Press "Enter" to skip to content
Image of Seattle Skyline

Episode 29: Maggie McNeill

In this episode we speak with Maggie McNeill. She’s a sex worker, an activist for sex worker’s rights, and an active blogger and writer. We touch on various topics, including the theatricality of Star Trek, the hidden kink of the Star Trek Mirror Universe, sex workers as depicted in the Trek Universe and more.

Warning: Please note that this episode contains discussions that may not be appropriate for everyone. If you have particular sensitivities to discussions of a sexual nature, we suggest that you peruse the show notes carefully below to get a sense of the topics discussed before listening.

Image of Maggie McNeill
Maggie McNeill

Topics

  • UHF antennas (The “special antenna”)
  • Dutch angles
  • The Warp 5 speed limit from TNG
  • The James Blish adaptations
  • Alan Dean Foster Star Trek Logs
  • Vul-Con Convention in New Orleans
  • William Windom’s performance as Matt Decker
  • Night Gallery show
  • The Travis Mayweather character in ENT
  • The USS Horizon contaminating the Iotians
  • Small Universe Syndrome
  • The United Earth Space Probe Agency – UESPA
  • Harry Mudd is a slaver
  • LTs M’Ress & Arex in TAS
  • The Daleks in Doctor Who
  • Is Jadzia Dax a “Know-It-All?”
  • High Noon (Zinneman, 1952)
  • Paths of Glory (Kubrick, 1957)
  • The ethics of taking kids on Starships
  • Commodore Wesley
  • Is the Federation a surveillance society?
  • The difference between how ordinary Federation citizens live and how they live in Starfleet
  • Various portrayals of Federation citizens
  • The concept of the Mirror Universe in Star Trek
  • The Mirror Universe characters as “evil fantasy characters”
  • Female sexual power in the Mirror Universe
  • The Mirror Universe in South Park
  • Sex work as fantasy fulfillment for clients
  • Intendant Kira
  • The bi-sexual as “evil” trope in Star Trek
  • Decadence and the puritanical strain in American society
  • Living a public life as an active sex worker
  • Orion “Slave” Girls: Projecting our own prejudices on other cultures and lifestyles
  • Topping from the Bottom as a slave
  • Subtle kink references in Star Trek
  • Assumptions about sex workers
  • Evaluating Captain Kirk as an imposer of Federation values on other cultures
  • Riker’s diplomatic error regarding dietary preferences
  • ENT as a reasonable bridge between the present and the TOS future
  • Archer being at a disadvantage compared to other Star Trek captains
  • Sisko as a New Orleanian in the MU… Is it mystical or predestined?
  • Kink references in Gamesters and possible intentionality
  • Sexual enslavement and bondage overtones as seen in Star Trek
  • Suggestion of attempted rape in TOS
  • Portrayal of Scotty as a misogynist
  • Robert Bloch’s interest as a writer in Jack the Ripper stories
  • Hedonism in Argelian society and the prohibition against sexual jealousy
  • Risa vs Argelius as pleasure planets
  • Maggie’s blog as an outlet for Star Trek fandom, among other things
  • Star Trek as a cultural phenomenon

Episodes Discussed

  • Is There in Truth No Beauty? TOS S3E05
  • The Squire of Gothos TOS S1E17
  • The Doomsday Machine TOS S2E06
  • The Trouble with Tribbles TOS S2E15
  • A Piece of the Action TOS S2E17
  • Tomorrow is Yesterday TOS S1E19
  • Beyond the Farthest Star TAS S1E01
  • Charlie X TOS S1E02
  • The Corbomite Maneuver TOS S1E10
  • Blood Oath DS9 S2E19
  • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
  • Space Seed TOS S2E22
  • One of Our Planets is Missing TAS S1E03
  • Star Trek: The Motion Picture
  • Bound ENT S4E17
  • The Gamesters of Triskelion TOS S2E16
  • Elaan of Troyius TOS S3E13
  • Wolf in the Fold TOS S2E14
  • Darmok TNG S5E02

Connect

Honorary Star Trek title awarded: Chief Recreation Officer of the Argelian Vacation Authority

Background photo of Seattle, Washington by Photo MILKOVÍ on Unsplash

Published in Episodes