Quick Analogues for Traveller Races
- Thread starter Mithras
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Reynard
Emperor Mongoose
[/quote]Supposedly, the vaguely feline being spotted in the crowd at Kirks trial at the end of ST IV was not identified as any of the previously known races.[/quote]
From a few sources, right or wrong, the feline races in the movie were actually a nod to the Caitians and M'Ress' popularity with the fans. As usual, due to copyright issues, they were renamed Regulans.
From a few sources, right or wrong, the feline races in the movie were actually a nod to the Caitians and M'Ress' popularity with the fans. As usual, due to copyright issues, they were renamed Regulans.
Reynard
Emperor Mongoose
locarno24 said:
The Slaver Weapon, both the name of the weapon and the episode. Slavers were a race that existed long before life as we know it. They dominated all sentient races with their psychic abilities until a slave race developed a device that destroyed all life able to think (not yeast). Billions of world had been seeded with a yeast like life to feed prey animals and that was the basis for all new life billions of years ago. In the Trek animated series the slavers and slave races were the Ancients. interesting read those Known Space novels.
Reynard
Emperor Mongoose
Traveller races as Trek races is strained at best. I remember is discussion decades ago concerning Star Fleet Battle Trek, which an be consitered The Old Series, races as Earth culture equivalents. Klingons are Soviet era russian, kizinti are fuedal japanese and Romulans were classic roman while the Federation is the United States.
For me, earth equivalents we can relate to make sense when describing Traveller races. The Solomani are definately soviet style as aslan are fuedal japanese. Zhodani psychic ability has no equivalent but the culture of strict control of the population for the elite base on their precieved superior status plus the major distrust of outside cultures prompting isolating the lesser citizens from outside corruption vaguely remind me of the more intense islamic states around the world. Vargrs, with their chaotic nature and common practice of piracy, remind me of the piracy occuring regularly along the african coasts. Hivers are the United States in it's glory days, the star of technological advancement but also the masters of under the table influence of their neighbors. The vilani, an old race with great achievement but a tendancy to stagnate and get washed away by more energetic forces personally reminds me of classic greco-roman.
Others have no direct comparisons of that nature to me. Darrians are Elves in Space. The K'kree... hmm, paranoid (often dangerous) vegans. Droyne/Chirpers are the cinders of a great fireplace possibly the decendent people of mayan or aztec or egyptian. Throw me a bone people!
For me, earth equivalents we can relate to make sense when describing Traveller races. The Solomani are definately soviet style as aslan are fuedal japanese. Zhodani psychic ability has no equivalent but the culture of strict control of the population for the elite base on their precieved superior status plus the major distrust of outside cultures prompting isolating the lesser citizens from outside corruption vaguely remind me of the more intense islamic states around the world. Vargrs, with their chaotic nature and common practice of piracy, remind me of the piracy occuring regularly along the african coasts. Hivers are the United States in it's glory days, the star of technological advancement but also the masters of under the table influence of their neighbors. The vilani, an old race with great achievement but a tendancy to stagnate and get washed away by more energetic forces personally reminds me of classic greco-roman.
Others have no direct comparisons of that nature to me. Darrians are Elves in Space. The K'kree... hmm, paranoid (often dangerous) vegans. Droyne/Chirpers are the cinders of a great fireplace possibly the decendent people of mayan or aztec or egyptian. Throw me a bone people!
alex_greene
Guest
Aslan - Definitely the Kzinti from The Slaver Weapon TAS episode. Otherwise, TAS Caitians in appearance, Klingon in their predilections.
Darrians - Deltans without the sex pheromones and the need to take Oaths of Celibacy just to go to the shops.
Zhodani - Come on. Pre-TNG Klingons from TOS, "What is it with the Klingons? / Remember in the day, / When they looked like Puerto Ricans / And they dressed in gold lame?" ... only with psionics.
Hivers - Romulans in predilection, nothing in Star Trek remotely like them in appearance unless you count the Horta. Definitely none of the parental instincts of the Horta.
K'Kree - no analogue, in appearance or temperament.
Vargr - Orion pirates in behaviour, only without the green animal slave women (unless you include them as a conquered minor race of servitors to Vargr leaders and occasional livestock).
Droyne - In terms of psionics, think of the Talosians, Gary Mitchell, Thasians, The Old Ones from "What Are Little Girls Made Of?", the Shore Leave Planet, the Squire of Gothos, the Metrons, Landru, the Organians, Apollo, Vaal, Korob and Sylvia, Redjac, the Gamesters of Triskelion, Sargon, Thalassa and Moloch from "Return to Tomorrow," the Preservers, Gorgan, Medusans, the Melkotians, the Sahndarans ("Plato's Stepchildren"), the Vians from "The Empath," the Kalandans (and the hard light photonic holograms they left behind), Flint, the Excalbians, the Sarpeidonians and the aliens from Camus II - also Lucien from "The Magics of Megas-Tu," Q, the Douwd, and various other entities from other incarnations of Trek.
In terms of their appearance and culture, nothing remotely like them appear anywhere in the show.
Is there anything in Traveller that resembles the Gorn, I wonder?
Darrians - Deltans without the sex pheromones and the need to take Oaths of Celibacy just to go to the shops.
Zhodani - Come on. Pre-TNG Klingons from TOS, "What is it with the Klingons? / Remember in the day, / When they looked like Puerto Ricans / And they dressed in gold lame?" ... only with psionics.
Hivers - Romulans in predilection, nothing in Star Trek remotely like them in appearance unless you count the Horta. Definitely none of the parental instincts of the Horta.
K'Kree - no analogue, in appearance or temperament.
Vargr - Orion pirates in behaviour, only without the green animal slave women (unless you include them as a conquered minor race of servitors to Vargr leaders and occasional livestock).
Droyne - In terms of psionics, think of the Talosians, Gary Mitchell, Thasians, The Old Ones from "What Are Little Girls Made Of?", the Shore Leave Planet, the Squire of Gothos, the Metrons, Landru, the Organians, Apollo, Vaal, Korob and Sylvia, Redjac, the Gamesters of Triskelion, Sargon, Thalassa and Moloch from "Return to Tomorrow," the Preservers, Gorgan, Medusans, the Melkotians, the Sahndarans ("Plato's Stepchildren"), the Vians from "The Empath," the Kalandans (and the hard light photonic holograms they left behind), Flint, the Excalbians, the Sarpeidonians and the aliens from Camus II - also Lucien from "The Magics of Megas-Tu," Q, the Douwd, and various other entities from other incarnations of Trek.
In terms of their appearance and culture, nothing remotely like them appear anywhere in the show.
Is there anything in Traveller that resembles the Gorn, I wonder?
alex_greene
Guest
I'm only too glad that Mongoose didn't give the Zhodani bumpy foreheads and goofy teeth ...
I think what is evolving here is the realization that the Traveller Races are pretty unique!
This is really nice when you realize Star Trek (at least TOS) came first and Traveller didn't rip off the templates provided there.
I'm a big fan of Star Trek, and a big fan of Traveller. Any comparisons show that both attempted to create a broad palette for great storytelling.
This is really nice when you realize Star Trek (at least TOS) came first and Traveller didn't rip off the templates provided there.
I'm a big fan of Star Trek, and a big fan of Traveller. Any comparisons show that both attempted to create a broad palette for great storytelling.
GypsyComet
Emperor Mongoose
Reynard said:
That would be the Hkhar. They have an article in Challenge, a chapter in GURPS Traveller's Aliens books, and were supposedly the aliens behind the old adventure "Shadows". They have a long history of migration via STL, but either returned to their home or decided to pick a new one located in Julian space, waged ruthless war to secure it, and remain more than a little opaque in behavior despite now being a partner race within the Julian Protectorate. Despite the appearances in print so far, the information to really play one properly is still non-existent. They are rubber suits with an attitude, a smoking habit, and a secret or two.
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