Sexist split infinitive

Those who are unapologetic, nay, proud to label themselves Trekkies will automatically identify the subject of this post from the title. Those of us who formerly bashfully called ourselves Trekkers, will also have an inkling of what is to come.*

While the terminally pedantic will point out that the whole split infinitive argument is … er, well, I lost the will to live long enough to decipher whether it is a split infinitive, or if the whole split infinitive discussion is sooooo 2 centuries ago, and none of that matters now, so just make up your own mind. Whatever it is, it is sexist, which might have been almost excusable in the 60’s when ST:TOS** originated, but not in 2009. Of course, another search aspect during which I lost the will to live was to ascertain if the (potential split infinitive warning) “Boldly going where no man has gone before”, is actually used in the new film or not. Much more egalitarian and inclusive is “Boldly going where no sentient being has ever gone before” at least it is in my equalities overloaded cranium where split infinitives take a negative warp-factor 10 backseat to politically correct grammar.

This dismal excuse for blogging about the new ST film is so that I can nit-pick about the lack of female characters in contrast with Rodenberry’s very first pilot where Majel Barrett was first officer and the (for the time) groundbreaking casting of Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) in the first series. I noted in a previous blog that Majel Barrett lived long enough to record her customary role as computer voice in this (possibly) final ST film outing, but it appears that otherwise female roles are scarce this time round. Feminists will readily acknowledge that this is more evidence that in some key areas, women’s progress towards fully recognised humanity has been put into reverse in comparison to 40 years ago. That’s a blog for some future date.

One of the first accidental discoveries I made when going online in the early 90’s was that ST:TOS mainly, but also other parts of the franchise, were mainstays of the burgeoning slash fiction genre. I’d first encountered this phenomenon courtesy of Joanna Russ in an academic essay on Kirk/Spock zines in the 80’s but had not read any. Call me fussy, but after a memorable afternoon reading quantities of this online I’ve never bothered again. And the purist in me cannot cope with crossover slash fiction. That would be where enthusiasts mix their series or genre and have stories in which say Highlander meets Buffy. Just not my idea of entertainment. If none of this is making sense, then you really need to further your education at this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slash_fiction

To continue this theme. Jean-Luc Picard and Gandalf were performing together in Edinburgh last week. Apparently, this was not crossover slash but some boring play by some boring boy playwright. They were joined by the bloke who died in a kilt in that film “Four Weddings and a Hugh Grant”. Still, apparently not slash.
http://www.list.co.uk/event/89151-waiting-for-godot/

If you are still mystified by all this or have thus far managed to avoid the whole ST franchise, then this link takes you to as good a review of the film as any. Of course, I’ve not yet seen the film, but that will be rectified when it arrives in Edinburgh.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/showbiz/23740-new-star-trek-is-a-superbly-entertaining-return-to-its-tv-origins

*OMG!!!!!!!! I did a Word spell check and discovered that Microsoft (at least on my comp) corrects Trekkies to Trekkers – you just know what this says about Microsoft employees.

** Jargon buster for the wilfully untrekked
ST:TOS – Star Trek, the original series
ST:TNG – The Next Generation
And so on and so forth.

“He’s deid captain, stane deid, nae pulse…”
http://digg.com/d1A3Q0

Just appreciate …
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/8822/nichelle.html

Great Ladies We’ve Lost

It has been a year when some prominent women passed on. For me, most notably the recent death of Majel Barrett is saddening. However, I discover with pleasure that she managed to record the computer voice for the next ST film thereby maintaining her presence in most if not all ST incarnations.

This memorial is lovely:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uNNi8W8kEgw

Eartha Kitt too has gone. I well recall her individual style on numerous TV shows when I was growing up. Not until I read this article below, did I hear that she was outspoken about Vietnam causing her to be blacklisted in the states and that explains why this talented woman was so often on our TV screens.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-oped1229kittdec29,0,3382842.story


Miriam Makeba also died this year. She is another woman who refused to gloss over injustice and spoke out against apartheid which meant she lived in exile for thirty years. The obituary below is respectful and interesting.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/nov/11/miriam-makeba-obituary

There are probably other women whose lives have made a difference to the world of politics, campaigning and women’s rights, who have left us this year, but I have not heard of them. Perhaps because many women work in the background or in the spirit of much of the traditions of feminism, have not built a reputation as leaders or spokeswomen for other women and therefore are not remembered individually, but their efforts are felt and appreciated.