Quintessential Characters

[Bry_Sinclair]

From all the TV series' and movies, what characters epitomise alien races in your mind? Who is the most Vulcan Vulcan or Klingon Klingon?

This can be for any alien race featured in Trek from Andorians to Malcorians to Xindi, whatever or whoever you fancy, there are no right answers.

 

[Cyke101]

Spock is the most human. Kirk said so

 

[TheGoodStuff]

Interesting question!

Im going to post what immediately springs to mind.

Klingon: Martok. Brave, honourable, wise. He is what the Klingons SHOULD be.

Cardassian: Damar. Determined, prideful, loyal...yet unsettled and insecure. Seems to reflect Cardassian society.

Vulcan: Tuvok. Logical, reserved. He is free of Spocks half human insecurities. He is not shackled by T'Pols drug problem, societal insecurities etc.

 

[USS Triumphant]

Vulcan - Spock
Klingon, idealized - Worf
Klingon, real - Kruge
Romulan - Mark Lenard's unnamed Romulan commander
Andorian - Shran
Deltan - Ilia
Betazoid - Lwaxana
Ferengi - Quark
Caitian - M'Ress
Triexian - Arex
Cardassian - Gul Madred
Bajoran - Kira Nerys

 

[Grendelsbayne]

Vulcan - Spock
Klingon, idealized - Worf
Klingon, real - Kruge
Romulan - Mark Lenard's unnamed Romulan commander
Andorian - Shran
Deltan - Ilia
Betazoid - Lwaxana
Ferengi - Quark
Caitian - M'Ress
Triexian - Arex
Cardassian - Gul Madred
Bajoran - Kira Nerys

Not to be too argumentative, but you just named a number of people who don't seem to fit into their societies very well at all. (Worf, Spock, Romulan Commander, Quark, Kira...)

 

[maneth]

Vulcan - Tuvok
Klingon - Martok
Cardassian - Damar
Bajoran - Vedek Bareil
Ferengi - Rom

I automatically disregard any hybrids, and it's hard to judge the standards of a species by one representative, so it's impossible for me to say anything about Betazoids or Andorians for that reason...

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Should probably put up my thoughts.

Vulcan: Tuvok
Klingon: Martok
Romulan: T'Rul
Bajoran: Kira Nerys
Cardassian: Damar

 

[bbjeg]

I say anyone who's named in the opening credits or listed during the beginning of the show.

 

[BillJ]

TOS Klingons: Kang and Mara.
Berman-era Klingons: Duras.

 

[The Wormhole]

Vulcan - Spock
Klingon, idealized - Worf
Klingon, real - Kruge
Romulan - Mark Lenard's unnamed Romulan commander
Andorian - Shran
Deltan - Ilia
Betazoid - Lwaxana
Ferengi - Quark
Caitian - M'Ress
Triexian - Arex
Cardassian - Gul Madred
Bajoran - Kira Nerys

Not to be too argumentative, but you just named a number of people who don't seem to fit into their societies very well at all. (Worf, Spock, Romulan Commander, Quark, Kira...)

At the very least, I'd agree that Spock is the quintessential Vulcan since every other actor who has played a Vulcan is influenced by Nimoy's portrayal.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

Vulcan - Spock
Klingon, idealized - Worf
Klingon, real - Kruge
Romulan - Mark Lenard's unnamed Romulan commander
Andorian - Shran
Deltan - Ilia
Betazoid - Lwaxana
Ferengi - Quark
Caitian - M'Ress
Triexian - Arex
Cardassian - Gul Madred
Bajoran - Kira Nerys

Not to be too argumentative, but you just named a number of people who don't seem to fit into their societies very well at all. (Worf, Spock, Romulan Commander, Quark, Kira...)

At the very least, I'd agree that Spock is the quintessential Vulcan since every other actor who has played a Vulcan is influenced by Nimoy's portrayal.

He may have had a huge influence on the actors who came after him, but Spock was half human, only barely accepted in Vulcan society for a large part of his life, and in the end he seemed to have fully integrated human emotions into his logical world, ie, became something almost anathema to Vulcan society. How can he possibly be the Quintessential Vulcan?

 

[TheGoodStuff]

Vulcan - Spock
Klingon, idealized - Worf
Klingon, real - Kruge
Romulan - Mark Lenard's unnamed Romulan commander
Andorian - Shran
Deltan - Ilia
Betazoid - Lwaxana
Ferengi - Quark
Caitian - M'Ress
Triexian - Arex
Cardassian - Gul Madred
Bajoran - Kira Nerys

Not to be too argumentative, but you just named a number of people who don't seem to fit into their societies very well at all. (Worf, Spock, Romulan Commander, Quark, Kira...)

At the very least, I'd agree that Spock is the quintessential Vulcan since every other actor who has played a Vulcan is influenced by Nimoy's portrayal.

I think you are perhaps confusing acting with the characteristics of a species. Spock is a half-human who lives among humans and is conflicted with the fact. He is thus, a-typical as a Vulcan.

 

[Shik]

Not to be too argumentative, but you just named a number of people who don't seem to fit into their societies very well at all. (Worf, Spock, Romulan Commander, Quark, Kira...)

At the very least, I'd agree that Spock is the quintessential Vulcan since every other actor who has played a Vulcan is influenced by Nimoy's portrayal.

I think you are perhaps confusing acting with the characteristics of a species. Spock is a half-human who lives among humans and is conflicted with the fact. He is thus, a-typical as a Vulcan.

Which then makes him "more Vulcan than Vulcan", just as Jadzia once pointed out that Worf tried to be "more Klingon than Klingon".

 

[TheGoodStuff]

At the very least, I'd agree that Spock is the quintessential Vulcan since every other actor who has played a Vulcan is influenced by Nimoy's portrayal.

I think you are perhaps confusing acting with the characteristics of a species. Spock is a half-human who lives among humans and is conflicted with the fact. He is thus, a-typical as a Vulcan.

Which then makes him "more Vulcan than Vulcan", just as Jadzia once pointed out that Worf tried to be "more Klingon than Klingon".

Thus, he is an a-typical Vulcan.

 

[Armored Saint]

Spock is more aware about real Vulcan life than Worf is about Klingon's and despite he's an atypical Vulcan, he's the main model for other vulcan characters. He definetly set the standard. Worf try to be someone like Kang.

 

[USS Triumphant]

Not to be too argumentative, but you just named a number of people who don't seem to fit into their societies very well at all. (Worf, Spock, Romulan Commander, Quark, Kira...)

there are no right answers.

That said, fine, allow me to change that to:

Vulcan, idealized: Spock
Vulcan, real: Sarek
Romulan: A'el

And as for the rest, Quark placing a high priority on making profit, but he's a reasonable being with a broad range of emotions, and I would hope that is more reflective of the rest of his species than Bok or Brunt. And Kira is definitely all of Bajor wrapped up in one person.

 

[2takesfrakes]

I know I'm going to catch such flak for this, but ...

I really hate Comb's portrayal of Shran. I like what Shran says and does, I like the passion that Combs tries to invest the character with. But between his squinting and his flat, sort of mid-western accent, I just don't buy him as an alien. I liked the TOS Andorians, from "Journey to Babel," especially. To me, that one with the thick accent and deep, sunken eyes is a typical Andorian. He was just wonderful. Forgive me, but I can't remember his name, if he even had one.

 

[AgentCoop]

For the Klingons, it has to be Martok. Every Klingon talks the talk. Martok walks the walk.

The first Romulan that came to mind was the character (whose name I can't remember) from TNG "The Defector". He was prepared to throw everything away for the good of the Empire. Sure, it was all for nothing, but that doesn't diminish his dedication.

 

[CaptPapa]

As a Vulcan, I see Sarek as the quintessential example - not Spock. As noted by others earlier, Spock is by definition, not a typical Vulcan - cannot be!

For the Klingons, Kang and Kor were good examples; as Koloth was the opposite.

For Romulans, I see either Commander (as played by Mark Lenard and Joanne Linville) as prime examples of their race.

ME

 

[USS Triumphant]

For the Klingons, it has to be Martok. Every Klingon talks the talk. Martok walks the walk.

The first Romulan that came to mind was the character (whose name I can't remember) from TNG "The Defector". He was prepared to throw everything away for the good of the Empire. Sure, it was all for nothing, but that doesn't diminish his dedication.

Alidar Jarok.