New major alien civilization in Trek 3/XIII?

[137th Gebirg]

Or perhaps the Tzenkethi. Whilst they've been mentioned, we still haven't seen them.

IIRC, they were supposed to be the equivalent of the Kzinti (hence the similarity in their names) because, at the time, they didn't want to pay Larry Niven royalties for the use. They were apparently in the process of working that out, as there was an effort underway to reintroduce the Kzinti had Enterprise Season 5 been green-lit. A crying shame it wasn't, IMO. They even went so far as coming up with a new warship design concept called the "Dark Stalker". However they're named, yes, I think that they would be an excellent choice - something known in the universe but barely talked about to the point of obscurity. This would allow for a very open canvas for the writers to create new things without rehashing old TOS episodes AND without muddying the canon. It would be a win/win scenario for everyone concerned. Other good choices in the same vein:

• Gorns
• Tholians
• Organians/Metrons/Thasians/Trelane/insert-arrogant-god-like-being(s)-here
• Hur'q/Kinshaya (this one would be best, IMO, as it would force the Klingons to begrudgingly ask for Federation assistance once these guys knocked them back on their ass)
• Others have already talked about Kelvans - yes, this would be all kinds of awesome, too.

 

[Wulff359]

The Breen. I want to see the Breen and what they look like under that helmet. Or, if it is another time travel story, visit the borg planet in the past - just at the moment their population turns into cybernetic beeings. We never visited the original race.
And our heros running from zomie-like, just turned, first generation borg!

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

IIRC, they were supposed to be the equivalent of the Kzinti (hence the similarity in their names) because, at the time, they didn't want to pay Larry Niven royalties for the use.

When I was looking up the spelling of Tzenkethi, I came across the memory alpha article which said:

Robert Hewitt Wolfe said in December 2006 that he thought that he had named the Tzenkethi by combining the name Kzinti (from Larry Niven's race of aliens that appeared in the animated series episode "The Slaver Weapon") with Tsankth, after a race from the RuneQuest and HeroQuest RPGs. Wolfe also said he did not picture them as cats like the Kzinti, but as being like the Hakazit from Jack L. Chalker's Well of Souls novels. He saw the Tzenkethi as being "heavily-armored lizard things". [1]

But because they were never described on screen, even this could be changed. (I would prefer that they were tbh or they would be a little to much like the Gorn.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Ah! Thanks for clarifying. I sometimes forget that Memory Alpha is out there and available to clear up my own fogging memory.

 

[The Wormhole]

Well, certainly the Tzenkethi as depicted in the novels are not lizard-people.

 

[M-Red]

Please, no more time travel for awhile in the films.


This isn't Back to the Future or Bill & Ted's. Explore space. There's a lot of it. Enough with the time travel.

 

[JoeZhang]

I'd prefer a completely new race than a rehash of an old one.

 

[eyeresist]

Love to see the Tholians on the big screen- not just one in captivity but cities of them. The asteroid base we saw in Enterprise looked far too conventional, if you go by their ship design and physiology you could have some really interesting designs...

Although not stated, I had the feeling the Tholians had captured that base from someone else. I agree there is a lot of scope for some great designs, although given their physiology Kirk will never confront a Tholian face-to-face.

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

Ah! Thanks for clarifying. I sometimes forget that Memory Alpha is out there and available to clear up my own fogging memory.

YW. And in case you wondered, I was only attempting to add extra information to the mix rather than correct you or anything.

Well, certainly the Tzenkethi as depicted in the novels are not lizard-people.

I haven't actually read any Trek novels since my teens so I never came across the Tzenkethi aside from their mention in DS9 (are they cats in those?).

Please, no more time travel for awhile in the films.


This isn't Back to the Future or Bill & Ted's. Explore space. There's a lot of it. Enough with the time travel.

I agree. I like time travel in Trek, but only when used sparingly. Classic movies did it once, TNG movies did it once (not counting the nexus, as at least that was different) and the JJ movies started with it. Should definitely be rested a while longer.

That being said, I wouldn't mind them using an unusually warped region of space for time distortions or something of the like... but not really relevant to the thread.

I'd prefer a completely new race than a rehash of an old one.

Me too. My thinking was that they could decide the Tzenkethi were anything they wanted (i.e. almost entirely new) at the same time as giving a nod to established Trek.

However, going by The Wormhole's information I now think it would be a shame to undo the work of writers that have included then in their novels.

 

[The Wormhole]

Well, certainly the Tzenkethi as depicted in the novels are not lizard-people.

I haven't actually read any Trek novels since my teens so I never came across the Tzenkethi aside from their mention in DS9 (are they cats in those?).

No, they're not cats. Here's info on what the novels have done with the Tzenkethi.

 

[Richard Baker]

Love to see the Tholians on the big screen- not just one in captivity but cities of them. The asteroid base we saw in Enterprise looked far too conventional, if you go by their ship design and physiology you could have some really interesting designs...

Although not stated, I had the feeling the Tholians had captured that base from someone else. I agree there is a lot of scope for some great designs, although given their physiology Kirk will never confront a Tholian face-to-face.

Kirk never met face to face the Romulan Commander in 'Balance of Terror' or Khan in TWoK so you could have a great confrontation/resolution without being in the same room.

Not only do the Tholians have a bizarre physiology, but they are also interesting as a people- very territorial, technologically advanced, methodical and willing to give an enemy a chance if they are honorable.

I just hope it is a good alien race they depict, not an interchangeable villain with tattoos or facial makeup.

 

[Cyke101]

Love to see the Tholians on the big screen- not just one in captivity but cities of them. The asteroid base we saw in Enterprise looked far too conventional, if you go by their ship design and physiology you could have some really interesting designs...

Although not stated, I had the feeling the Tholians had captured that base from someone else. I agree there is a lot of scope for some great designs, although given their physiology Kirk will never confront a Tholian face-to-face.

Kirk never met face to face the Romulan Commander in 'Balance of Terror' or Khan in TWoK so you could have a great confrontation/resolution without being in the same room.

Not only do the Tholians have a bizarre physiology, but they are also interesting as a people- very territorial, technologically advanced, methodical and willing to give an enemy a chance if they are honorable.

I just hope it is a good alien race they depict, not an interchangeable villain with tattoos or facial makeup.

Or they could take it to one extreme and get Andy Serkis to play someone with so much mocap and CGI that he'd be totally unrecognizable. Let the imagination run wild.

 

[eyeresist]

I am picturing a very tall alien with crazy legs.

 

[Lance]

Of course, movies which focus on a new alien species don't typically do well at the box office. The only such movies, Insurrection and Nemesis are the franchise's low point for box office results.

While I understand what you mean, it is this kind of thinking that stiffles creativity. Of course, it's hard for movie makers to argue when ''the suits'' tell them they want some old thing because new things scare the audience away. Which explains why creativity is in such short supply in Hollywood.

In cases like this the half/half approach is often taken: something old and something new. So, you have the Klingons being all Klingon-y, but then they all get ass-whipped by the brand new Grendolians (or whatever).

 

[eyeresist]

I can think of a few movies with new aliens that did well - Star Wars, Alien(s), ET, Starship Troopers, and Avatar.

 

[Cyke101]

I can think of a few movies with new aliens that did well - Star Wars, Alien(s), ET, Starship Troopers, and Avatar.

Well, new to their respective universes.

Though I still agree that new aliens in Trek does not mean instant box office bomb. I'd love to see what's out there. Having the same races over and over again in the great unknown sort of defeats the purpose of exploration-based storytelling.

 

[eyeresist]

^ Further to that, I don't think the poor box office of INS and NEM was at all due to the audience saying "New alien species ohnoes!" There were ... other factors involved.

 

[Cyke101]

^ Further to that, I don't think the poor box office of INS and NEM was at all due to the audience saying "New alien species ohnoes!" There were ... other factors involved.

Agreed very much. Probably the most criminal was that these new alien species had the same motives as other aliens of the week. Conquer, subjugate, destroy, etc. And then good new aliens we saw -- were human in every physical way!

 

[Richard Baker]

It would be great to find a totally alien race with an unfathomable motivation- finding some common ground for communication and understanding being the biggest problem.

No super ships or psychotic mad men...

 

[Franklin]

It would be great to find a totally alien race with an unfathomable motivation- finding some common ground for communication and understanding being the biggest problem.

No super ships or psychotic mad men...

Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.

Shaka, when the walls fell.

Temba, his arms wide open.