WHAT??????

I have a friend who is a very nice person. She does not swear, she is fair minded, she wishes the best for others, and she is a devoted friend. There is something though: she is such a huge prude, and she hates sci-fi. She refuses to watch Star Trek or anything like it. Her explanation: "I was made to watch the old Star Trek, and I didn't like how all the men were made to look so good and the women were only there to look sexy."

What?

OK, so there was probably no need for Uhura to wear a dress THAT short, but that was more a style of the times than anything else. Sure there is some old sci-fi books, stories, movies, shows in which the women are only sex objects, but I hope that we have moved beyond that.

Let us look at Major Samantha Carter. A normal woman. Sure, she's pretty, but she is there because of her advanced degrees in science. She is a soldier, trained in combat and survival.

How about Dr. Beverly Crusher: Also smart, but a great model of a successful working mother.

Capt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace: A skilled pilot and determined leader. Sure she has a high libido, but why not show women with such a libido. It is not so far off from being accurate.

So I presented to my friend that things have changed in sci-fi. Women are not presented the same way.

She thinks that they are.

Sure, all of these women are good looking. They have been known to wear skimpy clothing or use their female sexuality, but try to find a show or movie that does not do the same.

Her answer: "That's why I don't watch much other television either."

You just can't argue with that.