Is misogyny really a "Trek" tradition?

Misogyny is alive and well in the Star Trek universe, at least if disgruntled bloggers are to be believed.

Screenwriter Damon Lindelof has issued an apology via Twitter regarding a scene that he wrote into director J.J. Abrams’ latest science fiction adventure “Star Trek Into Darkness.” In said scene, Dr. Carol Marcus, played by Alice Eve, strips down to her unmentionables as Captain James T. Kirk unsuccessfully attempts not to ogle her.

When I saw “Star Trek Into Darkness” in theaters with my stepfather, we both giggled slyly during the scene in question. I’m not saying the scene wasn’t gratuitous and completely irrelevant to the plot, because it was both. There was nothing added by seeing Alice Eve’s lovely abs. Except, of course, the pleasure of getting to see the semi-nude female form.

Irrelevant? Sure. Misogyny? That seems slightly superfluous.

Based on columns I’ve written in the past, I’ve been called a misogynist. When I tried to argue that this couldn’t be further from the truth, I was told I wasn’t aware of how misogynist I was because it was so deeply rooted in my psyche. I hate to let my personal experiences with the matter cloud my opinions, but I can’t help but wonder if “misogyny” is just one of those buzzwords people drop in order to get a story rolling.

This is not to undermine some serious misogyny that does exist in our society.

Recently, Abercrombie & Fitch has come under fire because they sell XL and XXL sizes to men and not women. It’s common knowledge that women make less money in the workplace than men. These are examples of active misogyny in American society.

If a girl takes her clothes off in a movie and it does nothing to move the plot forward, that isn’t misogyny. That’s just pandering and stupidity.

I’m definitely glad that Lindelof has apologized for the scene. We should be long past needing nudity on the screen to fill a theater. But it’s also high time writers bulk up the roles of females in action/adventure films. This is a subject I’ve written about before, but it always seems to be a relevant topic of conversation, seeing as Hollywood continues to be wary of the female-driven action flick.

In “Star Trek Into Darkness,” the cast is overwhelmingly dominated by testosterone.

Yes, Zoe Saldana kicks major ass as the only female main character, Uhura. But she’s about all we get. Alice Eve’s character is given a bit to do, but ultimately she just seems to be in the film to set up a love interest for Captain Kirk. Oh, and to take her clothes off.

As a young man who goes gaga for a well-produced science-fiction epic, I loved every frame of “Star Trek: Into Darkness.” It’s the first great summer movie and I’d highly recommend it. But the controversy is hardly warranted.

The problem isn’t with this one film, and the writers should not be under fire for one harmless underwear scene.

The real problem is the money-counting studios afraid we won’t go see these films unless we get the unnecessary, and typically female, nudity.

I implore Hollywood to have more faith in moviegoers. I promise, the vast majority of us are looking for substance over skin.

—wdmcdona@indiana.edu