Does Discovery Need a "Explore What It Means to Be Human" Character???!

[Grendelsbayne]

"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)

Exactly. Think of the years of extra entertainment in store for all of us here in the forums.

Seriously, though. I'd accept Vulcans if they absolutely had no other ideas. Watching a regular human try to live up to that inhuman standard would at least have dramatic potential. But exploring an unknown culture would be far more interesting (and would not preclude them from also having some Vulcans or other established races running around in other parts of the story).

 

[KirkusOveractus]

I could frankly do without a character that is trying to emulate being a human. I'd rather it just be a crew of diverse people, exploring new worlds. We've had enough of the internal conflict and finding oneself episodes to last for a while, thank you.

I rather liked it when Spock was among humans, and although he appreciated the differences, he had no desire to truly be human (not counting episodes where something compromised his Vulcan/Human balance).

I would rather see the diverse crew, knowing and appreciating each others' differences, but no more what it would be like to be Human.

 

[Spider]

Sometimes I wish they would just do away with all the silly alien races. Without that one TNG episode that tried to explain why we all look alike, I find it irritating that the only successful evolutionary pattern for intelligence is humanoid. I realize fully that for story telling purposes TV budgets don't always allow for truly alien aliens.

But I am sick to death of the forehead makeup jobs. Hell, Payton Manning could make a killing playing Star Trek aliens the rest of his life.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

Sometimes I wish they would just do away with all the silly alien races. Without that one TNG episode that tried to explain why we all look alike, I find it irritating that the only successful evolutionary pattern for intelligence is humanoid. I realize fully that for story telling purposes TV budgets don't always allow for truly alien aliens.

But I am sick to death of the forehead makeup jobs. Hell, Payton Manning could make a killing playing Star Trek aliens the rest of his life.

One of the things I like about the new movies is that they've gone out of their way to acknowledge that alien races aren't all going to be roughly the same size as humans. Getting some of that into the show, as well, would be a good start. Of course, then we need some more variety in shapes and number/nature of limbs, as well.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

I would like to see more Roylans.

 

[VulcanMindBlown]

I am for that kind of character as long as it is new and fresh, but not repetitive.

I think you forgot the doctor from voyager as well. While not a "human" he was the same type of character, one who grew and learned what he was as the show went on.

Yeah, though I don't believe that it was that strong of a character in doing that. I haven't watched all of Star Trek: Voyager yet.

It absolutely needs at least one of these characters (perhaps one of the flaws of Enterprise was that no one really filled that role-- T'pol was a pure Vulcan with no desire in being human)

I would add that it might be kind of interesting to see a human who wants to become something else.

Yes, I was scratching my head when Star Trek: Enterprise didn't do anything like that. T'Pol was trying to find out what it was like to be Vulcan, but she had her problems with emotional flare ups. However, they really couldn't do anything with the continuity of being the first Star Fleet explores before Spock.

 

[JD]

I wouldn't mind seeing an alien character who's learning about humanity. It's a big part of the franchise, and it gives them an easy way to explore different issues.

 

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

No, they don't need it. ENT never really had one, unless you think emotional T'Pol is one. But it was actually a plot point in season four when she wanted to learn more about the Kir'Shara and how the Vulcans had been.

But I would still like an alien character or two on board, say and Andorian or a Vulcan (they could even be related to Shran or Soval so we'd have a connection to ENT). This presupposes of course that the new show will be set between ENT and TOS.

 

[Mudd]

Spock did not want to be human nor was he particularly interested in what "it means to be human."

He simply had a human heritage that he was a bit neurotic about.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Spock did not want to be human nor was he particularly interested in what "it means to be human."

He simply had a human heritage that he was a bit neurotic about.

That's true for the series, but the culmination of Spock's arc in TMP is his rejecting what we could arguably call Vulcan extremism, embracing his emotions, and doing so in the context of affirming humanity over mechanization. Basically, in TMP, Spock becomes a whole being by embracing his humanity.

 

[Annorax849]

I've always thought a Jem'Hadar would fit that role pretty well.

 

[Mudd]

Yeah, Spock got to be less of a basket case about his own identity in ST:TMP, but he was still who he'd always been - he was never terribly curious about the so-called "human condition" nor did he expend a lot of energy trying to understand human beings. He rather marveled at our peculiarities and shortcomings but always thought he knew it all. That's why McCoy could annoy him so.

Anyway, fuck the movies.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Yeah, in many ways TWOK pushed the reset button on Spock's character so that we got the same old Spock we'd known and loved from the series. Maybe that was one of the ways that they "righted" the film series after the mixed reception of TMP.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Yeah, though I don't believe that it was that strong of a character in doing that. I haven't watched all of Star Trek: Voyager yet.

Then they brought in 7 of 9 and there were two. At one point I thought they might have a spin off with just the two of them.

 

[Koo]

I believe it definitely does need one. As for right now I can't speculate as to whether it should be an android, hologram, ex-borg, etc. I would have to know the time the show takes place to determine that for sure.

 

[ScottJ85]

Anyway, fuck the movies.

I RESPECTFULLY disagree! *veins bulging in forehead*

 

[Tenacity]

Maybe a character who is Human, but was raised/adopted by aliens at a young age and is culturally of the alien species. The Academy was her first exposure to other Humans, however most cadets at the Academy aren't Human, she had a alien room-mate and San Fransisco (population wise) is a very cosmopolitan/interstellar city. Discovery is her first assignment out of the Academy.

Essentially she doesn't really know how to be a Human.

She want to be "true" to the culture she grew up in, but she is curious.

 

[psCargile]

Hmm. . .what does it mean to be human?

 

[JWPlatt]

Hmm. . .what does it mean to be human?

As we say about the meaning of our lives, only what we make of it.

 

[ScottJ85]

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.

Almost like what they attempted with Lexa Doig's character in Andromeda.