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... Because goddammit, Gaila of Orion is so cool, in such subtle ways, that I suspect even the writers who created her don't see how much win is hidden under her (admittedly already revealing) green-skinned surface.
So, while her species was never named onscreen, we know from production materials for the film that Gaila is an Orion, and as a female member of that species, there's a strong temptation to say that we all know what THAT means. And to be fair, given Uhura's comments about how often her roommate tended to bring guys back to their place for sex, there seems to be at least some amount of truth to the stereotypes.
Given the speculation, on the part of one of the movie's screenwriters, that Gaila could be an ESCAPED Orion slave girl, there's some question as to how much of the continuity about Orion slave girls, specifically as established by the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Bound," is still canon in the new movie (especially since the new movie gave a nod to Star Trek: Enterprise by having Scotty get in trouble for losing track of Admiral Archer's pet beagle in a transporter experiment).
Now, my LJ friend seriousfic and I have already debated the merits of the original series portrayals, in which Orion slave girls were rather obviously intended to be exactly as they were described, versus the Star Trek: Enterprise retcon, in which Orion "slave girls" were actually themselves the enslavers, and secretly in charge of the Orion Syndicate. seriousfic's position is that anything which negates the canonicity of Star Trek: Enterprise is an automatic good. This is an argument that's very tempting to endorse, but I still prefer for Orion slave girls to be the true, hidden masters of their society, simply because it allows the new movie's continuity the potential to revel in all the Barsoom tropes traditionally ascribed to Orion slave girls, without relying on what essentially amounts to a Gorean scenario for straight male fanservice.
Either way, though, whether Gaila really was a slave, or she merely called herself a slave while actually wielding significant societal power, the fact remains that she was brought up in a culture with rigidly defined gender roles that reduced all women to the sum total of their sex. After all, whether Orion women were made commodities because of their sex, or they were instead able to exert the influence of de facto rulers because of their sex, they were still defined exclusively by their sex.
Think about the implications of such an upbringing, as you additionally consider the fact that Gaila is the ONLY female Orion we've EVER seen wearing a Starfleet uniform, with a cadet rank or otherwise. As sexist as modern human society is, think about what it would be like, to be a woman who was raised in a society where ALL women were deemed "slaves," and basically expected to live their lives between their legs. Think about how BADASS you'd have to be, to get past that deeply ingrained cultural conditioning enough to APPLY to Starfleet Academy, much less get ACCEPTED.
I've seen a lot of fans slag off on Gaila, because of her one onscreen scene with Kirk, but the simple fact that she's THERE AT ALL shows how smart and strong she is, and the assumptions I've seen posted online, by both male and female fans, that she's either dumb or weak, just because she actively engages in casual sex? SHAME ON YOU, FANDOM.
So, let's look at what we know about Gaila, beyond just her libido, and let's use that to infer some semi-defensible fanon about her background. We know she's Uhura's roommate at Starfleet Academy, and since we've seen that Starfleet tends to group similar personnel together, this could imply that Gaila is literally a redshirt redskirt, a supposition which is further supported by the screenwriters stating that she worked in the computer lab (which was at least part of the reason why Kirk hooked up with her, since he knew that he could gain access to the Kobayashi Maru simulation through her).
Aesthetically, I find this uniform alternative appealing, because operations division red makes for a more striking contrast to Gaila's green skin, and highlights her red hair in a more complimentary fashion, than either sciences division blue or command division gold. In terms of her character, though, I don't exactly see her as a techie, and besides, she needs a rate that's specialized enough to set her apart from both Scotty and Uhura's functions on the ship.
Which is where Gaila's background as an Orion slave girl comes into play, because when your society trains you in the ways of "pleasing men," so well that the women of your species gain an epic reputation for your skill at doing so, regardless of the race of the men in question, this almost necessarily connotes some affinity for reading both personality and cultural cues. If we hadn't already settled on operations as Gaila's division, I'd strongly consider issuing her a blue uniform and assigning her a proto-Troi role as ship's counselor (in spite of the problematic likelihood that she'd see no ethical issues in sleeping with her patients, thanks to the same lingering Orion cultural mores that have led her to be more sexually active than even enlightened humans of the future consider to be "normal").
As alternatives, then, I'd suggest that Gaila could serve as a sociologist, or perhaps even an anthropologist (or, more accurately, a "xenologist") for Starfleet. Such specialties are closely related enough to communications that Gaila and Uhura could be study-buddies, which would give them an additional reason to be roommates (in spite of their very different lifestyles), and the fact that both sociology and anthropoxenology are scientific fields of research could also lead Gaila to interact with Spock in the sciences division (hey, maybe Gaila even helped Spock and Uhura hook up).
The best part is that, if it's done right, Gaila can be a clever, curious, compelling character AND a super-sexed vehicle for fanservice. She's the gal who beams down to the planet's surface with the rest of the landing party, showing her ass in her long-sleeved one-piece high-hemline red mini-dress with the open neckline, and if any of the native lifeforms approach her with offers of "close encounters" (as long as they're cute enough to meet her standards) ... well, she's certainly not going to pass up any opportunities to boldly go where no green-skinned woman has gone before.
Of course, once she's back on board ship, her unique insights on what those aliens are actually like, when they let their guard down, will show what a mistake it is for anyone to underestimate how perceptive she is. It wouldn't make her any more of a "slut" or a "whore" than Kirk was on the original series, when any number of that show's plots, and that Enterprise crew's plans, hinged on Kirk's ability to conquer the opposition with his penis.
Oh, and as for the Kobayashi Maru simulation? My fanon is that, as soon as Gaila received that e-mail from Kirk, she KNEW it contained a virus, that would install a cheat code to allow him to beat the scenario (as if someone living 250 years in the future wouldn't have the equivalent of McAfee or Norton automatically running on their inboxes), but she deliberately let him get away with it anyway. Given the stereotypes regarding female Orions, she knew that everyone at Starfleet Academy would just assume that she was too much of a ditz to scan for Trojans, and she also knew that the boldness of Kirk's cheat code would mean that, even though he'd get away with it in the sim, he'd still have to explain himself to Starfleet Academy.
Gaila was pissed at Kirk for playing her, but still slightly charmed by how cocky he was, so whether he was punished or rewarded for his actions later, she'd be able to help make that happen, by letting his virus infect the computers running the sim. You can ask her about it yourself, since she was assigned to the Enterprise, and still pulls casual hook-ups with Kirk on the DL every now and again, although she did give him hell, the first time they got back together, after his final time taking the Kobayashi Maru.
What she won't tell anyone is that she became a fan of the Beastie Boys after she and Kirk had sex to their songs enough times. She was impressed that an Iowa farmboy would have an ear for such Classical Terran music, and the first time they fucked, "Intergalactic" was playing in the background. 
GODDAMMIT WHY IS THIS THE ONLY PICTURE I CAN FIND OF THIS CHARACTER ONLINE
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This Star Trek movie had some serious strikes against it before it began. It came after a long gap when the Trek franchise had lain dormant and forgotten, at least to the general public for whom TV and movies are their only exposure. It featured recast versions of the best known characters, an ensemble of actors that defined the original roles perhaps more than any other movie series cast. It included a reboot of continuity that negated every favourite story that a trivia-driven fandom treasured.
Despite my misgivings I went to see the film last night, based on good reviews from people whose opinions I value and an assurance that there were good in-story reasons for the changes in Trek history. I took with me my fifteen year old daughter and eleven year old son, neither of whom is familiar with Star Trek and especially not with the original characters. We saw the film in a Victorian village cinema with stained glass and plaster architraves and a big Hammond organ (for the silent movies) – and they stopped the performance half way through for an intermission to sell ice-creams!
The good things about the film:
1. The characters were well defined and well introduced. Kirk was especially well depicted in his initial bar scene when he faces odds of four to one and offers his attackers the chance to get a couple more people. This was important from the point of view of my children who needed to be grounded in the protagonists and to pull for them and who had no previous affection for Kirk to carry them on. I was keen that the essence of the original cast interpretations should be preserved and I felt that for the main part it was.
2. The initial sequence with Kirk’s birth and the sacrifice of Kirk senior made for a gripping start as well as doing the necessary “setting up the villain†stuff. The choice of going to a full orchestral score and taking away the din of battle until we heard the baby’s cry was a bold one that worked. The only improvements I’d have appreciated would have been a “Captain’s Log†instant summary for reasons of both nostalgia and orientation and less use of headache-inducing out-of-focus hand-held cameras.
3. The cast interacted well and played off each other. This has always been a strength of the series and it was a strength here. I could have spent many more happy minutes watching all the crew getting to know each other.
4. Leonard Nimoy has long turned his acting limitations to strengths in his defining role as Spock. Here he brought a huge gravitas to his appearances and managed to command the screen whenever he appeared. His response to young Kirk was particularly well done. Nobody positions their fingers for a mind-meld exactly like Nimoy can.
5. The away mission to the mining drill was a particularly well-choreographed piece of work. It managed to establish Sulu as a heroic character, it allowed for a strongly defined combat in unusual conditions, and it looked stunning. Shame the mission failed to stop the actual plot, but what the heck. The downside was that the closing action also included Romulan-wrestling over more high drops and by the time that happened we’d already seen it done better in this sequence.
6. Most of the characters had story arcs and there was a good progression towards the status quo ante of the classic series. All of the regular crew got to contribute something towards the final victory.
7. I’d be happy to see more of Gaila of Orion. That body paint job was poor though. Red lips and green skin? Why?
The bad things about the film:
1. I wasn’t impressed with the key set designs. Star Trek has managed to establish a number of visual themes for its various alien cultures and for Starfleet (two designs in the case of Starfleet from original Trek and Next Generation). These visuals have done much to convey the cultures and backstory of the various races and have become a helpful wallpaper for the series. Here the Enterprise bridge, which should be the most iconic and potent of sets was reduced to merely a room with some control panels in it, the engine room was a comedy tube maze, and the villain’s ship was a series of improbably high un-guard-railed dramatic drops with low level lighting. The visual effects were great. The scenery around which they took place let them down.
2. I wasn’t impresses with the music – until the end, when the final credits occurred to a fine orchestral version of the original theme tune. That music got a cheer from the audience. During the rest of the film the score was at best unobtrusive and at worst a pseudo-John Williams attempt at replacing themes which have become classic for a reason. I don’t have a problem in principle with adding new signature music. This wasn’t it.
3. I didn’t buy the time-travel plot-retcon explanation. How could Nero coming back in time change the relative ages of the cast, the styles of technology, or any of the other non-Kirk related trivia detail? Either it’s an in-canon story or it’s a “reimaginationâ€Â. This movie tried to be both and fell between two stools. And if I understand this right, original Star Trek, Next Gen, DS9 and Voyager are now out of canon but Star Trek: Enterprise is still in there? Really? Those are the bits you’d choose to keep?
4. From a plot point of view the villain appears to have achieved an almost complete victory, beyond anything achieved by Khan or any other of the far more distinctive villains in Trek’s history. Nero has wiped out the future and everything we’ve ever seen done in it. That’s a big win. His motives remain confusing though. Why is Spock to blame for a supernova destroying Romulus? Isn’t that like blaming the fire brigade for your home catching fire? How does destroying the Federation in the past save Romulus from getting nova-d? Am I missing something here?
5. The sudden bursts of slapstick didn’t really sit well with the rest of the storyline. Kirk running around with giant hands while a planet is dying is like Jar Jar Binks clowning across a battlefield while people die all around him. Scotty in a water tube is a waste of screen time where we could have had a well-written Scotty’s-first-comments-on-seeing-Enterprise-engine-room.
6. The climax of the film wasn’t particularly well cut. The timing and emphases seemed wrong. Kirk’s usual big confrontation with the villain was reduced to Kirk getting briefly beaten up by the baddie then left to be beaten up by a sub-baddie. Spock saved the day from a distance by causing a fender-bender and being beamed to safety while the villain growled ferociously from a video screen. A little more thought and build up could have made the end action so much more potent. Kirk still on board and wrestling with the baddie – and giving him his surrender option face to face – while the ship disintegrates around them would have been one improvement. He could even have torn his shirt. Uhura being aboard the baddie’s ship too would have given Spock more of an ethical dilemma and brought his emotions vs logic theme to a pointed climax.
The verdict:
Not bad. Could have been much worse. With a little more thought and care, and particularly with tighter editing and more disciplined use of available time it could have been better. My children were happy enough with it, though, and they’re the demographic that the new franchise needs to hook. And I enjoyed it. I even enjoyed the ice-cream break.
A more general comment on all Trek movies occurred to me though. A fundamental part of the original series and the Next Generation was “boldly going†– exploration, discovery, first contact, the frontier feel. Nearly all the Trek films have actually been Star Wars, a military struggle against a superior enemy that threatens home. That’s quite a disconnect from the main thrust of the series’ conception and leads to a particular kind of story and a particular kind of cast interaction. I can see why the money people might want the films to be all about the big explosions and the overwhelming archvillain but I think that formula has become very stale by now. Maybe it’s time trek returned to its roots and did some actual Trekking?
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