Star Trek TOS S2E11: Friday's Child

Strong women for the patriarchy.

See the Star Trek TOS Rewatch Index page for links to all the episodes covered so far.

“JOURNEY TO BABEL” RATING: 6.5/10

“Friday’s Child” is a frustrating episode. Writer Dorothy Catherine Fontana, one of the few women creators on the series, wanted to explore issues of maternity and femininity. Specifically, the script is about a strong woman who does not want a child. It reflects on and questions second wave feminist discomfort with motherhood and domesticity.

Unfortunately, though, Fontana’s themes end up buried beneath the usual adventure plot mechanisms and colonial machinations.  That’s partially the result of poor construction—the script feels overstuffed and rushed. But it also reflects the limitations of the original series, which, both as a matter of casting and a matter of predilection, was ill-equipped to center female characters or female perspectives.