Who created M'Ress?

[Redfern]

The thread header is pretty much to the point. Can one or two specific people be credited as having created M'Ress for the animated series, and if so, whom? Can Gene Roddenberry legitimately assume the honors this time (or "take the blame" if you dislike the character), or was it one or more of the other noted people developing the project like DC Fontana or David Gerrold? Was it director Hal Sutherland or maybe the front runners of Filmation, Lou Scheimer or Norm Prescott?

Also, was she intended to be anything beyond a token alien? If more episodes had been produced, was anything akin to a M'Ress focused story considered? Yes, I know of the "biography" offered through "Lincoln Enterprises", but was that actually developed during the course of the series, or was that merely an "afterthought", written well after the cancellation of the series, something that could be sold through the Roddenberry's memorabilia service? If the latter, did Alan Dean Foster have any influence upon that short "bio"? I can't remember, had he already written the "flashback" in the Log novels (briefly describing her redirecting a transmitter aboard a Kzin ship) before Lincoln Enterprises released that bio? Or did the bio come first and Foster expand upon that Kzin incident?

Yeah, I suspect she was never meant to be anything beyond a visual cue to remind viewers the Enterprise was part of a multi species community, but I'd like to know for sure if anyone has any definitive information.

Who wants to place odds Therin of Andor or Christopher will be the first to respond?

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[Garrovick]

Her parents created her, of course

I figured someone would say it, might as well be me.

 

[Redfern]

"And they had a LOT of fun doing so!"

Yeah, I set up myself fo that one.

I fear the animated series is just not that well documented, so until some of the people directly involved are asked these questions, we'll probably never know.

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[Amaris]

I don't know, but I want to shake their hand because she's adorable!

 

[Kemaiku]

I don't know, but I want to shake their hand because she's adorable!

*smacks* "Paw"

Come on now, you've learned 'hoof' easily enough.

 

[Amaris]

I don't know, but I want to shake their hand because she's adorable!

*smacks* "Paw"

Come on now, you've learned 'hoof' easily enough.

I'm not cut out to be bilingual, er, trilingual!

 

[Kemaiku]

I'd settle for a dedicated episode or two to Caitians in general. We know very little about their race, Caitia, language, ships, technology, society etc

 

[Amaris]

I'd settle for a dedicated episode or two to Caitians in general. We know very little about their race, Caitia, language, ships, technology, society etc

Yes! I love the Caitians, but we get no background. I wonder, if the show would have continued, if we would have seen something more in-depth about them?

 

[Kemaiku]

Yeah, I'd love to know who came up with the race as well as M'ress, if it was something thought up during TOS or just for TAS.

 

[Amaris]

According to Memory Alpha, it may have been anyone.

The name of the species comes from a biography of Lt. M'Ress published by Lincoln Enterprises in 1974, which claims that the Caitians are related to the Kzinti. This is corroborated by extensive commentary by Larry Niven, author of most Known Space books, primarily found in his short story books "N-Space," "Playgrounds of the Mind" and "The Patchwork Man."

I wonder if Larry Niven had anything to do with it, or if he was just tasked with shoring up the background of her character.

 

[scotpens]

Her parents created her, of course

Was she an only child, or one of a litter?

 

[Kemaiku]

I always assumed that Caitains had multiple births, or at least prefered larger families.

 

[Christopher]

The thread header is pretty much to the point. Can one or two specific people be credited as having created M'Ress for the animated series, and if so, whom? Can Gene Roddenberry legitimately assume the honors this time (or "take the blame" if you dislike the character), or was it one or more of the other noted people developing the project like DC Fontana or David Gerrold? Was it director Hal Sutherland or maybe the front runners of Filmation, Lou Scheimer or Norm Prescott?

I don't think Roddenberry had much creative involvement with TAS; it was essentially D.C. Fontana's show. As for Gerrold, he was a freelancer as far as I know, not a member of the staff.

In order of production number, M'Ress's first episode was "The Survivor," written by James Schmerer. However, Memory Alpha says that M'Ress is described in the script to "Mudd's Passion" by Stephen Kandel, suggesting that he may have conceived the character. I checked my copy of the "Star Trek Animated Fan Club Newsletter" issue 1, which came out not long before TAS premiered, and it gives "Mudd's Passion" as M'Ress's first appearance. So I'd tentatively suggest that Kandel may have created her.

But it's also possible that she and Arex were developed in-house by Filmation's staff and Fontana as they put the show together. Sometimes in animation it's an artist who creates a character, with the writers then developing them based on the initial artwork.

Also, was she intended to be anything beyond a token alien? If more episodes had been produced, was anything akin to a M'Ress focused story considered?

That doesn't seem too likely, but if someone had come up with a good idea for a story centering on M'Ress or Arex, it could've happened.

 

[Masao]

 

[Mysterion]

^^^^
Execellent, Masao!

Why does M'ress always get all the attention, though? where's the love for Arex and Edoans?

 

[Amaris]

^^^^
Execellent, Masao!

Why does M'ress always get all the attention, though? where's the love for Arex and Edoans?

Because she's cute, and fuzzy, and sexy, and cute, and adorable, and a kitty cat.

 

[Mysterion]

Fine, she's a cute girl in a cat-suit. We all like those, of course. But Arex was an actual alien-looking alien. Or at least more so than we usually saw amongst Starfleet personnel. That's gotta count for something, right?

 

[Danger Ace]

I keep hoping that the writers on the "Big Bang Theory" will make Leonard and Penny Furrie fetishists whereby she dresses up as M'ress - that would be so very, very super-nova hot!

Brb, I gotta go get my inhaler.

 

[Amaris]

Fine, she's a cute girl in a cat-suit. We all like those, of course. But Arex was an actual alien-looking alien. Or at least more so than we usually saw amongst Starfleet personnel. That's gotta count for something, right?

No.

 

[Kemaiku]

Well there is still the chance that that alien on the Kelvin bridge was a member of Arex's race.