zwolanerd

I was looking through one of those “Star Trek GIFs Tumblrs” that are all the rage (this one), and got to thinking about my favorite characters in each iteration of Trek:

• Star Trek: Spock
• Star Trek: The Next Generation: Data
• Star Trek: Deep Space 9: Odo (so far, I’m not quite halfway through)
• Star Trek: Voyager: Seven of Nine/The Doctor (this is either a tie or I just don’t remember well enough, it’s been a while since I’ve watched any Voyager)
• Enterprise: Uh… that one person?  It’s even harder to remember this one. I liked Captain Archer, but it might just be because he was Scott Bakula. The dog was fun?

So of the shows where I have a definite favorite, it’s a non- or part-human, trying to figure out their place in a crew made up of mostly humans. Spock is half-human; Data is human(ish) in appearance, as is Odo. as Voyager’s Doctor; Seven was a human, then a Borg, now human-with-some-Borg-leftover. Along with that, Vulcans tend to be my favorite race (Ferengi are my least favorite, but that doesn’t really add much to this discussion, I don’t think).

So what does this say about me? I could read into it, I suppose, and come up with a bunch of “I feel like an outsider” or “I’m so different lol” kinds of things, but I don’t know that it’s as simple as all that. These characters are trying to find their way, trying to figure it out. I can like Captain Picard, but I don’t identify with him, and I sure as heck ain’t gonna double-foot kick someone in the chest like Captain Kirk. I think what Scotty, Geordi, and O’Brien do is cool, but engineering isn’t my thing, but I don’t think the job has anything to do with my pull to these characters. Spock is Mr. Science, and I like science and all, but I can’t ever remember the difference between an boron and a gravimetric particle.

Let’s look at them again:

• Spock: Half-human, half Vulcan, but strives towards being as Vulcan as possible. Over and over (it seems), he’s reminded by others (particularly his human mother) about his human side and how he’ll need to take that into account. When Dr. McCoy reminds him that he’s part human, Spock always takes offense, as if McCoy had insulted him (which, honestly, he probably was trying to do). But when it came down to Spock taking the final steps of Kolinahr, he couldn’t do it and never got back around to trying.
• Data: wants to be human, or wants to experience what it’s like to be human (a small distinction, but sometimes important). He often gets compared to Pinocchio, with his “I want to be a real boy” outlook. Eventually gets an emotion chip that he then eventually can turn on and off. Weird how the cycle comes back around on that point – wouldn’t it be handy to be able to turn off your emotions at will sometimes? It’s a reverse-twist on Spock’s quest to turn his completely off.
• Odo: Completely non-human, but exerts much energy to look as humanoid as possible. The twist here is that he could change himself to look however he wants, but he chooses humanoid, most likely for two reasons: he doesn’t want others to be uncomfortable around him (I think this is a stated reason at one point), and he wants to fit in (I’m not sure if this gets stated outright).
• Seven of Nine: Back to being human after being a Borg for 13 years. She struggles to figure out how humans interact, and frequently talks about how the Borg do some things better. She seems to miss the collective, as well, talking about “loneliness” because there are no other voices speaking at the same time in her head. This is a different “no emotions” thing than Spock or Data deal with, but to the outside observer it looks similar.
• The Doctor: More of an unfettered AI, a learning program.  His programming was already set to “gruff,” but he picks up on things over time. He still lands on “exasperated” most of the time, but when they find a way for him to wander free of the medical bay, it’s (to me, anyway) a comment on his wandering free on his path of discovery.  There’s some Pinocchio to him, but he’s mostly self-assured.
• Porthos (Archer’s dog): Just wants tummy rubs and food. That’s most people, right?

I don’t think I’m going to try to reach any conclusions here, partly because I haven’t been able to yet, and partly because I’m open to suggestion.

Who are your favorite Trek characters?

Tags: Star Trek

Written by: Mark