Women Of Star Trek Voyager: Breaking Stereotypes

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Women of Star Trek Voyager Breaking Stereotypes
In Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek: Voyager we finally see females taking front stage for the first time, unlike the previous series, turning the tables on all other traditional male dominated television shows. Voyager as a whole can be used as a template for writers and producers to follow as the correct way to portray women. In doing so we would begin to change the way young women see these positive role models and strive for higher goals, in turn setting into motion the goals Gene Roddenberry envisioned back in 1966.
I would use multiple articles and publications to show how Star Trek Voyager, if used as a template, would have a profound affect on how women are represented in the entertainment industry. One of the articles I would use is C. K. Asselin's article “ MY TRIBUTE TO THE WOMEN OF STAR TREK: VOYAGER” to introduce the characters and to give some background information on who they are and how they are portrayed. Asselin gives an uncanny description of each character allowing the new viewer to familiarize themselves on who the characters are and what their traits are. Asselin compares and contrasts the women of Star Trek with women from other shows which also have a strong female cast.
In the very first episode we are introduced to a new type of captain, a female. Captain Kathryn Janeway appears on the screen as a respected authority figure. Janeway's character, portrayed by Kate Mulgrew, is often compared to her male counter parts of the past as observed by Asselin in her article, “There is a tendency for some Trek fans to compare Janeway with Kirk, Picard and Sisko. I think it's unfair and irrelevant. Kathryn Janeway is a woman in command, NOT a woman trying to do a...

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...g of a butterflies wings can potentially start a hurricane on the other side of the world. If we apply Chaos Theory to women in television, a small change now on how we portray women will have a profound affect down the line on how our children grow up.

Works Cited

Asslin, C. K. "My Tribute to the Women of Star Trek: Voyager." The Trek Nation -. Trek Today, 22 Feb. 2001. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.

Blumenstein, Rebecca. "Women in the Economy (A Special Report) --- Life Imitates Art: Geena Davis on how Gender Inequality on TV and in Movies has a Powerful Impact on Kids." Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition ed.Apr 11 2011. ProQuest. Web. 19 Apr. 2014

Gardner, Marilyn, Staff writer of The Christian,Science Monitor. "Older Women on TV are either Absent Or Sadly Demeaned." The Christian Science Monitor (pre-1997 Fulltext): 13. May 23 1996. ProQuest. Web. 19 Apr. 2014

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