Star Trek/Planet of the Apes crossover
- Thread starter Khan 2.0
- Start date
Sorry, when I did a cut-n-paste with the character list for the ST III novelization, the name appeared highlighted/linked in the bbs post despite not having a page on MB.
Farrendahl of the ST III novelization was the same species as the felinoid Snnanagfashtalli of "The Entropy Effect".
Startrek.com has some sample pages:
http://www.startrek.com/article/check-out-star-trek-planet-of-the-apes-issue-1-preview-pages
http://www.startrek.com/article/check-out-star-trek-planet-of-the-apes-issue-1-preview-pages
I hope the reason that the obvious Klingon is hidden in shadows is becuase TOS fans would know the guy, rather than setting up the Klingons being behind the whole thing up as a shocking reveal.
They're calling it The Primate Directive, but so far it looks more like A Primate Little War.
Well done.
Though I'm interested, I would be super excited if this was being written by literally anyone else.
I wish IDW would stop using Bing Translator for its Klingon dialogue, or just put it in English.
I realize it's not a big deal for most readers, but I feel that a well-functioning conlang is one of the nicest "props" that a story universe can have, and should be cared for.
English line: Where are you going?
Klingon text: NUQDAQ QOCHQO'CHUQLAW'?
Corrected speling: nuqDaq QochQo'chuqlaw'?
Actual meaning: "Where do they appear to refuse to agree?"
English sentence: I have computer access. What business is it of yours?
Klingon text: DE'WL CHAW' VLGHAJ. NUQ MALJA' LU'?
Corrected spelling: De'wI' chaw' vIghaj. nuq malja' lu'.
Actual meaning: "I have computer access. What? A business. Yeah, okay."
English sentence: Go on, then.
Klingon text: TAH, VAJ.
Corrected spelling: taH, vaj.
Actual meaning: "It continues. Therefore..."
I would recommend translating the exchange thusly:
Klingon: nuqDaq boghoSlI'? ("Where are you going?")
Uhura: De'wI' naw' DIb vIghaj. qatlh bISaH? ("I have computer access privileges. Why do you care?")
Klingon: toH. petaH. ("Well then. Continue.")
I realize it's not a big deal for most readers, but I feel that a well-functioning conlang is one of the nicest "props" that a story universe can have, and should be cared for.
English line: Where are you going?
Klingon text: NUQDAQ QOCHQO'CHUQLAW'?
Corrected speling: nuqDaq QochQo'chuqlaw'?
Actual meaning: "Where do they appear to refuse to agree?"
English sentence: I have computer access. What business is it of yours?
Klingon text: DE'WL CHAW' VLGHAJ. NUQ MALJA' LU'?
Corrected spelling: De'wI' chaw' vIghaj. nuq malja' lu'.
Actual meaning: "I have computer access. What? A business. Yeah, okay."
English sentence: Go on, then.
Klingon text: TAH, VAJ.
Corrected spelling: taH, vaj.
Actual meaning: "It continues. Therefore..."
I would recommend translating the exchange thusly:
Klingon: nuqDaq boghoSlI'? ("Where are you going?")
Uhura: De'wI' naw' DIb vIghaj. qatlh bISaH? ("I have computer access privileges. Why do you care?")
Klingon: toH. petaH. ("Well then. Continue.")
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And they don't even realize that capitalization matters in Klingon transcription. toDsaH.
Isn't that on the writer, not IDW?
Indeed. I mean, I can understand that they have a typeface they're happy with, and I could live with that iff they at least got the rest of it even close to correct. Hough, certainly, it would be nice if they had a font which distinguished Q from q, and preferably also H from h, since those are the ones that can actually lead to misunderstandings (such as QuchwI' = "one who is happy", quchwI' = "kidnapper").
I can also understand that they don't want to invest much energy into such a thing (since it's only noticeable to a tiny minority of potential readers). But in that case, I honestly think it would be better if they just made up some gibberish, like "K'ratok moh duh-gah!" or whatever; then at least we could just blame it on being some weird regional dialect or trade language or something.
It might be. Sometimes writers write their own "Klingon", and other times they just make anite for somebody else to translate the text into Klingon.
I know I once saw a Star Trek writer advertise his work on a page with a number of Klingon speakers. There it was pointed out to him that his "Klingon" was really just English with a Klingon font, which he himself was quite disappointed by, since he had actually only done the English part and sent it to another department (licensing, I think) to have it translated.
Anyhow, it's not the first time an IDW comic has clarly used Bing Translator for their Klongon dialogue. Here's the opening from "The Khitomer Conflict", which was by another team of authors:
http://imgur.com/a/XR3OX
While you're waiting for IDW's ST/POTA crossover, you can prep for it with Dayton Ward's TNG/POTA crossover, Evol-Q-Tion, written back in the last century and published in Side-Trekked #1, a Star Trek crossover fanzine.
http://fanlore.org/wiki/Side-Trekked
http://www.alara.net/trek/alt_fan_q/general/Evol-Q-tion.txt
http://fanlore.org/wiki/Side-Trekked
http://www.alara.net/trek/alt_fan_q/general/Evol-Q-tion.txt
Nice Kirk v Taylor cover
http://www.startrek.com/article/idws-star-trek-planet-of-the-apes-3-of-5-out-in-february
http://www.startrek.com/article/idws-star-trek-planet-of-the-apes-3-of-5-out-in-february
My review of Star Trek / Planet of the Apes #1 over at Flickering Myth - http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2014/12/comic-book-review-star-trekplanet-apes-1.html
Personally I think it's ST VI that doesn't mesh well. That whole "scrambling through printed books" gag was idiotic and undermined Uhura as a professional (after 30 years as a communications officer in Starfleet, it's nonsense that she wouldn't be fluent in Klingon), and I prefer to ignore it.
If you want to reconcile them, just assume that the Klingons in this story are using a different language or dialect than the ones in ST VI.
If you want to reconcile them, just assume that the Klingons in this story are using a different language or dialect than the ones in ST VI.
I always rather disliked that scene, too; feels like complete character assassination of Uhura in exchange for a few cheap laughs.
I know some people have used Uhura's encounter with NOMAD to explain why Uhura can't speak Klingon, though I'm not sure how well that meshes with this story (if it takes place between The Changeling and Star Trek VI, then clearly this makes no sense).
However, even if the chronology does match up, I usually assume the effects of NOMAD were found to be transient, or treatable, considering she seemed completely unaffected by the next episode.
Language variation does seem like a preferable explanation. Perhaps the dominant language changed along with the dominant forehead shape.
Clearly, it's whatever language Bing Translator is programmed with
I know some people have used Uhura's encounter with NOMAD to explain why Uhura can't speak Klingon, though I'm not sure how well that meshes with this story (if it takes place between The Changeling and Star Trek VI, then clearly this makes no sense).
However, even if the chronology does match up, I usually assume the effects of NOMAD were found to be transient, or treatable, considering she seemed completely unaffected by the next episode.
Language variation does seem like a preferable explanation. Perhaps the dominant language changed along with the dominant forehead shape.
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