Cursing and Star Trek
Never before in the 51-year history of Star Trek has there ever been such strong language, especially in a serial. Star Trek has always walked in and around the PG-13 bracket. Up until Enterprise, 'hell' and 'damn' were the harshest words used by the character, regardless of how animated or passionate they were. In Discovery, Cadet Sylvia Tilly in a moment of excitement exclaims, "This is so fucking cool," and quickly apologises to the senior officer present. However, instead of reprimanding her for her language, Lieutenant Stamets replies, "No, Cadet. It is fucking cool." This seemingly has not gone down well with the fans. Even with this fan.
I am aware that cursing and swearing and the use of strong language is a part of everyday life. I curse. I don't have an aversion to anyone cursing. However, there is a line for me when it comes to television. I feel as if cursing and strong language is saturating television to a point where you can't enjoy a television show with all members of the family because you're fearful of whether or not a character will have such an outburst. When did strong language become such a staple in television? I've noticed that soap operas are becoming more and more sinister and skirting a fine line with language.
There are a number of shows that I love but ones that I know that I would never be able to watch in the company of anyone else because of the language and the amount of sexual scenes present in it. I love watching TV with my mother and there are so many shows that I forego watching with her because I don't know if there are going to be sex scenes or language. Not that either of us is a prude but it's beyond awkward. We went to enjoy what we're watching together. Also, as I get older and have children of my own, I will want to watch Star Trek with them and share with them this wonderful world that has been a love of mine since I was eleven-years-old.
Star Trek has always been a family show. It's fun. It's educational. It's philosophical. It's relevant. It's immersive. It's communal. It's familial. It's familiar. It's Star Trek. It's a show that any age group can watch and enjoy. Some aspects are darker than others and it's had a few controversies; that admiral dissolving in the first season of The Next Generation, for example. Star Trek has always pushed boundaries that society has never realised needed pushing. When Star Trek did push too much, they realised and adjusted to keep themselves within their demographic.
I am also aware that Star Trek is not entirely a children's show. In the 60s when it originally aired, no child would have been allowed to watch the first interracial kiss on television. It's us looking back on it nostalgically that makes it appropriate for children now to watch. What wasn't appropriate then has become appropriate now. There may be a few episodes that you may skip until they're slightly older and able to understand what is happening, but it is still something that can be shared by the young and the old. Star Trek is the future, the utopian future where poverty, disease and war are meant to no longer exist. We become somewhat enlightened. The thing about Star Trek is that these people are professionals, they are at work. I like a little sly curse drop with my colleagues, but when the doors are open and customers are around, I don't curse. I see these characters as professionals and shouldn't curse in their workplace. Cursing in front of a superior officer? I would never do that.
The movie realm of Star Trek has often pushed the boundaries of the language used. In Star Trek: Generations, Data said, loudly and clearly, "shit!" but that was in a movie and it was the first ever use of it. At the time, I'm sure there was quite a ripple in the Force. For me, watching it as a young teen, I simply found it hilarious. In the new Abrams' universe, the strength of the language increased with Kirk muttering, "bullshit," to future!Spock. Again, in the movie realm, age ratings are closely policed so that parents can decide whether or not they want to take their children to see it. Television, on the other hand, doesn't have such ratings. The only rating system that television has is the Watershed so parents run the risk of what they're letting their children watch. Yes. they can watch it ahead of time and then decide, but if that child is anything like me, I will want to watch the new episode there and then, when it airs. No waiting. That was the way with Enterprise and that series really tested the waters with using stronger language; son of a bitch appeared rather frequently.
There are a number of shows that I love but ones that I know that I would never be able to watch in the company of anyone else because of the language and the amount of sexual scenes present in it. I love watching TV with my mother and there are so many shows that I forego watching with her because I don't know if there are going to be sex scenes or language. Not that either of us is a prude but it's beyond awkward. We went to enjoy what we're watching together. Also, as I get older and have children of my own, I will want to watch Star Trek with them and share with them this wonderful world that has been a love of mine since I was eleven-years-old.
Star Trek has always been a family show. It's fun. It's educational. It's philosophical. It's relevant. It's immersive. It's communal. It's familial. It's familiar. It's Star Trek. It's a show that any age group can watch and enjoy. Some aspects are darker than others and it's had a few controversies; that admiral dissolving in the first season of The Next Generation, for example. Star Trek has always pushed boundaries that society has never realised needed pushing. When Star Trek did push too much, they realised and adjusted to keep themselves within their demographic.
I am also aware that Star Trek is not entirely a children's show. In the 60s when it originally aired, no child would have been allowed to watch the first interracial kiss on television. It's us looking back on it nostalgically that makes it appropriate for children now to watch. What wasn't appropriate then has become appropriate now. There may be a few episodes that you may skip until they're slightly older and able to understand what is happening, but it is still something that can be shared by the young and the old. Star Trek is the future, the utopian future where poverty, disease and war are meant to no longer exist. We become somewhat enlightened. The thing about Star Trek is that these people are professionals, they are at work. I like a little sly curse drop with my colleagues, but when the doors are open and customers are around, I don't curse. I see these characters as professionals and shouldn't curse in their workplace. Cursing in front of a superior officer? I would never do that.
The movie realm of Star Trek has often pushed the boundaries of the language used. In Star Trek: Generations, Data said, loudly and clearly, "shit!" but that was in a movie and it was the first ever use of it. At the time, I'm sure there was quite a ripple in the Force. For me, watching it as a young teen, I simply found it hilarious. In the new Abrams' universe, the strength of the language increased with Kirk muttering, "bullshit," to future!Spock. Again, in the movie realm, age ratings are closely policed so that parents can decide whether or not they want to take their children to see it. Television, on the other hand, doesn't have such ratings. The only rating system that television has is the Watershed so parents run the risk of what they're letting their children watch. Yes. they can watch it ahead of time and then decide, but if that child is anything like me, I will want to watch the new episode there and then, when it airs. No waiting. That was the way with Enterprise and that series really tested the waters with using stronger language; son of a bitch appeared rather frequently.
I understand that Discovery is a darker version of Star Trek, even darker so than Deep Space Nine and it also has to contend with other television shows out there that are peppered so much with strong language that any viewer will be in a state of perpetual sneezing from all that pepper. I understand that it has to contend with that but it also has to uphold and protect the legacy of Star Trek. It has never needed to use strong language in 51 years so why now? Why does this series get the pass to use 'fuck' when others never saw the need? Anthony Rapp who plays Stamets said, "I imagine there are scientists who do that anytime." Yes, I'll give him that. Long gone are the days when scientists are seen to yell, "Eureka!" However, I will counter that argument with the fact that Captain Janeway was a scientist and she never dropped the F-bomb when she made a scientific breakthrough or was facing down an enemy or have a beyond crappy day and never cursed. I'm sure there were any number of moments in Year Of Hell that she wanted to just say the F-word. There are many instances in Star Trek where cursing would have been perfectly acceptable and perfectly called for yet the writers never went that way because it wasn't needed.
To be honest, with this incarnation using such language in the first five episodes of its premiere season, it makes me incredibly nervous to see where it continues for there; what other boundaries will it cross? Will it actually have a full-on sex scene next? There are many things that I adore about Discovery and I think that the action and story-line speak for themselves. It's doing great so far. It's holding its own against the 'big boys' and carving out its own path in the Star Trek franchise. I just don't want it to burn this path and burn-out before its time because it feels like it has to 'go there' to get the ratings and to be relevant. Star Trek is already relevant. It always has been. The fans are here. Yes, it'll be great to bring in new fans, but being so controversial won't do that. If bringing in new fans is a priority, it feels like the writers and the franchise are devaluing the fans that have been here for decades. I have been a fan of Star Trek for nearly twenty years and I know what I like and love about Star Trek. I love that it pushes boundaries but in a wholesome way. I love having new Star Trek to look forward to each week, but I don't want to be frightened of it. I don't want it dissolving into another television that is saturated with sex and strong language just to get ratings. That isn't Star Trek. That isn't the kind of television that I want to watch. A lot of the television that I watch has little-to-no swearing or sex but a tonne of action at the same time. I literally only watch Orange Is The New Black for Kate Mulgrew and generally skip a lot of the scenes in it because I don't think it's necessary.
Am I making a mountain out of a mole-hill? Am I being too sensitive? Maybe. I'm not sure. All I know is that I don't think that cursing is necessary for Star Trek: Discovery. It hasn't been necessary before in the serials so I don't see it's relevance now. Let me know what your thoughts are on the subject, I would love to know. Until 1x06...
Am I making a mountain out of a mole-hill? Am I being too sensitive? Maybe. I'm not sure. All I know is that I don't think that cursing is necessary for Star Trek: Discovery. It hasn't been necessary before in the serials so I don't see it's relevance now. Let me know what your thoughts are on the subject, I would love to know. Until 1x06...
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