The television series Star Trek was truly a revolutionary series, not only for its plots and ideological messages, but also for its revolutionary casting. Two of the lead actors were Jewish, one lead actor was a gay Asian, and, of course, one was a black woman. Uhura was one of the first black main characters on a TV show – and of course, her kiss with Kirk was the first interracial kiss ever seen on television. For a series from the 1960s, Star Trek broke many religious, racial, but especially gender barriers. From television to cinema, from music to advertising, men are often portrayed as strong and powerful, while women are often portrayed as submissive. , impotent and sexually promiscuous. But it is especially in American cinema that these gender stereotypes are most obvious. In many films, the main characters are heroic men, while the main female protagonist is primarily the male protagonist's love interest. The 2009 Star Trek film didn't echo the TV show, but instead echoed stereotypical tendencies in American cinema - particularly when it came to the female lead, Uhura. Although Uhura is presented as a strong figure due to her role in Starfleet, in reality the film fails to break traditional gender stereotypes due to Uhura's eroticization, superficial dialogue, and role general throughout the film. , there is the illusion that Uhura is a strong and powerful woman. She is a high-ranking officer on the starship Enterprise and is part of every battle scene involving the ship. Indeed, many women in the film are portrayed in similar ways. Before investigating the anomaly on Vulcan, a female officer gives orders to the soldiers. On the way to the officer's station...... middle of paper ...... the characters are not portrayed as strong as the male protagonists. Hermione Granger becomes emotional during very stressful battle scenes. Elizabeth Swann turns to a love interest for the male main character. Queen Amidala becomes emotional and loving for Anakin Skywalker. For some, the illusion of strong women speaks to how far we have come as a society over the past half-century. But in reality, the film industry has only progressed enough to be able to give the illusion of strong women. The lack of female directors in Hollywood is giving way to a male-centric ideology that eroticizes and demeans women in films – often unconsciously because the director is a man. It's time to welcome more Kathryn Bigelows. More Julie Taymors. More Sofia Coppolas. Only when a balance between directors is achieved can many films finally break away from traditional gender stereotypes..