Space Hippies

Every now and then when I get the chance, I like to check out the Star Trek Slash stories, which are amateur fiction stories that pair various characters from the Star Trek Universe - most often same sex - and then the writers tell stories where these characters have loving/sexual relationships. Kirk and Spock are favorites, although every combination is pretty much present. For the longest time I've been trying to find Wesley/Worf stories, but I think they just must be surpassing sick by so much that they're seldom written.

I can't say that I'm a real 'Trekkie' or 'Trekker' or any such. At best, I'm sort of borderline. I've seen some shows from every series depending on how easy they were to find because some of them (Enterprise for example) were on lesser networks, UPN, now CW I believe, and I just couldn't find them very reliably.

Anyways, it made me think. I can't recall seeing any openly gay characters on any of the Star Trek series. Definitely there weren't recurring ones, although, admittedly, I'm only a borderline Trekkie so there might be a lot I might have missed. Let me know if I'm wrong there.
I can think of two episodes of The Next Generation where it was addressed obliquely. In one Riker falls in love with an alien who is a hermaphrodite, but who can develop either way depending on circumstances. As I recall. So, Riker sort of falls for somebody who is or can be partially male.

Another Next Gen one that sort of addressed this was where Beverly falls for an ambassador who turns out to have a sentient parasite inside of him who is the actual 'person' she's in love with. (A Trill). After much drama the parasite is implanted into another host - a woman this time - and the parasite is quite puzzled why Beverly won't go for it, since 'he' is the same person.
The old Star Trek ... well, just forget it. Through the medium of Science Fiction and the use of heavy handed metaphor Star Trek addressed some of the burning issues of the day, but never it seems was Gay rights addressed. Or maybe they did and I just missed it.

One episode that might be a possible candidate is one where the crew takes on a group of six space hippies. The Space Hippies have stolen a space ship and the Enterprise apprehends them. Of course, the space hippies are all in a band playing out of this world instruments and they take over the Enterprise under the cover of a groovy rock concert. The music just sucks as it always does when fake musicians are part of the story line.

One of the space hippies might have been gay. That's my theory. This guy was wearing a mini-skirt, thigh high go-go boots, a cape and just a touch of tasteful make-up. He was also barechested with some real sexy hairy nipples. And he was real 'friendly' with the young male crewmen if you know what I mean.

In the internet slash universe what was really happening was that behind the scenes everybody was secretly bi-sexual - and how! Oh sure, Kirk was trying to deny his attraction to other men by having multiple romances with multiple hot alien women, but all along it was really Spock and only Spock. And Spock might have the occasional Pon Farr Sweetie but there was only one true love for him, also.

I've never heard that either actors who portrayed Kirk or Spock (Shatner and Nimoy) have publicly commented on the slash stories. They certainly must know about them, but here's a wild thought: Lots of actors are, in fact, gay and hiding the fact. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy are actors. Do you see where I'm going with this? Is it beyond the realm of reason that two actors - who may be secretly gay, I'm not saying they are, but secretly they may be - in their younger experimental days might have engaged in the very activities that compose the fantasies of all those slash writers.

Okay, I know that's wild speculation. There's no evidence that either one of those men had had a loving or sexual relationships with each other (they are good friends, though).

On the other hand: They've never denied it.