Onscreen evidence M'Ress is an alien?

[Therin of Andor]

Did you ever notice that Shran is not actually called Shran in his first appearance in "Enterprise" ("The Andorian Incident"). Keval and Tholos are identified by name in dialogue, but Shran and the mute Thon are only identified in the script notes. Shran, despite being the main antagonist and getting all that scripted dialogue assigned to a character designated as "Shran", doesn't get a canonical name until his next onscreen appearance... but writers' intent, right from the beginning, and in all the publicity pics and media releases, is that his name is Shran.

Had there only been one Shran episode, I guess the OP would be telling us that he was a human wearing blue bodywash and puppet antennae.

 

[USS Triumphant]

I guess the OP would be telling us that he was a human wearing blue bodywash and puppet antennae.

The physical attributes of Andorians were previously established in canon, such that one can be reasonably certain that anyone shown that matches that fairly closely is an Andorian unless told otherwise in the story (such as a surgically altered agent, like Arne Darvin being a Klingon).

M'Ress, however, was of a previously unseen physical type. I'd still say that smart money would be on her being of an alien species that generally resembles her. And that was certainly the intention of the showrunners. BUT, until it is actually established in canon it remains an open question - and it isn't like showrunners haven't gone against their own original plans (or even, unfortunately, canon) if it suits a story they want to tell.

I feel pretty confident that M'Ress is an alien. I'll tell you whom I have doubts about: Gaila, from ST:2009. She had the Orion green skin tone, but she had red hair and just didn't really seem alien otherwise. So either she was a VERY assimilated Orion female with a dye job, or, she was just a human with a cosmetic skin hue adjustment - something I wouldn't be surprised to show up as a thing any day now, anyway, much less by the 23rd century.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I'll tell you whom I have doubts about: Gaila, from ST:2009. She had the Orion green skin tone, but she had red hair...

'Cos humans only have one hair colour and one skin tone.

The physical attributes of Andorians were previously established in canon, such that one can be reasonably certain that anyone shown that matches that fairly closely is an Andorian unless told otherwise in the story

Such as Thelev the Orion spy, or Thelin the grey Andorian, or the tendrilled blue ambassadors of TMP, or the greenish-skinned daughter of Shran, or the whitish Aenar...

 

[Poltargyst]

I guess the OP would be telling us that he was a human wearing blue bodywash and puppet antennae.

The physical attributes of Andorians were previously established in canon, such that one can be reasonably certain that anyone shown that matches that fairly closely is an Andorian unless told otherwise in the story (such as a surgically altered agent, like Arne Darvin being a Klingon).

M'Ress, however, was of a previously unseen physical type. I'd still say that smart money would be on her being of an alien species that generally resembles her. And that was certainly the intention of the showrunners. BUT, until it is actually established in canon it remains an open question - and it isn't like showrunners haven't gone against their own original plans (or even, unfortunately, canon) if it suits a story they want to tell.

I feel pretty confident that M'Ress is an alien. I'll tell you whom I have doubts about: Gaila, from ST:2009. She had the Orion green skin tone, but she had red hair and just didn't really seem alien otherwise. So either she was a VERY assimilated Orion female with a dye job, or, she was just a human with a cosmetic skin hue adjustment - something I wouldn't be surprised to show up as a thing any day now, anyway, much less by the 23rd century.

I think Gaila is pretty clearly an alien too. They don't show you someone different like that without an alternate explanation without it being an alien.

 

[BillJ]

Arex could possibly be Human. Maybe he had a really, really bad experience with a transporter.

Or really, really bad plastic surgery? Look what they did to Michael Jackson.

 

[Gov Kodos]

Have we forgotten that TAS gave us "The Infinite Vulcan" and all sort of genetic engineering craziness?

She's an alien, your farfetched idea not withstanding.

 

[Saga]

M'Ress is the reincarnation of JFK. there is no onscreen evidence to contradict this.

 

[BeatleJWOL]

M'Ress is the reincarnation of JFK. there is no onscreen evidence to contradict this.

No wonder Gene wanted to do that "Kirk stops the JFK assassination" story so bad!

 

[CAPTRousseau]

The physical attributes of Andorians were previously established in canon, such that one can be reasonably certain that anyone shown that matches that fairly closely is an Andorian unless told otherwise in the story (such as a surgically altered agent, like Arne Darvin being a Klingon).

I feel pretty confident that M'Ress is an alien. I'll tell you whom I have doubts about: Gaila, from ST:2009. She had the Orion green skin tone, but she had red hair and just didn't really seem alien otherwise.

Your comment made me thing of two things....

If you look closely, throughout the different series, there are several different variations of were the antenna are on an Andorian.

Isn't there some mention (TAS or one of the comics), of Lt Uhura having a room mate in Starfleet Academy who was Orion?

 

[Dukhat]

That's not really the strongest evidence. To another viewer, it could be so obvious that she's a genetically engineered cat (or whatever) that, if she were really an alien, they'd have mentioned her planet name, her species name, and so forth.

So what "evidence" do you want, then? So she was never referred to as an alien. Neither was Arex, and yet you're not arguing that he's some genetically enhanced human, or some Earth animal that got crazy evolved over 300 years. Maybe, just maybe, the creators of TAS, knowing that Star Trek had tons of aliens, didn't actually feel the need to point this out to the viewers, because the viewers would already be smart enough to know this?

 

[T'Girl]

Technical point: cats form prides, not herds...

A group of cats are called a clowder.

A clutter and a glaring are also correct. A group of lions is called a pride.

Of the different types of terrestrial felines, I think M'ress looks most like a up-right cheetah, a group of cheetahs is called a coalition.

 

[Redfern]

Of the different types of terrestrial felines, I think M'ress looks most like a up-right cheetah...

Certainly the svelte build of a cheetah, but the tawny colors, the tufted tail and the mane-like mass of scalp hair gives more the impression of something leonine. (Yes, I know only male lions have mane. That's why I stated "mane-like".)

Now, we may have given Sonic a bit of a rough time. Let's try a different approach. SonicRanger, I get the impression you would rather M'Ress be something other than a "bog standard" alien, thus your question if there has been any "on screen" irrefutable "proof" stating her ancestors evolved within a different biosphere independent of terrestrial life. If that is the case, what do you wish her to be exactly? And, depending upon that answer, would you care to share your reasons for that particular "background" preference?

As I stated earlier, I'm possibly this board's most ardent fan of M'Ress (likely to the annoyance of some). Your speculations don't bother me; I'm simply and honestly curious. It's intriguing to consider things from a different angle.

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[SonicRanger]

Now, we may have given Sonic a bit of a rough time. Let's try a different approach. SonicRanger, I get the impression you would rather M'Ress be something other than a "bog standard" alien, thus your question if there has been any "on screen" irrefutable "proof" stating her ancestors evolved within a different biosphere independent of terrestrial life. If that is the case, what do you wish her to be exactly? And, depending upon that answer, would you care to share your reasons for that particular "background" preference?

I don't necessary "want" M'Ress to be anything in particular. This mostly arose out of a discussion in the XI+ Movies section about the two girls Kirk bedded in the last film, whether they were Caitians, and what the other possibilities were. It came up, for example, that "Caitians" is completely unspoken in all of Trek.

I do, though, tend to dislike aliens based on animals. And a feline from the planet Cait in the Lynx constellation is a particularly lazy example of that. Of course, that could all be a silly set of names by just one TAS writer and Lincoln "We'll Sell Anything" Enterprises, not necessarily what was originally intended for the character.

Other franchises have given us cat-like or animal-like characters, from Cat in "Red Dwarf" (evolved cat), catkind in "Doctor Who" (it depends a bit on the canon one follows, but they are evolved cats who might, like our cats today, not be Earth natives), Rocket in "Guardians of the Galaxy" (genetically modified raccoon), and so forth.

It is the more juvenile media, like "Lilo & Stitch," that tend to have aliens pretty directly based on sharks and other animals, especially common animals like pets.

And maybe that's the answer. TAS was considered a kids' show. So have something favorable to kids like a cat alien.

But really what we've established here is that our knowledge of M'Ress is almost entirely background-info-based. Without that, there's almost nothing to go on about her.

Basically, for all the other assumptions and fanon that we've debated here (for example, Spock as the first Vulcan to be to Starfleet Academy), this one -- that M'Ress is an alien -- has, to my knowledge, never arisen.

 

[Nerys Myk]

It's not really fanon if it's from production material.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Other franchises have given us cat-like or animal-like characters

Yes, cat-like aliens are rife in other science fiction properties, so I really don't think M'Ress is that unusual in that regard.

(it depends a bit on the canon one follows, but they are evolved cats who might, like our cats today, not be Earth natives)

... whut??

But really what we've established here is that our knowledge of M'Ress is almost entirely background-info-based. Without that, there's almost nothing to go on about her.

This is true of a lot of TAS, and even TOS, characters. I mean, really, half the aliens in TOS look identical to humans... how do we know that any of the human-looking Enterprise crew who weren't specifically identified as human, are?

Basically, for all the other assumptions and fanon that we've debated here (for example, Spock as the first Vulcan to be to Starfleet Academy), this one -- that M'Ress is an alien -- has, to my knowledge, never arisen.

OK, technically, you're probably correct that there's no canon confirmation that M'Ress is an alien. And then... ?

 

[T'Bonz]

Things like this drive me crazy about fans.

You have two choices:

She's human
She's alien

There are no humans that look like M'Ress. Therefore she's alien.

Now if you want to argue that she's a cross between a human and a feline, that could be possible, I suppose, but given the context, and the presence of Arex, the clear implication is that she is alien.

 

[T'Girl]

the presence of Arex

Maybe M'ress is actually a real hairy Edosian?

It's possible, right?

 

[T'Bonz]

Not enough arms.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Not enough arms.

Mechanical rice picker accident.

 

[Disco]

This thread sums up TBBS.