Even Captain James T. Kirk was trapped in a woman's body. Don't you think he'd support trans people?
08.06.2025 07:23
Flaws of “Turnabout Intruder” Episode
Other Sexism
This concept was actually preceded by Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Left Hand of Darkness” (1969) which was decades ahead of its time. Le Guin’s idea was obviously copied here.
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The idea that Kirk — who finally re-emerged into his own body, just before the murder could finally be completed — somehow appreciated or learned from the experience, misses the entire idea of the plot. This was not like “Tootsie,” in which the protagonist learned something from the experience. Instead, it must have been horrific, given the circumstances of the plot.
Here’s my take on the episode: I saw it as being very pro gay rights. I haven't interview the writer, but it came across to me as saying, “Look, straight people, here is what it would feel like to be in a sexual minority — for Riker falls in love with one of the non-binary people on the planet.”
But the really “gay” aspect of TOS was when George Takei came out of the closet, years after the original run. Takei himself said that accepting different lifestyles was 100% consistent with the general principles of Star Trek. I agree, and I am an admirer of George Takei, because of his stands for human rights generally (including his criticism of the Japanese internment in WW2, which he’d experienced first hand). You go, George.
Perhaps even sadder is that the final line of the episode — and therefore the final line ever spoken in TOS, one of the great series of all time — was when Kirk says:
And yet strangely, to watch that episode today is to see it in a different light. The episode no longer seems to be about straight v. gay but can be taken much, much more literally…. about how a society could be based entirely on “non-binary” sexuality and, arguably, could be seen in theory as valid in its own right. Whether that was the message in the 1980s, that is how it plays today. Oh, how times have changed.
(Although I notice that in “Mirror, Mirror,” the EVIL Sulu was definitely straight, with an eye for Uhura.)
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The villainess, Dr. Janice Lester, conspired to first switch bodies with Kirk and then kill “him” (Kirk now in her body) was motivated because “Your world of Star Trek captains has no place for women.”
Notably, there was the TNG episode where the ship goes to a planet where everyone is non-binary. “The Outcast.” That is their biology. No one in this species is either “male” or “female,” but when two adult members of this species come together for the purpose of procreation (or RECREATION), one randomly assumes the biological male role and the other the biological female role… which is facilitated by everyone having both sets of sex organs.
As I stated, in the first pilot (“The Cage”), there was a real attempt to make the 23rd Century more enlightened, even though this didn’t go over with the network… and (I would argue) the “heterosexual orientation” of the show — especially the miniskirts — was an attempt to boost the ratings.
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And, to be fair, they DID produce a very sexy show. The miniskirts appealed to many, and — to be frank — the women who guest starred were both very talented, fine actresses, but also some of the most attractive women ever on television or movies (Joan Collins, for example).
Conversely, if you were in the “closet” back then, you probably liked Star Trek, too. Kirk and Spock bonded so closely over the course of three seasons, you had to wonder. And McCoy seemed jealous of Spock’s closeness to Kirk. (Was it the sort of spat you’d see in a love triangle?)
The last episode, “Turnabout Intruder,” was unfortunate, in that the dialog was among the episodes with the most sexist lines.
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Ironically, Star Trek originally tried to be ahead of its time even in the area of women’s rights. Roddenberry at first had a female second-in-command — NOT in a miniskirt by the way — but the network didn’t like it. And remember that in 1966, female officers serving on the bridge was unknown to most people; now it is extremely common. To have female officers was ahead of the time for t he 1960s. And most of the time, female officers were treated almost like men — as respected professionals. (Despite an unfortunate tendency of the writers to give Uhura the line, “Captain, I’m scared.”)
But how, in the 23rd Century, was enough sexism remaining that anyone, however deranged, would even make that charge? Such a line dates the episode, unfortunately. It reminds us that this was made in the 1960s, decades before Hillary Clinton would get 3,000,000 more votes than Donald Trump.
Watching The Original Series now (even though it is my favorite of all the versions), it’s necessary to try to forgive the 1960s era sexism that still shows up in the scripts and designs. Those miniskirts for female crew members (even officers!) greatly appeal to many viewers… but admittedly, it’s mainly for the wrong reasons. I like them too, but are you going to have trained Starfleet crew beaming down into dangerous situations wearing… miniskirts?
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Now, this could be put down to Dr, Janice Lester being unreliable, of perhaps her *blaming* her lack of advancement on the sexism of society she *perceived* rather than her own character flaws…..
(Although the only female commander you’d get for a long time was actually the ROMULAN commander in TOS played by Joanna Linville in the third season “The Enterprise Incident.” I guess in that respect, at least, the Romulans were way ahead of us.)
“She could have been as happy as any woman, if only…. if only….”
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If only what, Captain? Sadly, one must conclude Kirk was thinking, “She could have been as happy as any woman, if only she accepted her role in society.”
Then he/she (Dr. Janice Lester, played by actress Sandra Smith) in the body of Kirk, spent the rest of the episode to get “her” (Kirk, now in her body) killed.
The other answers to this question seem to have forgotten one important detail: That the transfer of Kirk’s mind into a woman’s body was the scheme of a woman who hated Kirk (maybe she had her reasons :) ), wanted to steal his life, and planned to immediately murder him after the transfer. She (who became “he” I guess) was about to go ahead with the murder until he/she was interrupted.
Despite my thinking that TNG was inferior generally, it did try to bring a more enlightened view of the sexes to Starfleet. TOS had made major inroads against most kinds of bigotry (especially racism — Spock, remember, being an alien with a green tint to his skin!!), TNG completed the journey, in many ways, by combatting the sexism against women and even against “non-binary” people. It was at least advanced for its time (the 1980s).
Star Trek: The Next Generation
And, in fact, that this episode — “Turnabout Intruder” was the ending to the regular run of one TV’s most amazing series (not counting the animated series of movies) — is profoundly sad, and it’s something that Trekkies now try to live down.
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