Why Star Trek didn't totally pigeonhole masculinity, and other thoughts ...

  I really enjoyed Star Trek. Not just because of the flashy costumes and the retro sets. While it's hard to compare to the diversity of characters we expect now a days, I would have to say they did a pretty great job ( plus lets not forget the lack of diversity we have in media today - a topic for another time).  While the show is scewed in favor of Kirk's personality, which can actually be fun because it's nice and familiar to see the classic hero win, they also include other forms of masculinity into their character base.
   First of all, Spock, definitely a winning character for viewers that might identify with a type of masculinity that isn't defined by physical strength and a leading confidence (that can edge on being too much). I like how they present spock as an intellectual bad ass rather than a pathetic nerd who didn;t deserve respect. It's refreshing when you consider an American show created him; America being a country that is well known for it's tendency to be anti-intellectualism. Of course they had to make him Alien, I mean who do you know who could calculate the exact number of tribble spawn in a few seconds? While he may be a hyperbole of the now super trendy nerd guy, I still say he's a very welcome character. Spock can be viewed be pretty distant from human emotion, which could stereotype intellectual people as unfeeling. In my opinion,  Spock isn't exactly without emotion, as he tries to surpress emotions that he find to be extraneous (vulcans are very good at managing their physical and mental processes). He still shows loyalty and companionship to his fellow crew members, it's just in his own way. Instead of throwing blows at the bar, he likes to drop crushing logic and knowledge.
 

Number 1 fav character is definitely Chekov. First of all he's a Russian on a space mission with mostly Americans, which is pretty funny and daring considering the then current space race and Cold War with the russians. But I also like how the show allowed Chekov to be his own individual. He's allowed to be his own person. He doesn't have to be a flag waving, stoic, red blooded American to be accepted by his crew. They make him into a young and quirky, but capable and respected navigator. I think it's very cool of the show to include a masculine figure that younger audiences could appreciate.