Star Trek misogyny
While watching Deep Space 9 this noon, I came to this stunning epiphany. Someone at Star Trek mistrusted powerful women.
- In the pilot, Number One is a strong female. Well, most of the time. Alas, the Network didn't like that, so in the retooled version, the first officer is an alien male. The only female officer on the bridge is a glorified telephone operator. And Gene's wife, that bold woman going where no man has gone before, is recast as a Nurse.
- Will Riker, Space Slut, encounters a matriarchal society where the women are beautiful and powerful, and the men are forced to wear skimpy silver lamé outfits and serve the women. Well, Mr. Macho Space Stud can't stomache this evil society, and he seduces the beautiful leader, Mistress Beata (note the subtle bdsm reference in the choice of that title), thus ending her tyranny.
- Strong femal admirals are bitches. Case in point, Admiral Necheyev.
- I think it's implied that Betazoid society is, or was, matriarchal. Lwaxana Troi, daughter of the Fifth House, holder of the sacred Chalice of Rixx and heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed (once again, the ORIGINAL strong Star Trek female) has a precarious status of could-be-evil-bitch. She scandalizes everyone by continuing the Betazoid custom of being naked at one's own wedding. Contrast this example of nudity-as-power to the Ferengi custom of nudity-as-subjugation: all Ferengi females are forbidden from wearing clothing of any sort. While this practice is frowned upon by the Federation, it accepted as a boys-will-be-boys practice and doesn't raise any sort of scandal.
- The Borg Queen. In a race where everyone is assimilated and looks male, with the sole exception of the very busty Seven of Nine, the hive Queen has self awareness and is the embodiment of Evil.
- And, lastly, the being that sparked this epiphany: the Female Founder (shape shifter; Odo's people). Again, the female leader of a collective society, she is arguably just as evil as the Borg Queen.