Zombies Ruin Everything

For the record, we’ll be going off the newer Star Trek movies for this one.

While Bones, Kirk, and Spock have personalities in the newer films resembling their television counterparts, Uhura seemed to go through some changes from her first appearances to JJ Abram’s big screen translation.

Uhura keeps things to herself yet can’t hide what she’s feeling. She seems to care for others in a way that doesn’t quite flow openly from brain to mouth. I went back and forth for a while on this one but INFJ seems to be the best fit.

ENFJ was my first thought given that her job onboard the Enterprise is the Communications Officer but the dominant Fe that ENFJs use doesn’t quite match up with Uhura’s quiter demeanor. I’ll always end up using the word “quiet” for INFJs no matter how many profiles on the characters I do because out of all the types I’ve know personally, INFJ is consistent in keeping a tight lip…while having their face as readable as a book. This may not be the way the writers on the original series intended for her to be but it’s definitely closer to the way actress Zoe Saldana plays her.

INFJs, leading with Ni (Introverted Intuition) often lead to this type coming across as highly serious. In their minds, they’re focused on anything and everything involving the world and everybody that lives on it…and then some. To the world itself, the INFJ appears withdrawn and possibly sensitive, whether or not what’s actually going on is dire or not. So it’s no wonder there’s so often a miscommunication between this type (Thought to make up as little as 1% of the population) and everyone else, or why there’s so few that the INFJ feel they can let in.

So while Uhura doesn’t quite show the range of planning or thought so many people and characters INFJs are normally associated with, it’s not as though that’s a necessity, just a commonality. In fact, given how dramatic so many depictions of INFJs are in fiction, Uhura is actually a much better fit for the crew of the Enterprise considering the role INFJs often play in reality. Her presence is felt more than anything when she’s in a scene while the driving force of the moment will usually go to another stronger personality like Kirk (ESTP) or Bones (ESFJ), who speak as soon as the thought comes to them. Uhura may just say everything she feels with an expression she doesn’t even seem to realize she’s conveying. This is another important aspect to the INFJ often overlooked.

With their auxiliary Fe (Extroverted Feeling), the INFJ is often emoting without intending, which again, speaks to where their mind is. Though they may not always think about how to solve world hunger or whatever other cliched NF daydreams we might be able to come up with, what’s on their mind can occasionally come through in an expression or demeanor without the INFJ realizing it. The INTJ can come off as a jerk without realizing it due to a similar mindset, only their auxiliary Te (Extroverted Thinking) can have them speaking bluntly without recognizing how their words might come across to others.

INFJs however, don’t realize how often their thoughts are showing on their face. So even though they’ll feel as though they’re not in a bad mood or in a negative state, whatever thought gripped them doesn’t read perfectly to those who might find the INFJ appearing apprehensive and/or uncommunicative.

A major difference between the INFJ and ISFJ though, and a way to tell them apart is by their conversations and what they hold value to. On one hand the two are nothing alike, yet their introverted and meager behavior might confuse an observer from time to time.

When Spock, Kirk, and Uhura plan to land on Kronos, home to the dangerous Klingons. Though the ISFJ might feel the need to express disdain from time to time with a loved one, INFJs will only be able to contain themselves for so long before releasing their emotions as Uhura does with Spock for being so ready to give his life without thinking of what might happen to her. With the INFJ’s feelings are violated are when you get their highly discreet “I NEED TO TALK TO YOU” while looking around to make sure they’re not making a scene.

An ISFJ will show this annoyance but will often continue saying otherwise until the moment is right, if they say anything at all. The INFJ is similar but can’t lie to themselves and can therefore only lie to others for so long.

Uhura as the communications expert fits as well, being that the INFJ isn’t interested in selling themselves to others with a silver tongue or simply taking part in a career for the money’s sake, but for something they really love. Uhura’s short-lived transaction with the Klingons still showed a lot of Uhura’s real personality- saying something she believed to people she didn’t know, in a tongue and tone that they would understand. If only they knew how to say what they’re thinking in that moment and not beat themselves up later about what they should have done. But that’s more of a human thing than just an INFJ, really.

This entry was posted on 09/01/2015 at 1:22 am and is filed under MBTI Idealists, MBTI Stuff with tags infj, mbti in fiction, Nyota Uhura, star trek. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.