Star Trek is one of the most iconic and long-lasting franchises out of any sci-fi series. When most people think of the most iconic characters they might picture Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr.McCoy, or even Scotty. These men seem to take a forward role and are the main focus of the original series and beyond while the women are given barely a notice. That is not to say the women of the series are not important, in fact, I think they are not given enough credit. In this article I want to speak on the women of Star Trek and how they deserve just as much notice as anyone else. From the iconic Lieutenant Uhura to Nurse Chapel these “background characters” provide important roles and dimension to the series. I want to discuss three women from the original series Janice Rand, Christine Chapel, and Nyota Uhura. The sad reality is that these were some of the only recurring female characters in the show, however, this should not diminish the value they all brought.
Janice Rand was introduced as a yeoman to Captain Kirk similar to an assistant in this world. Kirk is initially upset at being assigned a beautiful woman as his yeoman which is typical of his character as at times he is quite misogynistic. He is portrayed later as a ladies man who essentially has a lover every other episode. This is part of why Rand was written off the show in the first season as they did not want Kirk to be tied down. I believe this was a poor decision although the actress was struggling at the time. The decision to write off one of the only reoccurring female characters pushes back against the claim that the show was progressive at the time. Despite this Janice was important to many of the episodes she appeared in and took a main role in "The Enemy Within", "Charlie X", and "Miri". In the first, she fights off an evil Kirk after he confesses his attraction. In the second an adolescent teen, Charlie is attracted to her and she tells him she is much too old for him. He ignores her advice and continues to go after her and reveals he has the power to make others disappear. Eventually, he is angered by Rand ignoring him and makes her disappear. Eventually, she is returned and he is taken by an alien ship, it is not revealed what happens to him after. Finally in “Miri” she is infected by a disease that wipes out adults and finds comfort in Kirk. The children left on the planet are angered by this and one in particular, Miri, is especially upset as she likes Kirk. They kidnap Rand to attract Kirk but then realize what they did is wrong. They then return to the rest of the crew where McCoy has developed a cure. It is clear that Rand is almost exclusively used as an object of desire and for me, it is troubling that teens and children were often involved. She seemed to have little agency as even when she fought back another crewmate helped her escape in the end. It may be for the best that she was written off however I wish they could have continued her arc and helped her find her place on her own as a strong confident woman. All too often in this time period women were portrayed as sex symbols or background characters and Janice is sadly not an exception.
The next recurring character appears in all three seasons however she was far from loved. Nurse Chapel was many things in the series, a romantic interest to Spock, head nurse, ex-fiance, and dedicated to Star Fleet. While the actress herself did not like the role due to how rigid it was I think it was important to have another consistent female character in the show. In many episodes, she was humiliated through her attraction to Spock which was a terrible way to portray a nurse who was ultimately dedicated to the ship above all else. However, she is also portrayed as helpful often being there to help McCoy with whatever he needed and following her important duties as the head nurse. The episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" is huge for her character and shows why she is now so dedicated to Star Fleet. In it, her fiance Dr. Roger Korby exploited android manufacturing technology on the planet he was on and interested his own personality into an android republica. She is horrified to discover this and due to her reaction, he kills himself. It is quite a dark episode and gives a bit of insight into her character. She truly dedicates herself to her job after this while also gaining a growing admiration and attraction towards Spock. In “Amok Time” she tries to help Spock through Pon Farr, a Vulcan mating ritual. He is angered but later thanks her for her kindness. She is pretty selfless in this episode, trying to help Spock through this ritual despite having feelings for him herself. Overall I think she is a more well-rounded character than Janice while still having some flaws. She is put in the stereotypical female role of a nurse however later on she is promoted to doctor which shows the advances newer series have made. Her feelings towards Spock are used negatively too often but it does allow her to show a range of emotions. She is a flawed but important character in the series.
Finally, we move on to Nyota Uhura the only female character who is considered part of the main cast. Throughout the series, her character has varying amounts of screen time ranging from almost nothing to large chunks of some episodes. In the series it is not even revealed she has a first name and her last name is based on the Swahili word uhuru wich means freedom. The show wanted to have more diversity and for the time this casting was quite progressive. However, all the women wear miniskirts as part of their uniform and seem a bit sexualized even in important roles. The actress wanted to leave after the first series initially but Marin Luther King Jr. convinced her to stay citing how important her role was for diversity. She is the chief communications officer and while some critique this as simply answering the phone it was an important role especially for a black woman to fill. Her character even partook in one of the first interracial kisses on screen. She was shown to be a complex character dedicated to her role but also enjoying other pastimes such as singing. Uhura is a very caring character who cares for all creatures which is shown in episodes like “The Trouble with Tribbles”. She may not get as much screen time in the series but she uses it to the best of her ability communicating through many important and dangerous situations ultimately saving the crew in some situations. Later on, she becomes even more important and has larger roles in the movies and later series. She is arguably one of the most important female characters of that time period and inspired many for decades to come.
The women of Star Trek are all too often cast aside, sexualized, or under-utilized, especially in the original series. This does not mean that they did not make an important mark in television, especially at the time. Janice may be used mainly as an object of desire but she is still caring and not as helpless as she is made out to be. Christine Chapel was cast aside quite often however she showed herself to be compassionate and dedicated to the crew. Uhura may not have even been given a first name initially but she proved herself invaluable to the starship and was a leap forward to diversity on the screen. These characters were the start of Star Trek’s attempt to dedicate the series to diversity. Luckily women became more important in later series but it is important not to discredit the first female characters in the series and their achievements.
Written by Kat Reed