# New Star Trek series **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 18, 2001, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203 "2001-06-18T07:47:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/101 "2001-06-23T01:06:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Esprix \* > \*\*I believe Spock’s status as “first Vulcan to graduate from Starfleet” was specifically mentioned in _Star Trek: The Motion Picture._ > > Esprix \*\* The members of a Star Trek message board I’ve been hanging around lately (What? Stop looking at me like that! We’re all Trekkies (-ers) here, right?) debated this vehemently, but after having someone watch **every** episode or movie in which anyone even **thought** they might have heard this, it was eventually decided to be a Trek UL. An especially entrenched one, since it’s even mentioned in the “semi-canon” _Star Trek Encyclopedia_. BTW, the Klingons **will** have ridges. I believe Berman or some other Trek poobah said so in an interview. So what? How come no one worries about why warp engines never used to make the stars go all streaky, but now they do? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/102 "2001-06-23T01:20:03Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by jab1_ > Hah! Beat you to it! Neener, neener, neener! Your mother had a smooth forehead, and your father was a Ferengi. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/103 "2001-06-23T02:10:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally, way back in TOS, it was the Romulans whose ships were called Birds of Prey (see the episode “Balance of Terror”). Klingon ships weren’t called by that name until one of the movies. Wrath of Khan, I believe. Well, I was referring to TNG-era. I thought that’s what he meant, but just couldn’t remember what the Romulan ships were called. For what it’s worth, I’ve always thought the design for the TNG-era Birds of Prey were cooler than the Warbirds… ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/104 "2001-06-23T02:16:48Z")
jab1 wrote: > [@](#): > > The producer/writer of _Trek 3_ (I forget his name) pointed out that in the TOS episode “The _Enterprise_ Incident”, the Romulans were using Klingon-designed ships because of some sort of agreement. The implication is that the Klingons exchanged ship designs for cloaking technology. Then the producer/writer of _Star Trek 3_ was jumping to an unjustified conclusion. The **only** mention about this state of affairs in “The Enterprise Incident” was when Spock piped in with the following line: “Intelligence indicates Klingon vessels in Romulan service.” It is not at all clear that the Romulans got their hands on these Klingon battlecruisers by a friendly treaty. It is entirely possible that the Romulans **stole** some Klingon battlecruisers, or **captured** some of them (in a battle) and recommissioned them for their own use. It is **certainly** possible that the Klingons never got anything from the Romulans in return. (Witness Worf’s line in the _TNG_ 1st season finale “The Neutral Zone”. When discussing the Romulans, Worf says, “They are without honor.”) All we know, for sure, was that the Romulans got some Klingon battlecruisers, fitted them with cloaking devices, and put them to their own use. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/105 "2001-06-23T03:02:10Z")
Hijack #109 William “Koloth” Campbell is currently recovering from a not-too-severe stroke, so all ST and Koloth and Trelane fans think good thoughts for him. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Weird\_AL\_Einstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c67d28/32.png) [@Weird\_AL\_Einstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weird_AL_Einstein)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/106 "2001-06-23T04:47:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tuckerfan \* > \*\*And the Klingons are happy to keep the superstructure the same, while changing only the guts? I suppose you could make the argument that Klingons lead a spartan existance, yadda, yadda, yadda, but come on, I ain’t gonna buy it. \*\* I buy it just fine. Sounds spot on to me. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jab1 \* > \*\* > When the bumpy-headed species won out…some of the smooth-headed people decided to have themselves surgically altered to “pass”. (Even a Klingon might decide that if you can’t beat 'em, join 'em!) This would explain the changed appearances of Kor, Kang and Koloth. \*\* I had an idea along similar lines, except that it involved “racism” among the Klingons, and the reason the “smoothies” lost out is that they looked more like the Klingons’ sworn enemies, the humans. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MrAtoz \* > \*\* > Ah, vehement arguments about unimportant minutiae. Now that’s what Star Trek is all about! \*\* Damn right 😃 Get a life? Bah. Who needs it? ---
**Author:** ![Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ben)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/107 "2001-06-23T07:05:13Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Weird\_AL\_Einstein \* > \*\* > First, give me one of those “specific references” from the TOS…yes there was a galley in ST6, I believe that was because it was an important diplomatic mission and they wanted to serve their honored guests real food. It was, after all, also the first time we ever saw them have a formal sit-down dinner on the Enterprise, with waiters and everything._\* Someone has probably mentioned this already, but I had a really hard time with the scene in “The Trouble With Tribbles” in which Kirk complains that the tribbles ate his chicken sandwich. Why? Because no one one the Enterprise ever ate a chicken sandwich- they always ate froot kubes™. Maybe that’s why he was so upset: it was his one chance to have some real food. I remember in _The Making of Star Trek_ mention being made of the fact that TOS “replicators” were really mixers which would automatically whip together food mechanically, rather than atom-by-atom. It’s a little unclear how much of that stuff actually ended up in the series, since Roddenberry had a number of ideas that were never made explicit on the show (such as the idea that the air on the Enterprise was scented with outdoorsy odors.) I also must third the idea that Deus ex Geordese was the real curse of ST:NG. Ugh! Arguably Dr. Who had a lot of that sort of thing, but oftentimes it would be put in a semi-rational framework. (Far from always- perhaps only 10% of the time- but often enough to show how deus ex jargon can be done well.) Geordi: “I’ll reconfigure the warp coil!” (Why? What does the warp coil have to do with the problem? Why are all problems solvable by reconfiguring the warp coil? If it works so much better when it’s reconfigured, why don’t you just reconfigure it and _leave it that way?_) Dr. Who: “I’ll hook the Tardis power supply to Sutekh’s dimensional portal, so that when he tries to pass through the portal, he’ll get caught in a timewarp for so long that he’ll age to death while only seconds pass for us.” (Creative idea, and makes sense within the framework of the plot. If you wanted to play with time, the Tardis’ power supply is a logical plot device, unlike the “Painful hemorrhoids? Reconfigure the warp coil!” approach of ST:NG. Plus, Sutekh was explicitly stated to be possessed of godlike powers, leaving Dr. Who no course of action but to trap him when he was vulnerable.) -Ben ---
**Author:** ![Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ben)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/108 "2001-06-23T07:54:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\*But naturally, since this idea was so neato-keen and had so many far-reaching implications for the Borg **and** for the potential future of the Trek universe, the _Voyager_ writers decided to **drop** the whole concept and never went **near** it again. \*\* Do you remember the ST:NG episode where they found the Planet of Really Cool Weapons? Geordi: “Wow- this laser can cut through a meter-thick slab of superduperite!” And do they actually take the laser on board and incorporate it into Federation technology? Noooo… -Ben ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/109 "2001-06-23T09:11:56Z")
And let’s not forget all those times they come up with some super-powerful technology on-the-fly, then discard it immediately afterwards. For example… those “tri-cobalt devices”. Somebody explain those to me. What they’re supposed to do, what makes them so “powerful”, and why the hell didn’t they keep a stock of them ready for use onboard?!? ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/110 "2001-06-23T10:48:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Weird\_AL\_Einstein \* > \*\*What can I say? To keep this up, I am going to have to go back and re-watch TOS and take notes. Keep in mind 2 things though: > 1 TOS, like the other Treks and all pop sci-fi for that matter, had it’s inconsistencies, so we could have replicators in one ep, fast food style galley in another > 2 The tribbles in (replicator/microwave/whatever) never really made sense, whatever it actually was. \*\* 1.) No inconsistencies, just no replicators. 2.) When the **Tribbles** got into the ship’s systems they got into where the food was stored and when someone dialed up a coffee and chicken sandwich all they got was a **Tribble**. According to [http://www.startrek.com](http://www.startrek.com) replicators were only used onboard Federation ships in the early 24th century, remember we’re watching **Pike** and **Kirk** command the **Enterprise** in the 23rd century. What we saw in **TOS** was a simple mechanism whereby food was simply transported by a lift or, um, a transporter from one location onboard to another. There’s no reason given that I can think of as to why they could transport people but not hold the pattern for a simple meal in their computer banks, most likely the memory requirements for a simple meal were too much for the Starfleet computer of the time, remember the trouble on **DS9** when they had to dump everything from the computers just to hold the patterns of a handful of people without them degrading. (I wish I could come up with some episode titles to back me up but I’m slightly hungover.) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/111 "2001-06-23T10:50:36Z")
Modifying the Tri-Corder! Every second week, they get out of difficulties by modifying the freaking tri-corder! What does a tri-corder do if any time you want to do something it has to be modified to actually work right??? I hate that cop-out. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/112 "2001-06-23T12:43:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by matt\_mcl \* > \*\*And (very parenthetically) this is early Federation, before they had time to genetically alter all the fags & dykes out of existence, so I hope I see some of us. Thank you. \*\* It’s a shame they couldn’t have tried a revolutionary new concept: An all female, all lesbian crew. Hey…it could happen. Maybe in the future, they are used as “sacrificial crew” for suicide missions… But think of the ratings! They would have a 100% share of the male 13-19 segement… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/113 "2001-06-23T21:34:22Z")
> [@](#): > > Geordi: “I’ll reconfigure the warp coil!” (Why? What does the warp coil have to do with the problem? Why are all problems solvable by reconfiguring the warp coil? > [@](#): > > Every second week, they get out of difficulties by modifying the freaking tri-corder! That damned main deflector dish also seems suspiciously versatile. > [@](#): > > But think of the ratings! They would have a 100% share of the male 13-19 segement… 😉 I think they’d have a pretty significant share of the male 13- **9** 9 segment. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/114 "2001-06-23T22:15:25Z")
> [@](#): > > An all female, all lesbian crew. I disagree. I think an all-female, all-_bisexual_ crew would be best. As James Dean said: “I’m certainly not going to go through life with one hand tied behind my back.” ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/115 "2001-06-23T22:39:39Z")
Just imagine if good ol’ Gene R. had produced that all lesbian/bisexual show back in the sixties–they would have all had beehive hairdos, mini-mini-mini skirts, Nancy Sinatra boots, and would have been fairly incompetent (along the lines of the "Brain and brain! What is brain!? chippie), and Kirk would have arrived just in time to save the day (and night), assumming we go with Spoofe’s bi suggestion. And please, no one come in here and tell me how Roddenberry was so ahead of his time in areas of feminism. From reliable sources such as Herb Solow and Bob Justman, he cast female roles based on his assessment of his chances of (impolite f word for having sex)-ing them. Sir ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/116 "2001-06-23T22:57:06Z")
One scene however was revolutionary for it’s time. The original “The Cage” was filmed in December 1964, way before the women’s movement so it is even more striking. When the Talosian’s kidnap Capt. Pike the staff of the Enterprise discuss how to go about rescuing him, after some debate one officer suggests trying to transmit the ship’s power against the entrance to the Talosian community. The discussion stops and all the officers including Spock all turn to Number 1, a woman second in command for HER decision, she agrees to try and they obey her order without question. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/117 "2001-06-23T23:11:01Z")
It’s probably also worth pointing out that women only began serving as crew aboard U.S. Navy combat vessels in the mid-1990’s. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/118 "2001-06-23T23:11:34Z")
I am going to revise my hasty statement above. To give Mr. Roddenberry his props, yes, at least on the surface, he sometimes gave women good roles, although I’m gonna point out that Majel Barret in 1964 was his “kept” girlfriend, and he wrote the role for her. Number One is a good role. Nichelle Nichols’ role of Uhura was breakthrough, but note that when the “boys” left the ship, some flunky from Engineering usually came up to take command. A lot of this can be laid at the feet of exectives above Roddenberry. Though I still stand by my call on his casting, and IIRC, from Solow’s and Justman’s book, the observation that the blondish-redhead yeoman from The Cage was cast just for the reasons I gave. Sir ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/119 "2001-06-23T23:29:19Z")
Nichelle Nichols stated in her (ghostwritten?) autobiography that it was she and the other actresses who asked the women’s uniforms be changed from pants (as seen in “The Cage” and “Where No Man Has Gone Before”) to skirts. She _wanted_ to show off her dancer’s legs. Admittedly, Roddenberry didn’t object. ---
**Author:** ![Weird\_AL\_Einstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c67d28/32.png) [@Weird\_AL\_Einstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weird_AL_Einstein)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2001, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203/120 "2001-06-24T00:03:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anthracite \* > \*\* > It’s a shame they couldn’t have tried a revolutionary new concept: > > An all female, all lesbian crew. > > \ > > But think of the ratings! They would have a 100% share of the male 13-19 segement… 😉 \*\* They would also get a %100 share of males who post in the SDMB under the handle Weird\_Al\_Einstein 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-star-trek-series/69203.md?page=7)