Efrosian Federation President

I too always though that he resembled a Klingon, though not nearly enough that I would have ever thought that he was actually intended to be one. But yeah, the hair, the forehead and the moustache kinda give a klingony overall impression at a glance.

 

I must confess to also being confused when I also viewed TUC when I was younger.

I always thought he was part Klingon and part human - representative of both sides - Klingon, and Human - and a perfect example of Federation unity in one being. Which is why I thought he was perfect to be President!

Ahhh the folly of my misspent youth!

 

I still find it hard to believe that the Federation would trust the Romulans at this stage in their relationship! Perhaps there had been a commitment by the Romulans to assist the Federation in attacking the Klingons if the talks failed and those that were in the know shared this and the spoils with Romulus if they succeeded in defeating the Klingons!
JB

 

Why? We really have next to no idea what the Federation's relationship with the Romulans was like at this point in time. Were they even mentioned in ST I-IV before we saw Caitlin Dar in STV? That's a good 15-20 years where the Romulans were unaccounted for. Pretty much anything could happen in that time. Heck, we saw the Klingons go from UFP allies in TNG, to enemies in DS9, to allies again by the end of the series, and that was in the space of about a decade.

 

Because the Romulans were too much of an unknown and too damn sneaky! I'm sure the Starfleet heads would have read Kirk's reports and known how devious they were after the cloaked attacks on neutral zone outposts 2,3,4 and 8! But then again I see your point that we know little of them during this period and they could have come to the negotiating table with the Federation after suffering great defeats at the hands of the Klingons in 2271 at least!
JB

 

It would be really nice to learn what TPTB intended with those sashes...

There's the blue for most of the UFP contingent, but Sarek stands out with his yellow. Does yellow stand for Vulcans, or for Vulcanoids in general, or even for Romulans and their allies, when Nanclus wears the color (even if in a more decorative form); when the pointy-ears behind the two sit beneath banners apparently featuring both the Romulan Bird of Prey and the IDIC symbol; and when some of those openly smile when applauding in the end?

And what is with the green sashes? Everybody wearing those looks human, and the green banner features a dove with olive branches. Why this whole faction of folks, as large as any of the other colors? Are they supposed to be the "neutrals" hosting the event? Even though the Romulan colors are prominent on the outside, and UFP colors on the inside.

The end result no doubt is at odds with the initial ideas. But surely there would have been some sort of an interview or whatever to shed light on the sashes...

Timo Saloniemi

 

Especially considering that a film before there was open negotiation between all three powers.

On topic, I always like the alien design. I didn't think Klingon, even as 10 when I saw the film. I thought, "Cool, that one alien from IV is back." That was about as much thought I gave to it.

 

I get your point but Nimbus III was a planet that no one really wanted and their peace accords had failed miserably there! I mean Romulan delegate Caithlin Dar didn't want to be there, neither did Korrd or St.John Talbot! So if the Federation had of trusted the Romulans after this incident then why didn't they trust the Klingons as Korrd had been honourable as well?
JB

 

In ST6, everybody in the villain camp wanted war. It would seem natural for all three to do something about it, then.

Yet until ST6, there had been no war (not since DSC anyway), apparently because the Feds and the Klingons were more or less an even match and didn't dare, and the Romulans were relative bit players behind chicken fence, mere thugs with a warp drive.

In ST6, though, both Klingons and Feds are readily talking war. And the Feds are shown allied with Romulans, letting them into their top secret war counsels and whatnot. It would make sense for the Romulans to have been behind that: make peace, become allies, prompt the Feds into attacking now that they know the Romulans are on their side and not the Klingon one and the balances thus finally are tilted.

And then do the same with the Klingons.

We weren't shown any Romulans in open cahoots with Klingons. But there's nothing to say Nanclus wasn't the guy who convinced Gorkon to start talking peace by saying that Romulus will back them up, and convinced Chang to start planning war by saying the very same thing.

The Romulans being the proactive folks there would keep the Klingons and the Feds from having any mutual understanding.

Timo Saloniemi

 

That's a very strange assumption considering that the previous two movies showed that the Enterprise used the same red lighting while at red alert.

 

Hmm interesting. I never thought the President looked like a Klingon at all. Although the orange skin sort of resembles a certain current real-life president.

As an aside, to this day, I still have no idea what the President's speech was all about.

 

The Efrosians were one of the most striking looking races in the UFP scenes in Star Trek 4. Like so many other elements from 4 that made the leap to 6 (there's a lot of things in 6 that seem to be trying to tell you to forget 5) it looked like they were leveraging a memorable new race from 4.

Someone up thread mentioned wondering why the Feds and the Klingons were at odds because look, they have a president that looks just like the Klingons. This is why it has always bugged me when people cast the Federation Klingon conflict in terms of RACE. It's not race, it's CULTURE. The Empire is an involuntary organization made up of conquered worlds. The Federation is not. I've always wondered how the Empire continued to be the Empire and yet be accepted by the Federation.

Hell, we've had world wars in real life where the combatants all looked just like each other!

 

Sometimes a red light is just a red light.

 

Plus, if you have to deal with a single disadvantaged person in your ranks, you don't install special lighting. You make use of what you already have!

Timo Saloniemi