Unfortunately, the Berman era sold that quite hard and now it is a myth that continues on.
Spoilers Lower Decks General Discussion Thread
- Thread starter mdtauk
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So on the "it's always been a total mess" side we have:
Warp speeds, which had different scales and evolved with technology
distances, which the writers got confused about cause they didn't think they'd have to check every previous distance mentioned
stardates, which could have simply changed along with galactic distances, communication, and new cultures joining the Federation
AI, which can simply exist in many different forms
Klingons, whose genetic problems were explained in dedicated episodes
Trill, who are a strong example for messy continuity
cloaking devices, which also evolved with detection technology
Q, who can simply have similar counterparts like Trelane, just like there are also multiple shapeshifting species
prime directive, which evolved over time and depended on each Captain's interpretation weighing the whole situation
money, which is the second good example for messy continuity.
On the "continuity depends on canon and has been pretty good in TNG-VOY" side, we have:
Vulcans and Romulans always had single-pointed ears and green blood, Klingons always were fierce warriors, Romulans always were related to Vulcans, the Borg always had implants and cables, the Enterprise 1701 pre-refit had the same look inside and out, 2260s equipment and uniforms kept the same designs, warp speeds had the same scale, people's names were consistent, LCARS looked consistent, sounds were consistent, the Ferengi always had round big ears, Romulan ships were green and bird-like, Klingon ships were green, Borg ships had geometric shapes and no outer hulls, the Borg were a collective, deck numbers stayed the same until Nemesis, the galactic map stayed consistent with the quadrants and where the galactic powers had their regions, past events were referenced consistently, weapons had consistent looks and sounds, uniforms followed consistent patterns,...
Now imagine all of these examples hadn't been consistent. Then it would be a real mess. Would you still enjoy it as much?
Yes.
Vulcanian is just another term for a Vulcan. See: Errand of Mercy, where Spock is referred to as both a Vulcan and Vulcanian at various points.
If it wasn't for Spock referring to himself as "half-Vulcanian" (and Mudd calling him "part Vulcanian"), I would speculate that Vulcanians were just the residents of the planet Vulcan/Vulcanis, a majority of which are of the Vulcan species (but not all).
Vulcan, Vulcanian, Minsharan, Surakian, it's all just human names for an alien species that appears to refer to themselves as "V'tosh".
See, for me, it is all about the story and how the characters participate in the story. If it was more of an anthology then each story can be treated as its own world with infinite possibilities. Both approaches can be very entertaining.
Vulcanian from the country of Vulcanis on the planet Vulcan.
Maybe Vulcanians are the white (pale green) guys, and something like Vulcanios are the black guys. Spock's color is a little off, so Mudd assumed he was only part Vulcanian (not realizing he was in fact an alien hybrid), and Spock identified as half-Vulcanian, because his father was Vulcanian and his mother was an alien (Human).
Or maybe they call themselves "Ka'Tur"?
It's fiction. A constantly evolving fiction. Continuity is created out-universe.
I know. I just don't see the conflict between the two terms.
They aren't the same word. Which pretty much what continuity conflicts are about. Episode X said this, but Episode Y said this.
Humans are called Terrans and Humans and Earthlings and Earthers. Those aren't continuity mistakes.
They aren't unique to Star Trek and are words that exist in the real world.
They aren't the same word, but their meanings don't conflict. At least in the way the two are used in Star Trek.
The conflict comes from using two words for one alien species. Yes, I know but Star trek fandom is very ridged.
They can be rigid, I'm not overly concerned.
The Norman co-ordinate moments are many.
Hmm. Very good point. Don’t forget Hew-MONS.
They're synonyms. Synonyms exist in every Star Trek series, even if you discount my Human/Terran/Earthling/Earther example (and I checked to make sure those terms were used onscreen).
Star Trek fandom isn't that rigid that they can't except something as fundamental as this.
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