What are your controversial Star Trek opinions?

[Nyotarules]

From what I remember of Enterprise, I always thought the Andorians came off as reactionary and aggressive, but perceived themselves to be the aggrieved/oppressed party, who were under threat from the Vulcan High Command.

This might be my blindness to liking Jeffrey Combs too much, but I never got a view of Andorian supremacy from Shran. I think he initially demeans Archer as a "pinkskin" because he thinks humans are just a puppet-client species of the Vulcans who will be their lapdogs.

I mean if we go down this road, what are McCoy's "green blooded, pointy-eared..." insults towards Spock?

I don't think McCoy is a bigot any more than Shran. Both Shran's "pinkskin" nickname for Archer and McCoy's ribbing of Spock is supposed to be seen as signs of good-natured respect between people who are close enough they can use cultural insults and it's not supposed to be offensive.

But if you apply modern standards about race and culture to species in Star Trek it can be viewed as problematic, since it fits the behavior and a line of defense used by people who say and do things that upset others and go "come on, they don't mean anything by it."

Swap McCoys insults in the 1960's for a IRL setup if Spock was a nonwhite human, e.g Sulu or M'Benga. In universe it is still unprofessional behaviour. As for Shran, used the term 'pinkskin' before he and Archer built up any respect, it was meant to be an insult. But because most of us like the characters we give them a pass, that they would not get in a real work atmosphere.

 

[eschaton]

Swap McCoys insults in the 1960's for a IRL setup if Spock was a nonwhite human, e.g Sulu or M'Benga. In universe it is still unprofessional behaviour. As for Shran, used the term 'pinkskin' before he and Archer built up any respect, it was meant to be an insult. But because most of us like the characters we give them a pass, that they would not get in a real work atmosphere.

I think it was intended along the lines of "good-natured ribbing" that white ethnics used to give one another in the U.S.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I mean if we go down this road, what are McCoy's "green blooded, pointy-eared..." insults towards Spock?

I don't think McCoy is a bigot any more than Shran. Both Shran's "pinkskin" nickname for Archer and McCoy's ribbing of Spock is supposed to be seen as signs of good-natured respect between people who are close enough they can use cultural insults and it's not supposed to be offensive.

Yes, and TOS-Spock was quite liberal in his insults about the human species, arguably as much as McCoy's (and many times without provocation / a response to McCoy or anyone else), yet some still cannot bring themselves to simply look a the series evidence of Spock being nasty / insulting an entire species.

 

[FormerLurker]

Worf's hair even mysteriously changed to brown when he was on DS9.

This was done for the second season of TNG and onward. The longer his hair got, the lighter it got.

 

[Macintosh]

This was done for the second season of TNG and onward. The longer his hair got, the lighter it got.

Indeed. He's practically auburn by the time he marries Jadzia.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

Swap McCoys insults in the 1960's for a IRL setup if Spock was a nonwhite human, e.g Sulu or M'Benga. In universe it is still unprofessional behaviour. As for Shran, used the term 'pinkskin' before he and Archer built up any respect, it was meant to be an insult. But because most of us like the characters we give them a pass, that they would not get in a real work atmosphere.

Agreed with this… if McCoy had said “Why you brown-skinned cotton picking…” to M’Benga, we’d be raising the roof.

McCoy picking up on the shape of Spock’s ears, the colour of his blood and continually challenging and demeaning what are arguably close to religious (or at least philosophical) beliefs of Spock is just plain nasty at times.

And Spock doesn’t like it.

All Our Yesterdays:

MCCOY: You listen to me, you pointed-eared Vulcan.
SPOCK: I don't like that. I don't think I ever did, and now I'm sure.
MCCOY: What's happening to you, Spock?
SPOCK: Nothing that shouldn't have happened long ago...

This stuff has been pissing Spock off throughout TOS and he’s just very good at not showing it.

 

[ananta]

What stood out to me though was in DS9's Apocalypse Rising, when Sisko/Odo/O'Brien were surgically altered to look Klingon. Even with darkened skin, O'Brien was the palest Klingon ever seen in the series, with blondish hair. Made me wonder what Klingon variants we hadn't seen up till that point.

O’Brien made a terrible Klingon. He looked like the ultimate village idiot of Qo’onos!

 

[cooleddie74]

K'Jaysus.

 

[Forbin]

I think it was intended along the lines of "good-natured ribbing" that white ethnics used to give one another in the U.S.

Yeah, true - now I'm remembering my Dad kidding around with his Italian, Irish, etc, pals in the VFW and Lions Club.

 

[fireproof78]

I prefer more anatomical insults like lily-livered, yellow bellied, spastic colon, you!

 

[Nerys Myk]

There was no reason for the actor to have darker skin. The franchise managed to make white actors playing Vukcans to still look like a white actor playing a Vulcan. e.g Jolene Blalock, Mark Lenard, T'Pring, T'Pol.

IIRC, the Vulcan make up was a variation of the make up used to make white actors Asian.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Well, until Tim Russ only white actors played Vulcans. (If there is some person of color as a Vulcan in a background scene in Sarek or The Voyage Home, apologies.)

The Vulcan High Priestess present at Spock's birth in the flashback scene in STV was played by Beverly Hart.

(Also prior to VOY, Michael Mack had played Sirol in TNG "The Pegasus", not a Vulcan of course, though.)

 

[Shat Happens]

What did he call Mayweather?)

Bob. He call him Bob. It's untranslatable from the original Andorian(source:headcanon)

And there was a ridiculous amount of controversy over it 30 years ago.

That was me. Hello. Upon reading Voyager press kit I thought Tuvok should be dark green, because (as we all know) Vulcans have copper-based, so green, blood, different from (as we all also know) humans' red, iron based, blood, and logically their melanin should be made copper instead iron and green. I know better now (human melanin does not even have iron in its composition, so copper won't substitute anything). Tuvok is my second favorite Vulcan in all of Star Trek.

They should have had a scene with him and Mayweather

They should have had a lot of scenes with Mayweather.

DS9's Apocalypse Rising, when Sisko/Odo/O'Brien were surgically altered to look Klingon.

I missed a big part os DS9. There is an episode with Klingon O'Brien? I'll have to check this out. Thank Zod for 21st century streaming services

 

[CarnelianClout]

Discovery and Picard are terrible shows with a terrible premise. Would have rather they bring back Enterprise and re-do it, but better.

 

[FederationHistorian]

They should have had a lot of scenes with Mayweather.

Using Mayweather more often could have solved a lot of Enterprise’s problems.

 

[Shawnster]

Using Mayweather more often could have solved a lot of Enterprise’s problems.

That would require Mayweather being a character. Or, maybe that would have made Mayweather a character. Hmmm....

 

[Citiprime]

That would require Mayweather being a character. Or, maybe that would have made Mayweather a character. Hmmm....

I always felt like the direction they told Anthony Montgomery was to react naively about everything, like it's the first time he's ever heard of anything ever happening, and have a "golly gee willickers" expression to any event. And I think that undercuts the initial intention with the character. They set him up as a "boomer" that's traveled in space since he was a kid, and might serve in a sort-of Neelix-ish role that could advise Archer and the crew about some of the way things are done on the frontier. But that's only touched on in a few episodes, and Mayweather ends up being closer to a Wesley that just never has an interesting storyline.

Mayweather has no arc over the course of the show. Who he is in episode 1 is who he is in the final episodes.

 

[fireproof78]

like it's the first time he's ever heard of anything ever happening, and have a "golly gee willickers" expression to any event.

If only he said that.

 

[Paul755]

I always thought Mayweather should have been an older character. Maybe a Boomer captain who’d lost his ship and joined up with Starfleet.

Maybe he was even in competition with Archer to captain Enterprise but got first officer instead. Create some tension between the two (Archer thinks Mayweather is always trying to undermine him because he is jealous, Mayweather thinks Archer only got the command because of his name, etc…) until they develop a mutual respect. Almost an O’Brien/Bashir kinda thing minus them becoming besties.

 

[Oddish]

O’Brien made a terrible Klingon. He looked like the ultimate village idiot of Qo’onos!

As Sisko would say, haven't you ever seen a blond haired Irish Klingon before?