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Home > Sex Tech > Star Trek and the Future of Sex: Stigma and the AIDS Epidemic

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Home›Sex Tech›Star Trek and the Future of Sex: Stigma and the AIDS Epidemic

Star Trek and the Future of Sex: Stigma and the AIDS Epidemic

By M. Christian
August 7, 2016
3422
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Treatment of STIs in Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future.

Jolene Blalock played T'pol in Star Trek: Enterprise.

In our previous installments, we looked at how Star Trek addressed sexual orientation in episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and then in Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: Enterprise on how it looked at birth control.

Now we’ll be looking at how Star Trek has handled a critically important subject: sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
[quote type=”center”]”We got rid of bigotry nearly a century ago. We’re not afraid of diversity. We don’t persecute it, we embrace it. If you call yourselves enlightened, you have to accept people who are different than you are.”[/quote]
Created as part of a mandate from Viacom—whose UPN network carried Star Trek: Enterprise —to have each of its shows deal with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in some way, “Stigma” is a moving depiction of having irrational and hateful bias toward. sexuality. Even more telling as that those with the irrationality and hatred are the usually logical Vulcans.

“Stigma”—written by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, and directed by David Livingston—does take place in an era before logic became such an integral part of Vulcan society. Still, the juxtaposition is an effective story device, especially as it shows that Vulcans, and thus humanity, can change for the better.

In the episode, the Enterprise’s Vulcan Science Officer, T’Pol (Jolene Blalock) is diagnosed with Pa’nar Syndrome. The ship’s doctor, Phlox (John Billingsley) sets out to cure her but encounters outright bigotry on the part of the Vulcan medical establishment as Pa’nar, which is spread by mind-melding, is considered shameful.

Matters deteriorate when T’Pol’s illness is revealed to the Vulcan High Command, which could mean the loss of her position on the ship—as well as further ostracization.

Having quite enough of the way that his friend and officer is being treated, the Enterprise’s Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) confronts the High Command in an impassioned speech that eloquently sums up the entire philosophy of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry, and all those who look to Star Trek to show that there is hope for the eventual evolution of mankind:

“You Humans are too… volatile, too irrational, too narrow-minded.” That’s what I heard for years—from every Vulcan I met. But we don’t hold a candle to you when it comes to narrow-minded. We got rid of bigotry nearly a century ago. We’re not afraid of diversity. We don’t persecute it, we embrace it. If you call yourselves enlightened, you have to accept people who are different than you are.”

The episode concludes on a bittersweet note, though, when Archer wins on a technicality to keep her on the ship—though T’Pol stands proud at the end, determined to be a positive example to others like herself.

These are the voyages

In conclusion, Star Trek is not just entertainment; it’s inarguably a cultural phenomenon. A gift from its creator, Gene Roddenberry, and those who have helped carry the torch, it has become something to strive toward.

In Star Trek, there is a brightly gleaming universe of imagination, intelligence and, most of all, respect for all aspects of sexuality—human or otherwise.

[quote type=”center”]
“The human race is a remarkable creature, one with great potential, and I hope that Star Trek has helped to show us what we can be if we believe in ourselves and our abilities”—Gene Roddenberry[/quote]
Read part one: “Star Trek and the Future of Sex: Gay Characters and LGBT Love”
Read part two: “Star Trek and the Future of Sex: Birth Control and Alien Pregnancy”

Image source: TrekCore

M. Christian

M.Christian (they/them) loves nothing better than exploring the intersections of sex and technology—and speculating on the future of both. A highly regarded erotica writer they have six novels,12 collections, 100+ short stories, and 25 anthologies as an editor to their name. Their non-fiction regularly appears in many sites, but they're most proud of being a regular contributor to Future of Sex.

Of their erotic fiction, Tristan Taormino said that “M.Christian is a literary stylist of the highest caliber: smart, funny, frightening, sexy—there's nothing [they] can't write about… and brilliantly.”

Reflecting their unique ability to sympathetically and convincingly write for a range of genders and sexual orientations, their stories have appeared in multiple editions of Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, The Mammoth Books of Erotica, and others. Their collection of gay erotic fiction, Dirty Words, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.

While a majority of their stories have been collected into books like Dirty Words, their fondness for combining sex and science fiction is clearly evident in collections that include Rude Mechanicals, Technorotica, Better Than The Real Thing, Skin Effect Effect, Bachelor Machine, and Hard Drive: The Best Sci-Fi Erotica of M.Christian.

As a novelist, M.Christian’s versatility is on full display with Running Dry, The Very Bloody Marys, Brushes, Painted Doll; and the somewhat controversial queer BDSM/horror/thrillers Finger's Breadth, and Me2.

M.Christian has worked on the industry’s production side as an Associate Publisher for Renaissance E Books and as a Publisher for Digital Parchment Services. The latter dedicated to celebrating the works of science-fiction legends such as William Rotsler, Jerome Bixby, Jody Scott, Arthur Byron Cover, Ernest Hogan, and James Van Hise.

Covering topics like BDSM safety, sexual education, senior sexuality concerns, queer and gender issues, plus reviewing a variety of sex tech products, M.Christian’s non-fiction has appeared on sites like Kinkly, Tickle.Life, Sexpert, Queer Majority, Sex for Every Body, and—of course—their ongoing work for Future of Sex.

If there’s anything M.Christian enjoys more than writing, it’s teaching. A featured presenter, sometimes with their friend Ralph Greco Jr, at national sex and BDSM events, they have lectured on kink play (with an emphasis on safety), polyamory, boosting sexual creativity, and erotica writing--for beginners or those wanting to go pro.

M.Christian is a cohost on two popular sex-education podcasts: Love’s Outer Limits with Dr. Amy Marsh and Licking Non-Vanilla with Ralph Greco, Jr.
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