"The Girl"
Just saw 'The Lights of Zetar'. Not a good episode by any means. And not made any better by the constant reference to Lt. Romaine as "the girl". She's a member of Star Fleet, not a 10 year old!
shareWhile everyone makes great points, I'm a little dismayed at how serious some people might take this. To pull out the anti-PC argument always falls flat, and I get some might find it diminishing to refer to an adult woman as "girl" but I really think it's all quite innocent, especially when taken in context. Females = Women = Girls. It's not disrespect, it's likely more meant fondly.
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Girl ≠ woman ≠ Lt.
Words count when they're demeaning, and calling an officer "girl" is the same as calling a male officer "boy."
That said, this series is absolutely a product of its time, and a fairly progressive product for its time, so you're right (in my opinion) to be dismayed about how seriously people take it today.
But it still wouldn't be OK if it happened today.
It's just that so many people will self-identify as "me and the girls", "me and the boys", "our boys deserve (whatever)."
Women's US soccer team won today. Way to go Girls ! And they all individually could kick my ass.
>this series is absolutely a product of its time, and a fairly progressive product for its time<
This is a fair point. In 1966, a woman couldn't even ATTEND a military academy, let alone be promoted to bridge officer as head of her department. So for Uhura to have the roll she does was ground breaking (doubly so for her, since she was African-American). The show had, from the get-go, three named regularly appearing female cast members (even though only one was on the bridge). And only one of those three actually fit the definition of Western 1960's beauty (i.e, young, thin, Caucasian blond). The show has always been about pushing social boundaries -- emphasizing what we can do when we put aside our differences and work together.
THAT SAID, calling a female officer "girl", or a male officer "boy" in a professional setting is inappropriate. When the "boy" or "girl" in question is on equal standing with the speaker, that's one thing. When someone in authority says it in regard to a subordinate, it's something else entirely.
When a woman says, "I'm going out tonight with my girls," she sees herself as equal to the "girls" in question. As ONE of the girls. Her use of the word in this scenario is perfectly acceptable.
When a military captain, in reference to a female subordinate, says to another officer, "Make sure to take the girl with you into the field," he is using his position of authority to emphasize the woman's lack of authority or experience to another officer. It suggests that he doesn't respect her enough to recognize her name or rank. This use of "girl" is inappropriate and unprofessional.
And it did bother people at the time, even if it wasn't common. The next time you watch "Space Seed," count how many times Kirk forgets McGivers' name, and her reaction to it.