# Question about Star Trek episode "The Naked Time" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 11, 2016, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-episode-the-naked-time/754579 "2016-05-11T22:41:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-episode-the-naked-time/754579/1 "2016-05-11T22:41:01Z")
It’s established that the substance causing people to lose their inhibitions is spread by touch. Tormolen contracts it on the mission, Sulu and Riley get it from him while they try to prevent his suicide, Riley gives it to Nurse Chapel, etc. But there’s one case with skin-to-skin contact where the other person doesn’t, IIRC, show any symptoms. Uhura pushes Sulu away from her (“Sorry, neither!”) and yet doesn’t seem affected. Yes, I know they had a limited amount of time and couldn’t show everything. Within the world of the show, is there a plausible explanation? Maybe she’s so in control that it couldn’t affect her? ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-episode-the-naked-time/754579/2 "2016-05-11T22:45:01Z")
The substance can’t work on people whose legs are exposed to light. Chapel always wore a somewhat more lengthy, modest dress than did Uhura, and of course the men all wore pants. So the key to immunity: micro-mini skirts. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-episode-the-naked-time/754579/3 "2016-05-11T22:55:57Z")
Or maybe she’s out of control all of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-episode-the-naked-time/754579/4 "2016-05-12T00:07:21Z")
Or maybe it’s not guaranteed contagious, and any given touch only has a chance of transmission. It might be a very high chance, but maybe Uhura just made her saving throw. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-episode-the-naked-time/754579/5 "2016-05-12T00:19:28Z")
We didn’t see Uhura between the time Sulu grabbed her until the time they do the “cold restart,” correct? And by then, McCoy had isolated the cure. So, it stands to reason, Uhura got the disease off-camera and then got cured right after Sulu. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-episode-the-naked-time/754579/6 "2016-05-12T01:35:34Z")
She was an alcoholic, so the water/alcohol/whatever molecules had less effect on her. Non canon answer, obviously. Plus, she was already a superfreak. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-episode-the-naked-time/754579/7 "2016-05-12T04:04:11Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > The substance can’t work on people whose legs are exposed to light. Chapel always wore a somewhat more lengthy, modest dress than did Uhura, and of course the men all wore pants. > > So the key to immunity: micro-mini skirts. Uh, nope. Her dress looks pretty short in [this shot](http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/7700000/Spock-Chapel-The-Naked-Time-episode-1x04-spock-and-christine-chapel-7759526-1440-1080.jpg). And this is a screen cap from _The Naked Time_. Of course, it looks like she’s wearing panty hose, so your theory may be right, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-episode-the-naked-time/754579/8 "2016-05-12T04:08:36Z")
The intensity and speed of onset varied substantially among different people exposed to the substance, and the expression of symptoms was idiosyncratic. Sulu and Reilly were exposed at the same time, but Sulu showed symptoms some time before Reilly. Chapel’s reaction was somewhat delayed, and initially manifested as distraction, rather than overt action. Other crew members–lab personnel, the crewman with the paint–were apparently affected quickly and responded with hysterical laughter. Spock was affected immediately and had a serious breakdown. Uhura _did_ do something uncharacteristic at one point after exposure. She snapped at Kirk in response to an order. She caught herself and apologized (and so did he), but it was unusual for her, even in a stressful situation. All we really see from her, aside from that one snap, was her messing with her console and not being able to get anything to work. It’s possible that the stuff was affecting her by making her more frustrated and distracted. If so, barking back at Kirk and failing to take back the comm channels may have actually \*been \*her symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-episode-the-naked-time/754579/9 "2016-05-12T05:17:21Z")
Did she actually push him away with her hand, or with her sleeved arm? :dubious: Seems to me she just twisted out of his grasp, and he never touched her bare skin. I haven’t seen this episode in ages, though, so I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-episode-the-naked-time/754579/10 "2016-05-12T16:29:42Z")
Maybe Uhura’s reaction was delayed because she’s on Naked Colored Peop… eh, never mind. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-episode-the-naked-time/754579/11 "2016-05-12T17:10:39Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Uhura pushes Sulu away from her (“Sorry, neither!”) After he says, “I’ll save you, fair Maiden!” ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-episode-the-naked-time/754579/12 "2016-05-12T19:07:02Z")
It could be that the infectious sweat came specifically from the hand glands. Uhura touching Sulu’s sweaty chest didn’t represent a vector for infection. I dunno. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-star-trek-episode-the-naked-time/754579/13 "2016-05-12T22:48:39Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Did she actually push him away with her hand, or with her sleeved arm? :dubious: > > Seems to me she just twisted out of his grasp, and he never touched her bare skin. I haven’t seen this episode in ages, though, so I could be wrong. There was skin contact, at least between her hand and his torso. I don’t see any way she would not have been exposed to his sweat. She probably had more exposure than anyone but Reilly and Sulu, who wrestled Tormolen down and were exposed to his blood as well as his sweat. I’m sticking with “She had symptoms, and they just happened to be less noticeable than the others.”