The romantic element between Spock and Uhura in 2009's Star Trek movie was certainly controversial, but not something J.J. Abrams' reboot pulled entirely from thin air. While the first entry in Star Trek's Kelvin timeline enjoyed critical and commercial success, placing Zachary Quinto's Spock in a relationship with Zoe Saldaña's Nyota Uhara proved the one major sticking point. The duo never shared more than a friendship throughout Star Trek: The Original Series and the ensuing movies, so the "Spuhura" subplot felt like an egregious breach of canon.Both Spock and Uhura trace back to the very beginnings of Star Trek. Leonard Nimoy's Vulcan featured in original pilot episode "The Cage" before joining the main cast in Star Trek's first aired episode, "The Man Trap," in September 1966. Nichelle Nichols' Uhura was not part of Pike's crew (visibly, at least) during the events of "The Cage," but did feature during several key scenes of "The Man Trap" to make a memorable Star Trek TV debut. Surprisingly, that debut also sowed the seeds for Star Trek 2009's romance with Spock.
Uhura's First Star Trek Lines Set Up Her 2009 Movie Romance With Spock
Flirting On The Bridge!
Uhura made a brief appearance at the very beginning of Star Trek's "The Man Trap," stationed away from the familiarity of her communications console and sitting in what would later become Chekov's traditional spot. While this marked Uhura's maiden scene, her very first lines came some 10 minutes into the episode during an exchange with Spock.
Uhura's first lines could certainly be interpreted as the beginnings of a romantic connection with Spock.
In the isolated timeline of Star Trek: The Original Series, this conversation was likely not intended as verbal foreplay teasing a burning attraction on the starboard side of the Enterprise's bridge. It was more an indication of what dialogue looked like for female characters in the 1960s. Yeoman Rand received similar treatment in the very same episode, and the premise of "The Man Trap" itself was largely about men perceiving an alien creature as the woman they secretly desire.From a modern perspective, however, Uhura's first lines could certainly be interpreted as the beginnings of a romantic connection with Spock. If that same exchange happened in any show made after 1990, audiences could be reasonably sure that the two characters involved were heading for a hook-up. Star Trek 2009 might, therefore, argue that its Spock and Uhura romance wasn't invented from nothing, and actually pulled from clues, intentional or otherwise, that lay buried in the bones of the source material.
Spock & Uhura's Star Trek 2009 Romance Still Didn't Work, Even If It Was Teased By TOS
It Might Not Have Been New, But It Was Still Bad
While J.J. Abrams could get away with claiming that Spock and Uhura's romance in the 2009 Star Trek movie was expanding upon unrealized plot threads and clues from The Original Series, that doesn't necessarily mean the story was right to include. The angle did feel odd canon-wise, firstly because it took the TV show's mild flirting and turned it into a full-blown relationship, and secondly because it morphed the famously logical Spock into something of a college boyfriend stereotype, fumbling to balance his career and love life.
The real problems, however, went much deeper. Spock and Uhura's movie romance wasn't problematic simply because it changed canon, but because it added almost nothing to Star Trek 2009's story. It did Uhura a disservice, perpetuating the Hollywood notion that female leads must be validated by their status as a male character's partner, not just because of what they bring to the crew in terms of skills, talents, and personality.
|
Movie |
Tomatometer Score |
|---|---|
|
Star Trek (2009) |
94% |
|
Star Trek Into Darkness |
84% |
|
Star Trek Beyond |
86% |
It Lasted 3 Movies, But Spock & Uhura's Star Trek Relationship Barely Moved
Every Kelvin Movie Did The Same Thing With Spock & Uhura
The presentation of Spock and Uhura's partnership also failed to gather any sort of interesting momentum across the three Kelvin timeline movies. In Star Trek 2009, Spock and Uhura struggled to juggle their dual responsibilities as a couple and as Starfleet officers, leading to tension between them. In Star Trek Into Darkness, Uhura struggled to juggle her human emotions with Spock's Vulcanisms, leading to tension between them. In Star Trek Beyond, Uhura and Spock did their crew a favor by breaking up, leading to tension between them, only to reconcile in the final moments.
At any given point in the franchise, Spock and Uhura were the annoying couple that constantly jumped from arguing to smooching at the speed of light. It wasn't fun to watch, and it didn't add anything of real value to either character. Spock's most pivotal relationship in Star Trek has always been his friendship with Kirk, and one need only glance at Celia Rose Gooding's Uhura in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to see what else that character has to offer.
