• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Should the new Trek series depict radically different dietary habits?

Will humans renounce animal food sources and turn to veganism?

I think this is the kind of future Trek has portrayed in the past (more or less) and I'd like to see it continued. Granted, ENT portrays Starfleet personnel still eating meat. But there's an episode of TNG where Riker says humans no longer raise animals for food. Which means all their meat is created in replicators, so when they do eat meat they're not eating actual animals. I think given what Trek says about human progress and equality and whatnot, ending animal husbandry makes sense.

Personally I admire the Vulcan diet. Watching Star Trek, in particular T'Pol's eating habits on ENT, made me start to question my diet again, and now I'm eating vegan again. I still eat some foods with my hands though, lol.

EDIT: I also don't think Star Trek will ever portray humans subsisting on diet/nutrient pills alone. People don't eat just for sustenance. It's pleasurable, rooted in our cultures, and so on. Perhaps in real life we'll have something like that for deep space missions or something. But in the Trek future, I think we'll continue to see actual meals. ENT addressed this need to eat "real" food.
 
Lots of human cultures eat with their hands instead of utensils.

I thought it was really weird that the humans at the dinner table in TUC acted so disgusted at the way the Klingons ate.

Kor
 
That's why Star Trek reeks of manifest destiny.
Do you even......like Star Trek?

Also the Prime Directive is a pretty clear statement against ideas like manifest destiny. Sure they break the PD occasionally, but generally that's to save a life or something.
 
Did someone once state on TNG that the food on the Enterprise was made from poop?

Not in those exact words, of course. :shifty:

I don't care how scientifically plausible that is, it is (as the kids say) gross.

Food is a big part of human culture and it is never going to be replaced by a pill.

However, the are bound to the canon of Trek. What did the crew eat on the original Star Trek?
 
Lots of human cultures eat with their hands instead of utensils.

I thought it was really weird that the humans at the dinner table in TUC acted so disgusted at the way the Klingons ate.

Kor

The intent was to show the intolerance of the humans, despite the fact that they were evolved.

This is one of the best point of that film - the humans were filled with hate and disgust, but were able to overcome it.

This is on of the problems with TNG. They accepted everybody and were ridiculously open minded - this isn't human. Picard and crew were often like robots.

Discovery should have people behave like human beings as they do in the original and in DS9. Flawed, but able to work to get over it. I don't want them meeting new races and cultures and thinking "everything is awesome" - they should be flawed, horrified, disgusted and judgmental and make terrible mistakes - but be able to get better, learn to accept and understand.
 
Yet another attempt to portray Klingons as "uncivilized": TUC Dinner Scene (starts at 1m49s), which is what Roddenberry wanted, if you read the behind-the-scenes info for the film.

Wasn't that Nicholas Meyer though?

I read that there was major hassle between Roddenberry and Meyers because of Kirk's hatred of the Klingons (especially the "let them die" scene) and all the racism from the humans. There was arguments and heated meetings and in the end Roddenberry's objections were ignored.
 
Do you even......like Star Trek?

Also the Prime Directive is a pretty clear statement against ideas like manifest destiny. Sure they break the PD occasionally, but generally that's to save a life or something.

Do you ever read behind-the-scenes information for Star Trek?

Wasn't that Nicholas Meyer though?

I read that there was major hassle between Roddenberry and Meyers because of Kirk's hatred of the Klingons (especially the "let them die" scene) and all the racism from the humans. There was arguments and heated meetings and in the end Roddenberry's objections were ignored.

Memory Alpha: Depicting Klingons

Richard Arnold remembered, "Gene was really bothered by the Klingons in VI [....] [They] were, in his words, 'too civilized, too decent, too much of the good guys in the story.' [....]" (Star Trek Movie Memories, hardback ed., p. 289)​

From Star Trek Writers/Directors Guide (The Original Series):

Is the starship U.S.S. Enterprise a military vessel?

Yes, but only semi-military in practice -- omitting features which are heavily authoritarian. [. . .] We avoid [. . .] annoying medieval leftovers. . . .​

TOS Klingons were portrayed as wearing fine chainmail-like vests for males. Mara, a Klingon female, wore a chainmail-like dress.

Memory Alpha: Kurak


Kurak was played by Tricia O'Neil, who applied a pre-existing knowledge of Klingons while playing the role. She said about the character, "I knew the difficulty this particular Klingon was involved in because she was advancing. She had the great weight on her shoulders of being intelligent, of being a scientist, and she was crossing barriers. But she was still a Klingon, so she was very… not savage, but physical, where a lot of muscle was still involved, even though she was crossing over into being a scientist. . . ."

That's from an interview conducted by CBS on the official Star Trek website.

Memory Alpha: Bat'leth

Introduced in "Reunion", the bat'leth was originally inspired by comments from Worf actor Michael Dorn, as he wanted his character's fighting style to be more martial arts than barbarian. . . . (Star Trek: Communicator issue 114, p. 59)​

Looking at the actors' voiced thought processes, can you guess what "pre-existing knowledge of Klingons" was given to them as a background?
 
Last edited:
They got they're 'knowledge' in exactly same way as everyone here? Aka. They'd watched the Klingons prior appearances, and formed their own opinions?

And even assuming that quote from Roddenberry is true (which may not be the case - the provided link is not a direct quote, and Arnold's hearsay is infamously unreliable,) the Klingons were never Roddenberry's creation. Gene Coon was the one who came up with the concept, and wrote their first episode. Roddenberry has no greater insight into what they were 'meant to be' than any other subsequent Trek writer.
 
They got they're 'knowledge' in exactly same way as everyone here? Aka. They'd watched the Klingons prior appearances, and formed their own opinions?

Major-role actors are usually given detailed descriptions of characters and alien species they play along with dialogue lines, especially because they are not expected to be familiar with the franchise.

And even assuming that quote from Roddenberry is true (which may not be the case - the provided link is not a direct quote, and Arnold's hearsay is infamously unreliable,) the Klingons were never Roddenberry's creation. Gene Coon was the one who came up with the concept, and wrote their first episode. Roddenberry has no greater insight into what they were 'meant to be' than any other subsequent Trek writer.

While Gene Coon came up with the concept, it happened on Roddenberry's watch and with his subsequent approval. He had to have an insight. Reliability of Richard Arnold's recollections aside, the end result is that Klingons ended up being portrayed as "barbarians" and "savages" throughout Star Trek.

There's even an episode titled "The Savage Curtain", written by Gene Roddenberry himself. The episode introduces Kahless, a major historical Klingon figure, for the first time, as one of the representatives of "evil". Strangely, Roddenberry did not include Hitler as part of the side of evil, even though he started World War II, with his ideology being based on the hatred of humanity.

ENT: "Bounty"

SKALAAR: [. . .] I've learned never to cross a Klingon.
ARCHER: It must be difficult working for people like them.
SKALAAR: I don't answer to those savages. I work for myself.
ARCHER: That's not how it looks from in here.​

DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations"

WADDLE: [. . .] After six months, I was hoping the Klingons would invade. At least they know how to make coffee, even if they are foul-smelling barbarians. Sorry [meant for Worf].​

Memory Alpha: Depicting Klingons


Rick Stratton [. . .] admitted, "I wanted to get an extra day's pay, so I said, 'How about if we make some messed-up teeth for these guys?' It would save time staining their teeth and make them look like they had been chewing on bones or something, but it was all because I wanted another day's pay!" (Star Trek Magazine issue 172, p. 60)

[. . .]

Williams explained about herself and Bryant, "We even discussed, I think, 'What do Klingons brush their teeth with?' And I think Todd said, 'They don't brush their teeth.' That was brilliant!" ("That Klingon Couple", Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (Special Edition) DVD & Blu-ray)​
 
Major-role actors are usually given detailed descriptions of characters and alien species they play along with dialogue lines, especially because they are not expected to be familiar with the franchise.

You only listed one 'major' character: Worf.

Who, in universe and out, is not supposed to be an example of your average Klingon.

And wasn't Roddenberry's idea, didn't even exist until the last minute, was less intended to be a character and more 'standing set dressing', and only got an in-depth backstory once Denise Crosby shuffled off.

While Gene Coon came up with the concept, it happened on Roddenberry's watch and with his subsequent approval. He had to have an insight.

Oh yeah. 'Insight.'

Roddenberry: Kirk would never phaser a bug that's trying to eat people's brains!

*20 years earlier, under 'Roddenberry's watch'*

Kirk: Okay Scotty, these specific people are being arseholes. Time to photon the entire inhabited planet to space dust!


Reliability of Richard Arnold's recollections aside, the end result is that Klingons ended up being portrayed as "barbarians" and "savages" throughout Star Trek.

There's even an episode titled "The Savage Curtain", written by Gene Roddenberry himself. The episode introduces Kahless, a major historical Klingon figure, for the first time, as one of the representatives of "evil". Strangely, Roddenberry did not include Hitler as part of the side of evil, even though he started World War II, with his ideology being based on the hatred of humanity.

ENT: "Bounty"

SKALAAR: [. . .] I've learned never to cross a Klingon.
ARCHER: It must be difficult working for people like them.
SKALAAR: I don't answer to those savages. I work for myself.
ARCHER: That's not how it looks from in here.​

DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations"

WADDLE: [. . .] After six months, I was hoping the Klingons would invade. At least they know how to make coffee, even if they are foul-smelling barbarians. Sorry [meant for Worf].​

Memory Alpha: Depicting Klingons


Rick Stratton [. . .] admitted, "I wanted to get an extra day's pay, so I said, 'How about if we make some messed-up teeth for these guys?' It would save time staining their teeth and make them look like they had been chewing on bones or something, but it was all because I wanted another day's pay!" (Star Trek Magazine issue 172, p. 60)

[. . .]

Williams explained about herself and Bryant, "We even discussed, I think, 'What do Klingons brush their teeth with?' And I think Todd said, 'They don't brush their teeth.' That was brilliant!" ("That Klingon Couple", Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (Special Edition) DVD & Blu-ray)​

1. Oh noes, they didn't hàve Hitler with Kahless on the bad team! They only had his much more futuristic and effective counterpart from WW3. Must be some insidious reason for that on this...futuristic science fiction show.

Also: its a plot point that the characters don't act like they 'really' would. Isn't that right, Surak?

2. Harry's bartender friend, and Skalaar. Clearly characters we're meant to see as the height of nobility and model behaviour.

3. Bad dental hygiene, loud, with an irritating love for steak? Apparently you can find dozens of Klingons at the nearest pub on a Friday night.
 
Last edited:
Bundt cake. Just...bundt cake.

I have seen the criticism that humans in Star Trek are too much like contemporary people in behavior, preferences, and habits.

Food is a major aspect of the human condition that has been through significant changes and adaptations across both time and geography. Concepts of acceptable food and drink have varied greatly depending on scarcity or availability, cultural or religious mores, specialized cultivation and breeding, etc. For example, certain meat sources have grown or waned in popularity and acceptability or have even been considered taboo, and many varieties of vegetables have been developed, such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. all coming from brassica oleracea.

Food on Trek has run the gamut from colored synthesized food cubes to rather exotic alien foods, while Earth foods seems to have largely maintained a twentieth century Western-hemisphere paradigm. In DS9, Ferengi tube grubs are considered alien and repugnant, even though there are cultures on Earth in which similar things are eaten. In TUC, eating with your hands is considered backwards and barbaric, even though various cultures right here on Earth do that!

I think this is a golden opportunity for the new Trek series to depict an everyday aspect of human life as having changed drastically in the next few centuries, even to a point beyond what would be recognizable to a contemporary North American audience.

So what do you think? Will the current gourmet trend of molecular gastronomy become the norm for everyday meals? Will humans renounce animal food sources and turn to veganism? Will synthesized nutrient blocks or nutrient pills be the typical cuisine? Will humanity abandon the taboos that Trek’s target audience may hold dear, and frequently consume more exotic types of meats such as horse, monkey, cat and dog?

How would you like to see food depicted in the new Trek series?

Kor
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kor
It would be pretty dull to see the characters eat nothing but food cubes or discs or whatever the hell they call them. People used to think that's what the future would be like, but it won't be.

Whatever we see people eating on DSC, let them eat it because they like it, and not have to be subject to constant and strident lectures on how their food is "unhealthy" or "improperly sourced" or any of that crap. If they like vegetables, let them eat vegetables; they like meat, let them eat meat. Don't see any particular problem with this. :shrug:
 
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top