[Ed: Thanks to Tracy Falbe for this awesome guest post! Uhura is one of TDF’s favorite fangirl role models.]
I possess an enduring love of Star Trek. I have no memory of life without it. As a little girl in the 1970s I watched reruns of the Original Series with rapturous pleasure. What girl could fail to love its vision of social and gender equality? And to make it even better: It was in space!
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Star Trek: the Original Series is famous for its parade of hotties who added beauty and intrigue to many episodes. But Lieutenant Uhura, originally played by Nichelle Nichols, meant the most to me. Competent, professional, beautiful, Uhura was a bridge officer who sometimes jumped in to take the helm in a pinch. Of course the poor woman still had to answer the phone, and I wondered why I could see her knickers, but at least she was spared the humiliation of fetching the Captain coffee.
This imperfect attempt in the 1960s to portray a professional female has thankfully been updated in the new Star Trek movie franchise headed by J.J. Abrams. Played by actress Zoe Saldana, the new Lieutenant Uhura is a high achieving aggressive woman who performs with confidence and demands respect. In the 2009 Star Trek movie I admire her confrontation scene with Spock, played by Zachary Quinto, when she demands a bridge position on the Enterprise. Her friend Spock, with his rigorous sense of propriety, had assigned her to another vessel to avoid any perception of favoritism. Uhura trashes his reasoning. She has the high grades. She deserves the position on the Enterprise. She earned it and will not yield to any lame excuses. Spock rightly submits to her logical demands because he needs her dedication and expertise upon which he knows he can rely.
Zoe Saldana as Uhura
And how about the flagrant emotional relationship between Uhura and Spock in the new Star Trek? I totally love it. The supportive and close relationship brings a very modern update to Uhura’s place as a fictional female icon. Like any good modern geeky girl, the new Uhura is attracted to the highly educated, respected, geeky male, the emerging archetypal hero of the computer science age. The maverick fratboyesque Kirk does not light up her switchboard. She wants a man who can admire her intellectual and technical skills and not just peer longingly at her underwear. Of course, deep down most any woman wants the potent sexuality of Kirk, but an ambitious and disciplined woman like Uhura is not going to be stimulated by his meaty manliness alone. The ultimate too-tough-for-emotions man that is Spock beckons her feelings with the gravitational pull of a black hole.
With a Star Trek sequel planned for a 2012 release, I hope to see more development in this complex relationship between Uhura and Spock. It is compelling, intellectually appealing, and a wonderful expansion on the background vibe of the Original Series that quietly portrayed Spock and Uhura as respectful colleagues who contentedly shared activities off duty as well.
Trekmovie.com has reported that co-writers Robert Orci and Damon Lindelof are expecting to complete the Star Trek 2012 script in March 2011. May they continue to keep Kirk frustrated by the unreachable shining star of Uhura’s high achiever glory. She is my Queen of Sci Fi and her character past and present has always been a good role model for fangirls.
Follow Us!