Star Trek: 10 Times You Asked 'WHAT Were They Thinking?!'
2. The Entire Janice Lester Storyline
Janice Lester has become an infamous character in Star Trek history. Turnabout Intruder, the final aired episode of the Original Series, has the sad legacy of those final lines:
Her life could have been as rich as any woman's. If only...
The episode has been both analysed as a critique of the rise in radical feminism in the late 60s, as well as an indictment of Kirk's consideration of the qualities of Starfleet Captains. The line that has received almost as much scrutiny as the previous quote is:
Your world of starship captains does not admit women.
If this is a literal statement, then the writers were clearly stating that Starfleet does not consider women worthy of commanding starships. If that was indeed the case when this episode was being written, then thankfully the franchise has retconned that idea. Both Captain Hernandez and Captain Georgiou pre-date this episode. If, however, this line is a little more symbolic and Lester referred to Kirk's own assumed qualities for what makes a captain, the line ages a little better - because as an audience, we can interpret it as factually incorrect.
While the episode's legacy does not paint either line, or the plot overall, in any positive light - both William Shatner and Sandra Smith play the heck out of the roles. These ideas, and the character of Janice Lester, might better have been served with a far deeper exploration than the final episode allowed them.