Aliens with one name vs. aliens with two names

[The Wormhole]

^^Journey to Babel, I think.

 

[Robert D. Robot]

In "This Side of Paradise", we get this bit of dialog:

Leila Kolomi: You never told me if you had another name, Mr Spock?
Spock: You couldn't pronounce it.

(Of course, maybe Leila had some unusual speech impediment not obvious on screen, and Spock meant only that SHE couldn't pronounce it!)

 

[Christopher]

^You're both right. In "This Side of Paradise," Spock told Leila that she couldn't pronounce his other name, and in "Journey to Babel," when Kirk addressed Amanda as "Mrs. Sarek," she told him that the Vulcan family name is hard for humans to pronounce, though she could say it "after a fashion and after many years of practice." Both were written by D.C. Fontana.

 

[E-DUB]

Then of course, there are the Cardassians. Two names, Natima Lang, Enabrin Tain, Elim Garak. Damar and Dukat only got given names in the lit-verse (unless I'm mistaken).

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ And Kotan Pa'Dar.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

I think we should also remember that Earth has many different cultures and naming customs.

Yes, let's not forget our very human examples of "nonstandard" usage: Geordi LaForge and Tasha Yar.

Apparently, it is culturally appropriate and even desirable to refer to these individuals as "Geordi" or "Tasha" rather than "LaForge" or "Yar" in most contexts, including the ones where others are called "Riker" or "Doctor Crusher" or "Commander Troi".

In terms of today, Geordi would be Geordi because he has too many second, third, eleventh or surnames to fit in a standard application form or the back of one's volleyball playing shirt. It's a "Latin" custom to use the first given name in official context today.

In turn, Tasha would be Tasha because it's the polite form of address in modern Russian to use one's given name in its full form, with or without patronymic and definitely without surname; to use the short form of the given name is less formal but still more respectful than using the surname without a title. And it's possible that Tasha is the full form of the officer's name, rather than a shortening of Natasha or Anastasiya, considering this is the future.

Memory Alpha, Wikipedia and StarTrek.com all say her name is Natasha, but I have no idea what they base that on.

 

[Christopher]

The name "Natasha" was used for Yar in three episodes: "Code of Honor" (used by Picard, Yareena, and Riker), "Coming of Age" (by Picard when introducing her to Adm. Quinn), and "Skin of Evil" (by Picard twice during her memorial service).

 

[Tora Ziyal]

^Thank you. Haven't watched in a while.

 

[JoeZhang]

With the age of the Federation, you'd expected to see more names drift across culture - I think we have seen a Vulcan called Stephen but when are we going to see a Bolian called Wayne or a human called Spock?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ There was a Klingon named Chang...

 

[Rarewolf]

Mc or Mac in names literally means "Son of", so Ronald McDonald is Ronald, son of Donald.

Pritchard is another - son of Richard.

As for Spock, I always think of him as Spock Sarekson.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Sounds Swedish.

 

[R. Star]

Jarok had two names in the Defector.

That random Starfleet time delay admiral called him "Admiral Adilar Jarok" when they confirmed who he was.

 

[t_smitts]

In "This Side of Paradise", we get this bit of dialog:

Leila Kolomi: You never told me if you had another name, Mr Spock?
Spock: You couldn't pronounce it.

(Of course, maybe Leila had some unusual speech impediment not obvious on screen, and Spock meant only that SHE couldn't pronounce it!)

^You're both right. In "This Side of Paradise," Spock told Leila that she couldn't pronounce his other name, and in "Journey to Babel," when Kirk addressed Amanda as "Mrs. Sarek," she told him that the Vulcan family name is hard for humans to pronounce, though she could say it "after a fashion and after many years of practice." Both were written by D.C. Fontana.

Unpronouncable Vulcan surnames haven't been brought up since then. (T'Lar, for instance, didn't use Sarek's supposed surname in ST3). In fact, I'm not sure there's ever been a two-named Vulcan.

Perhaps this tidbit might be best ignored, like Spock's emotions in "The Cage", Kirk's "James R. Kirk" tombstone in "Where No Man...", Data graduating in the "class of '78" in "Encounter at Farpoint", and the numerous differences between Trill on TNG and DS9.

Then of course, there are the Cardassians. Two names, Natima Lang, Enabrin Tain, Elim Garak. Damar and Dukat only got given names in the lit-verse (unless I'm mistaken).

I think there's been enough 2-named Cardassians not to write that off as an anomaly.

In retrospect, I wish Dukat and Damar had been given names on the series proper, given the importance of both characters.

Moreover, Bariel didn't get a given name until season six, Winn didn't until season seven, and Leeta never got a first name. (I assume, of course that Leeta is her given name, not family one).

Jarok had two names in the Defector.

That random Starfleet time delay admiral called him "Admiral Adilar Jarok" when they confirmed who he was.

See the OP.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ The novels suggest that Leeta is her given name; she grew up in an orphanage and doesn't know her family name.

 

[Melakon]

Leila Kolomi: You never told me if you had another name, Mr Spock?
Spock: You couldn't pronounce it.

What if that other name isn't the family name, but a more formal version of the given name? "Spock" could be a shortened version of his name, or diminutive, like "Jim".

 

[t_smitts]

^ The novels suggest that Leeta is her given name; she grew up in an orphanage and doesn't know her family name.

I assumed Leeta was her given name (remember the reverse order). It would've been rather odd for Bashir and Rom to address her as such otherwise.

 

[Tosk]

I assumed Leeta was her given name (remember the reverse order). It would've been rather odd for Bashir and Rom to address her as such otherwise.

Odd to us, but certainly not uncommon on DS9. Nerys called both of her Bajoran lovers almost exclusively by their family names; Bareil and Shakaar.

 

[Christopher]

What if that other name isn't the family name, but a more formal version of the given name? "Spock" could be a shortened version of his name, or diminutive, like "Jim".

But as I said, "Journey to Babel" (by the same writer) confirmed that the unpronounceable name is his family name.

 

[t_smitts]

I assumed Leeta was her given name (remember the reverse order). It would've been rather odd for Bashir and Rom to address her as such otherwise.

Odd to us, but certainly not uncommon on DS9. Nerys called both of her Bajoran lovers almost exclusively by their family names; Bareil and Shakaar.

Not always. And I believe they (and Odo) always referred to her as Nerys.