Conclusion

In the course of this study, we found that much of the early history of representations of gender had followed a path, which was fairly predictable in some ways and perhaps less so in others. Certainly, the tendency of some television shows to represent alternatives to the gender norms of the security state would surprise anyone who has low expectations for popular culture in general. These low expectations would, of course, conform to the set of cultural narratives and stereotypes described by Andreas Huyssen in his 1986 work, After the Great Divide, wherein he indicated that since the nineteenth century, mass audiences have been characterized as feminized and irrational. In such a context, the expectation would be that any aspect of popular culture, including science fiction television, would conform to cultural norms since the irrational and feminized byproduct of culture would represent a form of cultural brainwashing in which the masses are controlled by the mediating apparati of the culture, including television. Such assumptions would maintain the late modern distinction between high and low art that Huyssen rightly argues has vanished in the wake of postmodern culture. The television shows we have reviewed would certainly offer some support for his view while also pointing to how complex and variegated the new cultural scene is at the level of genre.