That isn't to say that the Star Trek writers meant any sort of homosexual relationship to occur between the characters. Nor is it to say that slash writers believe there to be a relationship between the characters in the "approved" Star Trek world. But when Kirk kisses a woman on screen, and Spock becomes occupied with looking away, or down at his shoes - is he being polite, or might he possibly be jealous? Bacon-Smith credits some of it to the consistent use of close-up shots which may be read as suggesting intimacy between the characters. (233) The slash concept seems to have a whimsical "what if" element to it; slash writers have fun with their hobby.

A few possible viewpoints on why slash writers enjoy their subject, despite being generally heterosexual themselves:

1) The characters of Kirk and Spock are an acknowledged partnership, of brotherhood if nothing else. When looking for an 'ideal' relationship between equals, and with existing female characters disqualified by their subjugated roles, who else could the lead characters possibly turn to if 'new' female leads were routinely rejected by fanfic readers?

"For one thing, in slash, there is no need to write a Mary Sue, nor is there a tendency to create a Mary Sue to be the romantic interest for a male character, because the relationships are there for you already. For instance, in shows like "Highlander", it's such a male-dominated universe that you'll play hell finding an *interesting* female character for a male character to interact with romantically on a long-term basis. You either have to create a Mary Sue, or -- you have to slash them. That's the beauty of slash -- the relationships are there to be explored, if you can just find a way to see it and write it." -- 'Destina Fortunato', on the Master/Apprentice archive site.

2) Slash writers may be placing themselves in the fantasy role of one of the protagonists in the story - the only way they can both have a man and be a man, the first in terms of sexuality but the second in terms of societal power and privilege. (Penley)

"...it's real easy to get into the "Why do heterosexual women enjoy writing slash" discussion. For me, the *relationship* has always been more important than hot sex (though there's absolutely nothing wrong with that either!). I don't know if I'm alone in this as a writer or not, but I tend to imagine *myself* as one of the characters when I write." -- 'Sheila', also on the Master/Apprentice archive site.

3) The perceived androgyny of the characters. Neither is dominant over the other; neither plays a "male" role, or a "female".

"... both Kirk and Spock mix and match traditionally masculine and feminine traits, sliding between genders as they struggle for intimacy. Kirk is sexually promiscuous, an undisputed leader, always ready for action and in command of most situations (masculine), yet he is also beautiful, emotional, intuitive, sensuous, and smaller (feminine); Spock is rational, logical, emotionally controlled, keeps others at distance, and stronger (masculine) while he is also virginal, governed by bodily cycles, an outsider, and fully committed to sexual fidelity (feminine)." (Jenkins 193)

Moving on to some popular themes of slash fiction...