I�ve just recently delved into the world of Enterprise fanfiction and, in so doing, I was reminded yet again of a somewhat common theme among many of the tv shows that I watch: the power of a name and its significance in the all-important UST between my favourite couples.
The television shows that tend to jump to mind when talking about this subject are The X-Files, JAG, Stargate and, most recently, Enterprise. Often throughout recent years I�ve been reminded of the belief that to know one�s true and full name is to hold power over that person. In days gone by it was believed that if you knew someone�s name you knew everything about them, about their personality, about their life. It was also believed dangerous to provide such information to strangers because to let someone you didn�t know have access to your full name was to risk being put under a magical spell, curse, or hex. As I type this, I find myself thinking of a novel I read for my Children�s Lit class a couple of years ago entitled The Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. LeGuin, wherein the main character spends something like a year locked up learning nothing but the true names of all things in nature (at least, those things whose true names were known) so that he could hold some limited power over the natural world. (It�s a good book � go read it!)
This belief might sound like something out of the Middle Ages with no place in modern society, but there exists today peoples and cultures who know the power of a name. There are those still who have both public and private names, and only family members and very close friends will ever know the person�s private name. To be told that name is the ultimate trust, and the ultimate intimacy.
So what does this have to do with my favourite UST-y couples? Well, those of you familiar with any of the shows I mentioned have probably already caught on to the fact the �main� pairings rarely address each other by their first names. I�m going to delve briefly into each of the four shows in order to back up my point (an English major to the end!).
I�ll start with The X-Files since it was my first real experience with the whole UST aspect and the first time I really noticed the role a given name plays. As has been mentioned in many a fanfic, Mulder�s the one who establishes right from the beginning that he and Scully will call each other by their last names. It�s widely accepted that he did that because in the beginning of their partnership he did not trust her, and � as is quite well known � he hates his first name. It�s been a few years since I obsessively watched the show and the times when I could identify any episode after only ten seconds of footage are long past, but IIRC the number of times that Scully called Mulder �Fox� can be counted on one finger � and she was quickly shut down. Mulder hardly called her �Dana� until very late in the series, after he returned from who-knows-where and it was (finally!) established that, yes, they had slept together and baby William was his son. I can still remember the scene in S1�s Beyond the Sea, after Scully returns to work after her father dies, when he cups her face and calls her by her first name. I was almost as excited over the fact he called her Dana as by the fact that he actually touched her! Ah, those were the days.
Next up (timeline-wise) is JAG. This show is a little more one-sided in the name aspect; Mac quite regularly calls Harm by his first name so there�s no squeeee! feeling when that happens. Here, the personal view comes when Harm actually calls Mac �Sarah� which is another one of those moments that happens oh so infrequently. The great thing is that it always signals something extremely important in their personal lives and, like Scully and Mulder, they recognize that fact. These two have one seriously messed up relationship (or non-relationship, as the case may be) but when Harm calls Mac by her first name, it�s usually one of those moments that makes you go awwww.
And then we have Stargate, where the use of first names is nearly as anal-retentive as XF � especially on Sam�s behalf. Discounting alternate universes and trips to future timelines that probably no longer exist, she has called Jack by his first name exactly � wait for it! � once. Yup, once. In seven seasons, more than 150 episodes, Sam has called him �Jack� precisely one time � and that in the very last episode of S7 under very emotionally trying circumstances. Jeez, at this rate they�ll be holding hands by 2050. Jack used to be a little better in the first few seasons by actually calling her �Sam� once in a while � In the Line of Duty holds the record for the most number of times in a single ep, if you�re looking for the good old days � but we�ve been denied the pleasure for years. Years. When�s the last time he called her �Sam� you may ask? IIRC, it was Serpent�s Song. Season 2? I can hear you thinking. Has it really been that long? Yes. Yes it has.
Most recently, and the show responsible for this rambling discourse, is Enterprise. Now I know a lot of people think it�s an evil show that should have never seen the light of day, let alone made it to S3 and renewed for S4, but I�ve been impressed by S3�s storyline � particularly the Trip/T�Pol arc. (Xindi? What do they have to do with anything? <g>) Way, way back when these two first met Trip (formally known as Commander Charles Tucker III) encouraged T�Pol to call him by his nickname. As you may or may not know, depending on your like of the Star Trek universe, Vulcans tend to consider first names personal and reserve their use for family and close friends. Sound familiar? Anyway, these two are similar to Harm and Mac; Trip will call T�Pol by her name but she only ever refers to him as �Commander� or �Mr. Tucker�. Even as we watch these two become closer through the neuropressure sessions, even after they sleep together for cryin' out loud, she still refuses to call him by his name. What I found interesting was that in fic where our fave duo get it together and give inter-species relations a try, T�Pol calls him �Charles�. It�s quite a wide-spread acceptance in T/T fanfic, I�ve found in my whole 2 weeks of reading. But then TPTB were actually nice to us and, low and behold, T�Pol actually called him �Trip�! And believe you me, she knew the importance of it. They were arguing, Trip was leaving and not responding to her call of �Commander�, and T�Pol did the Vulcan equivalent a desperate look and called him �Trip�. And damned if he didn�t stop and turn around. So they�d already done the full-bodied massage thing (aka neuropressure) a few dozen times, kissed, and done the dirty deed. So what? She called him by his first name! Those ten seconds were nearly as emotionally intense and revealing as the entirety of Harbinger. Hell, the entirety of S3.
I feel that it�s necessary to point out that 3 of these four shows operate under a military command structure, which basically dictates how people will act around fellow officers. There�s some leeway, of course, but overall the idea is �you can get close but not too close. Especially if it�s a member of the opposite sex�. I was never quite sure of how or even if the FBI fits into that way of thinking so I can�t comment on that. Maybe I�m drawn to people who fall for each other despite their circumstance � or it could just be that guys in uniform are just so hot.
So why am I boring you with this? I�m not sure, actually. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I understand the importance of a person�s first name � I refuse to wear my nametag at work because I don�t like complete strangers knowing my name, I�m still uncomfortable calling adults by their first names even though I�m (supposedly) an adult myself at the age of 24, my online name was carefully chosen because of its ability to be either male or female and its tendency to be seen as the former. Anonymity is good.
Or maybe it has to do with the fact that I�ve had less than 5 hours sleep, nothing more to eat than a cookie and a chocolate Pop Tart, and I have way too much free time on my hands now that school�s out. <shrugs> How should I know?
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Star Trek: Enterprise is copyright Paramount and probably others.
Stargate: SG-1 is copyright Gekko Film Corp and MGM,and maybe someone else.
The X-Files is copyright Ten Thirteen Productions and Twentieth Century Fox.
JAG is copyright... umm, don't know this one. Bellisario Productions or something like that, and quite possibly others as well.
I make no money off this site, nor do I own any of the above-mentioned television shows or books. I've just written this because these shows have inspired me. No infringement intended. As for the media mentioned that are still on the air or in print, go watch/read them yourselves. See? I'm promoting your work! No need to sue!