The Star Trek Episode That Launched An Entire Fan Fiction Genre
Star Trek: The Original Series almost single-handedly created fandoms as we know them. Conventions, cosplay, incessant picking at every little continuity error—Star Trek didn’t create these things, but it did popularize them. Then you have Star Trek’s most provocative contribution to modern geek culture: Slash fiction, thanks to episodes like “Shore Leave.”
Thanks to episodes like this, The Original Series can boast it single-handedly spawned an entire genre of fan fiction revolving around same-gender pairings.
Star Trek And Slash Fiction
Slash fiction is a fan fiction genre that focuses exclusively on romantic or physical relationships between fictional characters of the same gender. Most fan fiction scholars agree that the genre originated in the late 1960s and started with Kirk/Spock stories based on Star Trek: The Original Series. Watching episodes like “Shore Leave,” it’s easy to see how this came about.
I can’t say that “Shore Leave” is solely responsible for the first Kirk/Spock romance story, but it was definitely a factor. Working backward from the excepted hypothesis that the first slash fiction involved The Enterprise’s two most eligible bachelors, you only have to pay attention to see that Star Trek was full of romantically suggestive undertones. Once you accept that, it becomes hard to see the beginning of “Shore Leave” as anything but a sign of Kirk’s latent feelings for Spock.
The Scene In Question
“Shore Leave” is the fifteenth episode of Star Trek Season 1. The episode begins with Spock entering the bridge of the Enterprise and making his way over to a seated Kirk. Spock stands behind the captain’s chair as he debriefs Kirk about an away mission.
Spock notices Kirk in visible discomfort, causing the captain to remark that he has a kink in his back.
A female character named Yeoman Barrows is also standing behind Kirk on his left and begins massaging his back. Kirk gets really into it, informing his masseuse to “push harder,” and go “a little higher.” Meanwhile, Spock comes around the front of the chair right as Kirk says, “Dig it in there Mr. Sp—”
A Short Scene With A Massive Impact On Fandom
Kirk clearly thought that Spock was the one rubbing his back, and the second he realized it was a woman instead, he immediately dismissed her. The whole scene takes up less than 30 seconds of “Shore Leave’s” runtime, but the meaning is as clear as day. James Tiberius Kirk was wanted S’Chn T’Gai Spock to be the one giving him a rubdown.
I’ve seen at least one take that tries to explain it away as Kirk being embarrassed that someone as low as a Yeoman was putting hands on him in public; the chain of command and all that. I find that reading of “shore leave” ridiculous, however.
Kirk’s Many Romantic Conquests
The relaxed and casual way Kirk responds when he believes Spock is massaging him is way more than friendly. If you don’t agree, ask yourself this: how many times have you seen a macho guy ask his best bro for an intimate back message?
I bet it’s zero.
Now, obviously, I know that Kirk was a bit of a womanizer in The Original Series. I know all about the green woman trope, and I’m not downplaying Kirk’s status as a lady’s man. But I also can’t deny the tension between Kirk and Spock in not just “Shore Leave,” but other episodes as well.
The Fan Fiction Community Ran With The Premise
Is it enough to say for certain that they canonically had a secret love affair? Not in the least. Is it enough to spark the imagination of a burgeoning fan fiction community with a desire to see Kirk and Spock in an LGBTQIA+ relationship? Absolutely.
Kirk and Spock may have never crossed the final frontier on screen, but they certainly did on the page.
