Funny pics

[CX]

Well, this is more dark humor than anything, mostly because this episode came up in discussion at another board, and apparently reminding people this is what happened is considered trolling now or something... Anywho, my response to the whole fiasco.

[Alelou]

Did you feel there was malicious intent from Ah'Lenn? My caption would be more like "Oops," or "Bad Idea" or maybe, at worst, "Sucker."

[CX]

I felt she took advantage of him, whether there was malicious intent or not. I'd equate it to a sober man taking advantage of a drunk woman and getting her pregnant without her even realizing she'd ever had sex, then all of her friends making fun of her for it. I know the punchline of that episode was supposed to be "LOL pregnant guy!" but to me he was essentially raped and it was made light of. Just imagine if the alien had been male and it had been Hoshi. Would it be funny then ("One of the first lessons of diplomacy is to learn where not to stick your fingers")?

[Alelou]

I just don't think it rises to the level of rape, because Ah'Lenn didn't think he could get pregnant, didn't necessarily know that he didn't know what they were doing, and he was showing definite signs of interest and neither incapacitated nor reluctant. I chalk it up to interspecies miscommunication.

Having said that, they obviously chose to play this as a comedy instead of a horror story a la Alien, which they could have done just as easily. And there is no inherent comedy in a woman being pregnant in this situation because a woman can get pregnant. But I'm not saying there's not a double standard at work -- I agree there is. I actually explored that a fair bit in Commander Tucker Has a Baby.

[CX]

I just don't think it rises to the level of rape, because Ah'Lenn didn't think he could get pregnant, didn't necessarily know that he didn't know what they were doing, and he was showing definite signs of interest and neither incapacitated nor reluctant. I chalk it up to interspecies miscommunication.

I call it rape because he wasn't aware this amounted to sex, and whether she had truly malicious intent or not, she still lied to him about what exactly this "game" was. So not only did he end up catching hell for having sex and not even knowing it, but everyone made light of it and the fact he was pregnant, and frankly I find that disturbing, and I find the fact so many fans overlook that and laugh right along with Trip's so-called friends at his predicament.

Having said that, they obviously chose to play this as a comedy instead of a horror story a la Alien, which they could have done just as easily.

Or they could have made it a serious discussion about abortion and rape, especially about rapes that result in pregnancy. In other words it should not have been played for laughs.

And there is no inherent comedy in a woman being pregnant in this situation because a woman can get pregnant. But I'm not saying there's not a double standard at work -- I agree there is.

And I abhor double standards, which is why I feel it's important to point this out, even if I have to use dark humor to do it. I've actually thought of another one now.

[Alelou]

I think they took enormous pains to avoid the subject of abortion, actually. I'd like to do the same, in this setting.

[Asso]

It's strange. Sometimes I think I love Enterprise only for all things that could have been shown and that hasn't been shown. Every time someone makes me think about an episode, I find this episode not good.
I don't know: maybe I love only Trip and T'Pol?

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

For what it's worth, here is my review of Unexpected.

[justTripn]

Go Steelers!

(Or am I getting too political.)

[Alelou]

It looks like you're saying GO EERS!

[Alelou]

For what it's worth, here is my review of Unexpected.

I really ought to go read those reviews without waiting until you point to them. I agree with it on almost all points, especially about how wonderful the alien-ness was. But I didn't really mind the joke of the pregnancy. I took this as a comic episode -- and after all it started with Archer floating in the shower and falling on his butt. Star Trek has a long tradition of throwing the odd comic episodes in. (Aquisition is another one that comes to mind.) Played seriously, this plot could indeed have been arguably much more authentic and deep (or at least horrrifying) but inevitably also much more divisive, as you say. And looking at it as a comedy is really the only way you CAN forgive the incredibly stupid Klingon ending. It's like a Shakespeare comedy -- everybody ends up marrying somebody. It's not meant to be realistic, just happy. It's comedy. And comedy can give us license to go into nervous-making areas that are otherwise way out of bounds.

[CX]

Acquisition was another topic that got me into trouble, as apparently bringing up the fact these would-be pirates assaulted the entire crew, invaded the ship, took anything remotely considered to have any value (including the food), and also attempted to kidnap a decent number of female crewmembers, presumably to sell them as sex slaves. It's amazing to me that people can laugh at these things (like Trip getting raped and impregnated, for example), and amazes me even more at how pissed off some of them can get when you point out that's what actually happened in the episode.

[Asso]

...It's like a Shakespeare comedy -- everybody ends up marrying somebody. It's not meant to be realistic, just happy. It's comedy. And comedy can give us license to go into nervous-making areas that are otherwise way out of bounds.

Don't touch Shakespeare, please.
Shakespeare is Shakespeare: he has no comparison!

[Alelou]

Acquisition was another topic that got me into trouble, as apparently bringing up the fact these would-be pirates assaulted the entire crew, invaded the ship, took anything remotely considered to have any value (including the food), and also attempted to kidnap a decent number of female crewmembers, presumably to sell them as sex slaves. It's amazing to me that people can laugh at these things (like Trip getting raped and impregnated, for example), and amazes me even more at how pissed off some of them can get when you point out that's what actually happened in the episode.

Humor is clearly very subjective. As they used to say on the X-Files boards: YMMV, or Your Mileage May Vary.

[CX]

Like I said, "Rape: is funny when it happens to men."