Sterno...WTF?!

[Mr Silver]

Seriously this guy, is like insanely tall, what is he?

(Also feel free to list other questionable LIT characters...)

 

[Christopher]

He's a running gag, probably an homage to Al from Police Squad! and The Naked Gun, a very, very tall cop whose head was never shown on camera. Beyond that, nothing more was ever established.

(For those who don't know, Sterno was a member of the Enterprise security contingent during Peter David's 8-issue run on DC's first Star Trek comic book.)

 

[captcalhoun]

thanks for the enlightenment, Christopher. i did wonder WTF Captain M was on about...

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

"You've got something on the side of your mouth, Sterno.

...No, the other side."

(thunk!)

 

[Therin of Andor]

I recall seeing a lettercol comment about Sterno, way back when the DC run was current - but I hadn't really noticed that he was really huge. I decided to go back through the issues and, sure enough, there were glimpses of parts of this huge security guard - who must have had to live on the Rec Deck, he was so tall.

During PAD's time, there were also many "funny Earth animal" type alien crewmembers, including little chipmunk creatures - in overalls - who had to climb on each other to reach high objects.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

As an LSH fan, I loved the reference to Takron-Galtos (the United Planets' prison planet in the 30th-century) during PAD's first run.

 

[William Leisner]

thanks for the enlightenment, Christopher. i did wonder WTF Captain M was on about...

Yeah, I was wondering why there was a problem with canned steam table heating fuel...

 

[Mr Silver]

I've been reading Peter David's "Who Killed Captain Kirk?" graphic novel series recently and its almost amazing how many little inside jokes are featured, off the top of my head

*When Kirk shakes hands with the Klingon Captain, Scotty tells him to "Count his fingers", most Trek fans know that James Doohan lost a finger in World War II

*McCoy says to Kirk something like "Humans and Klingons at Peace? Not in this Generation" to which Kirk replies "Maybe in the Next"

*As we're now aware (Cheers Christopher!) Sterno is a homage to Al from "Police Squad!" and "Naked Gun"

*Not really an inside joke but "Zair" is an anagram of "Izar" as in "Garth Of Izar" who turns out to be the Antagonist of the series

Can anyone think of anymore?

 

[Therin of Andor]

I've been reading Peter David's "Who Killed Captain Kirk?" graphic novel series recently and its almost amazing how many little inside jokes are featured, off the top of my head

The crew is trapped in a representation of Hell. Ensign Bloemker, who is later revealed to be the shapechanger, much later on, puts herself in those circles of Hell which are for punishing sins that involve conscious fraud or treachery. Not much is made of it, but it's a clue to pick up on. And doesn't M'Ress end up with the flirtatious?

 

[Mr Silver]

. And doesn't M'Ress end up with the flirtatious?

Yes, in fact M'Ress trying to start a relationship with Sulu (and being turned down) is another little side plot

Funnily enough this would seem to lay a subtle hint about George Takei's Sexuality, which was an "Open Secret" among the Trek community prior to Takei officially "Coming Out" to the media in 2005

 

[Therin of Andor]

Yes, in fact M'Ress trying to start a relationship with Sulu (and being turned down) is another little side plot

Oh yes, I know, and PAD had to switch the plot to involve M'yra (named after PAD's then-wife) when the 1989 memo declared TAS characters off limits.


M'Ress by Therin of Andor, on Flickr


M'yra by Therin of Andor, on Flickr

M'Ress becomes M'yra!

When PAD introduced Arex and M'Ress into "New Frontier", he turned that first romance plot on its head by having M'Ress be the victim of the unwelcome advances.