Arex = Kelvin Alien?

[Psion]

I'm getting tired of all the myriad aliens and hope that this represents an alien we've seen before with new makeup. It's bad enough that Humans, Vulcans, Romulans, and Klingons all developed intelligence and space travel at roughly the same time, but every show and movie has added more and more every release/season.

 

[iguana_tonante]

I'm getting tired of all the myriad aliens and hope that this represents an alien we've seen before with new makeup. It's bad enough that Humans, Vulcans, Romulans, and Klingons all developed intelligence and space travel at roughly the same time, but every show and movie has added more and more every release/season.

I agree to this. In my opinion, the Star Trek universe could use a pruning of its many alien races. Not strictly necessary, I agree, but I would like a little more order. I could see than many of the "forehead" aliens could just be human with slight different evolution, maybe disseminated in the galaxy by the Preservers (from TOS) or seeded by the First Humanoids (from TNG). And I would keep the label of "different races" for vastly different physiologies, like Vulcans (with Romulans and other Vulcanoid species), Klingons (with Kazon and others warlike culture), Andorians (with Bolians), etc. Differences could be explained by cultural or sub-racial characteristics (like skin tone or eyelid angle in humans). I could stand also a few gimmick races, like Gorn, Caitians, Edoans, but not too many of them.

 

[Haytil]

I agree to this. In my opinion, the Star Trek universe could use a pruning of its many alien races. Not strictly necessary, I agree, but I would like a little more order.

But then it wouldn't be "Star Trek" - it'd just be another sci-fi show. Part of the core of "Star Trek" is this idea that a bunch of races are coming together and sharing in the difficulties and struggles of exploring the unknown in space.

I could see than many of the "forehead" aliens could just be human with slight different evolution, maybe disseminated in the galaxy by the Preservers (from TOS) or seeded by the First Humanoids (from TNG).

That still doesn't solve the problem of a bunch of different aliens developing roughly equivalently-scaled technology in the same time-frame. Even if they were seeded and started at the same point, thousands of years ago (and you're talking about species that did their work millions and billions of years ago), their individual struggles as a race on their specific planet would mean their technological progression would diverge wildy.

And I would keep the label of "different races" for vastly different physiologies, like Vulcans (with Romulans and other Vulcanoid species), Klingons (with Kazon and others warlike culture), Andorians (with Bolians), etc. Differences could be explained by cultural or sub-racial characteristics (like skin tone or eyelid angle in humans). I could stand also a few gimmick races, like Gorn, Caitians, Edoans, but not too many of them.

Truly, how different is the physiology of humans and Vulcans/Romulans? Externally, they look almost identical - just pointed ears and eyebrows and faint ridges. Internally, differences are minor - green blood, inner eyelid. Then they - along with all the other humanoids with bumpy foreheads - should be considered the same race.

Does that route really make sense to you?

Truly the Gorn and Edoans are much more alien - but Klingons, Andorians, Bolians, etc. are not much more different from humans than Chinese people are different from white people. There are faint physiological differences, but they're minor (hell, most of them can mate with one another!)

 

[casey]

Truly the Gorn and Edoans are much more alien - but Klingons, Andorians, Bolians, etc. are not much more different from humans than Chinese people are different from white people. There are faint physiological differences, but they're minor (hell, most of them can mate with one another!)

I don't know that the physiological differences between humans and Klingons are minor, considering they have redundant organs and all.
Which makes me a little skeptical as to how they can mate with each other.

 

[Kryton]

If there's no Horta crewmember, I'M BOYCOTTING!

NO

BOYCOTT

I!

 

[iguana_tonante]

I agree to this. In my opinion, the Star Trek universe could use a pruning of its many alien races. Not strictly necessary, I agree, but I would like a little more order.

But then it wouldn't be "Star Trek" - it'd just be another sci-fi show. Part of the core of "Star Trek" is this idea that a bunch of races are coming together and sharing in the difficulties and struggles of exploring the unknown in space.

It wouldn't change the premise of the show: there would be a bunch of different peoples (in terns of biology or culture), just less of them.

That still doesn't solve the problem of a bunch of different aliens developing roughly equivalently-scaled technology in the same time-frame. Even if they were seeded and started at the same point, thousands of years ago (and you're talking about species that did their work millions and billions of years ago), their individual struggles as a race on their specific planet would mean their technological progression would diverge wildy.

You are right, I was just talking from a narrative point of view, not a technological one.

Truly, how different is the physiology of humans and Vulcans/Romulans? Externally, they look almost identical - just pointed ears and eyebrows and faint ridges. Internally, differences are minor - green blood, inner eyelid. Then they - along with all the other humanoids with bumpy foreheads - should be considered the same race.

Does that route really make sense to you?

Again, I'm speaking from a narrative POV. Vulcanoids are so essential to the Star Trek universe that they deserve a special place, only from the fact that they were developed as a founding element of the show. Same for big-tough-guys-with-turtle-heads, or blue-people. They are Star Trek. Tarellians and Ardanians? Not so much.

Truly the Gorn and Edoans are much more alien - but Klingons, Andorians, Bolians, etc. are not much more different from humans than Chinese people are different from white people. There are faint physiological differences, but they're minor (hell, most of them can mate with one another!)

Well, I think it's established that Vulcans, Klingon and Humans could not have offspring without medical assistance, but I'm not sure.

 

[M'Sharak]

Re: Mr Arex on USS Kelvin??

How did i miss that!

Sorry, everyone :-(

Not to worry, I'll just merge your thread with that one. Hang on...

 

[cooleddie74]

Nice touch to add the Edoans. Might even be Arex himself.

No, he's named as Alnschloss K'Bentayr of the planet Monchezke in the Beta Quadrant, and is security officer on the USS Kelvin.

Beta Quadrant planet, eh? At this point in Federation history and the reach of the local powers, that means Monchezke is probably within spitting distance of Klingon and/or Romulan space.

 

[captcalhoun]

Arex's full name is Arex Na Eth.

 

[cooleddie74]

If TREK XI is a huge success, I imagine the next movie will add some weird, fantastical alien crew member to the Enterprise. We can only hope he or she doesn't become TREK's Jar Jar Binks.

 

[dougkeenan]

^ unless he's wearing a red shirt

 

[cooleddie74]

^ unless he's wearing a red shirt

MEESA NO BEAMIN' DOWN...DOSE KLINGONS...DEY-SA BOMBAD!

 

[The Wormhole]

If TREK XI is a huge success, I imagine the next movie will add some weird, fantastical alien crew member to the Enterprise. We can only hope he or she doesn't become TREK's Jar Jar Binks.

I picture this alien as being someone who is always trying to point out how badass Captain Robau is, even when it's not appropriate to. Like this scene I thought up, taking place during the Kelvin's battle against the Space Octopus.

Robau: "Fire phasers! Photon torpedoes, full spread! I want those tentacles ripped off that thing! The tentacles will hang on my ready room wall, and we leave that Octopus to die with no tentacles on some moon across the Klingon border!"
Alien speaks his native language. Subtitles translate: "He is so badass!"

 

[Just_Bob]

^K'Bentayr doesn't appear to be makeup--he looks CGI, IMHO.

I thought that too at first.
But now I'm almost sure that it is a mask.

I think it's still a coin toss. My thoughts have bounced from cg to mask and back again. I'm remain confused at this point. I'm curious, why are you almost sure it is a mask?

 

[CaptainDonovin]

In the Kelvin thread some posters suggested that the alien security officer might be the same species as Arex from ST:TAS.

Well, it's unlikely that a six-limbed alien is related to a four-limbed alien. Mind you, we haven't yet seen Alnschloss K'Bentayr, the new Monchezkean, below the neck yet. Arex also has no visible ears.

But I think he looks just as reminiscent of two, no four, different ST IV aliens:

My question is are they Monchezkean or are they Monchezkeanites? It is an important question if you ask them.

 

[BenRoethig]

Of course, if they do make this guy the same species as Arex, then that means they are acknowledging TAS, and therefore would be required to acknowledge the existence of Robert April.

Caitians appearing doesn't mean TAS happened or not. Some things from TAS were used later on, some weren't. Though, the existence of Endosians was mentioned on Enteprice.

There are massive differences in bone structure between the two aliens. Most notably, the nose/jaw region in Arex juts forward much more than that on K'Ben. Arex also has a much narrower neck than what we've seen so far on K'Ben.

All humans don't look alike.

 

[cooleddie74]

Heck...even all Klingons don't look alike over the years. And Romulans? Vulcans? Even the Andorians changed as makeup complexity evolved between 1967 and ENTERPRISE. Which means there are different subgroups of Andorians(not counting the Aenar).

 

[captainkirk]

It would be neat if this WERE Arex

That would be impossible for two reasons. One, we already know the name of this character and since the Kelvin is destroyed it would mean that Arex dies before appearing on TAS.

 

[cooleddie74]

It would be neat if this WERE Arex

That would be impossible for two reasons. One, we already know the name of this character and since the Kelvin is destroyed it would mean that Arex dies before appearing on TAS.

Well, I did post that before learning the alien's name in the movie. But I still think they're from the same species or related species.

 

[M'Sharak]

It would be neat if this WERE Arex

That would be impossible for two reasons. One, we already know the name of this character and since the Kelvin is destroyed it would mean that Arex dies before appearing on TAS.

Well, I did post that before learning the alien's name in the movie. But I still think they're from the same species or related species.

I don't know. Are their respective home planets in systems located relatively near each other? Are they even from the same quadrant? Going by what little we've seen of K'Bentayr, I'm not sure I'd call them similar in appearance.

There was a remark above about all humans not looking alike, but I don't think even the widest variations in human physical characteristics are anything on the order of the difference we see between Arex and K'Bentayr. The rubber-suit Gorn and the CGI one people squawked about a few years ago were closer to each other than that.