Onscreen evidence M'Ress is an alien?

[Maurice]

If this hasn't been mentioned before, Lincoln Enterprises sold a biography of M'ress, apparently from 1974, which is duplicated HERE.

And, seriously, what else would she be than an alien? Which is more plausible given the show in question, that she's an alien, like the many aliens the show depicts, or that she's this one-off uplifted cat species from Earth, which seems like something Gene woulda nixed?

 

[Nerys Myk]

Is there a particular reason she shouldn't be an alien?

 

[BeatleJWOL]

Welp, I guess we'll never know, time to close the thread, thanks for coming everyone.

=^_^=

 

[The Old Mixer]

Arex and M'Ress weren't really there at all, the crew was tripping on acid.

 

[Captain Rob]

If M'Ress was an uplifted humanoid cat then every time she sat down in her chair at the helm. She'd curl up and go to sleep.

Arex could possibly be Human. Maybe he had a really, really bad experience with a transporter.

Nope, they are both aliens.

 

[Therin of Andor]

There was a TAS Writers' Bible, essentially an update of the TOS bible that included brief biographies of Arex and M'Ress. There was also a hand-drawn map showing the location of her home planet, Cait, in the constellation of Lynx, and its location from Earth.

It seems, at the beginning, there was an intention to feature M'Ress more fully in an episode. If you look at the original production codes for TAS, it seems one code was assigned to an episode that never went to full script. (It might have even had the onscreen evidence the OP requires to believe that M'Ress was an alien.)

In interviews, DC Fontana discussed how animation permitted the addition of new bridge aliens more complicated than physical makeup would allow.

 

[hux]

I think it's clear she's meant to be an alien but when you have giant cat walking around from planet Ca(i)t, it is kinda flimsy stuff. She might as well be from planet Pussy.

 

[SonicRanger]

I don't see why people are having such a hard time entertaining this question.

If something looks like a cat, purrs like a cat, and has a tail like a cat, it's probably a cat.

Part of my point is that there's nothing onscreen that prohibits a history like that of Rocket Raccoon or a cat who went all Warp-10-hyper-evolved or the member of an Earth cat herd saved by the Preservers.

 

[Dukhat]

If something looks like a cat, purrs like a cat, and has a tail like a cat, it's probably a cat.

No one is arguing that she isn't a cat. She's a cat just like Kirk is an ape, and Jem'Hadar are lizards. The argument is that if she's an alien or not. You're the one postulating that she's some kind of genetic experiment/freak/evolved Earth feline. I've stated that if she was such, then the show would have gone out of its way to mention it, like, you know, have an episode devoted to her origins or something. Because what would be the point of having a character who is a genetic experiment/freak/evolved Earth feline without explaining why? But they didn't, because its obvious (to me, anyway) that she's just meant to be an alien, right alongside another alien (Arex).

 

[hux]

If something looks like a cat, purrs like a cat, and has a tail like a cat, it's probably a cat.

Or a very badly conceived alien.

The Xindi were bird-like, ape-like, insect-like. It's not the first time Trek has used this kind of short cut to create an alien appearance. A cat is a little close to home so your question is worth exploring but in truth, I think they're just badly thought out aliens.

 

[Gov Kodos]

If something looks like a cat, purrs like a cat, and has a tail like a cat, it's probably a cat.

No one is arguing that she isn't a cat. She's a cat just like Kirk is an ape, and Jem'Hadar are lizards. The argument is that if she's an alien or not. You're the one postulating that she's some kind of genetic experiment/freak/evolved Earth feline. I've stated that if she was such, then the show would have gone out of its way to mention it, like, you know, have an episode devoted to her origins or something. Because what would be the point of having a character who is a genetic experiment/freak/evolved Earth feline without explaining why? But they didn't, because its obvious (to me, anyway) that she's just meant to be an alien, right alongside another alien (Arex).

Quite so. Nothing has been shown in TOS or TAS that such genetically modified Earth species exist. Moreover, with DS9 we get Earth's laws against genetic modification in the wake of folks like Kahn. It's unlikely she is anything but an alien.

 

[SonicRanger]

If something looks like a cat, purrs like a cat, and has a tail like a cat, it's probably a cat.

No one is arguing that she isn't a cat. She's a cat just like Kirk is an ape, and Jem'Hadar are lizards. The argument is that if she's an alien or not. You're the one postulating that she's some kind of genetic experiment/freak/evolved Earth feline. I've stated that if she was such, then the show would have gone out of its way to mention it, like, you know, have an episode devoted to her origins or something. Because what would be the point of having a character who is a genetic experiment/freak/evolved Earth feline without explaining why? But they didn't, because its obvious (to me, anyway) that she's just meant to be an alien, right alongside another alien (Arex).

That's not really the strongest evidence. To another viewer, it could be so obvious that she's a genetically engineered cat (or whatever) that, if she were really an alien, they'd have mentioned her planet name, her species name, and so forth.

Nothing has been shown in TOS or TAS that such genetically modified Earth species exist. Moreover, with DS9 we get Earth's laws against genetic modification in the wake of folks like Kahn. It's unlikely she is anything but an alien.

Have we forgotten that TAS gave us "The Infinite Vulcan" and all sort of genetic engineering craziness?

If something looks like a cat, purrs like a cat, and has a tail like a cat, it's probably a cat.

Or a very badly conceived alien.

The Xindi were bird-like, ape-like, insect-like. It's not the first time Trek has used this kind of short cut to create an alien appearance. A cat is a little close to home so your question is worth exploring but in truth, I think they're just badly thought out aliens.

Well, I don't really doubt that was the original intent.

But as we've long discussed on these board, intent doesn't always count for much.

 

[Poltargyst]

She was obviously intended to be an alien, like Arex, so she's an alien.

Of course

 

[Poltargyst]

http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Caitian

Oh, gee, thanks. A link to Memory Alpha that cites off-screen evidence.

She was obviously intended to be an alien, like Arex, so she's an alien.

Where?

I personally don't need to be spoon-fed the fact that she's an alien. If she was anything else, the show would have went out of its way to point that out. But because she's, well, a five-foot tall cat, it pretty much makes it clear she's an ET.

The fact that she's, well, a five-foot tall cat, raises the possibility that she's a cat.

Any evidence that the Gorn was an alien instead of a modified Earth lizard?

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

 

[Armored Saint]

We don't have any onscreen evidence that Kirk's mother wasn't a genetically engineered Tellarite.

M'Ress and Arex were there to show the Federation is more than "than a 'homo sapiens' only club", so redefining M'Ress as an Earther creature's really not a gain.

 

[Maurice]

Trekkies: Ignoring the Obvious Since 1966.

 

[USS Triumphant]

She's a cat just like Kirk is an ape, and Jem'Hadar are lizards.

Is there canonical evidence to support that Jem'Hadar are lizard-descended and not dinosaur-descended?

But they didn't, because its obvious (to me, anyway) that she's just meant to be an alien, right alongside another alien (Arex).

I agree that this was the intention - but if it wasn't stated in canon, that leaves room for us to play. And what is wrong with that?

the member of an Earth cat herd saved by the Preservers.

I find this theory very appealing, because it makes her the descendant of Earth cats without involving a violation of the Federation genetic engineering laws, or even without making M'Ress any *less* alien than, say, the Voth.

 

[Phantom]

Technical point: cats form prides, not herds...

 

[Therin of Andor]

if she were really an alien, they'd have mentioned her planet name, her species name, and so forth.

As I explained earlier, the TAS Writers' Bible spelt out several details on M'Ress's origins had a future script called for that information to become relevant.

You must have had awful troubles with the episode "The Slaver Weapon" (TAS) which was filled with felinoid aliens, the kzinti, on loan from from Larry Niven's Known Space novels. You wanna tell Niven they were "badly thought out aliens"?


Kzinti Chuft-Captain, M'Ress and Arex by Ian McLean, on Flickr
M'ress notices the Slaver Weapon has a watermelon setting.

Not to mention the wonderful felinoid aliens in Janet Kagan's Trek novel, "Uhura's Song".

But as we've long discussed on these board, intent doesn't always count for much.

Yeah, it stops you raising "canon" arguments.

 

[Redfern]

If a thread ever needed the diversion of funny cat pictures, I believe it's this one. And yet, it's still on topic.

credits

Aiko 3...DAZ.com
Body textures...Daio
Bump maps...Verge Visible
Face and body morphs...Beth Capsces
"Paw" morphs...JENelson (aka Achronicity)
Tail prop...Little Dragon
Uniform...Oshikai
Hut...Ptrope
M4 robot...Ptrope
Weather vane...Bluto
Dragon's Keep...AntFarm
Twister sky-dome...AntFarm
Tricorder...XCalPro
Phaser...MechMaster
Communicator...MattyManx/Sgreco
Mane...Mylochka

Sincerely,

Bill