The more I think about it, the more I think that's a great idea.
Maybe have one of the human crew members get really interested in Vulcan philosophy and attempt the Kolinahr.
Does Discovery Need a "Explore What It Means to Be Human" Character???!
- Thread starter VulcanMindBlown
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Maybe have one of the human crew members get really interested in Vulcan philosophy and attempt the Kolinahr.
Which is why it has become so worn, so trite, and so cliché. I don't want to see yet another character struggling to become humanized or struggle against it. Do something "different."
To the creators:
Further. why is it that every single foe Star Trek introduces becomes humanized? Stop that. Let them stay evil, or strong, or weak, or whatever made them great at the introduction. Don't compromise what makes them great. It can still be done with depth and an arc of some sort. But don't get lazy and start overusing them as a crutch when new ideas don't come easily. If the foe would immediately cause the end of the show, simply don't create it. If it doesn't fit in the fiction, make something else with it. Hey, maybe being human isn't so great. Check your ego at the door before creating more stories about how great it is to be humanized. Finally, TNG had an annoying formula where the characters had to learn something about themselves (or "what it means to be human") to conclude the show.
It would be great if we could just enjoy a rocking show without the requisite, pro forma, and forced grand statement at the end. Pfft.
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Does it need one? No
Will it have one? Yes
What? And not get all angsty about the new show not being Star Treky enough for our personal tastes?
It's pretty much guaranteed that we'll get the "outsider" who'll give observations on the human condition, just like how there will be the one male character who will be "womaniser" with a different conquest in almost every episode.
I like the idea of an alien raised by humans and acts like any other human but feels conflicted when meeting other members of their species. There could be a nature vs nurture theme and how much that we consider to be human is natural versus cultural.
She didn't want to be a human,no....but she was very open to learning about human emotion, well before her assignment to the Enterprise. Granted, B&B did a piss job at getting that across, wrapping it up mostly around her relationship with Tucker to both their detriment IMO. But that's a discussion for the Enterprise forum (or not, given its storied history on that subject).
As to the topic at hand, I'm fine if we don't get another explicitly Spock- or Data-esque character on the show it could be interesting if, say, we had a human character that for whatever reason was raised outside of Terran culture....like Worf in reverse....and they find they don't fit well with other humans. Kinda like a girl I met in the Navy who had pretty much been raised as a military brat in Japan for most of her life and when she came to the States for college, the food portions shocked her and she had no clue what Target was.
I don't think we need another character endeavouring to become more human. Data and the Doctor did that to death, and Worf pretty much covers the opposite, human wanting to be alien. The 'outsider' character is more interesting to me when they don't want to be anything else (the Spock/Odo model), so if we must have that, I hope we get an alien who is pretty damn comfortable doing their own thing and can offer a different opinion on events.
. Both of those things are bedrock tropes of the Trek formula - finding out the evil alien is actually just like us, and everyone learning a moral lesson, is a big part of what sets Star Trek apart from the other space based shows of its time in each incarnation.
why is it that every single foe Star Trek introduces becomes humanized? Stop that. Let them stay evil, or strong, or weak, or whatever made them great at the introduction. Don't compromise what makes them great. It can still be done with depth and an arc of some sort. But don't get lazy and start overusing them as a crutch when new ideas don't come easily. If the foe would immediately cause the end of the show, simply don't create it. If it doesn't fit in the fiction, make something else with it. Hey, maybe being human isn't so great. Check your ego at the door before creating more stories about how great it is to be humanized. Finally, TNG had an annoying formula where the characters had to learn something about themselves (or "what it means to be human") to conclude the show.
. Both of those things are bedrock tropes of the Trek formula - finding out the evil alien is actually just like us, and everyone learning a moral lesson, is a big part of what sets Star Trek apart from the other space based shows of its time in each incarnation.
Like Jono (Suddenly Human) and Charles Evans (Charlie X)
Problem is, isn't that Annika Hansen's story as well?
Here's a novel idea; what if the ship (or rather, its computer) is the "discover how to be human/a person" character?
Think the Machine from Person of Interest. There could even be the occasional opportunity for a Humanoid avatar for the ship to be created.
Think the Machine from Person of Interest. There could even be the occasional opportunity for a Humanoid avatar for the ship to be created.
You can't win either way. I guarantee you, Discovery leaves out the "Exploring humanity" character or some other basic trope that's been present in every Trek series, and we'll get fanboy frothing of "this isn't true Star Trek! I am boycotting this show, and a true fan will follow my example! No mom, I won't lower my voice. I don't care if you own the house, we agreed the basement is my domain and I have carte blanche down here!"
I don't have any interest in another Data/Doctor style character, but I would be interested in this idea. Starfleet officers are driven, curious and intelligent and they come into contact with alien cultures all the time. There should actually be a lot more examples of people adopting non-human cultures than we've ever seen. (And no, Worf doesn't count, as he was never truly human to start with, and he was just trying to fit into his own natural heritage)
Preferably do it with a new species, though. We've had enough stuff about Vulcans and Klingons already.
New or underused. Or maybe never seen, but heard of.
"Why are we using these new aliens when Klingons or Vulcans would work so much better in their place."
"STFU troll, it's called being new and different."
"I call it disrespecting Trek canon and Gene's Vision" (a post which generates 12 Likes)
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