'Star Trek' Writer Admits to 'Gratuitous' Strip Scene … and Bad Spelling
By Mark Deming | Movie Talk – 5 hours ago
Did Alice Eve really need to strip down in 'Star Trek Into Darkness'? (Photo: Paramount/Getty)Monday night, Damon Lindelof, best known as the co-creator of TV's "Lost," took to his Twitter account to address the controversy that had been buzzing among a group of online commentators: Why does Alice Eve's character, gifted scientist Dr. Carol Marcus, strip down to her very special-occasion-looking bra and undies on camera before changing into a special armored space suit? The scene seemed designed to give fanboys in the audience a charge, and it did little to advance the plot.
Indeed it was a scene that could have been much more revelatory for Dr. Marcus and Captain Kirk's historic chemistry. Audiences found out in 1982's "Wrath of Khan,"that the two had a lovechild, after all.
In the first of several tweets, Lindelof spoke about the issue in no uncertain terms:
I copped to the fact that we should have done a better job of not being gratuitous in our representation of a barely clothed actress.Lindelof then tweeted, somewhat in his own defense, "We also had Kirk shirtless in underpants in both movies. Do not want to make light of something that some construe as mysogenistic."
— Damon Lindelof (@DamonLindelof) May 20, 2013
Back on topic, Lindelof wrote, "What I'm saying is I hear you, I take responsibility and will be more mindful in the future."
Hoorah!
The 40-year-old writer-producer wrapped up the thread with a self-deprecating spell check: "Also, I need to learn how to spell 'misogynistic.'"
Watch 'Star Trek Into Darkness' Profile – Dr. Carol Marcus:
Lindelof isn't the only one to blame for Eve's undergarment moment in "Into Darkness." His partner in crime, director J.J. Abrams (and his former "Lost" television show co-creator) is known for adding bra-and-panties moments to most of his work – including the first "Star Trek" reboot, his former television show "Alias," and "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol."
Lindelof also addressed Eve's almost-nudity more than a week ago. MTV's Josh Horowitz asked him (in an email interview), "I feel like I have to start with the biggest mystery/conversation that's surrounded the film from the get go. Why is Alice Eve in her underwear at one point?"
Instead of owning it then, Lindelof offered a trademark explanation – one often used to hush "Lost" fans over the show's many loose plot ends: "Why is Alice Eve in her underwear, gratuitously and unnecessarily, without any real effort made as to why in God's name she would undress in that circumstance? Well there's a very good answer for that. But I'm not telling you what it is. Because ... uh... MYSTERY?"
Some naysayers are pointing out that playing up Eve's sexiness seems especially galling given how dramatically men outnumber women aboard the Starship Enterprise, with Lt. Uhura (Zoe Saldana) as the only female officer on board. Perhaps Lindelof and Abrams could consider adding some new female crew members in the next movie, in a bid to come closer to gender parity in the Final Frontier.
Private note to Lindelof: "Mysogenistic"? Dude, it's called spell check. You're a writer, don't you know how to use that?
Watch 'Star Trek Into Darkness' Clip – Science Officer:
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