Trek Planet Names

[DEWLine]

"Rigel" meaning different things in different languages that evolved on different worlds, though...

 

[Timo]

Yeah, that's another nasty problem. No matter what Rigel means in Rigelianese or Vulcanish whatnot, it is odd that Archer or Sato would not recognize the name. That is, his automatic assumption should be that it refers to "his/her" Rigel.

The reverse could easily happen: Klaag says "umbrella" and it means "there are nanobots in my blood" in Upper Denebi, but Archer sends for some top cover from the quartermaster. Failing to react appropriately to Rigel is just plain weird.

Timo Salonemi

 

[Henoch]

After all, while the heroes may be satisfied with visiting Neptune in three minutes, this doesn't allow them to visit Rigel, fifteen lightyears away from their position, in plot time in the very same adventure.

At 125c, it's only a 44 day detour...

 

[MAGolding]

...
OTFH (okay, here this breaks down, because five hands is just plain silly), "beyond Jupiter" may still be in the slow-as-molasses zone....
Timo Saloniemi

Why is five hands sillier than four hands or six hands? Haven't you seen aliens with four hands or six hands in various productions?

 

[Christopher]

Why is five hands sillier than four hands or six hands?

Because most macroscopic life forms have bilateral symmetry. Although starfish have five arms, and it can be argued that an elephant's trunk and a kangaroo's tail both function as a fifth limb.

 

[Timo]

Nope, not that - but because four hands is just plain standard in Trek (see Tarellians. Or was it Tyrellians? Terellians? Terrelians? Terrellians?), but five isn't.

Also because "OTFH" only works up to a certain limit. This being four. (Five shalt thou not count, nor either count thou three, excepting that thou watch 'em kiddie cartoons. Six is right out.)

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Ah, tails as the odd numbered appendage, imagine what you can do in your daily life if you had a flexible / functional tail.

 

[BK613]

Yup, and that's more or less the point: whenever the Makers whip out the cubic formula (and thankfully this is the only actual case, although Riker in "Bloodlines" comes close), it befalls upon us to somehow explain this away. After all, while the heroes may be satisfied with visiting Neptune in three minutes, this doesn't allow them to visit Rigel, fifteen lightyears away from their position, in plot time in the very same adventure.

Timo Saloniemi

never said it did.

 

[Henoch]

Why is five hands sillier than four hands or six hands? Haven't you seen aliens with four hands or six hands in various productions?

 

[NCC-73515]

 

[publiusr]

I didn't know they were naming exoplanets now.

They are also being more diverse about it:
https://www.space.com/iau-unveils-new-stars-planets-names-indigenous-languages.html
Lots of Hawaiian names for things--to smooth over the scope building controversy no doubt.

Other changes
https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-renames-faraway-ice-world-arrokoth-after-nazi-backlash

 

[DEWLine]

Would anyone care if new planet names in Picard used the current IAU naming convention?

I think that such a change would be problematic for long-time audience members. Also, the IAU of the here-and-now that we live in doesn't yet have access to FTL starships and/or drone-probes that can do whole-system surveys in a matter of minutes if not seconds. So they're working from the info they're able to get for the moment.

 

[Timo]

And the very moment they get more info, that system is gonna get ditched. It's the opposite of informative for anybody actually visiting one of those places. A bit like the street addresses in Tokyo.

Timo Saloniemi