“What Are Little Women Made Of?” is a rejiggering of Coronary heart of Darkness. The script, by famous science-fiction author Robert Bloch, is just not particularly compelling, partially as a result of the primary antagonist is a lot much less compelling than Kurtz. But it surely’s fascinating for the way in which that Conrad will get up to date for a 60s period which was ambivalent in regards to the rationalizing venture of colonialism.
As in Coronary heart of Darkness, the mission is to retrieve an official who has gone misplaced within the inside—of a distant planet on this case, moderately than the Congo. Genius exobiologist Dr. Roger Korby (Michael Robust) has been lacking for 5 years on the frozen wasteland of Exo-III. The Enterprise manages to make contact with him. However when Captain Kirk (William Shatner) beams all the way down to the planet, Korby takes him captive.
The scientist has rediscovered the know-how of the Previous Ones (Bloch was an enormous Lovecraft fan.) This enables Korby to take management of a few current androids, and create robotic duplicates, which he applications to be his servants. Finally, Korby needs to good humankind by placing human consciousness in robots. To stop Kirk from interfering with this megalomaniacal philanthropic endeavor, he duplicates the Captain and plans to make use of the Enterprise to unfold his creations all through the galaxy.
David Higgins in Reverse Colonization: Science Fiction, Imperial Fantasy, and Alt-Victimhood argues that within the 60s there was rising ambivalence in regards to the Vietnam struggle and growing sympathy with anti-colonial actions globally. That led many science-fiction creators to think about their heroes within the place of the colonized moderately than within the place of colonizers. “What Are Little Women Made Of?” matches that components.
Korby is a colonizer like Kurtz, controlling Exo-III and ruling the inhabitants. However he additionally intends to rule over the universe, changing folks with robots. The Federation, which despatched Korby, goes to be conquered by its personal imperial catspaw.
Darkness of the Coronary heart
The colonial reversal right here additionally embraces ideology. In Coronary heart of Darkness, Kurtz’s penetration into the Congo undoes his connection to civilization; he devolves into savagery. Conrad at instances means that colonialism itself makes folks merciless, and at instances he means that the people who find themselves colonized corrupt their tormenters. However both approach, rationality and civilization are offered as constructive, and fervour, chaos, and uncontrolled emotion are linked to evil or darkness.
“What Are Little Women Made Of?” switches that round. The (all-white) androids are offered as inhuman and inferior as a result of they’re extra rational and extra orderly than people. The putting 6’9 Ted Cassidy as the traditional android Ruk strikes with a predatory, lurking, animalistic energy and charm. However the script is cautious to emphasise that Ruk is harmful not as a result of he’s extra impulsive and wild than the people, however as a result of he’s much less so. He finally reveals that the traditional androids overthrew their creators as a result of they couldn’t stand their chaos and dysfunction.
Ruk activates Korby for a similar purpose. Korby kills him…however then, in a combat with Kirk, Korby is injured, and it seems that he, too, is an android.
Kurtz in Coronary heart of Darkness turns into extra like European stereotypical, racist caricatures of uncivilized Africans. However Korby turns into a form of feelingless caricature of European rationalism, who kills himself when he realizes that he can’t love or expertise true feelings. It’s the strong, lusty Kirk who channels supposedly primal humanity, preventing for extroverted freedom towards the chilly weight of colonial oppression.
Kirk can be a white male Captain of an exploratory and expansionist militarized Federation. Shuffling signifiers to show him into an emblem of resistance perhaps endorses anticolonial struggles to some extent. But it surely additionally helplessly, and intentionally, confuses the difficulty.
Improve. Delete. Improve.
You’ll be able to see that deliberate obfuscation within the romance subplot. The Enterprise’s Nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett) is Korby’s fiancée; she joined the ship’s crew partially to seek for her misplaced love. She beams all the way down to the planet with Kirk, the place she’s overjoyed to search out Korby alive. After which she’s an excellent bit much less overjoyed to find that one of many robots, Andrea (Sherry Jackson) is a really enticing younger lady who wears a dramatically color-blocked, more-not-there-than-there crisscrossed outfit that doesn’t appear to have anywhere to hide a bra.
Korby insists that he can’t be committing any hanky-panky with Andrea as a result of “She merely obeys orders. She has no that means for me. There isn’t any emotional bond.” Nurse Chapel, who calls Andrea a “mechanical geisha”—a notably racialized insult—is unconvinced, and for good purpose.
Energy disproportions and dehumanization haven’t, generally, saved colonizers from committing sexual assault and rape. The truth that Andrea is totally below Korby’s management is exactly why Christine finds the connection disturbing. Both Korby is naïve, or he thinks Christine is. Or he’s so safe in his energy that he thinks that Christine has no alternative however to just accept it when he tells her that his relationship with Andrea means nothing as a result of to him she is just not absolutely human.
We don’t see Kirby assault Andrea. However we see Kirk achieve this whereas he’s a prisoner. When she enters his quarters, he kisses her, and persists regardless of her repeated protests. Later, she encounters Kirk’s android double within the hall and asks him to kiss her. He refuses, saying it’s illogical. She then kills him for refusing her—neatly reversing the precise colonial dynamic, by which ladies who turned down the advances of individuals like Kirk or Korby confronted hideous reprisals, together with demise.
Subversion is Futile
There’s one much more blatant instance of projection when Korby duplicates Kirk in an effort to take over the Enterprise. Whereas Kirk’s thoughts is being printed on the android, the captain thinks in poor health of his first officer, the half-Vulcan Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy). “Thoughts your individual enterprise, Mister Spock. I am sick of your half-breed interference, do you hear?” he repeats whereas the mind-imprinting program is underway.
The plan right here is to alert Spock that one thing is amiss. Positive sufficient, when the ersatz captain beams aboard the Enterprise, he instantly will get aggravated with Spock for asking him to make clear his orders. “Thoughts your individual enterprise, Mister Spock. I am sick of your half-breed interference, do you hear?”
That is the one direct instance of racism on this story about colonialism. And it’s an instance that Kirk actually initiatives into the thoughts of the colonial enemy. Kirk, the invader, has his thoughts invaded, and he marks his double invaded/invader with a racial slur. That slur is much more pointed as a result of, Spock himself, a super-logical Vulcan, is linked to the hyper-rational androids. The nonhuman android insults Spock for not being human in the identical approach that the android himself is just not human. Kirk is the supply of racist colonialism, however he’s to not blame. He says “half-breed,” however it’s, the script hurries to guarantee us, not him.
Kirk exhibits how reverse colonial narratives duplicate colonial ones. “What Are Little Women Made Of?” appropriates anticolonial wrestle, as Kirk fights towards Korby’s colonial takeover try. And but, on the similar time, it’s nonetheless Kirk who’s the colonizer, spouting racist slurs, sneering at his antagonist’s irrational lack of civilization, overseeing genocide (all of the androids die), assaulting ladies who lack the capability to defend themselves. Kirk rebels towards that colonizer Kirk. But it surely’s nonetheless Kirk sitting within the captain’s chair who conquers.
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Star Trek: The Authentic Collection (“What Are Little Women Made Of?”)
Noah Berlatsky is a contract author primarily based in Chicago. His guide, Surprise Girl: Bondage and Feminism within the Marston/Peter Comics was revealed by Rutgers College Press. He thinks the Adam West Batman is the very best Batman, darn it.
