Could Vilix'pran be Betelgeusian?

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' started by Bry_Sinclair, Jun 19, 2013.

  1. Bry_Sinclair

    Bry_Sinclair Vice Admiral Admiral

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    The mysterious (and very fertile) Lieutenant Vilix'pran is a character that has always intregued me. Going by what was said about him its a shame we never got to see the winged species.

    That has just got me thinking; could he be Betelgeusian? Jake said about babysitting his young, needing to watch that their wings didn't get tangled. Going by the background notes on TMP the Betelgeusians had evolved from avians, and seeing as how we never saw one clearly there's no way to know if they still retain their wings or not.

    Thoughts?
     
  2. Captain Clark Terrell

    Captain Clark Terrell Commodore Commodore

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    ^Not enough information to know either way.

    --Sran
     
  3. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    There is one Betelgeusian seen full-length in the TMP rec-room briefing scene -- he's the third guy from the right on the balcony, in a brown uniform.

    http://movies.trekcore.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=581

    He's clearly humanoid in shape, with no wings.

    There's also a pretty good shot of the Betelgeusian science officer (whom I named Hrrii'ush Uuvu'it in my novels) here at Memory Alpha.

    Vilix'pran was pretty much meant to be nonhumanoid, which suggests not just a human shape with wings stuck on, but something more radically different in body shape. That was the point of the running gag: since he was never seen, he could be as bizarrely nonhumanoid as the writers' imaginations could make him.
     
  4. R. Star

    R. Star Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Yeah, it would be like Morn talking. If we actually saw the guy it'd ruin the novelty of it.
     
  5. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    ^And Captain Boday's see-through skull. The DS9 producers loved their "off-camera" running gags.
     
  6. Captain Clark Terrell

    Captain Clark Terrell Commodore Commodore

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    There's a guy with a blue and purple face among the crew in TMP. I wonder what species he is.

    --Sran
     
  7. Bry_Sinclair

    Bry_Sinclair Vice Admiral Admiral

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    It's one of the tings that helped make the series great :bolian:
     
  8. Captain Clark Terrell

    Captain Clark Terrell Commodore Commodore

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    I always laughed whenever Dax and Kira would argue about Boday. Dax didn't care what anyone looked like, and Kira got hung up on every irregularity that someone had. Then there was Dr. Tregtoc...

    --Sran
     
  9. Bry_Sinclair

    Bry_Sinclair Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Not seeing him. I do spot blue Andorians and purple Saurians, but not seeing any blue/purple crewmembers.

    TMP was really good at giving us some weird and wonderful species, such a shame we didn't get to see more of them.
     
  10. Captain Clark Terrell

    Captain Clark Terrell Commodore Commodore

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    You can see him in one of the close-up shots where the first few rows are isolated. He'd be towards the top of the picture.

    --Sran
     
  11. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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  12. Captain Clark Terrell

    Captain Clark Terrell Commodore Commodore

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  13. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Captain Captain

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    There's a full photo of the Betelgeusian Ambassador in the original soundtrack LP for STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE. The innersleeve featured 12 photos of "new" aliens posed in- costume.

    [​IMG]

    Harry
     
  14. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    You know, I thought this thread seemed familiar. Bry Sinclair, you started another thread asking this exact same question just 14 months ago, and I gave you the same answer then. And we also got around to mentioning Morn, Captain Boday, and Dr. Trag'tok.
     
  15. Kevman7987

    Kevman7987 Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Unless their wings are some sort of vestigial thing that go away as they mature?
     
  16. Captain Kathryn

    Captain Kathryn Commodore Commodore

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    When I first saw this thread, I thought you meant Betelgeuse from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. :lol:
     
  17. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Well, of course they're both in reference to the real star Betelgeuse, aka Alpha Orionis (as is the name of the title character in the movie Beetlejuice, which in-story is actually spelled Betelgeuse).

    Although Betelgeuse is a red supergiant, a star that couldn't possibly support life, so in my novel Ex Machina I cribbed from Adams and asserted that the TMP Betelgeusians are actually from "a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse." ;)
     
  18. Bry_Sinclair

    Bry_Sinclair Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Oh for the love of....:eek:

    If I had a brain at times I would be dangerous!
     
  19. R. Star

    R. Star Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    That's a good memory to be able to remember a thread 14 months ago. I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning. :p
     
  20. Captain Clark Terrell

    Captain Clark Terrell Commodore Commodore

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    Fascinating, though it looks like there were no Romulans involved.

    --Sran