A Traveler in The Motion Picture
- Thread starter Amerigo
- Start date
No, that's a Rhaandarite (as named in behind-the-scenes production documents) -- the same one played by Billy van Zandt in the earlier bridge scene, the one who stood up for Captain Decker and got chewed out by Uhura. I named him Ensign Vaylin Zaand in my novel Ex Machina, while the Marvel Untold Voyages comic called him Ensign Omal and mistakenly put him in sciences instead of security as indicated by his insignia color.
Also known as a Vegan
Maybe Rhaandarites don't eat meat or dairy...?
Whether or when I write more Trek is up in the air right now. I've been taking sort of an unplanned but well-timed sabbatical from contract work and have spent most of the past year writing a couple of original novels I've finally got the time to write.
Zaranite and Rhaandarites by Ian McLean, on Flickr
There were several Rhaandarites in TMP. Two ambassadors (above) in San Francisco, standing inside the large UFP symbol on the floor of the airtram station, one Starfleet crewmember on the floating Office Complex, one on the bridge and several on the Enterprise's Rec Deck.
Momo Yashima and Billy Van Zandt on the bridge by Ian McLean, on Flickr
It wasn't a mistake. Writer Glenn Greenberg had Mr Omal temporarily filling in for Spock as science officer during Spock's leave of absence to deal with the young Saavik situation after her rescue from Hellguard.
Omal the Rhaandarite by Ian McLean, on Flickr
Also known as a Vegan
Until they settled on "Rhaandarite"... Note caption under the pic:
Centre: Convention organiser, Steven L Hersh (aka Steven Lance), as a Rhaandarite by Ian McLean, on Flickr
A species recently featured on "Lower Decks". [Season Three episode, entitled “Reflections”.]
Female Arcturian and male Rhaandarite by Ian McLean, on Flickr
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What I like about Rhaandarites is that the males and females appear identical. Females tend to wear jewellery on their forehead. So the ambassadors above are male and female. It's a small detail, which I thought was quite cool and subversive for the seventies but then all the Starfleet crew would appear to be male. Also Arcturians, who reproduce by cloning, would not need two genders to sustain the species, although that was never formally included in their background. It's not clear what distinguishes Saurian females - possibly they have smaller or larger crests on their heads - but they would not need boobs.
