirk's interaction with Rojan. Kirk stops fighting with Rojan once he realizes that his goal has been reached, once he knows that Rojan is listening to him and coming around to Kirk's way of thinking.
--When Kelinda expresses her desire to stay with Rojan, Kirk is not the slightest bit perturbed at having lost his make-out partner. Kirk only smiles a little when Kelinda and Rojan kiss.
Finally, if anyone hasn't actually heard the pervasive Kirk myth, that Kirk is a womanizing sleazeball, have you been living in a cave all your life? I've got an example of how it works its way into public consciousness.
I've got a book, The Star Trek Compendium (1986), which has a lot of information about the original series, including behind the scenes information about the each episode (because if I go into a used book store and see something that's got Star Trek on it, it's going home with me). For 95 pages, which is over half the book, and 49 episodes, the author, Allan Asherman, makes no comment about much of anything related to Kirk's characterization and certainly says nothing about Kirk's relationships with women, up until the commentary on this episode, where he states:
As usual, in the middle of a crisis, Captain Kirk finds a reason to romance a woman.
What does he mean "as usual"? If it was so "as usual," why hasn't he mentioned a single instance before now? He makes it sound like Kirk is guilty of dereliction of duty, that he's ignoring the fact that one crewman has died and hundreds of others are paperweights, that the Kelvans intend ultimately to invade the Milky Way and conquer all of humanity, just so that he can make time with some woman. If you really believe Kirk is capable of that, why the hell would you like him, or even watch a show in which he is the lead character? RAWR.
Still, Asherman's "interpretation" of anything must be called into question, since he gives "Dagger of the Mind" shit for an illogical premise, but calls "The Omega Glory" "an exciting action story," completely disregarding the whole mountain of illogic inherent in its premise.
There are some other gems like this in this book, and I'll share them with you as they come up, because you guys need to be just as pissed as I am.
"The Omega Glory"
Lady of the Hour: none
--Kirk treats the Yang woman, with whom he shares a cell, as a fellow combatant, just as he does the Yang man, pulling the old human shield trick. And good for him, too. One "gentlemanly" convention I hate is that a man can't hit a woman, even if she's attacking him, which is bullshit. As far as I'm concerned, if someone attacks you, barring some mitigating factor (like if it's a child or something), you have every right to defend yourself any way you can, regardless of gender, the attacker's or your own.
"The Ultimate Computer"
Lady of the Hour: none
--Besides some standard interaction with Uhura, Kirk does not come into contact with a woman for the entire episode.
"Bread and Circuses"
Lady of the Hour: Drusilla
--When the slave girl, Drusilla, is first introduced, Kirk shows no sexual interest in her whatsoever.
It is only when Proconsul Claudius says, "Lovely thing, isn't she?" that we as an audience realize we're supposed to acknowledge this woman's presence as anything other than a prop.
--Now this next bit may seem like a sidenote at first, but I promise, it's not actually off-topic: I've always thought that Claudius had the hots for Kirk. It's in his eyes almost anytime he looks at Kirk--he doesn't look at either Spock or McCoy the way he looks at Kirk, like he wants to devour him.
(First, at Kirk. Second, at Spock and McCoy)
If this were mere awe about our trio's origins, wouldn't this type of look be directed at Spock, given that Claudius has seen humans before and it is Spock who has the uniquely alien features? But Claudius has no interest in Spock at all. It's also not because Kirk is captain of a ship, because Claudius states that he has no special respect for ship captains because of his interaction with Merik:
CLAUDIUS: Merikus was a spaceship captain. I've observed him thoroughly. Your species has no such strength.
In addition to the looks, during the gladiatorial games, Claudius sits Kirk next to him and continuously leans into his space, then, after the games are over, he orders that Kirk be taken to his quarters, where he provides Kirk a lovely lady for sexin'. Claudius says he did this because he owed it to Kirk because he is a man. Come on.
I don't think it's a real stretch to assume, given all this, that Drusilla is pretty much a surrogate for Claudius. He couldn't actually be the one in the bedroom with Kirk (certainly due more to standards of 1960s TV than those of such a Rome-esque planet), so he sent his personal slave instead. I would be willing to bet good money that Claudius is covertly watching Kirk and Drusilla the entire time, likely through video surveillance, given the episode's emphasis on that "archaic" medium.
Now, how does this play into Kirk's interaction with Drusilla? Well, Kirk isn't stupid, and time and again, he's proven how well he can read people and situations, how often his instincts are right on the money. When Drusilla presents herself to Kirk in the bedroom, Kirk knows exactly what's going on:
KIRK: It won't work.
DRUSILLA: What will not work?
KIRK: Whatever he has in mind, whatever tricks. You hear that, Proconsul? It won't work. I'm not cooperating. I may die, but you won't get any entertainment out of it.
No matter what Drusilla might say, Kirk knows at the very least that she is there for some purpose that benefits Claudius, whatever it might be. That Kirk would let his guard down for one second in a situation like this is extremely unlikely.
Now, we cut away from the two of them, but when we come back, the only thing that's going on is that Kirk and Drusilla are sitting at the table and eating. What has very likely occurred in the intervening time is that Kirk has turned on the seduction lamp to see if he can get any information out of Drusilla; after all, the conversation already seems to have been in progress during the break.
Kirk has pulled out the warm-fuzzy version of his seduction because Drusilla, as far as he knows, is an innocent in all of this--there is no reason to be as cold and calculated about it. However, even with Kirk-seduction-mode activated, it is Drusilla who pushes for further intimacy, who kisses Kirk first, and Kirk's lips remain immobile until he realizes he has to respond to keep up the "seduction."
Now this is one of the episodes in which many say that Kirk definitely had sex with the Lady of the Hour, and perhaps the edit was made to imply that, what with the tilt up from their kiss followed by the crossfade on the lamp to show time passing. However, there are also indications in the direction that they did not in fact have sex. For one, as we tilt up from their kiss, Kirk and Drusilla both remain sitting up. There's not even a slight move towards becoming horizontal. Also, when we tilt back down to Kirk on the bed, we see that not only is the bed still made, with nary a wrinkle to be seen, but Kirk is still fully clothed. His shirt is even tucked into his pants.
I suppose it's possible that they had wild sex, and then Kirk decided to get fully redressed, comb his hair, remake the bed, and fall asleep on top of the covers. Right, and I'm a gorilla's godmother. Another argument that could be made is that Kirk wanted to be ready to jump up at a moment's notice, which is why he's both dressed and atop the bedsheets (so that he doesn't get tangled up if he needs to rise quickly). If that's the case and Kirk is that concerned about being ready for any eventuality, then Kirk never would have slept with Drusilla anyway, because putting himself in that situation would have compromised his ability to act way more than sleeping under the covers would have. And nobody gets to say that it was just because it was the 60s that there is no visual indication of sexytimes--it's as easy as finishing tugging on one boot to make the suggestion, right, "Wink of an Eye"?
Besides these visual clues, what we know about Kirk makes it even more unlikely that he slept with Drusilla. First, Kirk really hates being manipulated, does not like being at the mercy of anyone, really, much less assholes who want to make his crew fight to the death while they bend him over the nearest flat surface, and only gives in to what they want when he has no other choice. Kirk knows that Claudius wants him to have sex with Drusilla; however, Claudius is not standing over him, threatening Spock and McCoy's lives if he doesn't, so that Kirk would give in to Claudius' desire is unlikely.
There is also Kirk's hatred of slavery, which has been reiterated quite often throughout the series. If Kirk has one mission that carries through the entire series, it is to get sentient beings to recognize their right to freedom, to free oppressed peoples from their respective overlords. Now, no matter how willing Drusilla may seem, how much she is pushing for sex, Kirk would realize that she is still a slave, still only with him because her master commanded it. He would never sleep with someone who was not fully willing.
"Assignment Earth"
Lady of the Hour: Roberta Lincoln
--When breaking in to Gary Seven's apartment/office/whatever, Kirk briefly grabs Lincoln to restrain her, but passes her off quite quickly to Spock. Aside from asking her about Seven's whereabouts, then at the end of the episode teasing both Seven and her about their future "adventures," he pays Lincoln no mind at all.
"Obsession"
Lady of the Hour: none
--There is zero female presence outside of Uhura in this episode. Yes, Kirk gets snippy with her,
UHURA: Oh, Captain. Subspace message from Starfleet. They're inquiring--
KIRK: Not now. Have the security duty officer report to me immediately.
but he's snippy with everyone at some point in the episode. As in "The Conscience of the King," Kirk is dealing with a highly traumatic incident from his past, which is already testing his emotional control, and he has to deal with the fact that even his closest friends doubt his instinct (totally correct, by the way) that the creature is sentient and dangerous.
"Wolf in the Fold"
Lady of the Hour: Maybe Kara? Sybo? -Ish.
--First and foremost, the reason that Kirk, McCoy, and Scotty are in this particular bar is for Scotty's benefit--what better place to help Scotty get over his "total resentment toward women" than where there's a nice, pretty girl who is a talented and sexy dancer and who, by her nature as an Argelian, would pose absolutely no threat towards him, either directly or indirectly? After all, as soon as Scotty's all taken care of, Kirk and McCoy make plans to head elsewhere immediately.
--Kirk does not ask Kara to come over to the table for his own benefit, but to allow her to work her charms on Scotty.
--As far as where Kirk and McCoy plan to go after accomplishing their task with Scotty, all that we know about it is what Kirk says:
KIRK: Bones, I know a little place across town where the women--
MCCOY: Oh, yes. I know the place. Let's go.
Now, for all we know, these women could be phenomenal chess players or learned orators or whatever, but considering just how interested McCoy is, I consider that unlikely--as we know, McCoy is more prone than Kirk to savoring the odd romantic interlude when given the opportunity, so for him to be this eager about the women, it's pretty likely there's a sexual element involved. Also increasing the odds toward that possibility, it is explicitly established that Argelian society is completely hedonistic.
Still, that's not to say that it would involve either of these two men hooking up with someone. This place could be famous for its exotic dancers or sexual performances or something like. However, even if sex is on the minds of both men, really, why the hell not? We can be pretty sure that McCoy has no moral objections to sex, seeing as how it's completely healthy as long as safety concerns are met. Granted, we've seen that Kirk is not prone to one-night stands, but were he to have one, I think this would be a prime opportunity--someone from a completely hedonistic society would believe that pleasure is the chief good in life, that pleasure should be had where it can be obtained = free love, man. There would be no expectations on Kirk, no possibility of hurt feelings, no lingering attachment. Besides, the captain's got to get his rocks off sometime if Spock's not going to put out.
--Quick question, if Scotty has potentially killed one woman in a fit of rage so intense he's blacked it out of his memory, doesn't anyone think it's a bad idea for the psycho-tricorder technician to be a woman, considering he's got to be alone with her, and all? Just sayin', I'm all for equal opportunity, but in this case, a man really would have been better suited for the job.
--Even considering that Argelius is the ideal place for Kirk to get some periodic sex, he is more concerned that this fiasco might result in Argelius' loss as a strategic spaceport. If Kirk were a shameless skirtchaser, I'd think he'd have made at least a bit more noise about losing access to a completely hedonistic society.
--Kirk is completely respectful of Sybo's empathic abilities; however, he does push for the psycho-tricorder test and using the ship's computers to detect falsehoods because he wants to use every tool available to him to prove Scotty's innocence.
--After Rejac has been beamed into nothingness and the crew has been doped up, Kirk contemplates a return to Argelius:
SPOCK: Captain, since you came to Argelius to rest, I suggest you take advantage of the opportunity.
KIRK: That's a splendid idea, Mister Spock. I know a cafe where the women are so--
MCCOY: I know the place, Jim.
SCOTT: Let's go see!
KIRK: You, gentlemen? In your condition? Don't be ridiculous. Mister Spock, this cafe has women that are so... No, I guess not. Alone?
First of all, I think this confirms that this cafe Kirk's on about has something to do with sex or the allure of women, in some way, as he quickly realizes that Spock (who only is affected by a pretty face when he chooses to be) is totally not interested--and I do mean totally:
However, what's of particular interest is that Kirk has absolutely no desire to go down to that little cafe alone. As we see, he instead herds his drugged to the gills flock out of the transporter room and seems to intend to spend his rest time aboard ship. This exchange turns around previous assumptions about Kirk's earlier discussion of the cafe with McCoy. It seems that Kirk was not, in fact, interested in hooking up with some nice lady--otherwise, he would have gone back down alone, despite not having a wingman--but was more interested in spending time with his friends in a pleasant, non-work-related environment. Kirk would rather stay on board the Enterprise with a loopy crew, his only sober companionship Spock. Well now, if that doesn't poke some holes in the skirtchaser!Kirk idea, I don't know what will.
But really, when does Kirk get his rocks off, if he's bypassing opportunities like these? Is he in a committed monogamous relationship with his right hand or what? Pining away for Spock so severely that he feels no sex drive otherwise? Dude, maybe he is celibate, after all. That would explain some of his "don'tlikethisdon'tlikethisdon'tlikethis" faces he pulls when he's seducing female villains.
"The Trouble with Tribbles"
Lady of the Hour: Lieutenant Uhura
--Kirk seems to have a really rather teasing off-duty relationship with Uhura,
KIRK: I see you didn't waste time taking your shore leave.
UHURA: (pointed) How often do I get shore leave?
a little like Uhura seemed to have with Spock in earlier episodes. However, there is still a formality there, an acknowledgement of their on-duty personas. Not even a hint of flirtation in sight. I still maintain that that alone could end this argument once and for all, that Kirk never once hit on Uhura, who has to be the most beautiful woman ever to appear in the original series.
--After McCoy finally figures out Tribble reproduction, he comes to the bridge:
MCCOY: And from my observations, it seems they're bisexual, reproducing at will. And, brother, have they got a lot of will.
By "bisexual," I feel pretty certain that McCoy actually means "hermaphroditic," considering we're talking reproduction and not just attraction, but does anyone else get a cheap thrill at the word "bisexual" being used in a 1960s television program? No? Just me?
--After discovering the infestation of the bridge by the tribbles and despite some pretty obvious frustration, Kirk remains professional with Uhura, though he does have a right to become at least a little put out with her, considering she was the one who brought that first tribble aboard.
"The Gamesters of Triskelion"
Lady of the Hour: Mary Sue (what? I can't be the only one who thinks so) Shahna, Lieutenant Uhura
--After Kirk, Chekov, and Uhura find themselves transported to Triskelion, Kirk immediately pops up and starts recon of their location. No, he does not help Uhura up, but neither does he give Chekov a hand. The most important thing now is gathering information as quickly as possible, not wasting time with niceties. Kirk trusts both crewmen to take care of themselves.
--Although they all put up a good fight, our valiant heroes are all eventually defeated by the thralls, Kirk coming closest to besting his before being finally defeated by Shahna. Being taken down by a woman does not bother Kirk's masculine pride--he does not even seem particularly angry, at least at first, which would be understandable given the situation, just wary and concerned, but still maintaining his diplomatic posture.
--During his first confrontation with Galt, after he's been collared, Kirk's eyes do not stray once (and believe me, I was watching him like a hawk) to all the female flesh on display from Shahna and Tamoon (gosh, I love her). His eyes are locked on Galt as he attempts to reason with him.
--When Uhura puts up a fight against Lars, after he's been selected for her, Kirk pretty much flips the fuck out:
KIRK: Lieutenant, are you all right? Uhura! Lieutenant! Lieutenant, are you all right? Lieutenant, answer me! Lieutenant! What's happening to Lieutenant Uhura? Lieutenant, are you all right?
It's not because Kirk wants Uhura for himself, but rather because she is his crewman and colleague, friend and fellow human, who, as far as he knows, is getting fucking raped not fifty feet from him. We know that Kirk feels responsible for the welfare of each member of his crew, and the idea that one is being harmed when he is so powerless to do nothing...it's no wonder he's losing his shit. He only calms down when Lars emerges looking disgruntled and unsatisfied and he sees that Uhura appears relatively unharmed.
Now, one might take Kirk's different reactions to Uhura and Chekov’s introductions to their drill thralls as indicative of some kind of sexism or interest or whatever. There are several reasons why Kirk did not kick up such a fuss when Tamoon came to Chekov:
- Nobody's said anything about selection.
- Tamoon is not so obviously able to overpower Chekov, as Lars is Uhura.
- No horrified screams are emitted from Chekov's cell, though you can bet that Kirk has his ears open for so much as a peep.
--Pretty much the second Shahna enters Kirk's cell, he's pumping her for information. Absolutely everything he says and asks is to a purpose. Then:
KIRK: I must say, I've never seen a top sergeant who looked like you.
SHAHNA: What does that mean?
KIRK: It means you're a very beautiful woman.
SHAHNA: What is beautiful?
KIRK: You mean nobody's ever told you that before? Well, ah, beautiful is... Beautiful... (He holds up his tray cover so she can see her reflection.) That's beautiful.
It starts off with a throwaway comment, which Kirk must then clarify because she asks him about it. It's an exchange that doesn't seem calculated on Kirk's part, like he's already identified that Shahna's an innocent in all this and he's seeking more to bolster her self-worth than anything, but it's also Kirk testing the waters somewhat, to see if his seduction method of "lure the henchman to my side" will work with her.
The kind attention Kirk pays Shahna pays off pretty damn quickly, as she tells him how to beat Kloog during the punishment. And after it's already worked so well and so quickly, why wouldn't Kirk push forward with the seduction? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
--Speaking of the punishment, Kirk steps in to take Uhura's place because as a member of his crew, she is his responsibility. Kirk's not going to stand by and let someone under his charge die--he would have done the same thing for Chekov. (Geez, I feel like I'm sounding like a broken record at this point, but I did say every interaction of note, didn't I? Dammit. My fingers are tired.)
--Later on, Shahna takes Kirk for a jog (in boots--yeowtch) over by some lovely soundstage, and when they stop to rest, Kirk once again immediately begins to pump her for information:
KIRK: Shahna, why do the Providers... Why do they like to watch others being hurt, killed?
SHAHNA: That is the way.
KIRK: Their voices sound mechanical. Are they computers?
SHAHNA: Computers?
KIRK: You've seen them. Do they have bodies?
SHAHNA: Not such as ours.
KIRK: What is this place?
SHAHNA: It is not used.
KIRK: It's very old. Does it have a name? Shahna, could it have been a city for the Providers?
SHAHNA: I do not think it is well to ask such things.
KIRK: They do have bodies, or did have.
SHAHNA: One does not talk of such things.
Notice Kirk's attitude and posture while he's interrogating her:
He's completely focused on gathering information. He maintains a very clear distance between the two of them, and there's not even a glimmer of sexual interest. Now, at the end there, she shuts down his questions twice. Kirk knows that straight questioning is not going to work at this point. His whole persona changes right before our eyes:
(The stills unfortunately don’t convey this change fully. Watch this bit of the episode again--you'll see what I mean.)
He goes over to Shahna, gets into her personal space, and starts in with the seduction that seemed to produce results before:
KIRK: Very pretty country. Very much like my home planet, Earth.
SHAHNA: Planet?
KIRK: Where I was born. Shahna, don't you ever look at the night sky? The lights up there?
SHAHNA: I have looked at them.
KIRK: Well, those are stars. And around them are planets. And there are people that live on them, just like us.
SHAHNA: How can one live on a flicker of light?
KIRK: From Earth, Triskelion's three suns are just a flicker of light. Actually, this is the darkest planet I've ever seen.
SHAHNA: Dark? But all is lighted. Here, the chambers.
KIRK: The thralls have no freedom, Shahna. You don't think or do anything but what the Providers tell you.
SHAHNA: What else would one do?
KIRK: Love, for one thing.
SHAHNA: What is love?
KIRK: Love is the most important thing on Earth. Especially to a man and a woman.
SHAHNA: We, too, have mates. When it is time to increase the herd, my Provider will select one for me.
KIRK: On Earth, we select our own mate. Someone we care for. On Earth, men and women live together, help each other, make each other happy.
SHAHNA: I do not think your words are allowed.
KIRK: All right. All right. Tell me about the Providers. What do they look like? Where do they live?
SHAHNA: I have never seen them, but they are said not to be like us. They stay in--
Even in the midst of the seduction, we see several themes reappear, those things that Kirk frequently uses to try and win people to his side: a reminder that we are not alone in the universe, that we have a responsibility to our fellow sentient beings; a denouncement of slavery; the importance of human feeling, specifically love.
At this point, nobody buys that Kirk is actually interested in Shahna, right? I mean, we know that Kirk likes 'em smart, and bless her heart, she's sweet, but she ain't too swooft. However, by romancing Shahna, Kirk is showing her what she could have if she weren't subject to the whims of the Providers, so that she will eventually aid him in bringing them down.
We also get another look at Kirk's view on relationships. For Kirk, it's all about an equal partnership: you help each other, you make each other happy. Specifically, Kirk references a heterosexual relationship because this is applicable to his situation with Shahna--Kirk does not expect a woman to be subservient in a relationship, does not expect her to cater to his needs. For Kirk, the ideal relationship is one based on caring and love, making each other happy. He indicates that a couple lives together, most likely meaning that his go-to-relationship-of-choice is monogamous and long-term.
And again, at the end of this, watch Kirk change tacks yet again when he hits a wall with Shahna. He switches right back to interrogation mode--but it does seem that his masculine wiles have paid off, since she's willing to give up more information now.
--Again, to beat a dead horse (although, what a fine thoroughbred it is. Uh, was?), Kirk shows concern for Shahna when the Providers torture her for giving Kirk information not because of his burning desire to find out if the carpet matches the green drapes, but because he possesses human compassion and can't sit idly by while someone is being tortured in front of him.
However, that being said, Kirk still remains focused on his duty here and works the situation to his advantage. Notice that although Kirk yells at the Providers to stop, offering to take the torture upon himself, he does not hold Shahna as she writhes (beyond the initial catch he makes to keep her from falling when it first starts), as one might expect of someone with romantic designs upon her. Instead Kirk goes to support her after the after the torture has all but ceased--the "when" is critical here, because what Kirk is doing is setting himself up in contrast to the Providers so that Shahna will continue to help him move against them: "these guys are bad, they hurt you, but if you side with me, I'm all warm, fuzzy cuddles." It's Kirk showing his core of compassion, but it's also the captain refusing to be distracted from his duty to his ship and his crew.
Kirk kisses Shahna the first time as a continuance of the afore-mentioned warm-cuddly offensive, but it is Shahna who asks for the second kiss:
SHAHNA: (Of the first kiss) And this--is this also helping?
KIRK: You could call it that.
SHAHNA: Please, help me once again.
--After they've returned to the cells, when Shahna comes in with the meal tray, Kirk immediately begins picking at the scab of the wound he created earlier:
KIRK: You're disturbed about what happened today.
SHAHNA: Yes. You have made me feel strangely. If it were allowed, I would ask that you have another drill thrall.
KIRK: I wouldn't like that, Shahna. I wouldn't like that at all.
Man is really going for blood at this point, because as we find out, he, Uhura, and Chekov are making their move right now. Kirk moves in for the kiss so that he can distract Shahna to get close enough to knock her out (and isn't it nice that Kirk doesn't just immediately assume he can overpower her? Which would be a stupid assumption to make, anyway, because Shahna's been trained for combat all her life).
When Kirk apologizes to an unconscious Shahna, he is genuinely sorry. As with Lenore (before he found out she was a murdering loony tune), Kirk has been forced to manipulate an innocent so that a particular end can be reached, the sacrifice of one person's feelings for the greater good. Using someone like that clearly is not something that Kirk enjoys doing, although he's not about to throw such an effective weapon out of his arsenal.
--When Kirk tries to talk the providers into taking his bet, he realizes that he's got to do some fast talking, because he has no power in this situation; he's got to make the Providers believe that a human is a worthy competitor, at least as far as wagering. The Providers think of themselves as so far above humans that Kirk has to do some major bullshitting to get them to consider wagering with him:
KIRK: My people pride themselves on being the greatest, most successful gamblers in the universe. We compete for everything: power, fame, women, everything we desire, and it is our nature to win. And for proof, I offer you our exploration of this galaxy.
Does Kirk really believe that women are something to be fought over and won barring third season disastrous writing? Not likely, since as we saw in "Charlie X," Kirk advocates the "be gentle, go slow" approach. Pawing the ground and charging at another male like two bucks competing for a female is neither going gently or slowly.
Kirk's bluff here is very much like the one we see later in "A Piece of the Action," bluster to hype himself up so that his enemy will see him as a worthy opponent and accept his challenge. We don't believe Fizzbin really exists, do we? So why should we believe Kirk's put-on bluster as him telling the truth here?
--In the end, Kirk cannot kill Shahna because she has done absolutely nothing even remotely worthy of being killed over, because Kirk rarely (ever?) kills anyone who threatens him personally (though mess with his ship or crew and he's not as forgiving), not because green, curtains, carpets, yadda.
--After all's done but the shouting, Kirk himself clarifies his intentions towards Shahna:
KIRK: I'm sorry, Shahna. I didn't lie. I did what was necessary. Someday, I hope you'll understand.
And the thing is, if we review, Kirk never once lied. He never promised her anything or made any disingenuous protestations of being in love with her, because that would have only hurt her more when the inevitable occurred.
--In the end, Kirk makes it very clear that he has, and never did have, a romantic interest in Shahna:
SHAHNA: I would like to go to those lights with you. Take me?
KIRK: I can't.
SHAHNA: Then teach me how, and I will follow you.
KIRK; There's so much you must learn here first. The Providers will teach you. Learn it, Shahna. All your people must learn before you can reach for the stars.
Shahna is very, very, so very willing to follow along behind Kirk, but Kirk immediately shuts that idea down. When Shahna tries a different tactic, Kirk quickly deflects, making their conversation about all of her people, rather than just the two of them.
--Given Kirk's pretty explicit lack of interest in Shahna, I can only assume that he kisses her in goodbye because she's so clearly desirous of it and he's feeling guilty enough because of his treatment of her to indulge her.
"A Piece of the Action"
Lady of the Hour: none
--We've really only got one interaction of note in this episode. When Kirk is brought before JoJo Krako, Krako uses a couple of different angles to try and win Kirk over, including getting a woman to lean all over Kirk and massage his shoulders.
Far from looking pleased at the attention, Kirk is tense the whole time, leaning forward in his chair and sending annoyed looks back at the woman, segueing in to an exasperated "well, finally" look after Krako finally calls her off. Certainly, Kirk does not relax into it like he did in "Shore Leave" when he thought Spock was the one giving the backrub.
"The Immunity Syndrome"
Lady of the Hour: none
--In this episode, we get what are, I believe, the only instances of Kirk (while in his right mind) looking at a female crewman with what could be considered sexual desire, and I'm still not 100 percent convinced it is.
The episode begins and ends with Kirk briefly staring off after a random yeoman while talking about how much he's looking forward to getting some rest on "some lovely planet."
Now, why do I doubt that he's leering at his crewmen when saying these words, when the words themselves are written to be so suggestive? Well first of all, Kirk mentions in his log that his crew is absolutely exhausted:
KIRK: Captain's log, stardate 4307.1. Approaching Starbase Six for a much-needed period of rest and recreation. The crew has performed excellently, but is exhausted. And I, too, am looking forward to a nice period of rest on some lovely planet.
And certainly Kirk himself is exhausted if he's looking forward to his shore leave, considering getting him to go down to the planet in "Shore Leave" was like pulling teeth.
This kind of exhaustion is going to affect you in all kinds of ways, so it is quite possible that Kirk's "crewmen are not objects of lust" switch was turned off due to his weariness and he was ogling the two yeomen a bit. However, I know that when I get tired, I'm easily distracted by anything moving anywhere close to me in a very "follow the bouncing ball" kind of way. When that distraction occurs, my speech tends to trail off, just like Kirk's does in the latter instance,
KIRK: I'm still looking forward to a nice period of rest and relaxation on some lovely (pause while gaze follows the yeoman) planet.
though of course Kirk's trailing off could be sexually suggestive or due to distraction of the purty lady.
Something else that puts me in the camp of "more likely to be exhausted distraction" is the fact that neither of Kirk's gazes drops below the backs of the yeomen's heads:
There is no lingering, perusing once-over, like there was so obviously with, say, Captain Christopher in "Tomorrow Is Yesterday."
To my way of thinking, if there was anything sexual in those looks, it is not due to a desire Kirk has to bang those particular yeomen, but rather they are symbols of the kind of "relaxation" he hopes to enjoy on some lovely planet, just as Yeoman Rand was his symbol for that beach he'll never get to walk on in "The Naked Time." After all, Kirk's got to be able to get his rocks off sometime--or maybe he's just looking forward to spending time with someone who he doesn't see everyday, particularly after what was evidently a very trying mission. Again from "The Naked Time," we know how much Kirk longs for companionship, and because of his hands-off policy with crewmen, he's not going to get it on the ship. (Not until Spock gets his act together, anyway.)
The interpretation of this pair of scenes could really go either way--Kirk's sexually interested or just mentally exhausted. I tend towards the latter possibility because of what we already know about Kirk.
--When Kirk touches Uhura, it is to help bolster her after the shake-up by the cell. She is the one most affected by it, at least on the bridge (which might indicate something about Uhura's extrasensory sensitivity, particularly since she was also the first to see Kirk's "ghost" in "The Tholian Web"). It's been established many times over that Kirk is a very tactile person, conveying many emotions through touch--he does the same thing with Spock and Bones, too, to differing degrees.
"A Private Little War"
Lady of the Hour: Nona
--Yet another instance of Kirk not being in his right mind when associating with a woman (you know, I should be keeping a running tally. I'll save that for the finale. It'll be fun!). The witchy woman Nona herself explicitly states that she has cast some sort of spell over Kirk when she healed him,
NONA: Our blood has passed through the mahko root together. Our souls have been together. He is mine now.
and we've already seen the effect her spells have on men, when she demonstrated her power over Tyree earlier in the episode.
The moment that Kirk wakes after being healed and the subsequent rest, we know that there's something wrong with Kirk, since McCoy finds him sitting dazedly on Nona's bed, like he sleepwalked his way there. I think if Kirk had a habit of sleepwalking his way into women's beds, we'd know about it by now.
--What is so, so fabulous about Kirk being under Nona's spell is how hard Kirk fights to resist her, without even knowing he's doing so--during these earlier interactions with Nona, Kirk is repeatedly distracted, often looking over in Nona's direction, but like the good ship's captain he is, Kirk always manages to pull himself back on course without help and very firmly resists Nona's attempts to make him break the Prime Directive.
Clearly, that personal feeling shouldn't interfere with one's duty is a concept so ingrained in Kirk that even under the influence of a woman who has bound Kirk to her, declared him hers, and holds clear sway over his mind, Kirk remains focused on the task at hand.
--Big, Fat K/S Sidenote: When Dr. M'Benga (yay!) is slapping Spock's face to rouse him from his healing trance, to get M'Benga to stop, Spock grabs him by the wrist. Let's think back to a similar situation...someone slapping Spock repeatedly to bring him back to his senses...oh, yes, Kirk in "The Naked Time." And how did Spock stop him? By grabbing his hand.
Now, the significance of handholding in canon is still pretty much debatable, despite fanon convention, but it makes sense it would be a pretty big deal, given that bonded pairs use the touch of paired fingers to demonstrate that bond and that the caress of paired fingers seems to play into intimate relations between Vulcans. And yeah, Spock was emotionally compromised and might not have been thinking clearly, but that Spock deliberately grabbed Kirk's hand, and even held it for a few beats, seems to be a pretty big deal to me.
--When Kirk goes searching for Nona towards the end of the episode, he's not searching so that he can put the moves on her, but so that she can come convince Tyree to fight the Hill People.
When he finds her, she's half naked, bathing next to a small waterfall. Kirk does not take a moment to ogle her, instead immediately looking away, addressing her only when she's clothed herself again. When Kirk says, "Pardon me," there's not a trace of the leering innuendo that could have so easily fit in right there, were Kirk's reputation to be believed. However, Kirk does not succumb to her wiles--never would, if allowed a choice, because she's Tyree's wife, and we know from precedent that Kirk does not hit on women who are with other men--and tries to steer Nona towards the issue with Tyree.
Nona, quickly realizing that Kirk will need further encouragement, uses the same spell/potion/plant-thing she used on Tyree earlier. It still takes Kirk two separate whiffs of the thing and several seconds before falling completely under her influence. Even still we can see Kirk trying to hold himself back when she demands that he kiss her.
If we need further evidence of Kirk's compromised state, he barely reacts to the appearance of the mugato, so intent is he on Nona now. No one can question that that's out of character.
"Return to Tomorrow"
Lady of the Hour: Dr. Ann Mulhall/Thalassa
--At the beginning of the episode, we have another instance of the sound guy having a crush on the lady of the hour. When Mulhall enters the conversation, Kirk turns around to regard her, but the only "hey, sexy lady" we get from this moment is from the music. Kirk is simply confused--he doesn't know who Mulhall is or why she is even in the transporter room, since he didn't summon her. However, as soon as introductions are made, Kirk turns right back to the business at hand, with not a hint of sexual interest once shown.
--It's established in the episode that even when Sargon is merely sharing Kirk's body, Kirk has no control over what his body does:
SARGON (in Kirk's body): Have no fear. Your captain is quite unharmed, although his mind generates insufficient energy for him to speak from there as I do.
We also know that, after the deal is done to let the aliens borrow their bodies, Kirk is not even inhabiting his body when Sargon is. Instead he's in the glowing beach ball:
KIRK: Scotty, I need your approval, too. Since you'll work with them, furnishing them all they need to make the android robots. You won't be working with them, you'll be working with us, our bodies. They'll be inside us, and we'll be--
Kirk breaks off when McCoy interrupts him, but McCoy himself finishes the explanation of where Kirk, Spock, and Mulhall's minds are while their bodies are inhabited. After the Henoch beach ball has been destroyed, McCoy says:
MCCOY: Jim, the receptacles. Spock's consciousness was in one of them.
Therefore, if anyone submits as evidence "Kirk totally hits on Mulhall/Thalassa," it will be summarily thrown out, and counsel will be found in contempt of the fandom court. That is all.
--Canon Sidenote: For anyone who was wondering--i.e., none of us--McCoy confirms, in explicit terms, that Spock is Kirk's best friend (after Spock's beach ball has been destroyed):
MCCOY: There is no Spock to return to his body. You've killed a loyal officer, your best friend.
--In the end, when Sargon asks if he and Thalassa can use Kirk and Mulhall's bodies one last time, I don't think there's anyone on the bridge who doesn't know that they want a last kiss. Still, Kirk doesn't jump forward, eager to get some kind of vicarious thrill--he knows he won't feel a thing, won't even be aware; by agreeing, he's showing compassion towards two beings about to send themselves into nothingness to protect mankind. He looks over to check with Mulhall first, to make sure she's okay with the idea--both of them are all business.
When the kiss begins, neither Kirk nor Mulhall are participating. It's Sargon and Thalassa who abandon the bodies mid-kiss, leaving Kirk and Mulhall in an awkward situation when they come back to themselves. The break apart immediately, both of them then sharing an amusement of the sort evidenced by people who've been well and truly "gotten" during a practical joke. Again, no sexual desire evident.
The most interesting thing about this interaction is how Spock cannot bring himself to look at Sargon and Thalassa as they use Kirk and Mulhall's bodies to kiss. There is a very pointed "must look away" posture when we cut back to Spock and the peanut gallery:
You know, I'm just going to leave this moment open to your own interpretation, because I forgot to preface it with "K/S Sidenote." Simon says, "Slash."
"Patterns of Force"
Lady of the Hour: Daras
--Continuing the precedent Kirk set in "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" when the "Nazis" invade the Zeon underground and threaten Kirk, Spock, and the Zeons, when Daras is distracted, Kirk grabs her, takes her gun, and uses her as a human shield. Kirk doesn't give a rat's left testicle that Daras is a woman--she's just killed a man (as far as he knows), she's the closest by, and she's got a weapon; he's going to do whatever's necessary to defend himself and those he's responsible for.
--Kirk asks Daras if she will be at the Nazi shindig because he wants to use her as a means to get inside Nazi headquarters and see John Gill, not because he wants to escort her, like they're going to Nazi prom or something.
--Kirk grabs Daras' shoulders in the age-old "I'm trying to get through to you and/or make you see my point" gesture.
I mean, we've seen this move countless times by now. I don't have to clarify that Kirk means nothing sexual by it, do I? No? Good.
--He touches Daras again later, during their ruse of "filming a documentary." His only motivation in doing so is to direct her movement, to make sure she's going where he wants her to go--they've got to be stealthy and not let on what their real intentions are, so the quickest and safest way to make sure Daras gets where she needs to be is with a touch, rather than telling her point blank "Go over there so I can get a look at that door."
"By Any Other Name"
Lady of the Hour: Kelinda
--Starting off, an oldie but a goodie: Kirk touches Yeoman Thompson so as to bolster spirits through physical contact. What I like about it in this episode is that we pretty much get a side-by-side look at Kirk doing the same thing with a male crewmember, Lieutenant Shea. See:
This is just what Kirk does--he's a very tactile person; it doesn't matter the gender of the recipient.
--When Kirk touches Kelinda after knocking her out, it never goes beyond what is necessary to make sure she's out and to get the device from her. There is no groping of the unconscious lady, even though I'm sure he could have gotten in a little touchy-touchy with no one else in the cave being the wiser. He just doesn't want to, and there is no indication of yearning lingering.
--Kirk's first real conversation with Kelinda indicates no sexual desire at all despite plenty of opportunity for romancing and innuendo in the words:
KELINDA: (picks a flower) These are lovely. Captain Kirk, what is it you call them?
KIRK: Flowers. I don't know the variety.
KELINDA: Our memory tapes tell us of such things on Kelvan--crystals that form with such rapidity, they seem to grow. They look like this fragile thing somewhat. We call them Sahsheer.
KIRK: A rose by any other name.
KELINDA: Captain?
KIRK: A quote from a great human poet, Shakespeare. That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
Just looking at the words, this could be straight out of some romance novel. However, if we keep our eyes on Kirk's expression and body language, we see absolutely no hint of any seduction.
If anything, he's seems annoyed with Kelinda's question about the flowers, that she would strike up casual conversation at all, considering what she and her people are subjecting Kirk and his crew to and that her compatriot has already killed one of Kirk's crew. Indeed, the only emotion we see in Kirk, beyond irritation, is sadness, as he's still mourning the needless loss of a crewmember.
--When the Fab Four are coming up with ways of combating the Kelvans, Kirk states specifically the reasoning behind his coming seduction of Kelinda:
KIRK: If they all respond to stimulation of the senses, then maybe we can distract them. They can't have been able to handle the senses yet. If we can confuse them enough, we can get those devices from their belts.
The command posse has to come up with different ways to stimulate each Kelvan, because if you try and get them all drunk or lure them all in for "vitamin" shots, they'll get suspicious. Since Scotty and McCoy are using the two methods mentioned, Kirk goes with his old standby: seduction of the enemy female so as to overwhelm her senses, as he's done with Andrea from "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" and Sylvia in "Catspaw."
Kirk's method of stimulating the senses is really rather efficient, as it affects two of the Kelvans at once, distracting Kelinda with romance and Rojan with jealousy, though it's a method he clearly doesn't relish. For instance, let's look at Kirk's face just after this exchange:
KIRK: I don't usually go around beating up beautiful women.
KELINDA: Why not?
KIRK: Well, there are better things for men and women to do.
KELINDA: Like what?
Kirk knows that this is his opening to throttle up his seduction. He's going to get up close and personal with a beautiful woman, and this is his expression? This is not the face of a man happy with what he's about to have to do, and after Kirk does kiss her, he immediately drops contact with her, because HE DOESN'T REALLY WANT TO DO THIS.
Something telling in this exchange about Kirk's opinion on intimacy re: kissing is this:
KIRK: Well, among humans, it's meant to express warmth and love.
It's a pretty big blow to the opinion that Kirk indulges in continuous one-night stands. If a mere kiss carries with it connotations of warmth and love in Kirk's mind, it's unlikely that Kirk would have sex with someone he wasn't at least fond of--i.e., a person he's just met and doesn't know anything about, or for that matter, a woman who poses a threat to him and his crew.
But back to the seduction itself, Kirk is prepared to give up entirely when it seems that his methods are not going to be effective against Kelinda:
KELINDA: Oh. You are trying to seduce me. I have been studying you.
KIRK: Me?
KELINDA: All humans. This business of love. You have devoted much literature to it. Why do you build such a mystique around a simple biological function?
KIRK: We enjoy it.
KELINDA: The literature?
KIRK: Kelinda, I'm sorry I brought up the whole subject.
And he goes to leave. Yes, you heard me, he goes to leave. If Kirk is such a horny asshole and is seducing Kelinda just to get in her, uh, jumpsuit, would he really give up so easily and with so little relative fuss? Rather, Kirk's disappointed that his methods have been ineffective and that he has to go back to square one.
It is Kelinda who initiates their second kiss,
KELINDA: Do you really regard this touching of the lips as pleasurable?
KIRK: I did.
KELINDA: Curious. Let me try.
and the whole time, Kirk's arms remain firmly at his sides. He makes no attempt to embrace her.
When this second kiss is interrupted by Rojan, we find out that Kirk's seduction is toward a second purpose as well:
ROJAN: Is there some problem, Captain?
KIRK: Not when I came in.
With this line, we see that Kirk hopes he's opened up a can of worms as far as Kelinda and Rojan's emotions. It's not an expression of disappointment that his seduction was interrupted--Kirk's tone is a little too sly and he leaves too quickly to be disappointed. Also, he says there wasn't a problem when he himself came in. If he was upset about Rojan's intrusion, it would make more sense for Kirk's reply to have been "Not before you came in."
--Later, when Spock is playing chess with Rojan, he explains Kirk's "motivation" for kissing Kelinda:
ROJAN: Well, I do not understand this business of pressing with the lips to apologize.
SPOCK: I believe you're referring to a kiss. But it is my understanding that such apologies are usually exchanged between people who have some affection for each other.
ROJAN: Kelinda has no affection for Captain Kirk.
Spock does not actually believe that Kirk feels affection for Kelinda--he's Kirk's closest friend; he would know better. Rather, he's working in conjunction with Kirk to help Rojan feel jealousy. This intention is iterated later when Spock prods McCoy out of the rec room so that Kirk can be alone with Kelinda, and also when Spock pokes at Rojan on the bridge, when he tells him that Kirk and Kelinda are alone together.
--It is Kelinda who initiates the second encounter with Kirk. She finds him in the rec room with Spock and McCoy, where they are discussing the progress of their plan. Like Shahna in "The Gamesters of Triskelion," she explicitly asks Kirk to kiss her again, using a euphemism employed earlier in the episode:
KELINDA: I was wondering, would you please apologize to me again?
Kirk, for his part, continues twisting the knife as far as eliciting emotion from Kelinda, getting her to realize her own emotion, how human she's become:
KELINDA: Rojan has forbidden me to see you.
KIRK: Yes, that's too bad. Why do you defy him?
KELINDA: It's not a question of defiance. We were told to find out everything we could about you.
KIRK: Huh. And how's the research going?
KELINDA: I need some more experiments.
And again, it's Kelinda who resumes the make-out session.
As soon as Rojan enters the rec room, having been prodded there by Spock, Kirk drops Kelinda's hand--his mission has been accomplished, both targets successfully stimulated, Kelinda with romance, Rojan with jealousy. Had Kirk really wanted Kelinda for himself, wanted to take her from Rojan, he would have kept contact with her the entire time. As it is, he only resumes touching her when he sees Rojan needs a further push into violence.
For comparison, observe Kirk's interaction with Rojan. Kirk stops fighting with Rojan once he realizes that his goal has been reached, once he knows that Rojan is listening to him and coming around to Kirk's way of thinking.
--When Kelinda expresses her desire to stay with Rojan, Kirk is not the slightest bit perturbed at having lost his make-out partner. Kirk only smiles a little when Kelinda and Rojan kiss.
Finally, if anyone hasn't actually heard the pervasive Kirk myth, that Kirk is a womanizing sleazeball, have you been living in a cave all your life? I've got an example of how it works its way into public consciousness.
I've got a book, The Star Trek Compendium (1986), which has a lot of information about the original series, including behind the scenes information about the each episode (because if I go into a used book store and see something that's got Star Trek on it, it's going home with me). For 95 pages, which is over half the book, and 49 episodes, the author, Allan Asherman, makes no comment about much of anything related to Kirk's characterization and certainly says nothing about Kirk's relationships with women, up until the commentary on this episode, where he states:
As usual, in the middle of a crisis, Captain Kirk finds a reason to romance a woman.
What does he mean "as usual"? If it was so "as usual," why hasn't he mentioned a single instance before now? He makes it sound like Kirk is guilty of dereliction of duty, that he's ignoring the fact that one crewman has died and hundreds of others are paperweights, that the Kelvans intend ultimately to invade the Milky Way and conquer all of humanity, just so that he can make time with some woman. If you really believe Kirk is capable of that, why the hell would you like him, or even watch a show in which he is the lead character? RAWR.
Still, Asherman's "interpretation" of anything must be called into question, since he gives "Dagger of the Mind" shit for an illogical premise, but calls "The Omega Glory" "an exciting action story," completely disregarding the whole mountain of illogic inherent in its premise.
There are some other gems like this in this book, and I'll share them with you as they come up, because you guys need to be just as pissed as I am.
"The Omega Glory"
Lady of the Hour: none
--Kirk treats the Yang woman, with whom he shares a cell, as a fellow combatant, just as he does the Yang man, pulling the old human shield trick. And good for him, too. One "gentlemanly" convention I hate is that a man can't hit a woman, even if she's attacking him, which is bullshit. As far as I'm concerned, if someone attacks you, barring some mitigating factor (like if it's a child or something), you have every right to defend yourself any way you can, regardless of gender, the attacker's or your own.
"The Ultimate Computer"
Lady of the Hour: none
--Besides some standard interaction with Uhura, Kirk does not come into contact with a woman for the entire episode.
"Bread and Circuses"
Lady of the Hour: Drusilla
--When the slave girl, Drusilla, is first introduced, Kirk shows no sexual interest in her whatsoever.
It is only when Proconsul Claudius says, "Lovely thing, isn't she?" that we as an audience realize we're supposed to acknowledge this woman's presence as anything other than a prop.
--Now this next bit may seem like a sidenote at first, but I promise, it's not actually off-topic: I've always thought that Claudius had the hots for Kirk. It's in his eyes almost anytime he looks at Kirk--he doesn't look at either Spock or McCoy the way he looks at Kirk, like he wants to devour him.
(First, at Kirk. Second, at Spock and McCoy)
If this were mere awe about our trio's origins, wouldn't this type of look be directed at Spock, given that Claudius has seen humans before and it is Spock who has the uniquely alien features? But Claudius has no interest in Spock at all. It's also not because Kirk is captain of a ship, because Claudius states that he has no special respect for ship captains because of his interaction with Merik:
CLAUDIUS: Merikus was a spaceship captain. I've observed him thoroughly. Your species has no such strength.
In addition to the looks, during the gladiatorial games, Claudius sits Kirk next to him and continuously leans into his space, then, after the games are over, he orders that Kirk be taken to his quarters, where he provides Kirk a lovely lady for sexin'. Claudius says he did this because he owed it to Kirk because he is a man. Come on.
I don't think it's a real stretch to assume, given all this, that Drusilla is pretty much a surrogate for Claudius. He couldn't actually be the one in the bedroom with Kirk (certainly due more to standards of 1960s TV than those of such a Rome-esque planet), so he sent his personal slave instead. I would be willing to bet good money that Claudius is covertly watching Kirk and Drusilla the entire time, likely through video surveillance, given the episode's emphasis on that "archaic" medium.
Now, how does this play into Kirk's interaction with Drusilla? Well, Kirk isn't stupid, and time and again, he's proven how well he can read people and situations, how often his instincts are right on the money. When Drusilla presents herself to Kirk in the bedroom, Kirk knows exactly what's going on:
KIRK: It won't work.
DRUSILLA: What will not work?
KIRK: Whatever he has in mind, whatever tricks. You hear that, Proconsul? It won't work. I'm not cooperating. I may die, but you won't get any entertainment out of it.
No matter what Drusilla might say, Kirk knows at the very least that she is there for some purpose that benefits Claudius, whatever it might be. That Kirk would let his guard down for one second in a situation like this is extremely unlikely.
Now, we cut away from the two of them, but when we come back, the only thing that's going on is that Kirk and Drusilla are sitting at the table and eating. What has very likely occurred in the intervening time is that Kirk has turned on the seduction lamp to see if he can get any information out of Drusilla; after all, the conversation already seems to have been in progress during the break.
Kirk has pulled out the warm-fuzzy version of his seduction because Drusilla, as far as he knows, is an innocent in all of this--there is no reason to be as cold and calculated about it. However, even with Kirk-seduction-mode activated, it is Drusilla who pushes for further intimacy, who kisses Kirk first, and Kirk's lips remain immobile until he realizes he has to respond to keep up the "seduction."
Now this is one of the episodes in which many say that Kirk definitely had sex with the Lady of the Hour, and perhaps the edit was made to imply that, what with the tilt up from their kiss followed by the crossfade on the lamp to show time passing. However, there are also indications in the direction that they did not in fact have sex. For one, as we tilt up from their kiss, Kirk and Drusilla both remain sitting up. There's not even a slight move towards becoming horizontal. Also, when we tilt back down to Kirk on the bed, we see that not only is the bed still made, with nary a wrinkle to be seen, but Kirk is still fully clothed. His shirt is even tucked into his pants.
I suppose it's possible that they had wild sex, and then Kirk decided to get fully redressed, comb his hair, remake the bed, and fall asleep on top of the covers. Right, and I'm a gorilla's godmother. Another argument that could be made is that Kirk wanted to be ready to jump up at a moment's notice, which is why he's both dressed and atop the bedsheets (so that he doesn't get tangled up if he needs to rise quickly). If that's the case and Kirk is that concerned about being ready for any eventuality, then Kirk never would have slept with Drusilla anyway, because putting himself in that situation would have compromised his ability to act way more than sleeping under the covers would have. And nobody gets to say that it was just because it was the 60s that there is no visual indication of sexytimes--it's as easy as finishing tugging on one boot to make the suggestion, right, "Wink of an Eye"?
Besides these visual clues, what we know about Kirk makes it even more unlikely that he slept with Drusilla. First, Kirk really hates being manipulated, does not like being at the mercy of anyone, really, much less assholes who want to make his crew fight to the death while they bend him over the nearest flat surface, and only gives in to what they want when he has no other choice. Kirk knows that Claudius wants him to have sex with Drusilla; however, Claudius is not standing over him, threatening Spock and McCoy's lives if he doesn't, so that Kirk would give in to Claudius' desire is unlikely.
There is also Kirk's hatred of slavery, which has been reiterated quite often throughout the series. If Kirk has one mission that carries through the entire series, it is to get sentient beings to recognize their right to freedom, to free oppressed peoples from their respective overlords. Now, no matter how willing Drusilla may seem, how much she is pushing for sex, Kirk would realize that she is still a slave, still only with him because her master commanded it. He would never sleep with someone who was not fully willing.
"Assignment Earth"
Lady of the Hour: Roberta Lincoln
--When breaking in to Gary Seven's apartment/office/whatever, Kirk briefly grabs Lincoln to restrain her, but passes her off quite quickly to Spock. Aside from asking her about Seven's whereabouts, then at the end of the episode teasing both Seven and her about their future "adventures," he pays Lincoln no mind at all.