It was totally emasculating. But now that I know they're your own detailed action figures and you pose them for photos, well that's a horse of a different color. Now it's awesome!
It's an auteur picture.
Rand as First Officer, Spock as (only a) Science Officer?
- Thread starter Laura Cynthia Chambers
- Start date
It was totally emasculating. But now that I know they're your own detailed action figures and you pose them for photos, well that's a horse of a different color. Now it's awesome!
It's an auteur picture.
Only Rand is a custom, the others are QMX. Looks like I might need to get custom Chapel, Decker, and Ilia made too sadly. Still hoping for Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura.It was totally emasculating. But now that I know they're your own detailed action figures and you pose them for photos, well that's a horse of a different color. Now it's awesome!
Actually the reason for Kirk and Spock to exist is to be the protagonists of the show, not the heroes. A person does not have to be heroic or a hero to be a protagonist.
Furthermore, Kirk and Spock were leaders. And they have often been criticized as leaders for taking too many unnecessary risks in dangerous situations. Real life leaders of many types have often been criticized for taking too many unnecessary risks.
On August 3, 1804 Lieutenant Stephen Decatur lead a boarding party to capture a Tripolitan gunboat. While Decatur fought with the Tripolitan commander, another Tripolitan sailor swung his saber at Decatur. According to the story, an American sailor, Reuben James (c. 1776-1838) saw it and quickly used his head - to intercept the blow of the saber, thus saving Decatur.
Clearly Reuben James in that battle behaved more heroically than Decatur, but Decatur lead the boarding party and fought the Tripolitan commander of the gunboat and was not exactly a slouch in the heroism department. I don't think that Decatur was ever criticized for the fact that one of his sailors was even more heroic in that battle than he was.
The higher up in the ranks a leader in a conflict is, the less their role is to personally be in combat, and to heroically risk their life, and the more it is to command and make decisions.
Kirk and Spock can let subordinates be more heroic than they are without losing the respect of sensible members of the audience - who of course might possibly be a small minority of the audience.
I think you're conflating real-life military heroism with the dramatic rules of a 1960s one-hour, episodic, action-adventure show. It's not real life, and it's not supposed to be gritty naturalism in a season-long story arc. If Kirk and Spock were not the heroes, they'd have no business in the top billing slots. 
But that's about the show. Now that the icon photo has taken on its own identity as a celebration of action figures, I think it's terrific.
But that's about the show. Now that the icon photo has taken on its own identity as a celebration of action figures, I think it's terrific.
Yes its not just paperwork though.
Who organises landing parties? What if someone is sick and need a replacement?. Who organises supplies, leave, training, crew replacements? Sure the leading officers should have the final word if necessary but I think thats why Kirk's signing lot of padds saying its OK for crewman Collins to move in with Jenkins, to get extra coffee at Starbase 17 etc.
I like to think the Yeoman role was someone to officially record and memorialise important first contacts (actually any contacts), and help the captain, get any report, personnel, equipment he/she needs while busy negotiating with new alien races or organising a planetary inspection.
In my brief association with the Army the officers gave the orders and it was up to the Sergeants and Corporals to organise transport, sleeping quarters, equipment.
More to point, Shatner and Nimoy fought hard to make sure they got to do more heroics than anyone else, to the point where, allegedly, they poached lines written for other characters. I have mixed feelings about that.I think you're conflating real-life military heroism with the dramatic rules of a 1960s one-hour, episodic, action-adventure show. It's not real life, and it's not supposed to be gritty naturalism in a season-long story arc. If Kirk and Spock were not the heroes, they'd have no business in the top billing slots.
But that's about the show. Now that the icon photo has taken on its own identity as a celebration of action figures, I think it's terrific.
In the Gamesters of Triskeleon we only see Kirk's efforts to plot an escape, although it's implied that the others are working their noggins too. One scene each for Uhura and Chekov showing them doing some investigation would have been cool, although Chekov does at least get a comedic scene where some of that happens so it's Uhura who loses out I guess. I also get frustrated with Chapel not pressing Korby or doing any investigation of her own, Rand not trying to engage the feral children in Miri, and even how she hardens her tone so quickly with Charlie (probably still feeling vulnerable after evil Kirk) instead of using psychology to stall him.
Focusing on the heroes is fine but I think sometimes the actors and writers indulged themselves too much.
As far as the figures go, the final line up will probably look like the promo shots from TMP, preferably with a helm, chair, and rear gantry with science station, so Rand will end up at the back, but it's an expensive proposition so probably 5 years down the line before completion, depending on whether Qmx fulfills its pledge to complete the TOS crew. I ordered Sulu in March but now have to wait until December and the Trek fan who was in charge of development has stepped away, so it's shaken my faith that they might follow through with the junior crew, but hopefully should be fine. Nanjin Tam was a fan of Chapel and was hoping to do a limited run of her for hardcore fans but without him I would guess the chances of her have dropped to zero :-(
This is a CPO: Henry Kulky as Chief Petty Officer "Curly" Jones from season 1 of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
It made her well-rounded and Human. Although maybe not the best time to admit it.
Sort of the official records keeper of the mission. Ideally, if there was any fighting/significant historical/scientific moments, the records keeper would survive and give an accurate recounting of what happened, plus collect the statements of other survivors/witnesses.
Wait wouldn’t that be Ben finneys job?
He keeps the files organized and archived. They make the recordings. He's like the archivist/head librarian, whereas they're the admin assistants.
Its the 23rd century why not give the line to one of the males?
That would have been my observation. I don't mind Uhura being afraid, albeit she seems scared quite a lot through the series, but I thought it was interesting to compare Rand's role taking command of a security team in the first draft to a scared yeoman in the second and a scared Uhura in the third, I just find that the evolution of the only woman in the landing party from action heroine to damsel in distress says quite a lot about the mindset of the writers at this point.
It is a shame that all of Rand's action scenes were whittled away though. The potential of the character was never close to being realised.
Did Rand ever get a novel centered around her? I would like to see a novel where a yeoman has the starring role.
She certainly has enough personality to be a major player in a story. I think she appeared as the focus in a couple of comics but I don't think in a novel. Memory Beta probably has the answer. I think she most often just gets cameos when she appears at all.
I tried to use her as a focal character in my YouTube comic crossover stories, but more as part of the ensemble. The basic premise started out as her having dreams about her dead daughter (background cribbed from the novel the Captain's Daughter) turning out to be an alien trying to communicate. It devolved into a massive crossover horror show, including the resurrection of Decker and Ilia. Bonkers.
I found her incredibly easy to write for if I took her personality from the Man Trap and Charlie X as a starting point: funny, sarcastic, and mischievous with the junior crew and slavishly professional with the senior crew. She's the Everyman; not particularly smart but smart enough to point out when others are wrong; the person to whom others can explain plot points.
I will try not to use her as much in the final story as I want the focus to be on the Troika but I'll probably have have her quip in with something witty to save the day at some point.
Similar threads
