Does anyone think Una's true Illyrian/alien appearance will be shown in season 2?

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' started by Kristine, Jan 23, 2023.

  1. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Yes, that's pretty much the assumption expressed by the writers behind the scenes -- the Illyrians engineer themselves to fit the different environments they colonize, so they take a variety of appearances. (Which would've been a great explanation for the Klingons, come to think of it.)
     
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  2. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Who knows? She might actually BE human. Illyria could be a colony of Earth...
     
  3. drt

    drt Commodore Commodore

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    That was the (perhaps mistaken) assumption I was operating under, probably from dim novelverse memories, but I had forgotten the guys from Enterprise were also supposed to be Illyrians.
     
  4. RuleofAcuisition17

    RuleofAcuisition17 Commander Red Shirt

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    Yup. This fandom really does struggle with the concept of the Retcon.

    Has Una really not acted human at any point during her tenure on Pike's ship? No. Does this somehow invalidate her being Illyrian in The Cage/The Menagerie? Also no. To all intents and purposes she has been largely modified to a Human environment aside from her She-Hulk Strength and hilariously bizarre exploding "Immune System."

    That's all it is to make Una more than another pure human on the bridge, it gives her character a bit of dramatic depth and is "something different" to show on screen than "Hey, Look at the spaceship! It's first officer's got boobs!" which is basically all her original casting boiled down to.

    Like what titivated a TV audience in 1966 isn't going to do the same in 2022/23. In '66 it was a grand novelty and Gene's bold vision of a future, which he proceeded to double down on with Nichelle Nichols' casting.

    In 2023 it's almost madatory. It's expected from audiences that we will have some sort of decent female character who will have some depth to her. It also provides a nice contrast of an Alien smoothly fitting in with humanity versus Spock who is struggling with his duel identity. Difference is due to her nature it becomes a different set of questions and challenges.
     
  5. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    The viewer graphic of Illyrian genetic modifications suggests that the default Illyrian appearance is humanlike, as with many Trek aliens, particularly in TOS. There is no reason to assume that Una's natural appearance is anything other than what we see. Any genetic modifications she made to fool sensors are probably internal.
     
  6. fireproof78

    fireproof78 Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    That was more due to study demands for diversity. Number One was actually to be axed due to being Gene's girlfriend and the studios didn't like that aspect.
     
  7. RuleofAcuisition17

    RuleofAcuisition17 Commander Red Shirt

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    Test Audiences also utterly hated her, both male and female due to being "annoying" and "too pushy" as well as trying to fit in with the men too much.

    The Majel Barrett quote on this is also hilarious:

    "[Gene] kept the Vulcan and married the woman, 'cause he didn't think Leonard would have it the other way around."

    I also think she didn't really come into her own until she was just allowed to mess around a bit as Luxana Troi.
     
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  8. Pubert

    Pubert Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Too bad she couldn't use her super strength to get out of that cage.
     
  9. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    If the Talosian cells were strong enough to hold this guy, they were probably strong enough to hold Una. She's Illyrian, not Kryptonian.
     
  10. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

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    Did they? Or is that another Star Trek tall tale?
     
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  11. RuleofAcuisition17

    RuleofAcuisition17 Commander Red Shirt

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    Apparently backed up by Barrett and Shatner.
     
  12. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

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    So a tall tale then.
     
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  13. Greg Cox

    Greg Cox Admiral Premium Member

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    Except Shatner presumably got this information second-hand since he wasn't even attached to Star Trek at that point. So at best he's reporting something he heard from somebody else.
     
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  14. Noname Given

    Noname Given Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    My mother was someone who saw the original Star Trek pilot ( my parents often went to network test screenings as a date night). She told me that she too didn't like the number one female character; but it wasn't because she felt she was too bossy, she didn't like the idea of normalizing showing women in the military because she didn't want to see her daughter get drafted. So yes she also added a negative comment about the number one character for that reason.

    She also told me they both laughed when the Spock character appeared on screen. They thought the actor looked ridiculous and both the eyebrows the ears were just too much.
     
  15. Serveaux

    Serveaux Fleet Admiral Premium Member

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    Yeah, it's pretty much a face-saving kind of tale. After viewing and rejecting "The Cage," the NBC executives sent Solow and Roddenberry a memo that was explicit about their problems with the cast:

    Roddenberry's boss at the time, Herb Solow, remembered that executives at NBC had not been happy with the casting from the outset:

     
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  16. TerryTrek

    TerryTrek Captain Captain

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    I would love it if Una naturally looked like this species from Enterprise or even stranger, and perhaps her true form will be revealed in S2. It's just a very classic TOS concept for the beautiful human woman to actually have this very alien form.

    [​IMG]

    It would be awesome if the Illyrians were actually non-humanoid creatures, and they genetically-modify themselves to pass as humanoid. It would bring up some interesting discussion about how we perceive and value sentient species. Do we only empathize with those that look human?

    What if Una's natural form actually looked like this?

    [​IMG]

    Here are some quotes from the SNW writer;

    “Una is not human,” Bill Wolkoff tells Inverse. “She just looks human. Illyrians are an alien species. In Una’s case, she’s an Illyrian who passes as a human... She’s forced to hide that part of her identity, a part of herself.”
    what’s the deal? Are the Illyrians in Enterprise — the people with bumpy foreheads — the same Illyrians from Strange New Worlds? The short answer is yes. Here’s how Wolkoff says it all works:
    “I think that’s consistent with what happened in the episode. There is another scene where Una researched potential Illyrian modifications, and on the viewscreen we caught a glimpse of what some of those look like. I saw one Illyrian with webbed hands and feet, another with spiky eyebrows… I’d certainly believe Illyrians could have bumpy foreheads too! And if Una had researched long enough, she might have found a file on those Illyrians.”
     
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  17. Unimatrix Q

    Unimatrix Q Commodore Commodore

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    Think it's very likely (and what i hope) that Una gets pardoned after her trial and stays on the Enterprise as Pike's Number One.

    After her service on the 1701, i would have her founding together with some other likeminded Illyrians and Humans the New Human Movement, finally making this concept from TMP canon and retconning it to a group fighting for the rights of genetically engineered people and advancing transhumanism on Earth.
     
    Last edited: Mar 10, 2023
  18. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Oy. I could totally do without the New Humans turning up. :eek: :lol: