Star Trek and the Bechdel test (incl spoilers!)

[innocent_lex]

For those who don't know, the Bechdel test is about how women are treated in film. Actually, it could easily apply to television and books and any other media, but it was created to apply to film. The requirement a film must meet to pass the test are:

1) It has to have at least two women in it
2) Who talk to each other
3) About something besides a man

It should be shocking how many films don't pass this test. Turns out, though, that it's usually only a shock to men I mention the test to - women are already well aware how underrepresented we are.

A quote from a discussion thread on Shakesville about the latest Star Trek film: "Here's a question I've been mulling in my mind: Which is the weaker passing of the Bechdel test - Star Trek Insurrection, which passes due to a conversation between Troi and Crusher about how their boobs are firming up, or this new movie in which Uhura and Gaila discuss a distress signal from Klingon space, but do it in their underwear?"

It's damn depressing, that's what it is.

Comments

[carlinjona.livejournal.com]

Well, to be fair Jim was in his undies as well.

It is a shame that such a test even exists, but with regards to Trek, it's always been male dominated and the primary characters were established in the sixties. I thought Uhura was portrayed very well, particularly in rebuffing Kirk's continual advances. That at least went against type. Maybe the next film will have more prominent female characters.