Poll of the Month: Women's Equality

[Jona ch'Ranni]

Women's Equality Day is celebrated in the United States on August 26th. That is the anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which gave women the right to vote in elections. That initial step in 1920 has since led to a flurry of civil rights measures that have worked to provide fair and equal access and representation to all. As our eyes fall on the universe of Star Trek as depicted in the television shows and movies, we see a galaxy that increasingly has been represented as a galaxy of equals. It is a place where anyone can attain power and authority based solely on merit. Many women have featured prominently in positions of authority and power - (unfortunately) forward-thinking for our time, but treated as commonplace in the universe of Star Trek.

Kathryn Janeway, depicted on-screen by Kate Mulgrew, is a sterling example of a women entrusted with power. She served capably as the commanding officer of the USS Voyager and later was promoted to the admiralty. Janeway was a force to be reckoned with that could stand toe-to-toe with the Borg and managed to return her crew safely from being stranded at the other end of the galaxy. She is a fan favorite which is perhaps why the character is set to return in the upcoming series Star Trek: Prodigy.

Doctors Beverly Crusher and Katherine Pulaski, performed by Gates McFadden and Diana Muldaur respectively, provided role models for many youths. You never got the impression that either would fail to speak their mind or act in an assertive manner when needed. Crusher was even tasked with leading Starfleet Medical for a year, a testament to her skill and ability.

The long list of other powerful women in Star Trek is extensive. From Admirals Nechayev and Cornwallis to scientist Carol Marcus and the villainous Romulan Sela, we see women filling every role available in the universe - true equals, as they should be.

The question posed to you is who's you're favorite?

[Blake]

B'Elanna Torres was the first consistently angry, frustrated, realistic depiction of a woman I relate to. In fact, I think she's the only woman like that in the media I've been exposed to. She's not just brushed off as being annoying. She's not a minor character. She's outspoken, she's talented, she doesn't take nonsense from anyone, and people work with her. She's one of the few women in Star Trek that does not get along with everyone. Also, Torres isn't just written off as "that [...]" by the crew. Obviously there are episodes where that's the case, but she doesn't go through a major personality change when people take issue with her. She's apologetic only for when she crosses a line, not apologetic for her entire character (which does happen frequently in media). Not to mention, she's a bold and outspoken woman who became Chief Engineer. Over the nice guy. And she was Chief Engineer whilst pregnant. Lieutenant Torres is my hero.

Characters like Torres are important. Science is great, but getting down and dirty into engines, electronics, or anything involving grease is considered a masculine profession -- Torres defies that, and is still the only female Chief Engineer on screen so far. Hell, even most of the women mentioned in the OP are medical/science based. While Kathryn Janeway and Seven of Nine are great and important characters in their own right, they're considered softer spoken next to Torres; bold, yes, but not necessarily as brash or aggressive. It frustrates me that Torres is frequently under-appreciated. Yeah, Janeway "got the crew home", but remember, it was Torres that made great strides in keeping the ship together (and even attempting ridiculous feats to get them home sooner) in order to do that.

[Mallora Vossti]

While Major Kira was not in command of DS9, she was effectively Sisko's equal in influence specifically because she was Bajoran and could speak to Bajoran history and culture that was so important to the planet the station was attached to.  Given the background that we learn about her through the show, I find that Kira Nerys is the exemplar of a strong, resilient woman.