Tzenkethi

[coconnor]

Just out of curiosity, does any know of or has prepared themselves, a sketch of a Tzenkethi??

They seemed like such an interesting civilisation, one I'm hoping we'll get to see a bit more of, and after (finally) having them described in RBoE, I was wondering if someone had taken up the challenge...

Also, just having read Immortal Coil for the first time over the weekend, Picard's log at the start of the book mentions successful negotiations with the Tzenkethi in joining the war against the Dominion. Anyone remember this thread being followed up on???

Cheers.

 

[MatthiasRussell]

I thought the physical attributes of the Tzenkethi were pretty awesome as well. I have been hoping someone made a sketch based on DRG III's description as well.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I imagined them kinda like the aliens seen in the films Knowing or A.I.

 

[Therin of Andor]

In 2006, the screenwriter Robert Hewitt Wolfe, who coined the term "Tzenkethi" for DS9 recalled, "I basically made them up. And yeah, I named them. But I can't remember if I was making a purposeful homage to Niven or not. If I had to guess, I suspect I did my usual and combined a couple things. Probably Kzinti and Tsankth. But when I picture them in my head, they weren't big cat people. I thought of them as more like the Hakazit." (The Tsankth are from "RuneQuest" and "HeroQuest", RPG. The Hakazit are from Jack L Chalker's "Well World" novels, and are described inconsistently as either: three-metre tall Tyrannosaurus Rexes with powerfully strong arms; or large mosquitoes.)

 

[F. King Daniel]

^The Tzenkethi in Rough Beasts of Empire couldn't be further from that.

 

[DS9forever]

I wish there was a Ships of the Line equivalent for characters, especially those from the books.

I'd like to see an illustration of the Tzenkethi, as I still picture Kif from Futurama.

 

[DS9Continuing]

IIRC, they are described as largely humanoid on the outside, but very different on the inside. Their skeletons are composed of fluid-filled bags that are inflatable and deflatable at will, making them unusually flexible. Skin colours range from green through yellow and orange to red, and have a faint luminescence that seems to be a natural quality of the flesh. Their skin carries a light electric charge that causes a tingle on contact, or can be voluntarily intensified to painful levels. They are also described as being considered very attractive by other races, even non-humanoid ones.

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[Cicero]

I imagined them as something of a cross between the Kaminoans (the clone-makers in Attack of the Clones) and Princess Nuala from Hellboy II.