day 14 of favorite female characters
My dad is a nerd. He took us to see Star Wars way back when. (Back when being far enough back that it took several months for the movie to make it to our small town theater.) And that was a HUGE treat--we hardly ever went to the movies when I was little.
He was not, however, an original Star Trek fan. So I didn't get to appreciate Nyota Uhura and her ground-breaking role when I was little.
I can still like her, though.
Nichelle Nichols played Uhura on Star Trek in the late 1960's. Groundbreaking is a minimalistic description of the role of Uhura, even though Nichols felt like the character didn't get much development. Mae Jemison, American astronaut (and the first black woman to fly in a space shuttle), cites Uhura as one of of her inspirations.
She's competent, professional, and has a sense of humor.
This isn't one of them, but there are pictures where she gets Spock to laugh. It's frankly adorable. Oh, and them playing music together? Awwwww..
Later canon (comics, among other things) give her the role of commander.
Funnily enough, my dad did become a bit of a Trekkie--when Star Trek: Next Generation started. Oh, and you should hear him talk about how much he likes the devious, shades-of-gray Captain Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager. (See how this all started? My appreciation of female characters didn't come from nowhere.)
So I knew some about the Trek universe, both through cultural and familial osmosis. Being a fan of science-fiction media as well, I was primed to like the 2009 movie.
And look: Uhura, a competent, profession member of the team.
Naturally, I think she's fantastic.
So does Spock. A lot.
And frankly, Uhura saved this movie from a lot of possible ennui: without her, the film would have had no major role for a female character.
It's been interesting (and by interesting, I mean occasionally horrifying) seeing what a litmus character Uhura is in the reboot movie. I've seen a few too many descriptions of her that use words like arrogant and conceited. REALLY? Just... ugh, no. How about determined or capable or fierce instead?
And I still love it that the cocky boy who gets turned down by the beautiful woman at the beginning of the movie is still left alone at the end. Who would go for Kirk when you could have Spock? He's Victorian! Vulcan! And like Uhura, he's cool, competent and professional.
Mostly, anyway. Heh.
It's hard to say how much of my enjoyment of movie Uhura comes from just the film, and how much from some of the excellent fanfiction about her. (Not all of those stories are about Uhura, just fyi. That's all of my bookmarked Trek-fic.)
eta: ahahahaha, I also need to link to this fanvid about the lack of women in the new Star Trek movie. Lyrics not safe for work.
Posted at Dreamwidth: http://rose-griffes.dreamwidth.org/189506.html. Comment where you wish.
He was not, however, an original Star Trek fan. So I didn't get to appreciate Nyota Uhura and her ground-breaking role when I was little.
I can still like her, though.
Nichelle Nichols played Uhura on Star Trek in the late 1960's. Groundbreaking is a minimalistic description of the role of Uhura, even though Nichols felt like the character didn't get much development. Mae Jemison, American astronaut (and the first black woman to fly in a space shuttle), cites Uhura as one of of her inspirations.
She's competent, professional, and has a sense of humor.
This isn't one of them, but there are pictures where she gets Spock to laugh. It's frankly adorable. Oh, and them playing music together? Awwwww..
Later canon (comics, among other things) give her the role of commander.
Funnily enough, my dad did become a bit of a Trekkie--when Star Trek: Next Generation started. Oh, and you should hear him talk about how much he likes the devious, shades-of-gray Captain Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager. (See how this all started? My appreciation of female characters didn't come from nowhere.)
So I knew some about the Trek universe, both through cultural and familial osmosis. Being a fan of science-fiction media as well, I was primed to like the 2009 movie.
And look: Uhura, a competent, profession member of the team.
Naturally, I think she's fantastic.
So does Spock. A lot.
And frankly, Uhura saved this movie from a lot of possible ennui: without her, the film would have had no major role for a female character.
It's been interesting (and by interesting, I mean occasionally horrifying) seeing what a litmus character Uhura is in the reboot movie. I've seen a few too many descriptions of her that use words like arrogant and conceited. REALLY? Just... ugh, no. How about determined or capable or fierce instead?
And I still love it that the cocky boy who gets turned down by the beautiful woman at the beginning of the movie is still left alone at the end. Who would go for Kirk when you could have Spock? He's Victorian! Vulcan! And like Uhura, he's cool, competent and professional.
Mostly, anyway. Heh.
It's hard to say how much of my enjoyment of movie Uhura comes from just the film, and how much from some of the excellent fanfiction about her. (Not all of those stories are about Uhura, just fyi. That's all of my bookmarked Trek-fic.)
eta: ahahahaha, I also need to link to this fanvid about the lack of women in the new Star Trek movie. Lyrics not safe for work.
Posted at Dreamwidth: http://rose-griffes.dreamwidth.org/189506.html. Comment where you wish.