Not sure that was the meaning Data or the writers were going for. I'm thinking more of a parallel to Latin than oh, Scottish Gaeilc.
Why Can't Uhura Speak Klingon in Star Trek VI; Is She a Diffrent Person After Nomad
- Thread starter Star Trek Apolgist
- Start date
The only reason why this is even a topic of debate is because of 'Trek purists' insistence that Uhura was nothing more than a glorified secretary and technician, which is a dumb premise to have when you're dealing with a futuristic setting like 'Trek. We all know that TOS was produced during an unenlightened era that was coming out of a post-WW2/Cold War mindset. So Uhura's depiction in TUC (ironically not a favorite among 'Trek purists either) was in keeping with what has been established for the Uhura character. Personally, a better question would be why no one in Starfleet knows an alien language. You would think that Starfleet Academy, being a school for the best a brightiest, would not only require that a cadet learn non-Terran languages, but that to successfully apply to the Academy would require an applicant to stand out among the candidates. Uhura, being African, is a natural polyglot, and her becoming fluent in an alien language would be the thing that got her admitted into the Academy. Otherwise, why have an officer be a communications specialist? Just get an enlisted crew member instead. And this thing with the Universal Translator is nothing more than a much abused, lazy plot device, on par with the transwarp beaming. And its use doesn't even make sense from a technical standpoint, in that it could immediately translate verbial communications (which I am glad was addressed in the TNG episode "Darmak").
Anyway, however we've come to this point, in regards to how Uhura is being depicted, I do hope that the character is used well, other than just a glorified extra in STB.
Anyway, however we've come to this point, in regards to how Uhura is being depicted, I do hope that the character is used well, other than just a glorified extra in STB.
Being a skilled technician and engineer is no small feat. Uhura's understanding of communications hardware and software is something to be respected and not so different than Scott's understanding of Warp engines and transporters. She's a miracle worker in her field as well.
Is there a reason an African would be a natural polyglot? ( Is there such a thing?) If the UFP and Starfleet are multi-species organizations, I'm not sure knowing one non-human language would stand out.
In TOS everyone on the bridge tended to be officers. I doubt you need officers at helm or navigation either.
As I stated, much of Uhura's role as a communications officer, as depicted in cinema and television, could be relegated to technician. That's why I appreciated TPTB's attempt to expand that role by making the position of communications officer into a specialty, vis-a-vis STAR TREK ENTERPRISE. I mean, you go to Starfleet Academy to become an officer...just to fix a radio? Come on, now. That's like me going to MIT just to learn how to fix cars. At the very least, communications officer should be seen as a "position" rather than a field of study, which would make the scene of Uhura not knowing Klingon in TUC make sense. Stepping back a bit, the reason why I say Africans are natural polyglots is because your average African knows three languages: mother language, local/trade language and colonial language (maybe a fourth, if English isn't the colonial language, and maybe a fifth, if Islam is part of the culture); same with South Asians. We Westerners don't have to worry about learning multiple languages. At any rate, all I am saying is that I don't see a problem of Uhura having a background in linguistics as a field of study, which compliments well with the position of communications officer.
No disrespect was intended, but there IS a break down on the type of fans there are within 'Trek fandom, in relation to how the counter-arguments against Uhura knowing Klingon are being framed, i.e. TUC Uhura vs. STID Uhura (who did state that her Klingon was "a little rusty" before going down to the Klingon Homeworld) scenes. In fact, there are TOS purists who think that anything after season three of TOS isn't "true" 'Trek. Heck, even Gene Roddenberry was of a mixed opinion of what constitutes as "true" 'Trek. Again, no disrespect is intended, if you felt that there was one being made.
It's not a problem, it's just that you're assuming something about her rather than basing it on what was actually said throughout the franchise.
Also, people from African countries knowing several languages doesn't make them a natural polyglot. In a country with hundreds of languages, it just makes sense to learn more than one. Doesn't mean it's a special talent.
That's a little too reductive in my opinion. I'd be curious to see what someone at NASA Communications would say if you asked them what it's like to fix a radio.
I assume there is more to being a communications officer than fixing radios and you seemed to agree, yet here you are trying denigrate it again. I think you go to the academy to learn how to be an officer. You also learn some science, technical and military stuff. Walking out with a commission is the same whether the degree is in physics, linguistics or communication technology.
Even in the West there were and are areas where being multi-lingual is a plus. It's usually a matter of geography, necessity and economics.
Also, it's part of the movie's excellent overall effort of throwing out some unfounded fan beliefs regarding Klingons and "restoring them as villains" - along with Kirk's "Never been this close" and McCoy's "I don't even know his anatomy", it drives home the point that while our heroes do fight the Klingons, they really know next to nothing about their enemy.
Sure, Kirk may have a bat'leth hanging on the wall of his log cabin, the way a warrior from the west might have displayed a Red Army officer's cap. But that's pretty much it. The heroes don't know the kulture, speak the klingo, or guess what is really going on behind those forehead ridges.
Timo Saloniemi
Sure, Kirk may have a bat'leth hanging on the wall of his log cabin, the way a warrior from the west might have displayed a Red Army officer's cap. But that's pretty much it. The heroes don't know the kulture, speak the klingo, or guess what is really going on behind those forehead ridges.
Timo Saloniemi
In the video, it shows Uhura reading Klingon. Badly, but she can. And in "Into Darkness" she says her Klingon is "rusty but good". Uhura in ST: VI is a lot older and may be more rusty (though able to). I think the thread name should be "Why can't Uhura speak Klingon fluently in Star Trek 6?"
She can obviously speak it, though with difficulty. Nomad had nothing to do with it. The Human brain did. She forgot some. She knows Klingon, but cannot easily process it on request.
She can obviously speak it, though with difficulty. Nomad had nothing to do with it. The Human brain did. She forgot some. She knows Klingon, but cannot easily process it on request.
I can read a phonetic Klingon (or Japanese) sentence out. Using a phrasebook I can do the same for any language too, if Uhura had flicked a page in her Berlitz, she would have been asking to buy a beach ball, and where do they do full English breakfast as well as gagh
Knowing the Enterprise in the 23rd century, the library computer was probably offline so Uhura couldn't see a Phrasebook and even if she had a physical one, it would have likely taken time to retrieve such as book from her quarters (unless of course she had it in a drawer on the bridge in her station or something).
Also, chances are that some of those three, four or five languages spoken by one person are utterly unrelated to one another, even though they are all human languages. I think that it would be quite natural for somebody already very familiar with quite disparate languages to pick up an extraterrestrial language (or two).
Some of us even find season three to be of doubtful status as "true" Trek.
Kor
I was, somewhat tongue in cheek, referring to the daft looking hefty tomes they had on the bridge.
There was probably the tiny little glossy print, smaller than a5, yellow with a photo of a smiling Klingon offering a plate of gagh and a bloodwine with an umbrella in it on the cover, 'berlitz Klingon phrasebook'.
Probably on top of the Lonely Planet Guide to Quo'nos with a picture of a dancing Gowron.
Gowron wasn't born yet. And that's silly.
*raises eyebrow*
*Tos jingly music with the flutes plays*
Too much LDS in the sixties?
You know, I think there may be a postcard in my federation passport...
The Federation isn't real. As much as I hate to admit it, we are all discussing fiction.
You don't have a real Federation passport. There is no UFP (United Federation Of Planets). STAR TREK is good science fiction beginning in 1964. Sir.
Similar threads
