Two words: Borg. Trill.
What's the worst non-canon decision in the history of Trek?
- Thread starter F. King Daniel
- Start date
Two words: Borg. Trill.
Okay, granted- the look of both species developed. The latter for purely non-technical, aesthetic reasons. But I'm still going to stick with 'the exceptions that prove the rule.' They do stand out as having undergone alteration- but largely in contrast to the many other species, ships, etc. that did not. And even in the case of the Borg, the makeup underwent refinement and improvement, a design evolution- not a total redesign from scratch.
So, while I concede that this is not a 'no exceptions' rule, it is also not an 'everything is an exception, changing everything is fair game' standard in the way the prequel series treat it.
I do recall noticing that Picard wore the modern Borg gear in the First Contact flashbacks.
It wasn't just the look of the Borg that changed. The Borg in "Q Who" had no interest in assimilating people, just technology, because they reproduced on their own. Funny that Q had no idea, when he was blowing Picard's mind with this far distant threat that humanity wasn't ready for, that the Hansen family had already met them, and so had the crew of Archer's Enterprise. You can argue that we just learned more about the Borg over the years, but in the beginning they didn't need a speaker, they didn't need a queen, they only assimilated technology. Every major Borg story was a retcon of everything that came before, not just a bit of new information.
As for the Trill... they were originally very secretive and wouldn't use transporters. And yet I never got the impression from the DS9 stories about Dax's previous hosts that the existence of the symbionts had been a big secret. They didn't just look different, their history changed.
If all I wanted to talk about was changes in makeup in pre-2009 or pre-2017 Trek, I'd just mention the Andorians, who looked different every time they appeared until Enterprise settled on a consistent look. And the Klingons. The 1979 TMP Klingons are noticeably different from the 1989 Final Frontier Klingons. Heck, Worf's look changed in the second season of TNG.
As for the Trill... they were originally very secretive and wouldn't use transporters. And yet I never got the impression from the DS9 stories about Dax's previous hosts that the existence of the symbionts had been a big secret. They didn't just look different, their history changed.
If all I wanted to talk about was changes in makeup in pre-2009 or pre-2017 Trek, I'd just mention the Andorians, who looked different every time they appeared until Enterprise settled on a consistent look. And the Klingons. The 1979 TMP Klingons are noticeably different from the 1989 Final Frontier Klingons. Heck, Worf's look changed in the second season of TNG.
Yep. They also based it on the (IMO more compelling) Part I make-up, rather than the Part II version with the larger facial implant that goes all the way around his eye. And, on the topic, we did see Picard getting even more assimilated in Part II, so that's a case where there was a story reason given for a changed appearance.
I do wish the more modern productions had stuck with the FC-style being a retcon and not an in-universe change, showing FC-Locutus and an FC-ized file photo of Hugh in PIC, but apparently we've reached the point where TPTB and production designers are no longer nostalgic for TOS visually, are barely nostalgic for the style of the TOS movies, are firmly nostalgic for TNG's look, and are not yet nostalgic for the TNG movies, DS9, and VGR production design.
Again, granted that both Borg and Trill underwent a change from their first appearance to their subsequent 'normal'. The Cardassians lost those weird little beards and helmets, too. That's very different from completely remaking a well-established species or entity.
Likewise, I include Archer's encounters on the 'problem' side of the divide, not the 15 years of continuity I cited; I was just as vociferous when those episodes were coming out. :-)
As regards Klingons and Andorians, sure; there was incremental change in seasons or for new individuals (Chang looked different from the norm, for instance). That doesn't mean a complete reinvention of the species, however. That Worf's makeup style underwent revision between seasons of TNG, for instance, doesn't mean it ever left the Klingons 'family' or general look; it is apples and oranges, to, say, redesigning the TOS Enterprise exteriors, interiors, and technology.
There are developments between seasons- makeups shift, sets are embellished and redesigned. In Darwinian terms, this is micro-evolution; the altering of traits within a species. :-) I talking macro-evolurion, the complete change from one species to another. :-). In short, I would suggest it's disingenuous to compare the redesign of the observation lounge from.seasons 1 to 2, or the shift in Klingon makeup, or even new species who changed from their first appearance (but remained consistent after that) with the alteration of long-established, repeatedly-reinfiorced and 'settled' visual or factual continuity.
Likewise, I include Archer's encounters on the 'problem' side of the divide, not the 15 years of continuity I cited; I was just as vociferous when those episodes were coming out. :-)
As regards Klingons and Andorians, sure; there was incremental change in seasons or for new individuals (Chang looked different from the norm, for instance). That doesn't mean a complete reinvention of the species, however. That Worf's makeup style underwent revision between seasons of TNG, for instance, doesn't mean it ever left the Klingons 'family' or general look; it is apples and oranges, to, say, redesigning the TOS Enterprise exteriors, interiors, and technology.
There are developments between seasons- makeups shift, sets are embellished and redesigned. In Darwinian terms, this is micro-evolution; the altering of traits within a species. :-) I talking macro-evolurion, the complete change from one species to another. :-). In short, I would suggest it's disingenuous to compare the redesign of the observation lounge from.seasons 1 to 2, or the shift in Klingon makeup, or even new species who changed from their first appearance (but remained consistent after that) with the alteration of long-established, repeatedly-reinfiorced and 'settled' visual or factual continuity.
The Borg were inconsistent for many years. Most of the new developments contradicted what we knew rather than adding to it.
I think the Andorian appearances in TOS were pretty consistent with each other. It was the Tellarite makeup where the eyes or hands were different every time. TAS Andorian design was consistent too aside from skin color.
And of course, the "consistent" look didn't outlast ENT, since the modern shows have used a different design.
The TMP Klingons are unlike any subsequent design. ST III's Burman Studio introduced the idea of individualized bony forehead plates, which was adopted in distinct ways by Michael Westmore for the shows (adding a ridged nose and abandoning gender dimorphism after a failed attempt in "Hide and Q") and Richard Snell for ST 4-6 (using thinner forehead plates and keeping the understated female ridges).
Not to mention that TOS season 2 Klingons lacked the green-brown pancake makeup and bifurcated eyebrows used in seasons 1 & 3, so even that was a difference.
They pretty much retconed the Borg into always looking like did in First Contact, pretty much every time we saw the Borg after FC, including flashbacks, they were always FC style Borg.
Are you mad that they changed thing at all, or is it just that you think went to far with the way they changed things?
Because there was absolutely no way they were going to make a big budge, modern streaming series that looked like it was made in the '60s. And anybody who honestly thought that was a possibility was clearly blinded by nostalgia and wasn't really thinking about they were going to approch shows like Strange New Worlds or Discovery. Now, I can see where the argument could be made that they never should have made this shows in the first place so this wouldn't be an issue, but once we knew they were it was obvious this was going to happen.
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