sum1

I found Pulaski less cold than Beverly.

Neelix was another Voyager character I had issues with. I did like the EMH, though.

Chris

Neelix grew on me. I really didn't like his jealously regarding Kes and her friendship with Tom

sum1

There's a real problem in a lot of television and film, that society and culture have really screwed up views about women and that damages the way female characters are portrayed onscreen, in writing, casting, acting, direction, etc (also notably the costumes they're given). Generally the problem was worse the further back in time you go. So in the 1960s, most of Star Trek's female characters come off totally artificial. Uhura was a fair bit better than that, but she wasn't given enough to do. Some shows do better at it than others -like Buffy and Game of Thrones had lots of great female characters. Amongst Star Trek shows from before Discovery, DS9 stands out as the best for female characters. Star Trek shows from 1987-2005 are a mixed bag where it comes to female characters. Some great female characters, some terrible ones, some in between. The rate of success in portraying female characters improves with the modern shows, just as tv in general is getting better at portraying women now. The real proof of this in modern Trek is 7 of 9. In Picard, she's a great character, relatable and strong, whereas in the old days she was Star Trek's biggest mistake. She's a really cool character now and it's great to see that. Out of the first seasons of Picard and Discovery, Philippa Georgiou was the only major female character who I felt didn't work. That's a far higher success rate than back in the '90s or '60s.

Chris

Especially the aliens. Most were portrayed as vacant, or manipulative. Yes, Uhura could have had a bigger role. We have to remember to judge it according to the standards of the time though. In that context, her character was very innovative and progressive.

Agree that Seven is a terrific character in Picard. She's really evolved, embraced her humanity and become a great leader. I think we did see some development of her character in Voyager. Not sure that too much more in that series would have been realistic considering the amount of time she spent as a Borg drone.

I'm not sure how effective Georgiou was as a Captain, and we didn't see her in that role for very long. Thought she made a terrific Emperor.

crazy_diamond

Georgiou was a great Emperor

Chris

I thought so too. Cold, calculating and intimidating.

crazy_diamond

you wouldn't want to cross her

Chris

She'd make sure that you regretted it if you did.

sum1

I think Michelle Yeoh was better at playing Georgiou as a villain rather than as a benevolent captain.

Chris

She was an excellent villain. Didn't see enough of her as captain to decide what I thought of her in that positon.

crazy_diamond

The best villain of Discovery..she did mellow a little towards the end

Chris

Mellow is not how I'd describe the Emperor. I know what you mean though. She did have to restrain herself in order to fit in.

sum1

SNW has added a number of good female characters to Star Trek's list, most notably the new Chapel plus La'An and Ortega.

crazy_diamond

agreed.

Strong women

Chris

Hope we see more of them next season.