Carating the underlying sexism in the writers’ bible for Lwaxana’s character is not a way to make mothers feel appreciated.
Especially, when a lot of the joke was that she was chasing Picard - who avoided women who were mothers mainly due to his actor’s aversion to women his own age.
Picard was an age appropriate match for both Lwaxana and Beverly, both mothers.
Instead, due to Patrick Stewart’s interventions, we got Picard chasing after his much younger real life romantic interest who played Vash, and more recently Stewart’s attempts to shoe-horn in his very much younger wife into a closing scene for Picard.
Hey so I’m a woman who is almost 40 and I love Lwaxana. I also have a son if that’s pertinent.
I think you’re managing to miss that she was a revolution in television. She was a woman, who was allowed to be this bombastic, sexual person, and while others found her annoying, it put Picard, a man, in the position of having to play nice to the advances of a forward woman.
It flipped what was the norm right on its head, and it didn’t shame Lwaxana, either. I adore the way Star Trek handled Lwaxana. She certainly was a lively, energetic, positive woman, even when she was much older than television likes to depict women now.
As a woman older than you, with a mother and aunts of Lwaxana’s age, I found it painfully misogynistic.
All the more so because Picard (and Roddenberry himself) were continually chasing after younger women and nothing was made of it.
I actually am reconciled to Lwaxana and love the much-reviled episode ‘Cost of Living’ but the amount of continuing ridicule and hate she gets from younger male fans drives home the misogyny.
I thought the joke was that Lwaxana was a hippie free spirit that operated in an alternate society, while Picard was a prude, obsessed with appearances. They were, in a way, perfect complements for each other. This makes me feel glad I don’t follow behind the scenes for any art I consume.
Every show has a writer’s ‘bible’ that describes the backstory and main characters.
In the case of Lwaxana, a character written for Majel Barret Roddenberry’s wife, some fairly misogynistic stereotypes of middle aged women were laid out for the writers.
But Stewart’s preferences for women generations younger that he is are well established and very public. As are his interventions to give Picard younger love interests right up to the final scene.
I give credit to Majel Barrett credit for leaning into the character and script. It’s more bearable knowing she was likely making Patrick Stewart uncomfortable too!
Carating the underlying sexism in the writers’ bible for Lwaxana’s character is not a way to make mothers feel appreciated.
Especially, when a lot of the joke was that she was chasing Picard - who avoided women who were mothers mainly due to his actor’s aversion to women his own age.
Picard was an age appropriate match for both Lwaxana and Beverly, both mothers.
Instead, due to Patrick Stewart’s interventions, we got Picard chasing after his much younger real life romantic interest who played Vash, and more recently Stewart’s attempts to shoe-horn in his very much younger wife into a closing scene for Picard.
Hey so I’m a woman who is almost 40 and I love Lwaxana. I also have a son if that’s pertinent.
I think you’re managing to miss that she was a revolution in television. She was a woman, who was allowed to be this bombastic, sexual person, and while others found her annoying, it put Picard, a man, in the position of having to play nice to the advances of a forward woman.
It flipped what was the norm right on its head, and it didn’t shame Lwaxana, either. I adore the way Star Trek handled Lwaxana. She certainly was a lively, energetic, positive woman, even when she was much older than television likes to depict women now.
As a woman older than you, with a mother and aunts of Lwaxana’s age, I found it painfully misogynistic.
All the more so because Picard (and Roddenberry himself) were continually chasing after younger women and nothing was made of it.
I actually am reconciled to Lwaxana and love the much-reviled episode ‘Cost of Living’ but the amount of continuing ridicule and hate she gets from younger male fans drives home the misogyny.
Meanwhile they’re all cool with Picard with Vash.
Sir, this is a starship
I thought the joke was that Lwaxana was a hippie free spirit that operated in an alternate society, while Picard was a prude, obsessed with appearances. They were, in a way, perfect complements for each other. This makes me feel glad I don’t follow behind the scenes for any art I consume.
Bible?
Every show has a writer’s ‘bible’ that describes the backstory and main characters.
In the case of Lwaxana, a character written for Majel Barret Roddenberry’s wife, some fairly misogynistic stereotypes of middle aged women were laid out for the writers.
That last paragraph reads like you had a sugar crash while writing it, or something.
More likely not catching the predictive spelling.
It’s edited.
But Stewart’s preferences for women generations younger that he is are well established and very public. As are his interventions to give Picard younger love interests right up to the final scene.
I give credit to Majel Barrett credit for leaning into the character and script. It’s more bearable knowing she was likely making Patrick Stewart uncomfortable too!