Some thoughts as I watch.
This isn’t the first time the show has crafted an episode around Deanna Troi and in most of the narratives she is at the mercy of the storyline; an otherworldly being uses her to experience the human life cycle (Anita Sarkeesian has a breakdown of this trope here), an episode involving an arranged marriage, and, in this episode, an empath exploits her own empathic abilities for his own purposes. There are more examples and I realize the show was coming out of a different era (late 80s, early 90s) but there is a troubling treatment of Deanna Troi’s character and she is rarely given an opportunity to explore her own storyline on her own terms. Even in “Face of the Enemy” where she plays a critical role in infiltrating the Romulan Empire and aiding some defectors, she is still kidnapped and forced into the role.
But ultimately, I’m not writing this to discuss the treatment of Deanna Troi’s character in the show. As I watch “Man of the People,” I am noticing a aspect of the narrative where Troi experiences a kind of hyper-sexuality which ultimately turns into jealousy towards the empath who has exploited her ability for his own purposes. What I noticed is that the apparent “hyper-sexuality” of Troi is used to portray a negative symptom of the psychological invasion; ultimately painting the narrative as: “there is something wrong with Troi because she is hyper-sexual and jealous.” When I consider other speculative fiction, whether it’s historical, contemporary, or futuristic, I can think of other instances where a female character is shown to be “not right” by behaving in a way that is being show to us as “hyper-sexual.” However, the way they show this is by having the character initiate romantic encounters, have visible sexual attraction to whomever the character is attracted to, and have a character who is only interested in the sexual gratification of the encounter (in most narratives they “use” men and “discard” them afterward).
Meanwhile, the same behavior for male characters is usually seen as par-for-the-course and never amounts to anything beyond defining an aspect of that character: James T. Kirk and William T. Riker behave in similar ways but it’s never defined as a negative trait, nearly every Sitcom has a male character who’s promiscuity is used as a running joke, and for a lot of stories involving adolescent males have “getting laid” as a core narrative. Within the Star Trek universe, the Vulcan’s are given a biological condition known as Pon Farr. While it effects both male and female Vulcans, it is typically portrayed in different ways. When Tuvoc and Spock experience the condition the narrative revolves around how does the crew of their respective ships save their lives; ultimately going down a road of treating it as a medical condition with respect and seriousness. For T’Pol and Torres, the narrative moves more towards a hyper-sexualization (T’Pol) and gives an excuse for sexualization of the particular character or the narrative moves down the road of the “animalistic” portrayal (Torres).
Ultimately, the Pon Farr is a source of concern and is taken seriously if the characters are male, while the Pon Farr is an opportunity to sexualize female characters who experience the condition.
Regardless of the situation, a female character taking control of her sexuality and initiating sexual/romantic encounters is seen as a point of concern, whereas male characters easily incorporate such behavior and it is never a focal point for a narrative. I haven’t really given it voice until now and I know others have noticed this in mainstream media, but it is extremely apparent in “Man of the People” and I would suggest this is one of the subtle ways in which Gender Roles, the Gender Binary, and Gender Binary Sexual Scripts are reinforced in our society.
This isn’t the first time the show has crafted an episode around Deanna Troi and in most of the narratives she is at the mercy of the storyline; an otherworldly being uses her to experience the human life cycle (Anita Sarkeesian has a breakdown of this trope here), an episode involving an arranged marriage, and, in this episode, an empath exploits her own empathic abilities for his own purposes. There are more examples and I realize the show was coming out of a different era (late 80s, early 90s) but there is a troubling treatment of Deanna Troi’s character and she is rarely given an opportunity to explore her own storyline on her own terms. Even in “Face of the Enemy” where she plays a critical role in infiltrating the Romulan Empire and aiding some defectors, she is still kidnapped and forced into the role.
But ultimately, I’m not writing this to discuss the treatment of Deanna Troi’s character in the show. As I watch “Man of the People,” I am noticing a aspect of the narrative where Troi experiences a kind of hyper-sexuality which ultimately turns into jealousy towards the empath who has exploited her ability for his own purposes. What I noticed is that the apparent “hyper-sexuality” of Troi is used to portray a negative symptom of the psychological invasion; ultimately painting the narrative as: “there is something wrong with Troi because she is hyper-sexual and jealous.” When I consider other speculative fiction, whether it’s historical, contemporary, or futuristic, I can think of other instances where a female character is shown to be “not right” by behaving in a way that is being show to us as “hyper-sexual.” However, the way they show this is by having the character initiate romantic encounters, have visible sexual attraction to whomever the character is attracted to, and have a character who is only interested in the sexual gratification of the encounter (in most narratives they “use” men and “discard” them afterward).
Meanwhile, the same behavior for male characters is usually seen as par-for-the-course and never amounts to anything beyond defining an aspect of that character: James T. Kirk and William T. Riker behave in similar ways but it’s never defined as a negative trait, nearly every Sitcom has a male character who’s promiscuity is used as a running joke, and for a lot of stories involving adolescent males have “getting laid” as a core narrative. Within the Star Trek universe, the Vulcan’s are given a biological condition known as Pon Farr. While it effects both male and female Vulcans, it is typically portrayed in different ways. When Tuvoc and Spock experience the condition the narrative revolves around how does the crew of their respective ships save their lives; ultimately going down a road of treating it as a medical condition with respect and seriousness. For T’Pol and Torres, the narrative moves more towards a hyper-sexualization (T’Pol) and gives an excuse for sexualization of the particular character or the narrative moves down the road of the “animalistic” portrayal (Torres).
Ultimately, the Pon Farr is a source of concern and is taken seriously if the characters are male, while the Pon Farr is an opportunity to sexualize female characters who experience the condition.
Regardless of the situation, a female character taking control of her sexuality and initiating sexual/romantic encounters is seen as a point of concern, whereas male characters easily incorporate such behavior and it is never a focal point for a narrative. I haven’t really given it voice until now and I know others have noticed this in mainstream media, but it is extremely apparent in “Man of the People” and I would suggest this is one of the subtle ways in which Gender Roles, the Gender Binary, and Gender Binary Sexual Scripts are reinforced in our society.
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