Ah, yeah, good luck with that, Kahless.

Dif-tor heh smusma.

This talk of Klingons got me thinking of a possible wrinkle in the NuTrek timeline. Although they were spared the destruction of any major member worlds, the Empire lost a great deal more ships to the Narada than did the Federation.

In the short term this is good news for the Earthers, but if this forces the Klingons to abandon their plans to establish a forward base on the backwater world of Organia, the long-term implications could be……”glorious”.

Any convoluted attempt by me to clarify my “real Romulans” statement or try to apologize for the perceived offense would only prove me to be the petock Kahless accuses me of being, and pleas for Klingon mercy would only be debasing to us both, so I have instead a modest proposal to offer Kahless.

Give me a fortnight to ring in the New Year, get my affairs in order and make out my will, and I’ll let you read Scene 1 of Act 2 of ST13: Rapture. What have you got to lose? After all, isn’t revenge a dish best served cold?

(Hey, it worked for Sheherazade in 1001 Arabian Nights.)

Actually, according to the Starfleet Medical Field Manual, the best way to remove Klingon odor is to vaporize the Klingon. Hmm…my protoplaser is not as powerless as I thought, it would appear. I’m a doctor, not a red shirt!

Next thing, you’ll want me to perform heart surgery on a Vulcan in the middle of combat or something. Jeez, Kahless, you are the unrelenting.

(cue music)

Any more bright ideas, petaQ??!!

Afterward, Khan wouldn’t have hatred for James T. Kirk, and the whole element is lost. Khan hated Kirk, and that is what fed him to his own demise. Also, the point of Spock’s presence in that movie was to die, due to Leonard Nimoy’s demands. I can’t imagine they already want to kill him off, so the sacrifice theme is lost. These are some of the reasons why I hope the leave that movie as it was, and find a new villian.

Pax,

~Doc

Hab SoSlI’ Quch!!! petaQ!!!

Wait….Kahless??!! You can’t declare a blood feud on BE; he may be the future of the Trek film-verse!

His blood shall mingle with the sea of Grethor!!!

Well BE, it’s been nice knowing you.

I WANT my pain….I NEED my pain!

Doc, Even though you and I know that both Nero nor Shinzon were in no official capacity representing the Romulan Star Empire, that distinction is bound to be lost on many ordinary moviegoers who have never before encountered any Romulans. You can correct that perception in later installments, but like with Budgeneering, it is best to let the memory fade a little first.

The Trek Movies will always aim for a broader audience than the TV shows, and it is important that somebody with zero Trek knowledge still be able to recognize the players and more importantly, their motives. Khan would present a double challenge, as you would have to explain to me why the Eugenics Wars are now 15 years past their sell-by date, and you would have to explain to my date why Khan harbors such Wrath towards a man who he has never met.(Is he just really grumpy after being awakened from a 200 year nap?)

Chang’s exposition by contrast, needs only a four second shot of a D-7 or three coming your way. The hardcores know Kirk is facing a tough customer who not only survived the original series era, but also distinguished himself and advanced in rank (without being demoted like some captains), and even the noobs know that the Klingons are bad news.

There are still enough similarities between Khan and Chang that if I was looking to cast for one, I might create a publicity smoke screen that I was casting for the other. I pray to the Great Bird’s spirit that this is the case.

Romulan spies? the Intrepid? you’re shooting all around my script. It is comforting to know that great minds think alike, but at the same time disturbing to know that what I have is a little too predictable. As for Vulcan survivors, the 10,000 total only accounts for those beamed up in the “Vulcan Rapture”, not those who were already off-world or in spaceships, so I estimate the final tally to be in the low millions.

Since everybody still seems to be here, or at least dropping by on occasion, I may relent and post one more installment, which I can probably do without giving the whole story away. After all, it’s been way too long since we’ve had a chance to hang out with some REAL Romulans.

I’m more curious as to the fate of the other Constitution-Class ships. Enterprise was never stated as the first, but even if she is, one would assume that Starfleet wants to build more. In this vein, would the Vulcans still follow through on the Intrepid?

I do hope that whoever the antagonist turns out to be, that he or she is a good one. I don’t need a rehash of a previous villian to be sure, because I’ve gotten past my prejudice of the past movie, mostly, and I’d prefer to enter the next one without any baggage of what the original cast did. Given that Chuck just ended its run here in the U.S., I’d be interested in seeing Yvonne Strahovski as either Kirk’s love interest, a Romulan spy, or both. I’d be nice (although entirely unexpected) if they gave Sulu a boyfriend, too.

Cheers,

~Doc