[net.startrek] Klingons and Romulans

rjnoe@ihlts.UUCP (09/19/83)

Your points are well taken, B.K. Cobb, particularly with regard to the
Romulans.  It was unfair of me to group them together like that.  I apologize
to all Romulans out there whom I may have offended by my ethnic remarks.
But the Klingons are, as you said, "too nasty".  They have no redeeming
qualities at all--quite unrealistic.  And they're always LOSING in the long
run.  The best they ever came off was with the Organians, another dubious
development in Star Trek.  And I must admit, some of the better episodes
did involve Romulans.  "Balance of Terror" shows us the errors of prejudice,
introduces us to Romulans (especially their very interesting commander),
and I've always enjoyed "The Enterprise Incident" more than most trekkers do
because of the intrigue, Spock's non-affair, the cloaking device, Kirk as
a Romulan, the Vulcan death grip--and all this relatively without violence.
Yes, it was an error for me to say that the Romulans should be dumped.  I
would like to see them in a Star Trek movie on the road to becoming allies
with the Federation [HINT] after overcoming their mutual fears.  I stand by
my statement on the Klingons--as an idea they suck and should disappear,
nonviolently, of course.  I do believe the best stories are those centering
on the conflicts of human against nature or human against itself rather than
human against human.

-- 
		Roger Noe		...ihnp4!ihlts!rjnoe

okie@ihuxs.UUCP (09/20/83)

Roger, maybe you are right as well.  The more I think about it, the
more I dislike even the concept of the Klingons.  The only time I think
they worked well was in "The Trouble With Tribbles," and that was camp!
As serious villains, they certainly failed in "Day of the Dove,"
and (I agree with) also in "Errand of Mercy."  But I *still* think there
should be some type of "bad guy," simply for the fact that there are
good guys and bad guys everywhere.  But I won't get back on my soapbox
with that discussion.  Wrong group for it anyway.

Though our opinions may diverge, there is "infinite diversity in infinite
combination."

B.K. Cobb