Best I can tell, there is at the present time only one person who knows what the Tzenkethi look like, what their culture is like, etc.
I'm just sayin'....
I'm just sayin'....
What do the Typhon Pact races look like?
- Thread starter Paris
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Cardassia Prime wasn't always like that. They had a lush verdant world at the time of the Hebitians, prior to the unknown "Cataclysm" which turned the world into what it is now, so I don't see how their reptilian appearance is because of the world itself.
I suppose it's possible that while in our DNA the mammalian genes are more dominant from our history, the Cardassians have a more dominant reptilian DNA, enough so that they consider flesh-skinned races weak. The Cardassians have, in the literature at least, always been considered to be stronger and more resilient than other races, excepting the Klingons of course.
I suppose it's possible that while in our DNA the mammalian genes are more dominant from our history, the Cardassians have a more dominant reptilian DNA, enough so that they consider flesh-skinned races weak. The Cardassians have, in the literature at least, always been considered to be stronger and more resilient than other races, excepting the Klingons of course.
^But "scaly" doesn't mean "reptilian." It's just one of the various attributes possessed by reptiles on Earth, and there's no reason it couldn't be possessed by a totally different branch of life on a different planet. Cardassians clearly have all the major defining traits of mammals: live birth, mammary glands, hair, an advanced brain, and probably warmbloodedness. The only trait they have in common with reptiles is a somewhat scaly appearance, and they aren't even all that scaly. Well, some reptiles do give live birth, but their reproductive anatomy is very different from the mammalian version. We know that Cardassians can couple with Bajorans and Bajorans can couple with humans, so Cardassian genitalia must be essentially humanlike.
I think we've reached a stalemate here, and are somewhat off topic, so we'll agree that anything is possible, but you're probably right, and move on.
So who do you think will win the Typhon Rally this year?
So who do you think will win the Typhon Rally this year?
A Tzenkethi male was described as a "feliform" biped in "DS9: Infinite Bureaucracy", a short story in "Strange New Worlds VII", but this was back when fanon was embracing the kzinti rumour.
Ian, my good man, you are correct about that description in "Infinite Bureaucracy." I've been collecting all the references to the Tzenkethi in the Star Trek literature, and the one you mention is essentially the only one I've found that offers any concrete details of their physiology. That said, given that this lone mention occurs in a Strange New Worlds volume, and that it contradicts certain other less-than-concrete implications about Tzenkethi biology in other sources, it's safe to say that, with apologies to Anne E. Clements, I may simply choose to ignore it. Or not. We'll see how it goes.
Since you're dealing with the Tzenkethi in TRBOE, do you think you might get the opportunity to resurrect the Sisko/Tzenkethi novel?
There are always...possibilities. Right now, I have committed to penning two more Star Trek novels: The Rough Beasts of Empire and a short Next Generation novel for the next Myriad Universes volume. Beyond that, I have signed no additional contracts for any other Trek projects.
If not, then what are the authors of the Typhon Pact books, or KRAD, picturing when they write these guys? I include KRAD because he wrote A Singular Destiny. Any sketches guys?
Sometime after ASD came out I created a SPORE creature based on KRAD's description of the Kinshaya. Some photos here:
http://s612.photobucket.com/albums/tt204/emperorkalan/Aliens/
Likely needs more than a few tweaks, though, since this version seems less like a griffon and more like a kangaroo with wings.
I do think it's very likely that the Kinshaya are relatively small compared to humans and Klingons, maybe in the ballpark of a large dog. After all, one of their ships was pulled into the Gorkon's hangar bay, so the attack ships themselves have to be on the small side, and they need to fit more than just the bridges we saw.
But that's just me speculating.
Yeah, I'd be happy if you did, 'cos it only reinforces that bizarre kzinti-analog rumor.
At the time I found it, I went looking through Google Images and there was lots of fan art that was influenced to go feliform on that race!
It had all disappeared last time I repeated the search.I much prefer the 2006 quote from Robert Hewitt Wolfe, who coined the term "Tzenkethi" for DS9. He 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"/"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.)
^ All I can tell you at this point is what I said earlier: right now, one person alone knows what the Tzenkethi look like...and he ain't talkin'.
Yeah, you and Garak, that is!
(Garek claims to have once been a spy on Tzenketh, "DS9: By Inferno's Light").
^We've seen characters interacting directly with Tzenkethi, in Articles of the Federation for instance. Lots of people in-universe know what they look like (unlike the Breen). Just like lots of people in-universe know what Morn sounds like, what Ensign Vilix'pran looks like, what the Gallamite Captain Boday looks like, etc.
It wasn't eggs; I think he was described as "budding." And his kids went through a winged stage.
What to the Typon Pact races look like?
Ugly.
It's an unwritten law of Trek that "evil" races are always the ugliest.
Except the Gorn which are way cool. And the Kinshaya. They've got wings and everything...
Ugly.
It's an unwritten law of Trek that "evil" races are always the ugliest.
Except the Gorn which are way cool. And the Kinshaya. They've got wings and everything...
^Again, why this kneejerk characterization of the Pact as "evil"? I and others have been pointing out for months now that it's not going to be yet another simplistic good guys vs. bad guys narrative, but something more politically nuanced. Sometimes I think I'm just talking to a wall.
And for all we know, the Tzenkethi and Breen will turn out to be gorgeous.
And that "unwritten law" is just nonsense. In modern Trek, Romulans are consistently more "evil" than Klingons, but they're much more aesthetically pleasing. The Founders are one of the most "evil" powers in all of Trek, and they're simply neutral-looking. The Vorta are nearly as bad, and they're fairly pleasant-looking (by the Founders' design, admittedly).
And for all we know, the Tzenkethi and Breen will turn out to be gorgeous.
And that "unwritten law" is just nonsense. In modern Trek, Romulans are consistently more "evil" than Klingons, but they're much more aesthetically pleasing. The Founders are one of the most "evil" powers in all of Trek, and they're simply neutral-looking. The Vorta are nearly as bad, and they're fairly pleasant-looking (by the Founders' design, admittedly).
^They may not be "evil", but this story seems to be building to an "us vs. them" thing.
Isn't there a pic of a Tzenkethi in the DS9 Technical Manual, on one of Odo's security screens? Kinda like a green reptile Kzinti IIRC
They need to replicator-proof their money somehow too. Gemstones in the future = worthless.
Isn't there a pic of a Tzenkethi in the DS9 Technical Manual, on one of Odo's security screens? Kinda like a green reptile Kzinti IIRC
They need to replicator-proof their money somehow too. Gemstones in the future = worthless.
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