Edosian vs. Triexian?

[Therin of Andor]

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

Well, on a technicality. Wasn't Decipher essentially continuing the line that LUG already began, by publishing the manuals LUG already had in the production line, but couldn't complete, and now tweaked to mesh with the new Decipher games? Same previously-announced titles, same authors, including books already commissioned by LUG containing the same references to Rigellian felinoids (previously known as Caitians).

I'll adjust my original statement.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

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

Well, on a technicality. Wasn't Decipher essentially continuing the line that LUG already began, by publishing the manuals LUG already had in the production line, but couldn't complete, and now tweaked to mesh with the new Decipher games? Same previously-announced titles, same authors, including books already commissioned by LUG containing the same references to Rigellian felinoids (previously known as Caitians).

I'll adjust my original statement.

Yes and no. Decipher had to start all over again because the people who owned LUG only sold the license, not the rights to the stuff LUG had already published and the rules system.

It was in the same time frame either way. I suppose it doesn't make much effective difference.

The whole d*mned thing is Richard Arnold's fault in any event...

 

[Christopher]

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

Actually the name "El-Aurian" comes from the Hebrew word for "Angel of Light." It's got nothing to do with "aural."

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

I take "Chelon" to be the human name for their species, and I imply as much in Over a Torrent Sea.

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.

Unfortunately, when the Romulans were introduced in Enterprise, it was made quite explicit that "Romulan" was their name for themselves. When Hoshi said they belonged to something called the Rommelan Star Empire, T'Pol replied. "Romulan. It's pronounced Romulan." Which was a wince-inducing moment for me. I would've preferred it the other way around -- that their name for themselves was something like Raam Y'ln, say, but "Romulan" was the closest approximation Archer's crew could manage.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

Unfortunately, when the Romulans were introduced in Enterprise, it was made quite explicit that "Romulan" was their name for themselves. When Hoshi said they belonged to something called the Rommelan Star Empire, T'Pol replied. "Romulan. It's pronounced Romulan." Which was a wince-inducing moment for me. I would've preferred it the other way around -- that their name for themselves was something like Raam Y'ln, say, but "Romulan" was the closest approximation Archer's crew could manage.

Remember, we hear everything in colloquial English thanks to the use of Translators.

 

[Sci]

Unfortunately, when the Romulans were introduced in Enterprise, it was made quite explicit that "Romulan" was their name for themselves. When Hoshi said they belonged to something called the Rommelan Star Empire, T'Pol replied. "Romulan. It's pronounced Romulan." Which was a wince-inducing moment for me. I would've preferred it the other way around -- that their name for themselves was something like Raam Y'ln, say, but "Romulan" was the closest approximation Archer's crew could manage.

Remember, we hear everything in colloquial English thanks to the use of Translators.

Not during ENT. They don't have decent translators until S4, and T'Pol makes a point of noting that she was instructed to speak English aboard the NX-01.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

Unfortunately, when the Romulans were introduced in Enterprise, it was made quite explicit that "Romulan" was their name for themselves. When Hoshi said they belonged to something called the Rommelan Star Empire, T'Pol replied. "Romulan. It's pronounced Romulan." Which was a wince-inducing moment for me. I would've preferred it the other way around -- that their name for themselves was something like Raam Y'ln, say, but "Romulan" was the closest approximation Archer's crew could manage.

Remember, we hear everything in colloquial English thanks to the use of Translators.

Not during ENT. They don't have decent translators until S4, and T'Pol makes a point of noting that she was instructed to speak English aboard the NX-01.

They have at least SOME languages in a translator even in the pilot. When the landing party goes down to Rigel X, T'pol notes that their communicators have been programmed for Rigellian.

I know T'pol was ordered to speak English. That doesn't rule out the possibility that "Romulan" is the English equivilant of whatever their real name for themselves is...

 

[Christopher]

^^Read the line again. She was specifically correcting the pronunciation of the name. Besides, this was the first time humanity had ever encountered them (aside from Archer glimpsing their name in one of Daniels's files from the future). There wouldn't have been any pre-existing English equivalent. If there were, it would've been Hoshi's job to coin it, and she was the one whose pronunciation T'Pol was correcting.

So there's no way around it -- according to "Minefield," the species' name for itself in its dominant language as of the year 2152 -- or, at best, the Vulcans' rendition of that name -- is homophonous with "Romulan." Or at least with "Romul'n," since Blalock kind of swallowed the last vowel. It's lame, and they should've done it the other way around, with Hoshi approximating it as "Romulan" and everyone else picking that up despite T'Pol's attempts at correction. But it's what we're stuck with.

 

[Dukhat]

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.)

If royalties had something to do with it, fine. Just don't rename the aliens a cutesy, stupid, intelligence-insulting name.

Diane Duane is far from my favorite ST novelist, mainly because her writing also suffers from an attack of the "cutes," but one thing she got right was the whole Rihannsu culture to replace the Earth-centric "Romulan" moniker. They should have went with that for ENT, but then of course they would have had to pay Duane royalties, and that was obviously a Paramount no-no.

 

[Dayton Ward]

^ They wouldn't have had to pay her royalties. The studio already owned everything in Diane's Trek books, just as they own everything in every Trek novel ever published.

 

[Stevil2001]

I like the idea I once saw put forth that, while "Romulan" is indeed the Romulans' name for themselves, everything else was made up by the humans. (Hoshi maybe?)

"Oh, they're called 'Romulans'? Of course they come from 'Romulus'! Oh, it's a twin planet? Well of course the other one is 'Remus'!"

 

[Cap'n Crunch]

They idea I have is that they refer to themselves as Romulan when speaking to other species, but they use Rihannsu when speaking to other Romulan/Rihannsu. I figured they just like to keep their true name to themselves for some reason.

 

[captcalhoun]

i don't get that bent out of shape over it. there are other things that vex me far more about Trek. like starship registries. or people assuming every ship mentioned in TOS is a Connie because of that stupid dedication plaque saying 'Starship class'...

 

[Astraea]

The terms "Romulan" et al. never bothered me, but it bugged the heck out of me that all the Romulans in the NF novel "Missing in Action" had Roman names (Aurelius, Aquila, Lucius, Marcus, Vitus.) I could accept, say, one name could have been a Romulan name that happened to sound like a Latin equivalent, but an entire crew complement was just ridiculous.

 

[JD]

I hate to break it to you, but apparently they're doing the same thing in the new movie. I was just watching Cities of The Underworld on History channel last night and they made several references to Emperor Nero.

 

[Baerbel Haddrell]

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."

I didn`t mind the Triexians. That I don`t speak Latin helped but now that I know the explanation I still don`t mind. I can understand that the choice is silly but on the other hand, I enjoyed "The Road to Edos" very much.

Borg - yes. I had the same reaction when they first appeared in TNG, too. But David Mack delivered a brilliant, logical explanation in Destiny.

 

[Stevil2001]

I hate to break it to you, but apparently they're doing the same thing in the new movie. I was just watching Cities of The Underworld on History channel last night and they made several references to Emperor Nero.

Please don't tell me you had never heard of Nero before watching a History Channel special last night.

 

[Dayton Ward]

^ Nero's the guy who had that fancy submarine in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, right?

 

[JD]

I hate to break it to you, but apparently they're doing the same thing in the new movie. I was just watching Cities of The Underworld on History channel last night and they made several references to Emperor Nero.

Please don't tell me you had never heard of Nero before watching a History Channel special last night.

Hey, it's not my fault the US education system sucks. And then there's also the fact that Arizona has the lowest rated education system in the whole country.

 

[Christopher]

I'm not sure which is more shocking: that you never learned about Emperor Nero in history class, or that you never saw Doctor Who: "The Romans" or the Bugs Bunny cartoon Roman Legion-Hare.

 

[Sci]

I went to an American public school and I heard about Nero in school.

As a side-note:

Am I correct in understanding that Edosians are a sentient species from the planet Edos who colonized Triex, which later became independent and joined the Federation? And that, ergo, Edosian is the species and Triexian is the political identity?