How Are There Only 10,000 Vulcans Left?

[JarodRussell]

There's a interesting set of quotes here

this quote was especially apropos

“To a screenwriter, that might seem kind of awesome. For once, the director can’t change things. But when its your own movie, it’s maddening. J.J. was describing a scene he was shooting the day before. Midway through it, he got a great idea for a new line. Which he couldn’t write. Couldn’t shoot. Couldn’t be in his movie."
​

I like to imagine that many of the cringeworthy plot holes were left unplugged for this very reason.

There is no improvisation allowed during a strike?

 

[FarStrider]

There is no improvisation allowed during a strike?

Nope. That would be seen as doing the job of the writers, and thus crossing the picket line. So any member of the WGA, or a guild that was supporting the strike (which the SAG was), would even suggest improv.

~FS

 

[Devon]

There is no improvisation allowed during a strike?

Nope. That would be seen as doing the job of the writers, and thus crossing the picket line. So any member of the WGA, or a guild that was supporting the strike (which the SAG was), would even suggest improv.

~FS

Just wanted to clarify, it sounded like you meant to say "wouldn't even suggest improv." However, improvisation is not barred under strike rules (in fact any WGA members who had television appearances during this time, like Leno, had to improvise.) Alternatively, things can be written by non-WGA members but it's frowned upon by the WGA.

 

[sonak]

For one thing, they're "mysterious" in TOS. How can one stay mysterious if one's also "open", at least to the degree of displaying basic politeness?

T'Pau turned down a seat in the UFP government. Sarek conspired against said government in protecting criminals in ST3/4. Didn't seem to decrease the Vulcan influence much.

Planet Ardana was also established to be a member, yet little or nothing was known about the society of Stratosians and Troglytes, and even Starfleet's leading gunboat diplomat Kirk was suggested to be politically powerless in influencing matters on that reclusive world. Apparently, the UFP does cater for hermits and perverts, as long as they pay their taxes / provide great new ideas / otherwise bow to the direction of Earth.

Timo Saloniemi

being culturally mysterious isn't equivalent to isolationism. They may not have fully assimilated into UFP society, but they were one of its founding members. TOS also had ships full of Vulcans that went out exploring.("the immunity syndrome")

Oh, and ST: FC and "Enterprise" have established that Vulcans go around the galaxy exploring, doing scientific research, and making contact. Hardly the work of isolationists.

 

[Timo]

Yet Spock is the only Vulcan we see interacting with other species, until Commander Sonak in ST:TMP. And he's supposed to have been ostrachized from his family for that!

The Soviet Union was one of the founding members of the United Nations, and Japan was one of the founding members of the League of Nations. Both were quite isolationist in terms of those organizations, and of international activities overall; there were few Japanese to be found outside their island, and it's just a quirk of history that a significant Chinese population existed outside of China at the time the nation went isolationist.

That Vulcans get around doesn't mean they are in the business of setting up a permanent offworld presence. Indeed, we've never heard of a sizeable off-Vulcan settlement of the logicians. And the reference to Vulcan's "aggressive colonization period" in "Balance of Terror" might well be taken to indicate that these folks gave up colonization no later than they gave up aggression - which may well have been before they truly went interstellar.

Timo Saloniemi