Benzites

[dHunter333]

i noticed a slight contradiction in ds9 episode 5x01 apocalypse rising
sisqo obrien worf and odo are posing as klingons trying to expose gorwon as a changeling
one of the klingons is bragging about how he killed a benzite captain

sisqo said they went to the academy together 22 years ago

the first benzite joined stafleet about 8 or 9 years max ago

 

[nx1701g]

This is actually a very common mistake. Captain Laporin was not a Benzite, he was a Benzenite. While they both used breathing tubes the two extra letters (the e and the n) make him a different species so its not an error.

 

[Ensign_Redshirt]

Also, the Trill are two completely different species on TNG and DS9.

But yes, it was a goof.

 

[USS Triumphant]

Also, the Trill are two completely different species on TNG and DS9.

Ya know, if the Trill political entity was already a collective (republic, empire, whatever) of a few star systems before they joined the Federation, there's really no reason why there might not be more than one species of Trill hosts. Especially if the species that inhabited those worlds were already distantly related due to some Preserver or similar interference.

It would definitely be a 'no prize' kinda explanation, though, cause yeah - they screwed up.

 

[Timo]

How so? Worf has been to Starfleet Academy long before the Klingon Empire joined the UFP (heck, they still haven't!). Nog did the same while the Ferengi Alliance remained outside the UFP. Ro and Sito enrolled while Bajor was still under Cardassian rule. There's no reason why a Benzite/Benzenite couldn't attend the Academy during Sisko's, Picard's or Kirk's youth.

...Of course, he'd have to drop out or otherwise fail to get employed by Starfleet at that time, so that Mordock could be the first Benzite actually serving in Starfleet.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Jono]

It is possible that Laporin was attending Starfleet Academy as part of an exchange program. You can make very good friends with "foreign" students even if they are only there for 6 months. So Mordock can be the first Benzarite to be accepted to the Academy to train to serve in Starfleet.

By 2372, Laporin transfers to Starfleet, either through nationalisation of Benzar's space forces or again on an officer exchange program.

 

[Timo]

...Of course, we could also tackle this from the other end, and dismiss the references in "Coming of Age" to Mordock being the first Benzite in Starfleet. After all, there's no plot point elsewhere that would require the absence of Benzites from Starfleet or the Federation at dates preceding this episode.

For example, "First Benzite" could be a honorific of some sort. No, I mean, seriously. All the candidates tested on Relva were obviously the cream of the cream, whiz kids of some sort - not the standard bulk like Nog who could just sail in after displaying basic proficiency. Perhaps all of them were underage like Wesley and thus faced the extra difficulties an older entrant would never face. But it's also possible that the Relvan quota was only for the superintelligent, and that Mordock's outstanding intelligence meant that he'd be the very best Benzite in Starfleet - the "first".

Or, seeing how Commander Chang was being quite corner-patriotic about his little installation on Relva, Mordock could be the first Benzite ever going to the Academy from the Relvan quota, rather than the first Benzite from anywhere. This would also fit the theory about the wunderkind quota: it would always be difficult to get to Starfleet through Relva, and no Benzite had gone that route before.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[USS Triumphant]

I just went and looked: the exact wording regarding Mordock is "first Benzite to attend Starfleet Academy".

Which means that there still could have been Benzites who attended other educational facilities and still served in Starfleet - similar to the shipload of Vulcans on U.S.S. Intrepid (NCC-1631), who were probably trained at the Vulcan Science Academy.

Mordock is the Benzite Spock. (Say that 10 times fast. )

 

[nx1701g]

Since people seemed to ignore it the first time:

This is actually a very common mistake. Captain Laporin was not a Benzite, he was a Benzenite. While they both used breathing tubes the two extra letters (the e and the n) make him a different species so its not an error.

Mordock and Laporin were different species.

Laporin: Benzenite
Mordock: Benzite

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Since people seemed to ignore it the first time:

This is actually a very common mistake. Captain Laporin was not a Benzite, he was a Benzenite. While they both used breathing tubes the two extra letters (the e and the n) make him a different species so its not an error.

Mordock and Laporin were different species.

Laporin: Benzenite
Mordock: Benzite

I believe the "breathing tubes" Laporin used were described as being attached to his head. That's also different from the Benzite breathing apparatus. It's still suspicious though, that two races whose names sound similar have breathing apparatus...maybe the writers did indeed mean "Benzite". We know a Benzite character showed up in the very next episode.

 

[Timo]

I just went and looked: the exact wording regarding Mordock is "first Benzite to attend Starfleet Academy".

Umm, the usually reliable "Chrissie's Transcripts" at chakoteya.net have Chang saying

Chang: "Congratulations, Mister Mordock. You're the first Benzite in Starfleet."

While Chang does seem to mean that Mordock is the first Benzite to end up in the Academy, the wording as above doesn't support the idea that some other Benzite could have ended up in Starfleet by other means. And in any case, the contradiction here was that Sisko and Laporin both went to the Academy - so if Mordock was the first to attend the Academy, the contradiction stands even if other Benzites entered Starfleet by other means.

So we still need an explanation, which can come in three varieties:

1) Mordock wasn't literally the first Benzite ever in Starfleet Academy, despite Chang's turn of phrase
2) Laporin wasn't exactly studying in the Academy, despite Sisko's turn of phrase
3) Benzites and Benzenites are not the same thing

On the latter matter, let's remember that it's a Klingon calling Laporin "Benzenite", not one of our heroes. The Klingon could get the nuances wrong... Much like some humans' "Klingots".

On the second point, though, Sisko and Laporin could have gone to the Academy 8 years prior to the episode, not 22 years prior. Sisko no doubt had to take additional training when abandoning his engineering career and going for the XO job as encouraged by Captain Leyton.

Timo Saloniemi