The Kiss
Click to viewIt's been hailed as the first interracial kiss on network television, and has been cited repeatedly as proof of Star Trek's progressivity.
But... am I the only one who is really bothered by this being used as a great example of something wonderful, since the Kirk/Uhura kiss is clearly non-consensual by both parties and is actually a form of sexual harassment/assault committed by mind-controlling aliens against both Kirk and Uhura.
According to Memory Alpha's entry on the episode, Roddenberry received a letter from a Southern white man who wrote:
I am against the mixing of the races, but anytime a red-blooded American boy like Captain Kirk gets his arms around a gal like Lt. Uhura, he ain't gonna fight it!
In fact, non-consensual sexual contact between white men and black women has long been considered "okay" and a way to enforce white power over women of color; the aliens forcing the kiss were shown as white after all. The forced kiss was also meant to demean and humiliate Kirk as well; perhaps not quite as far as making him a "n----- lover" but it was not meant as a shining example of interracial harmony.
If Kirk and Uhura had kissed because, you know, they were happy or in love or whatever, then yeah, I could see this as being a great progressive moment in which we can all take pride as Star Trek fans. But for me, it's hard to get past the very problematic issues (which were, of course, intended as such in the script) of power and consent, so I can't really be thrilled about "the first [sic] interracial kiss on teevee."
What do you think?