ARTWORK: Jasmin Small
The Sexual Frontier Rufus R. Ryans
Imagine for a moment you are on a Starfleet vessel in space. Imagine the scientists, the ambassadors, and of course, the soldiers. Starfleet were foremost explorers, however. Tasked to simply observe and provide the first glimpse of the Federation, for the civilisations yet to join. And Star Trek did provide a glimpse into such virgin territory… a new world of sexual experiences. Alien races that are 100 percent queer and polyamorous who have sex all the time. Spock over-coming his Vulcan sex urges by “fighting” Kirk. Star Trek was surprisingly, very horny. But that couldn’t be! Of course not! Star Trek is a fun family sci-fi show! This isn’t the Gene Roddenberry Vision™! Star Trek was cool. It was new, homoerotic, ground-breaking. But was it sexy? People loved Star Trek and were falling in love with aliens. Star Trek challenged people, myself included, and intellectually, it is where my love for science began. And it did much the same for many people. It wasn’t about the sex; it was about the science. However, the men of Star Trek really gave something to be, well, intellectually challenged by. There was Tom Paris, the charismatic Starfleet officer. William Ryker, the sexy bear with a sexy
beard. And Spock, the man who was often read as a sex-neutral asexual, was also undeniably endearing. Everyone was swooning over them. In fact, it was Spock and Kirk’s relationship that sparked the beginnings of slash fanfiction, smut. I am not leaving out the women. Captain Kathryn Janeway – now she really was the first girlboss. Facing new villains and meeting new heroes. Seven of Nine. No one else could have slayed those high heel boots across the USS Voyager. These women were strong. Not femme fatales or side-pieces. They were capable, independent – they had real agency. Deanna Troi; the Empath, Dr. Beverly Crusher; the Dancing Doctor; B’Elanna Torres; half-human half-Klingon. Sexiness was deeply woven into visual character design. The uniforms of Star Trek can be considered quite revealing. An entire theory of costuming came from it. The more a garment suggests that it could simply slip off, revealing what is underneath, is sexier than nudity itself. And the gay costume designer, William Ware Theiss, was happy to apply this to both women and men alike. Nichelle, who played Lieutenant Uhura in the Original Series, stated “You might deduce that Bill Theiss enjoyed working with the female form. Hardly. In fact, Bill Theiss preferred girls who looked like boys.”
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