Edosian vs. Triexian?

[tranya]

Can someone explain the genesis of the name "Triexian" being used for Arex's race? I can't seem to find information about this on memory-alpha or memory-beta.

I grew up thinking Arex was an "Edosian," based on, I think, Alan Dean Foster's novelizations, the FASA RPG, and perhaps some early comics references. Now I see that the novels (some of them? all of them? just Peter David's?) call him a "Triexian."

Has there been a rationale for this change? I understand that "Edosian" was never exactly canon in any serious way (originally arising from a Lincoln Enterprises catalog, right?).

Just curious.

 

[Christopher]

Actually the term used for Arex's species in the behind-the-scenes material and the novelizations was "Edoan," from the planet Edos.

The term "Triexian" was coined by Peter David, because apparently Trek aliens all speak Latin, and since they're tripeds they come from Triex, oh how cute. Why he didn't just use "Edoan" is a mystery to me.

The term "Edosian" was introduced in DS9, specifically in reference to Edosian orchids. It was at most an implied reference to Arex's species, but in recent years (perhaps due to Memory Alpha) it's come to be treated as the standard term for that species, supplanting "Edoan."

 

[Mysterion]

Actually the term used for Arex's species in the behind-the-scenes material and the novelizations was "Edoan," from the planet Edos.

The term "Triexian" was coined by Peter David, because apparently Trek aliens all speak Latin, and since they're tripeds they come from Triex, oh how cute. Why he didn't just use "Edoan" is a mystery to me.

The term "Edosian" was introduced in DS9, specifically in reference to Edosian orchids. It was at most an implied reference to Arex's species, but in recent years (perhaps due to Memory Alpha) it's come to be treated as the standard term for that species, supplanting "Edoan."

I agree totally with you, Christopher. I hate that kind of cutesy crap. Like having the Caitrians homeworld in the Lynx constellation. It reads like really bad fanfic.

As far as I'm concerned Arex is an edoan, always has been an edoan, and always will be.

 

[Dukhat]

The term "Triexian" was coined by Peter David, because apparently Trek aliens all speak Latin, and since they're tripeds they come from Triex, oh how cute. Why he didn't just use "Edoan" is a mystery to me.

Yes, I always have to stifle a groan whenever a Trek writer/author does things like that. It's such an insult to our intelligence, IMHO. Of course, it's nothing new. We can thank Maurice Hurley for the term "Borg." Although it's pretty much a set-in-stone term these days, I remember when they first appeared in TNG, and I was like, "a completely alien species of cybernetic organisms, and they call themselves the 'Borg.' Oh, please."

BTW, Mr. Bennett, I just finished reading your Voyager short story in the Myriad Universes book. Excellent work, sir. That's definitely how VOY should have ended.

 

[FalTorPan]

I sure am glad that nothing similar was done with the El Aurians, the species of listeners.

 

[Stevil2001]

Obviously, Peter David is a graduate of the Terry Nation School of Planet-Naming.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Like Christoper, I've also often wondered why PAD didn't just go with "Edoan". He used the commonly-accepted "Caitian" for M'Ress, and I don't think that name was actually spoken on TAS either.

IDW's recent "Star Trek: Year Four: The Enterprise Experiment" mini, co-written by D.C. Fontana herself, referred to Arex as an Edosian.

 

[Sci]

Hmm. So the three-limbed aliens from TOS are from the planet Triex.

The feline-looking aliens are from Cait.

The multi-sexed aliens are called Hermats.

The cybernetic zombies are called Borg.

The aliens from a really hot desert planet are called Vulcans.

The violent offshoots of the Vulcans who lead an interstellar empire are from Romulus and Remus...

Odd, those kinds of coincidences, isn't it?

ETA:

And how could I forget the turtle-looking Rigellian Chelons?

 

[Herbert1]

Hmm. So the three-limbed aliens from TOS are from the planet Triex.

The feline-looking aliens are from Cait.

The multi-sexed aliens are called Hermats.

The cybernetic zombies are called Borg.

The aliens from a really hot desert planet are called Vulcans.

The violent offshoots of the Vulcans who lead an interstellar empire are from Romulus and Remus...

Odd, those kinds of coincidences, isn't it?

Yeah, how did that happen?

Didn't Paramount require that the Caitans be referred to as Regulans in lincensee products?

 

[darkwing_duck1]

My understanding (and I freely admit I may be wrong) is that it was a demand from Paramount to the Editors...they would only sign off on it if they changed the name. (I would guess that the justification would be for royalty purposes.)

 

[darkwing_duck1]

Didn't Paramount require that the Caitans be referred to as Regulans in lincensee products?

That was my understanding as well...

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

We can thank Maurice Hurley for the term "Borg." Although it's pretty much a set-in-stone term these days, I remember when they first appeared in TNG, and I was like, "a completely alien species of cybernetic organisms, and they call themselves the 'Borg.' Oh, please."

At least there is now a somewhat plausible in-universe explanation for the name Borg:

Spoiler: Destiny

It comes from Karl Graylock's last human thought before he is assimilated: "I won't be a cy...borg".

I can live with that, really.

 

[LightningStorm]

And prior to Destiny, I always chalked up these things to translations from alien to English. So "Borg" was, to me, a shortening of Cyborg because when translated from their language to English it just comes out that way as the closest match to what/who they are. Same for Vulcan, Romulus, Remus, Binar, et al.

 

[Stevil2001]

Didn't Paramount require that the Caitans be referred to as Regulans in lincensee products?

That was my understanding as well...

M'Ress and many other Caitians, referred to as such, have been in the fiction since at least 2001 or so. The only licensee I can recall having to refer to our favorite felinoids as Regulans was LUG, which ceased to exist shortly before that.

 

[foravalon]

As quoted above, it's known now that the Borg have quite a prominent reason for their oddly familiar name.

And number of extremities aside, Edoans are quite dissimilar from Triexians. Edoans are a much more.. well, animated race.

(you can thank Kevin Dilmore for that jewel)

As for the other names like Vulcans, Romulans, Hermats, etc, it is quite plausible that those are common names of a Terran origin. Hell, they may have even become adoped for casual usage by those races when dealing with other species, much the way that many Aboriginal Americans refer to themselves and thier tribes as Indian. It may not be factually accurate but it's common enough that no one involved really cares enough to bring up the distinction.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I've also often wondered why PAD didn't just go with "Edoan".

I can tell you why... While not mentioned in any TAS script, background info on M'Ress's species made it into Bjo Trimble's "ST Concordance" - because there was a page with a hand-drawn map of Cait, and the location of the Lynx constellation, in the rarely-seen Writers' Bible for TAS, essentially the TOS bible with minor revisions.

Arex is not described (beyond his physical appearance) in the Concordance, so if PAD was using the Concordance (and his own DC Comics TOS Series I storylines) as his reference sources for Arex, and didn't know about the Lincoln Enterprises biographies on Arex and M'Ress, and hadn't ever read the Alan Dean Foster "ST Logs", he wouldn't know the term "Edoan".

I love the Kevin Dilmore Arex short story, "The Road to Edos" in "NF: No Limits". I like to infer that Triex is an old colony world of Edos. (One species is less animated, of course.)

 

[Therin of Andor]

The only licensee I can recall having to refer to our favorite felinoids as Regulans was LUG, which ceased to exist shortly before that.

That is correct. Only LUG/Decipher.

 

[foravalon]

What is LUG again?

 

[darkwing_duck1]

The only licensee I can recall having to refer to our favorite felinoids as Regulans was LUG, which ceased to exist shortly before that.

That is correct. Only LUG.

Not so, Decipher's books ALSO had to rename them.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

What is LUG again?

Last Unicorn Games...the 2nd to last company to hold the Trek RPG license (Decipher was the last/most recent holder).