Star Trek XI cast and crew
Star Trek XI cast and crew

DALLAS, Apr 8, 2009 / FW/ — The title is neither a typo nor an attempt to be politically incorrect. In the 1960s, a time before women’s liberation and Star Trek TOS (the original series) first aired, during the opening credits, you can hear the voice of Captain Kirk played by William Shatner saying, ‘to boldly go where NO MAN has gone before.’

In the 1980s, when Star Trek: TNG (the next generation) was aired, that line was changed to ‘to boldly go where NO ONE has gone before,’ for political correctness. And with it came two female leads, the ship doctor and the ship counselor.

Hence seeing an all male cast and crew lined up for a photo op at the Sydney Opera House for Star Trek XI’s world premiere was surprising though not unexpected. We must keep in mind that Director J.J. Abrams and producer Bryan Burk are recreating an Enterprise during the time of Captain Pike, who according to Star Trek lore predates Captain Kirk as the skipper of USS Enterprise.

It was surprising that Zoe Zaldana, who plays Uhura and the only female lead, was not in the photo. (Or was she even in Sydney?) After all, this latest reincarnation of Star Trek is targeted for an entire new generation of fans. And the current generation has never known a world where political correctness did not exist.

Yet, on the other hand, this bold move by the powers that be in the studio also shows authenticity of the when and the how Star Trek began. In a way, for the Net Generation, seeing an all-male cast is something new!

Looking at Zachary Quinto, J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, Chris Pine, Karl Urban, Eric Bana and John Cho all lined up also reminded of a comment written by a Star Trek fan about the photo. The writer said, “Seeing all of them lined up is like a nerdy wet dream!”

The writer has a point in saying that; we have to accept that the cast are truly good looking and they are heartthrobs in their own right.

Again, this might be a reason why the producers chose an all-male cast to show up for the premiere. They need to sell Star Trek to young girls and the best way to catch their attention is via good looking males.

[MARI DAVIS]