Ka’athyra (Vulcan lute)

[Cake Is Eternal]

Alright my mind is BLOWN. I am watching Picard season finale and Dr. Soong’s words about Vulcan culture caught my ear. He named the ka’athyra, or Vulcan harp, or Vulcan lute. One of my favorite scenes in TOS is Spock jamming with the space hippies in “The Way to Eden,” and I believe he was playing a Vulcan lute. Also Uhura was playing one when she sang “Beyond Antares.” “Ka’athyra” is a name I recognized. So I looked it up.

From Memory Beta: The Vulcan language name for this instrument was first revealed in the novel Dwellers in the Crucible, by Margaret Wander Bonanno, published in 1985. Thirty-five years later, the name was finally canonized in "Et in Arcadia Ego".

And that is how essential the novels are. A thirty five year old novel by one of my favorite novelists ended up influencing Post Modern Trek!!!

 

[F. King Daniel]

Michael Chabon said on his blog recently that Memory Beta came in useful when creating his notes for Romulans. I guess that's not all they used it for!

 

[Cake Is Eternal]

Michael Chabon said on his blog recently that Memory Beta came in useful when creating his notes for Romulans. I guess that's not all they used it for!

I think that is wonderful! I have so come to admire Michael Chabon’s work and I am glad he is turning to the rich treasure trove of the novels. Some of the best Trek is in the novels.

 

[DS9forever]

Michael Chabon said on his blog recently that Memory Beta came in useful when creating his notes for Romulans. I guess that's not all they used it for!

I know Memory Beta gets some bad press, but I love writing about the characters and events of Trek literature for it.

 

[Cake Is Eternal]

I know Memory Beta gets some bad press, but I love writing about the characters and events of Trek literature for it.

Thank you so much for your hard work! I research a LOT of Trek for my own projects and I would be lost without Memory Beta.

 

[dupersuper]

I like going to Memory Beta or Alpha, hitting random page until I get something other than a generic entry ("toast is warmed bread made popular in...") and loose myself down a geeky rabbit hole.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Also for what it's worth, the new Vulcan homeworld name Ni'Var in Discovery season 3 has it's roots deep in fandom, coming from a New Voyages short story and before that a poem in Spockanalia, and OG Trek fanzine.

Even the co-ordinates for Talos IV in season 2 were from an obscure FASA RPG manual.

 

[Cake Is Eternal]

Also for what it's worth, the new Vulcan homeworld name Ni'Var in Discovery season 3 has it's roots deep in fandom, coming from a New Voyages short story and before that a poem in Spockanalia, and OG Trek fanzine.

Even the co-ordinates for Talos IV in season 2 were from an obscure FASA RPG manual.

That absolutely made my day when I learned that!

 

[Therin of Andor]

Alright my mind is BLOWN. I am watching Picard season finale and Dr. Soong’s words about Vulcan culture caught my ear. He named the ka’athyra, or Vulcan harp, or Vulcan lute!

Spock angel by Ian McLean, on Flickr

My customised Spock angel ornament, colour-changed from a TOS with Vulcan lyrette Christmas ornament (originally from the "Star Trek Experience" in Las Vegas).