With the Star Trek franchise's recent, less-than-stellar performance, could a gay character or story line change things for the better?

When asked if gay characters had a future within the Star Trek franchise, Deep Space Nine's Chase Masterson (Leeta) responds, "Definitely." Masterson, an army brat whose mother was a theater director, grew up around several gay people, many of whom she considers close friends since childhood. "There would be so much room for the exploration in that."

When it was on the air, Deep Space Nine featured the first same-sex kiss in a Star Trek series, as well as the only gay-themed story line involving a pair of lovers reunited. "I remember when Terry [Ferrell, playing Jadzia Dax] did the episode with Susanna Thompson [Lenara Khan], it was kind of a big deal," Masterson recalls. "Whereas now, it wouldn't be. I just remember, 'Terry's kissing a girl!' And, now it's all, 'Yeah, so?' Had DS9 been a show currently on, Paramount or our writers might have been writing more episodes with characters being gay, questioning their sexuality, or being bisexual. I think it was one of those timing things. Our writers are very exploratory."

Tim Russ, Star Trek: Voyager's Tuvok, believes that Star Trek has, so far, avoided prolonged gay story lines because of advertisers' demands. "Networks have to cater to the advertisers," he says. "If they're scared the advertisers are going to pull the plug because a particular story line is shown, such as evolution or what have you, they're not going to show it. It goes all the way to the top. All the way to Madison Avenue."

When it comes to Hidden Frontier, Russ believes, "Fan films don't have to answer to anybody; nobody's breathing down their necks. They can do whatever they want. It's like an indie film, and that's what indie films do. They can do it." Russ, who has acted as five different characters on three different Trek shows and movies, is no stranger to the concept of fan films. He is currently shooting a three-part internet miniseries about his character, Tuvok, titled Star Trek: Of Gods and Men.

Caves is in full agreement. "I understand the studio not wanting to take the risk of doing it," he says. "A gay character makes the most sense to me in less prominent roles than [Hidden Frontier] has done. We don't have to worry about cancellation or profitability, so we explored homosexuality in some depth. But for a mainstream studio movie or television show, I think something more subtle would work just as well. An acknowledgement of homosexuality in the future is what most fans have been asking for. I know I'd be happy with that."

The media attention Star Trek: Hidden Frontier has received seems to be an indication that Trekkies are ready for an openly gay character to come into their homes every week. Whether or not the production team behind the franchise is paying attention remains to be seen.

"Star Trek really is about diversity," Masterson explains. "You would think they would go for more diversity than other shows. And I've seen in Trek fans a huge amount of diversity: gay/straight, tall/short, and every style. Why wouldn't they open up story lines that deal with something so otherwise out in the open? I honestly have been thinking about this question all day, and I don't know why."

Get more info at hiddenfrontier.org

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