Review - Star Trek # 30 Parallel Lives 2of2

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Villordsutch, Feb 26, 2014.

  1. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Except that neither Uhura nor Uhuro is an actual Swahili name. The name "Uhura" was coined by taking the Kiswahili word uhuru (freedom) and grafting a Latin feminine suffix onto it, which makes no linguistic sense because Kiswahili is not a Romance language (it has gender prefixes, not suffixes, and certainly not Latinate ones). The comics writer seems to have treated it as Spanish or Italian and substituted the feminine -a with a masculine -o, which makes no more sense than the original coinage. For either a man or a woman, the name should be Uhuru. (Although that's a pretty rare surname from what I can Google -- it's more commonly a given name, e.g. Uhuru Kenyatta, the current president of Kenya.)


    Okay, now that's just lame. I am so sick of SF writers assuming that aliens speak Romance languages!!!
     
  2. Pauln6

    Pauln6 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Keensera was a low point - pun intended. I just want the 'real' Chapel to make an appearance.

    With regards to what artists should and should not be expected to do. In the same way that Klingons are not bright green, the Federation is multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and treats the sexes equally (although it isn't clear if the 66/33 split of the sixties survived the Butterfly Effect intentionally or not). Artists SHOULD be expected to produce work that is in tune with the source material albeit the parameters are not rigid. For my part, I'm happy with all male and all human landing parties if they are balanced (i.e. the balance of probabilities) by all female and all alien landing parties. It's the balance that has always been lacking.
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2014
  3. Enterprise1701

    Enterprise1701 Commodore Commodore

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    The Chekovs are of Russian, not Czech descent although the naming conventions are similar.
    It's not strictly a writers' error, but I think you should mention that "Lea" could be "Lenora" and "Chris" could be the full "Christopher".
     
  4. F. King Daniel

    F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Just in case anyone who loves the idea of a genderswapped Trek hasn't seen this, yet...
    [YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX6KT1Ai07o[/YT]
     
  5. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    It said it was blocked.
     
  6. Enterprise1701

    Enterprise1701 Commodore Commodore

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    Parallel characters from up to the TOS era not mentioned in Parallel Lives which I have ideas for:
    Note that not all these names follow rules/traditions in real-life or in-universe; they're the best opposite gender analogues I could come up with.
    Edith Keeler - Ethan Keeler
    James Wainwright - Jane Wainwright
    Jeffrey "Jeff" Carlson - Jessica "Jess" Carlson
    Faith Garland - Farley Garland
    Gary Seven - Greta Seven
    Roberta Lincoln - Robert Lincoln
    Isis - Osiris
    John Christopher - Jane/Joan Christopher
    Gillian Taylor - Julian Taylor
    Clare Raymond - Clark Raymond
    Shannon O'Donnell - Sean/Shaun O'Donnell
    Shaun Geoffrey Christopher - Shauna/Shannon Geoffrey Christopher
    Alice Fontana - Albert Fontana
    Zefram Cochrane - Zoe Cochrane
    Lily Sloane - Lyle Sloane
    Soval - Toval/T'val
    Maxwell Forrest - Maxine Forrest
    Jonathan Archer - Jane/Joan/Joanna Archer
    T'Pol - Spol
    Charles "Trip" Tucker III - Charlotte Tucker (III)
    Malcolm Reed - Madison Reed
    Travis Mayweather - Theresa Mayweather
    Hoshi Sato - same or Hiroshi Sato
    Phlox - same or Gilia
    Erika Hernandez - Eric Hernandez
    Hravishran "Shran" th'Zoarhi/Thy'lek Shran - Hravishran sh'Zoarhi or Hravishran zh'Zoarhi
    Sarek - Tarek/T'rek
    Amanda Grayson - Aaron Grayson
    George Samuel Kirk, Sr. - Georgia Samantha Kirk, Sr. (unknown maiden name if father to children tradition is true in this reality too)
    Winona Kirk - Winston Kirk
    Uncle Frank - Aunt Frances
    Richard Robau - Ricarda Robau
    Robert April - Roberta April
    Alexander Marcus - Alexandra Marcus
    Christopher Pike - Christina Pike
    Phillip Boyce - Phillippa Boyce
    Robert Bennett - Roberta Bennett
    Harold Morrow - Harriet Morrow
    Lance Cartwright - Lacey Cartwright
    William "Bill" Smillie - Wilma/Willemina Smillie
    George Samuel "Sam" Kirk, Jr. - Georgia Samantha "Sam" Kirk, (Jr.)
    Harcourt Fenton "Harry" Mudd - "Harley" Mudd
    Gary Mitchell - Greta Mitchell
    Lee Kelso - same
    Barry Giotto - Bertha Giotto
    Shiboline M'ress - unknown
    Arex na Eth - unknown
    Willard Decker - Wilma/Willemina Decker
    Ilia - unknown
    Morgan Bateson - same
    Clark Terrell - Claire/Clara Terrell
    Peter Kirk - Petra Kirk
    0718 - same
    Saavik - same or Taavik
    Valeris - Valerik
    Leonard James Akaar - Lea Jane Akaar
    Thoughts?
     
    Last edited: Mar 29, 2014
  7. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Hoshi is occasionally used as a boy's name, but it's usually feminine. Hiroshi Sato would work phonetically, though that's already the name of Asami's father on The Legend of Korra. Maybe Hitoshi Sato?

    Saavik's name already has a seemingly masculine form, since the character was originally conceived as male. So it's hard to say what could work as a counterpart. But didn't the comic use the same name for the gender-swapped Spock? In which case Saavik's name might also be unchanged.
     
  8. Deranged Nasat

    Deranged Nasat Vice Admiral Admiral

    Gilia. ;)
     
  9. Markonian

    Markonian Fleet Admiral Moderator

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    I'd say

    Richard Robau - Ricarda Robau
    Valeris - Valerik/Valeros
     
  10. Enterprise1701

    Enterprise1701 Commodore Commodore

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    I'm new to the Trek BBS. Is there a limit to how many times you can edit your post?
     
  11. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Not that I know of, although I think the edit function is disabled after a certain number of days.
     
  12. Enterprise1701

    Enterprise1701 Commodore Commodore

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    Okay, thanks. I'll update my post to best reflect new ideas.
     
  13. Enterprise1701

    Enterprise1701 Commodore Commodore

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    Who's that supposed to be? :confused:
     
  14. Deranged Nasat

    Deranged Nasat Vice Admiral Admiral

    Gilia, besides sounding feminine to our ears, is a genus of flowering plant in the same family as the genus Phlox. :)
     
  15. F. King Daniel

    F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Rachel Robau?
    Damn youtube :(
    It was the scene where Pike recruits Kirk after the bar fight, with an all-female cast, by Girls On Film.
     
  16. dswynne1

    dswynne1 Captain Captain

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    Lee Kelso - Leigh Kelso?
    Ilia - Ileo?
    Shiboline M'ress - Shibolino M'Ress?
    Arex na Eth - Arexa na Eth?
     
  17. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Lee can be a feminine name too. Grace Lee Whitney, Lee Remick, Lee Grant, etc.


    Please, no. I'm so very tired of the pervasive sci-fi conceit of giving aliens Romance-language gender suffixes, as if Latin were the ancestral language of every species in the universe. (Everyone knows it's actually Sanskrit!) I'm grateful to Theodore Sturgeon for actually applying some imagination and coming up with a different feminine form for Vulcan names.
     
  18. dswynne1

    dswynne1 Captain Captain

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    You may be tired of it, but it is no less illegitament than what is done in IRL. In fact, for example, the similarities of 'Shiboline' and 'Angeline' led me to 'Angelino', which in turn led me to 'Shibolino'. Besides, we know so little about these characters, that a little creative license is in order. Besides, it's fun trying to come up with alternative names for established characters.


    DSW
     
  19. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    But that's just it -- it isn't "creative" at all to treat alien names according to familiar European language rules. It's deeply cliched.

    And I don't see what "IRL" has to do with anything. We have no information about real-life aliens, but it's a safe bet they don't speak Romance languages. And what we do know about real life is that the vast majority of the human race -- about 90 percent, in fact -- does not consist of native speakers of Romance languages either. There are many, many other naming conventions right here on Earth, let alone in space. You want to be creative, try looking into some of those other conventions instead of the same old tired, Eurocentric one that lazy SF writers have been falling back on for generations.
     
  20. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I'd personally go with Rachel there. Is Ricarda even a name? I had always assumed Rachel was meant to be the feminine form of Richard.