The lack of ALIEN diversity in Star Trek

[Sci]

One problem with so many different species on a starship could be that you need a lot of medical staff and more than a few doctors. At least for a human doctor it would be hard to keep up with every alien biology, even now just to corectly diagnosis a human takes years of study. Of couse thats just my theory.

*shrugs* I think it's obviously not a problem, given how many species we've seen the various CMOs treat over the years.

And, yes, the Triexians should read "three-limbed" -- which I meant in the sense of, three arms. But, in retrospect, yeah, "six-limbed" would be more accurate.

 

[alicelouise]

I've read the Titan novels. They have their good points. However they are quite utopian.

Let's say we can have a variegated crew of Humans, Vulcans, Romulans, Cardassians, Klingons, and Bajorans. These folks have different sensibilities that can be tolerated AND given respect from a distance. In close quarters there would be difficulty.

Klingons seem to put less importance on bathing. Worf mentioned it with distaste in one episode. Vulcans and Romulans seem to be fastidious types. There has to be some compromise.

The Vulcans are patronizing and the Romulans are contemptuous of other viewpoints. Both these species have more in common than they like to admit to others.

The Cardassians are atheistic the Bajorans religious.

Then there are Humans that approve or disapprove of every species if they are "just like us."

The only species that has been able to crunch together such a crew has been the Borg.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see some FanFic that addressed the issue of coalescing a diverse crew. Please, though spare me the Kumbaya elements.

 

[shanejayell]

The problem with making aliens really ALIEN is budget & time. It costs a LOT to do good makeup effects, skilled craftsmen are needed in both preperation & getting the actors in them. Also, it takes a lot of time, hours before a shot all of which also has to be paid for.

 

[Sci]

I've read the Titan novels. They have their good points. However they are quite utopian.

Funny -- I know more than a few people who argued that they derive too much conflict from diversity!

Let's say we can have a variegated crew of Humans, Vulcans, Romulans, Cardassians, Klingons, and Bajorans. These folks have different sensibilities that can be tolerated AND given respect from a distance. In close quarters there would be difficulty.

Erm, the only Klingon in Starfleet is Worf, and NEM established that he's back on the Enterprise. And why would there be a Romulan aboard? (There is one Cardassian cadet aboard the Titan in the novels.)

Klingons seem to put less importance on bathing. Worf mentioned it with distaste in one episode. Vulcans and Romulans seem to be fastidious types. There has to be some compromise.

I imagine that that sort of thing would be covered by Starfleet regulations requiring regular bathing for health reasons.

The Vulcans are patronizing and the Romulans are contemptuous of other viewpoints. Both these species have more in common than they like to admit to others.

And both would have long since had to work to either lessen that significantly to get a starship posting. Besides, you're stereotyping, too.

The Cardassians are atheistic the Bajorans religious.

I know plenty of atheists who get along well with religious folk. And we've met atheist Bajorans, let's recall.

Besides, there's also the Oralian Way on Cardassia, so not all Cardassians are atheists.

The only species that has been able to crunch together such a crew has been the Borg.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see some FanFic that addressed the issue of coalescing a diverse crew. Please, though spare me the Kumbaya elements.

I think you're significantly exaggerating both the degree to which the Titan crew gets along -- the echos of racial distrust between Dr. Ree and the mammals aboard are a constant presence -- and the degree to which diverse species are always going to come into conflict.

 

[I am not Spock]

My younger brother said to me once after watching a TOS ep: 'Why do they go to cool planets and see neat aliens in the old series, but not in the new ones?' I was stuck for an answer.

One thing ENT did right, in my opinion, was give us more 'alien' looking aliens. TNG and VOY were indeed the worst culprits of the 'alien of the week', rubber foreheaded stories.

 

[Myasishchev]

You'd probably enjoy the book series Star Trek: Titan. Part of the premise of it is that the USS Titan, like other Luna-class starships, is explicitly designed to integrate many different species from wildly diverse cultures and ecologies from throughout the Federation into a single crew.

And the most senior staff: human Riker, human Vale, half-human Troi, Vulcan Tuvok.

APARTHEID!

Just kidding.

 

[Sci]

You'd probably enjoy the book series Star Trek: Titan. Part of the premise of it is that the USS Titan, like other Luna-class starships, is explicitly designed to integrate many different species from wildly diverse cultures and ecologies from throughout the Federation into a single crew.

And the most senior staff: human Riker, human Vale, half-human Troi, Vulcan Tuvok.

APARTHEID!

Just kidding.

There's also the Pahkwa-thanh Chief Medical Officer, the Pacifican flight controller, the Choblik engineering ensign, the Horta engineer, the Pak'shree computer engineer, the Elaysian stellar cartography head, the S'ti'ach counselor....

 

[SFRabid]

Aliens are expensive.

 

[asdf1]

Let's say we can have a variegated crew of Humans, Vulcans, Romulans, Cardassians, Klingons, and Bajorans. These folks have different sensibilities that can be tolerated AND given respect from a distance. In close quarters there would be difficulty.

Erm, the only Klingon in Starfleet is Worf, and NEM established that he's back on the Enterprise. And why would there be a Romulan aboard? (There is one Cardassian cadet aboard the Titan in the novels.)

What about Torres, she was half Klingon

 

[Sci]

Erm, the only Klingon in Starfleet is Worf, and NEM established that he's back on the Enterprise. And why would there be a Romulan aboard? (There is one Cardassian cadet aboard the Titan in the novels.)

What about Torres, she was half Klingon

She's not in Starfleet anymore, if I recall correctly. (And why she, or any other Maquis, were ever willing to just submit to Janeway and wear Starfleet uniforms is itself inexplicable, but it's canonical.)

 

[Therin of Andor]

The Vulcans are patronizing

All of them?

and the Romulans are contemptuous of other viewpoints.

All of them?

The Cardassians are atheistic the Bajorans religious.

All of them?