New aliens or old aliens?

[F. King Daniel]

Inspired by Therin's comment in the MJF thread

Do you prefer your Treklit to feature new alien races, or to use established aliens from prior TV/film/novels/comic Trek?

I sometimes have trouble caring about "planet of the week" style one-shot aliens. I sometimes can't shake the aura that none of this really matters since we're never going back here again. Novels featuring species from TV/film Trek, like the Romulans, Orions, Vulcans or ones that feature recurring original species from the novels or comics interest me more.

I think it would be neat to find out became of some of those old one-shot aliens from the novels and comics - just the odd line here or there to make it seem as if life is continuing on those many forgotten worlds (this does occasionally happen - but I want more!)

 

[JD]

For me it depends on the story, but if it's appropriate I really like it when we get a book that expands on an existing alien race, and lets us learn new things about them.

 

[Christopher]

Since the shows and films have introduced so many alien species that have never been revisited again, I think the Trek galaxy is already unrealistically cluttered with sophonts, so I'd rather see those one-shot species developed further rather than adding to the clutter by making up dozens of new species. After all, the Federation is only supposed to have 150-odd member worlds.

Of course, quite of few of those species are background makeup designs that were never given a name or culture, so it's easy enough to pick one of them and build a whole newly-imagined civilization around them. So they're both "new aliens" and "old aliens" at the same time.

 

[BrotherBenny]

I much prefer to read about old aliens given a new lease of life, brought to life on the page by the authors, provided that the story calls for it. Orion's Hounds was a good example of a balance between the two. Learning about an old race (Star Jellies, etc.) and being introduced to and learning about a new race.

In my fan fiction I mostly concentrate on new races in a distant region of space but a piece of fan fiction in development now looks at some old races from TNG.

 

[kkozoriz1]

I depends on the series. Titan is supposed to be the "new worlds, new civilizations" series so new races make sense there. I would have much preferred some other ship be the one to meet up with he Gorn in StF.

If the story is taking place in the Federation or nearby then established races work better. DS9-R did some great work with the Trill and Andorians. If the Enterprise is going to be sticking closer to home that series would be well served by fleshing out the established races.

 

[chelly]

I think meeting new aliens is good especially if the story is good. Though I would really like to read stories about the aliens we know about. (not just the Klingons, Romulans etc).

The ones we didn't really see all that much. In another thread someone mentioned the Horta, I thought that it would be nice to learn more about them.

 

[BlobVanDam]

I like new aliens if they're well developed to be something unique and not just a typical "our race only cares about hunting/money/afros". It can be hard to care about an alien race when you know they're most likely never going to be seen again, and they're just like humans in a different time period and with something that looks like genitals attached to their face. But when they create a new race with an interesting twist that brings something new to the episode, it can be very exciting.

I like old aliens as long as they're being used for a new storyline, and not just rehashed to serve the exact same purpose as always. I don't like to think "oh, it's the Ferengi again. Get ready for yet another storyline about them being greedy and cliche". The beauty of recurring races is that they can add depth and dimension to them. The Klingons and Vulcans are races that are continually explored and developed as a culture, so it's good to see more of them if done well.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Of course, quite of few of those species are background makeup designs that were never given a name or culture, so it's easy enough to pick one of them and build a whole newly-imagined civilization around them. So they're both "new aliens" and "old aliens" at the same time.

Indeed. Not sure if this counts as on-topic, but the way that the DS9R novels used Shar to develop Andorian culture - based only on a handful of appearances by such characters and Data's line about their four-way marriage - was a great example of giving us both new and old aliens at once.

I'd like to see more about some of the alien races seen in TMP and never again since. IIRC, some of them were expanded on in your own Ex Machina (been a while since I've read it though).

 

[Lonemagpie]

Varies according to the story. Trek is supposed to be about seeking out new life, but not about creating the same species half a dozen times over. OTOH, developing existing species is good, but not to the extent where you just come up with stories to fill in gaps...

I've heard it both ways...

 

[Christopher]

I'd like to see more about some of the alien races seen in TMP and never again since. IIRC, some of them were expanded on in your own Ex Machina (been a while since I've read it though).

Yep, and briefly in Mere Anarchy: The Darkness Drops Again. And some have been seen in other books:

Rhaandarites: Have made a couple of appearances in post-TMP comics from Marvel. Also there was a Rhaandarite character in Catalyst of Sorrows and maybe another Margaret Wander Bonanno book, though I forget. And there's a prominent Rhaandarite in my upcoming DTI: Watching the Clock.

Betelgeusians: Beyond ExM, I've featured a 'Geusian tactical officer on Titan and mentioned them here and there. Not sure if anyone else has picked up on them for their books.

Saurians: A Saurian petty officer named Razka features in Reap the Whirlwind and A Time to Kill. There's a Saurian captain in Greater Than the Sum, and there's at least one Saurian aboard Titan.

Varies according to the story. Trek is supposed to be about seeking out new life, but not about creating the same species half a dozen times over.

Well, sure, if the story is actually about newly-sought-out life forms, then logically they should be new. What bothers me is the way every Trek production depicts totally different aliens as members of Starfleet or the Federation. We never saw Edoans after TAS, never saw Betelgeusians or Rhaandarites after TMP, never saw Arkenites after TVH, never saw Efrosians after TUC, etc. It undermines continuity when Federation member races keep appearing and disappearing. I wish all the different alien designers had built on each other's work to create a sense of consistency rather than reinventing the wheel every damn time.

 

[F. King Daniel]

IIRC, it's said in one of Diane Duane's novels that Starfleet has contacted 800 species by the 23rd century. That's more than enough for every one-shot background cameo crewmen.

Similar complaints came up during Enterprise, with people saying that only established aliens should be used instead of "made up" (yes, someone actually said "made up") ones. To be honest, I thought the background aliens in STXI were the coolest we've seen yet. Alnschloss K'Bentayr (the not-quite Arex on the Kelvin), the Bug Eyed Nurse (on the Kelvin), Madeline (the bronze-skinned blueshirt on the Enterprise with the tribal markings) and the rest were awesome, and I wouldn't want to see the creativity of future big budget Trek creature designers stifled.

 

[Pauln6]

IIRC, it's said in one of Diane Duane's novels that Starfleet has contacted 800 species by the 23rd century. That's more than enough for every one-shot background cameo crewmen.

They should have a writers' bible with a list of all the alien species they've used so far with notes of the home planet and key features of the race and the literature in which they've featured.

Allow two new species to be invented per year (competition time) including at least one non-humanoid species but beyond that all writers have to use one of the existing races from the bible, after which the new stuff from their work gets added into the bible under that entry. Somebody has to stop the Trek population explosion before the universe gets full.

 

[Christopher]

To be honest, I thought the background aliens in STXI were the coolest we've seen yet. Alnschloss K'Bentayr (the not-quite Arex on the Kelvin), the Bug Eyed Nurse (on the Kelvin), Madeline (the bronze-skinned blueshirt on the Enterprise with the tribal markings) and the rest were awesome, and I wouldn't want to see the creativity of future big budget Trek creature designers stifled.

Madeline? I haven't heard that name mentioned before. As for the nurse with the large eyes, I've heard it suggested that she's a Cygnian, like Magen from TAS: "The Time Trap."

Creativity is fine, but consistency is important if you're creating works that purport to be in a common continuity. There's plenty of room for creativity when you're visiting strange new worlds, but if you're depicting the membership of the Federation itself, there should be an effort made to include and elaborate on prior creations, at least alongside new creations.

 

[F. King Daniel]

"Madeline" is from Star Trek: The Art of the Movie.
I like the idea of the Kelvin's nurse as a Cygnian. Last time I saw "The Time Trap", I wondered if the bug-like alien on the Elysian council could pass as a Xindi insectoid.

It worth noting that several of the promenant Trek aliens serving in Starfleet aren't actually from Federation planets. Worf, Nog and Gaila are from non-Federation worlds and we've seen other Ferengi and even a Cardassian in the background of Species 8472's recreation of Starfleet Academy (I assume they were trying for accuracy). Although we'd still assume the majority of uniformed aliens seen are from Federation member worlds, Starfleet does have an open-door policy.

 

[BrotherBenny]

"Madeline" is from Star Trek: The Art of the Movie.
I like the idea of the Kelvin's nurse as a Cygnian. Last time I saw "The Time Trap", I wondered if the bug-like alien on the Elysian council could pass as a Xindi insectoid.

It worth noting that several of the promenant Trek aliens serving in Starfleet aren't actually from Federation planets. Worf, Nog and Gaila are from non-Federation worlds and we've seen other Ferengi and even a Cardassian in the background of Species 8472's recreation of Starfleet Academy (I assume they were trying for accuracy). Although we'd still assume the majority of uniformed aliens seen are from Federation member worlds, Starfleet does have an open-door policy.

Admiral Akaar is a Capellan, CPO Bralik is also a Ferengi, etc.

This is giving me an idea.

 

[Greg Cox]

Depends on the story, of course, but, as I've mentioned before, my own rule of thumb is never to invent a new alien race if there's already a previously established species that fits the bill. Does the Star Trek universe really need another race of telepaths or honorable warriors?

(One of my few complaints about The Undiscovered Country is when Kirk and McCoy encounter Martia--and act like they've never run into a shapeshifter before!)

Of course, sometimes I have to break my own rule if the old species just doesn't fit for some reason.

Example: the Sycorax colony in my Eugenics books was originally supposed to be "The Masterpiece Society" from the TNG ep of the same name, but then I realized that the dates didn't work. There was no way Kirk could have visited them before Picard, so I had to break down and invent my own genetically-engineered colonists.

But if I could have made it work, I would have . . . .

 

[Starbreaker]

It depends. Meeting the Vahni Vahltupali in Twilight... awesome.
The Caeliar... awesome
Learning more about the Breen in Zero Sum Game... awesome.
Encountering the "last Borg ship" for the 800th time... lame.

 

[Stevil2001]

Michael and I also have an objection that Star Trek has too many alien races, so we try to reuse old ones. However, both The Future Begins and A Choice of Catastrophes required aliens with pretty specific attributes. Having had to do that, though, we always try to make our new aliens something different and un-humanoid. All the peripheral aliens we have used, though, have been pre-established with one or two exceptions.

 

[BillJ]

Both.

 

[Paris]

i prefer reading about established aliens when possible. especially established ones like the breen and the tzenkethi. ones we've heard of but know little about and have now been fleshed out in interesting ways. I also love Romulan politics