Lost Era -- Tzenkethi War

[Deranged Nasat]

I'm wondering if the Tzenkethi we get in the "Typhon Pact" books will have the social structure the RPG materials gave the species- the tzeu. That was quite interesting, and refreshingly unique. Seeing how that might co-exist with the caste hierarchy established in "Articles of the Federation" would make me very happy, personally.

 

[Herbert1]

I'm wondering if the Tzenkethi we get in the "Typhon Pact" books will have the social structure the RPG materials gave the species- the tzeu. That was quite interesting, and refreshingly unique. Seeing how that might co-exist with the caste hierarchy established in "Articles of the Federation" would make me very happy, personally.

Would that be the Last Unicorn Games or Decipher RPG?

^Are they ill-tempered hamsters with frickin' laser beams on their heads?

 

[Deranged Nasat]

I'm wondering if the Tzenkethi we get in the "Typhon Pact" books will have the social structure the RPG materials gave the species- the tzeu. That was quite interesting, and refreshingly unique. Seeing how that might co-exist with the caste hierarchy established in "Articles of the Federation" would make me very happy, personally.

Would that be the Last Unicorn Games or Decipher RPG?

The Decipher RPG. They presented the Tzenkethi as living in small groups called tzeu, consisting of several females (who tended to graviate towards the workplace or the armed forces) and a male (who tended to care for the offspring). I believe politics was a field frequented by both sexes. These Tzenkethi were said to function as a tzeu more readily than they did as individuals.

 

[Lonemagpie]

^ However, I did see him at the bookstore recently, sitting in the cafe with his laptop pretending to be one of those erudite writer folks, studying books containing detailed anatomical diagrams of hamsters. Big, muscled, ninja-like hamsters. With go-go boots. And eye-patches.

I'd buy that for a dollar!

 

[Herbert1]

I am writing the Tzenkethi in the upcoming Typhon Pact novel, Rough Beasts of Empire. As of this moment, only I know. And no, I'm not telling.

I see. I hope that if the Tzenkethi were ever portrayed in a live action television program or movie they would need to be depicted as CGI rather than a bipedal actor in a Robert Westmore created mask.

We'll have to wait until December 2010 for the answer of what the Tzenkethi look like. Hopefully, David will give us something cool that isn't a Caitan/Kzinti or a Gorn.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Are we gonna get some brilliant painted cover art depicting these guys on the cover?

And/or how about a little fold-out (like the USS Titan or Vangy Station), but with Federation Medical Reference Manual-style diagrams and info?

 

[Herbert1]

^Maybe with CGI-created autopsy photos.

Seriously, it would be cool if the Kinshaya were illustrated too.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Are we gonna get some brilliant painted cover art depicting these guys on the cover?

And/or how about a little fold-out (like the USS Titan or Vangy Station), but with Federation Medical Reference Manual-style diagrams and info?

I actually drew and coloured an A1 poster showing nearly every race in Trek- both TV shows and books- but the Tzenkethi couldn't make it on due to lack of description. Woe. My poster is incomplete.

 

[Sci]

Are we gonna get some brilliant painted cover art depicting these guys on the cover?

And/or how about a little fold-out (like the USS Titan or Vangy Station), but with Federation Medical Reference Manual-style diagrams and info?

I actually drew and coloured an A1 poster showing nearly every race in Trek- both TV shows and books- but the Tzenkethi couldn't make it on due to lack of description. Woe. My poster is incomplete.

I'd love to see that poster if you get the chance to post it!

For my two cents...

I like the fact that we never really find out what the Tzenkethi look like. I think it makes for a good running gag -- like how we never hear or see Morn talk, or how we never find out what Chef looks like. Some things are better left to the imagination.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Are we gonna get some brilliant painted cover art depicting these guys on the cover?

And/or how about a little fold-out (like the USS Titan or Vangy Station), but with Federation Medical Reference Manual-style diagrams and info?

I actually drew and coloured an A1 poster showing nearly every race in Trek- both TV shows and books- but the Tzenkethi couldn't make it on due to lack of description. Woe. My poster is incomplete.

I'd love to see that poster if you get the chance to post it!

I'll give it a shot. ,

Of course, when attempting to use computers (or any complex technology), I appear to regress about half a million years in terms of tool use and base sapience, so it might take quite a while (I'll ask my sister if she can help).

 

[Technobuilder]

I actually drew and coloured an A1 poster showing nearly every race in Trek- both TV shows and books- but the Tzenkethi couldn't make it on due to lack of description. Woe. My poster is incomplete.

I'd love to see that poster if you get the chance to post it!

I'll give it a shot. ,

Of course, when attempting to use computers (or any complex technology), I appear to regress about half a million years in terms of tool use and base sapience, so it might take quite a while (I'll ask my sister if she can help).

Just adding my two cents, but I'd love to see that poster as well.

I really wish there was more crossover between the Trek Art & Trek Lit communities.

Thanks.

 

[JD]

I'd love to see the poster too. I also agree about the wanting to see more Lit based art. I did my own photoshoped pictures of Amanda Tapping as Christine Vale ( I wanted to use Katee Sackhoff, but I couldn't find any pics where the bodies and heads lined up right), Bruce Boxleitner as Elias Vaughn, and a Komodo Dragon as Dr. Ree. I want to do more, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm also not very good at PS, so I'm not really able to change the pics that much.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Another vote for seeing Nasat's poster!

A few years ago, I googled the Kzinti and was impressed by how many different artistic interpretations there were, from the various Man-Kzin Wars covers, to fan art, RPG gaming mag art and from the Barlowe's Guide to ET's. It was cool. Maybe when DRGIII finally spills his guts we'll get a few artists' different versions of the Tzenkethi.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Just adding my two cents, but I'd love to see that poster as well.

I'd love to see the poster too. I also agree about the wanting to see more Lit based art.

Another vote for seeing Nasat's poster!

Okay, I'll get my sister to give me some advice and hopefully I can get it up at some point...

 

[Thestral]

I've really never been a fan of RHW's idea of the Tzenkethi that would have appeared in The Adversary. Heavily armored lizard things with big arms? Sound to me like a Gorn knock-off, and the Gorn (until recently in TrekLit) haven't gotten a whole lotta respect. Why not just use the Gorn if that's what you're looking for from the Tzenkethi?

I'd prefer the cat-people approach because at least it'd be something not so close to the Gorn. And except for one Animated Series episode and one early TNG episode, I can't think of any cat-people from Star Trek.

Or, you know, something else entirely, that'd be cool too.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

How about dog people? We've never seen those. And Porthos doesn't count.

 

[Thestral]

How about dog people? We've never seen those. And Porthos doesn't count.

Werewolves.... IN SPAACE!!!

Seriously though, a canine/lupine species would be neat. Or maybe equine, with the importance horses have played in human culture.

There was that one species from the Lost Era that's bovine. And wasn't KRAD's first book the one that featured the rather ursine species?

 

[F. King Daniel]

IIRC, the Kzinti were turned into dogs and renamed for an old Star Trek videogame.

I think the Kzinti are great, but Trek has so many giant cat aliens (Cait, Rex, Kythari, the Gyuunyuu, the Grond) that I think they should just recycle one of them if needed.

The Tzenkethi can be giant lizards and still be very different from Gorn. Maybe they're giant iguanas.

 

[Christopher]

I've really never been a fan of RHW's idea of the Tzenkethi that would have appeared in The Adversary. Heavily armored lizard things with big arms? Sound to me like a Gorn knock-off, and the Gorn (until recently in TrekLit) haven't gotten a whole lotta respect. Why not just use the Gorn if that's what you're looking for from the Tzenkethi?

Actually Robert was thinking of the Hakazit from Jack Chalker's Well of Souls universe. And given the T. rex analogy, they sound more like larger versions of Dr. Ree from Titan than like the Gorn (though the "In a Mirror, Darkly" version of the Gorn is a bit more dinosaurlike in body structure than the "Arena" version).

Though I do agree that, given the inclusion of the Gorn in the Typhon Pact, it would be preferable to make the Tzenkethi a little more distinct. Had it been up to me, I would've used Robert's idea as inspiration but maybe played up the "heavily armored" aspect, giving them kind of an insectoid chitin plating over a raptorlike body plan, or something along those lines.

I'd prefer the cat-people approach because at least it'd be something not so close to the Gorn. And except for one Animated Series episode and one early TNG episode, I can't think of any cat-people from Star Trek.

The Caitian Lt. M'Ress was in six TAS episodes. There were felinoid aliens (generally assumed to be Caitians) in the Federation Council scenes in The Voyage Home. There was a three-breasted felinoid alien in The Final Frontier. In the literature, we've had the Eeiauoans and Sivaoans from Uhura's Song, the Sadrao from The Wounded Sky, Snnanagfashtalli's species from The Entropy Effect, the M'Dok (renamed from Kzinti) in The Captains' Honor, and no doubt others. Not to mention the Grond in the DC Trek comics. Felinoid aliens are a huge cliche by this point, in Trek and elsewhere.

 

[Defcon]

How about dog people? We've never seen those. And Porthos doesn't count.

Well, we've never seen them onscreen obviously, but New Frontier had the Dogs of War.