Star Trek: A French Connection

[Ragitsu]

Good evening.

As I think back on the "TNG era" of Star Trek, I note a distinct binding element: French culture and/or language.

The Next Generation - Jean-Luc Picard. Phillipa Louvois. Chateau Picard. Data's indeterminate French citizenship. New Orleans reference.

Deep Space Nine - Benjamin Lafayette Sisko. New Orleans. Talk of eating escargot. Les Miserables references.

Voyager - Tom Paris. The Val Jean. Marseilles. Chez Sandrine. French resistance (Le Coeur de Lion) in a holodeck simulation set during the second World War.

All of the above - The Maquis.

I am not nearly as familiar with the original series or anything following Voyager; feel free to add to that list.

 

[1001001]

In "An Obol for Charon", Una Chin-Riley orders french fries.

 

[Zombie Cheerleader]

Data's indeterminate French citizenship.

 

[Ragitsu]

"Annorax" (Voyager) sounds similar to "Aronnax".

 

[JonnyQuest037]

"Data's indeterminate French citizenship."

...Huh?

 

[Ragitsu]

Spoiler

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[Ragitsu]

How could I have forgotten?

The Next Generation - Frère Jacques and Sur le Pont d'Avignon.

 

[The Salt Umpire]

They'd have to recast Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider, but this sounds fun, like when they'll drive the Enterprise under an elevated train track.

 

[The Salt Umpire]

Spoiler

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Data is fluent in over six millions forms of communication

 

[Ragitsu]

Data is fluent in over six millions forms of communication

It is to be expected; France is well-known as both a center of cultural exchange and a land of higher education. He does the old country proud.

 

[kkt]

In TOS "The Squire of Gothos" Lt. DeSalle is of French ancestry.

There are a lot of French people with a very important culture to humans. It's not surprising that there are a lot of French things.

 

[Zombie Cheerleader]

"Data's indeterminate French citizenship."

...Huh?

By the logic presented here, Spock is Chinese and Kirk is a little green man from Alpha Centauri,

 

[Ragitsu]

In TOS "The Squire of Gothos" Lt. DeSalle is of French ancestry.

There are a lot of French people with a very important culture to humans. It's not surprising that there are a lot of French things.

I wonder how much of that cultural influence in the various Trek writer's rooms was incidental as opposed to intentional; of the "big three" mainland European nations (i.e., France, Germany and Italy), I have not recognized as many scriptwriting touches inspired by the latter two.

 

[kkt]

I wonder how much of that cultural influence in the various Trek writer's rooms was incidental as opposed to intentional; of the "big three" mainland European nations (i.e., France, Germany and Italy), I have not recognized as many scriptwriting touches inspired by the latter two.

Perhaps it's coincidence, but Italy and Germany weren't countries until the late 1800s.

 

[Zombie Cheerleader]

America is a "melting pot." most European names are as American as apple pie. We have French enclaves in New England, Louisiana (Named for Louis XIV) and elsewhere. We also have a ton of Spanish, Native American and British placenames.
In the SF Bay Area I pass through towns called San Ramon, Dublin and Verona while driving Highway 680.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Spoiler

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Lies. Everyone knows Data is from South America.

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[Etbj SMY]

They'd have to recast Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider, but this sounds fun, like when they'll drive the Enterprise under an elevated train track.

Clearly a job for Dorn and Meaney.