Understanding gender is more complicated than traditional views of the male sex equating to being a man, and female sex equating to being a woman. This gender binary coding does not accurately represent a large number of people who identify as agender (not of a gender), or gender-fluid (not having a fixed gender.) I am investigating to what extent Star Trek (which is a science fiction often accredited with the premise of representing humanity\u27s more equitable future society) reproduces traditional gender roles or offers alternate gender identities. I look at literature from other scholars about gender performances in Star Trek, as well as analyze an episode form ST:TNG, The Outcast , looking at how the production treats a species of androgynous beings, and ultimately seeking whether Star Trek breaks deeply embedded ideas of binary gender, or portrays a future state of humanity as more inclusive of different types of gender identity
