Why so much love for Arex?

Several people on another thread (TAS in your personal canon) mention Arex as a great character. Why the love?

 

I think a lot of it came from a time when Spock was the only alien on the ship. Seeing more aliens, especially one who really couldn't be made with the make-up skills of the day, was very exciting, and c aught a lot of people's attention. Personally, even though I was not a big fan of TAS, I really liked the idea of the Edoans (is that even canon for the species' name?), and I include them in my own personal canon/fanon.

 

I agree in that Arex was a distinctly different character from Spock as an alien and as a crew member of the Enterprise.

ST09 could have redeemed itself in my eyes at least a little if they had found a way to have Arex in the film and on the bridge. It probably would have been the film's high point.

 

No, but at least I could have said, "Okay the film's fucked up, but a live-action Arex is kinda cool."

 

What kind of arrogant, presumptuous remark is that? How the hell do you know what I try and try not to do?

If I don't fucking like something for my own reasons that someone else does like than that's my damned business. I have as much right to think something is shit as anyone has to see it differently.

Jesus Christ!

It isn't dissenters around this board that are a problem. It's people who presume to ascribe all kinds of ulterior motives to dissenters other than being able to accept that we just disagree and don't fucking like the same things.

 

Umm...back to Arex?

I think people think he's so great because you don't see very much of him. I'm just going from TAS, not the novels. Every time you see him, it's kind of a treat.

From personal experience, from when I first watched the show as a very small kid, he was just cool because he had a funny voice and...he had three arms! In those days, I guess, the bar for kewl aliens was much lower than it is today.

 

Oh, good. I was afraid this thread wouldn't turn into a Trek XI pissing match.

Whew. Crisis averted.

Oh, and insert something about Arex [here].

 

It has also become kind of a cultural meme for fans to latch on to a minor character and turn him into a folk hero. It's called the Boba Fett syndrome.

 

I wonder if that's also a look into the Roddenberry's sex life?

 

There is something of that. From TAS, aside from his physical appearance, there's very little to the character. Still, to a nine-year old, three arms and three legs was more than enough for me to fall in love with the Edoans and Arex. A real alien on the Enterprise, not just a big cat or guy with pointed ears. It's a shame we never got more.

 

I've heard that, and I would have loved to see it. She was fairly useless as Doctor Chapel, anyway. M'Ress might have at least been memorable (what with her being a giant cat person and all). Actually, it would have been nice if Gene had gone ahead with it with a different actress. I love getting alien looking crewmembers.

I guess I really liked Arex because I could pretend that he was a part of the original series, as well. Like he might have been just off screen and we just missed seeing him. It makes the TOS Starfleet seem that much more magical to imagine that it wasn't limited to humans (and that one guy with the ears).

 

Well, in TFF we saw some sort of cat being in the Nimbus III bar that attacked Kirk that might have been a Caitin like M'ress.

 

The more the merrier I always say.

 

Yeah, I wonder if the was inspired by M'Ress or if it was just a coincidence. There were also a couple of cat people in the crowd in TVH.

 

Which were referred to as Caitian by the make-up crew. Not officially Caitians, but close enough.

 

I like how she purr/growl/gargles after her lines. i wonder if Majel did that for the Great Bird?