The Sheliak... What happened to them?

[ReadyAndWilling]

Hey guys, I was just re-watching Ensigns Of Command and the Sheliak seem really interesting!

Does anyone know why they were never re-visited?

Were they ever even mentioned again in Star Trek after this episode?

 

[Orphalesion]

The same reason as always when we never see non-humanoid aliens again, budget restrictions and the writer's/showrunner's/whoever's opinion that we can only relate to human looking characters.

A pity really :-/ I liked that they went really alien with them in many aspects, like their fact that even with the universal translator there was a language barrier, because the way the Sheliak saw the cosmos was so different from ours.
It's also a pity that we never saw the Medusans in the 24th century, really.

 

[JD5000]

The human infestation shall be removed from this BBS...

They were an interesting species, and not located too far away from the Federation that it would have been a story issue to have them back. For a one-shot alien, the writers did a nice job explaining why they wouldn't be back, using the characterization of the species. They think humanoids are disgusting vermin, and only accede the fact of our existence due to military might. As we view cockroaches that aren't living in our homes, the Shelliac Corporate seems content to take an 'out of sight, out of mind' philosophy when it comes to humanity/humanoids.

The conflict that created a need for a treaty in the first place was an interesting plot point though, I would be curious to know what that was all about. Might make an interesting FanFic piece!

 

[Tosk]

The same reason as always when we never see non-humanoid aliens again, budget restrictions and the writer's/showrunner's/whoever's opinion that we can only relate to human looking characters.

Aww come on, it can't have been that expensive to throw a shiny comforter over someone waving their arms slowly.

 

[Wingsley]

"The Ensigns of Command", the episode which served as the Sheliaks' one and only appearance in STAR TREK, was written by Melinda Snodgrass. ("The Measure of a Man", "Up the Long Ladder", also contributing to "Contagion", among others) Ms. Snodgrass was not a happy camper, ultimately leaving TNG during its third year of production. She did not like what she considered her work being trampled; she protested when "The High Ground" was botched. There were hard feelings between Snodgrass and Rick Berman after she left TNG in a huff. This would easily explain while her distinctive writing style vanished from the show, and many of the elements she introduced, such as the Sheliak, were never revisited.

 

[Jedi_Master]

The same reason as always when we never see non-humanoid aliens again, budget restrictions and the writer's/showrunner's/whoever's opinion that we can only relate to human looking characters.

Aww come on, it can't have been that expensive to throw a shiny comforter over someone waving their arms slowly.

With a ten dollar chandelier hanging behind them.

The Sheliak are referred to in a few novels, but the way the species was introduced doesn't seem to leave a lot of room for story telling.

 

[Kobayshi Maru]

Hey guys, I was just re-watching Ensigns Of Command and the Sheliak seem really interesting!

Does anyone know why they were never re-visited?

Were they ever even mentioned again in Star Trek after this episode?

Data mentions them in his attempt at doing small talk (Starship Mine), he says that they like to live in an environment at the same temperature as their body temperature which seems to imply that they are cold blooded creatures.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Sheliak were isolationist, so it's also justified for them never to interact with humans again. There are limited place to go with them. They could have had Sheliak stop being isolationist and start trying to expand, but then it'd be a generic war plotline they could have done with any race. They could have had humans try to colonize Sheliak space again, then it would be a repeat of Ensigns of Command.

 

[Kobayshi Maru]

Sheliak were isolationist, so it's also justified for them never to interact with humans again. There are limited place to go with them. They could have had Sheliak stop being isolationist and start trying to expand, but then it'd be a generic war plotline they could have done with any race. They could have had humans try to colonize Sheliak space again, then it would be a repeat of Ensigns of Command.

Unless there are dissenters among the Sheiliak, there are among the Qs so why not?

 

[Shawnster]

I always thought the Sheliak looked like the Excaliban from TOS.

I've imagined a TNG era Medusan living in an encounter suit or an android body.

"Ensigns of Command" had an interesting take on Data and implied that he wasn't as unique as the rest of the series portrayed.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Sheliak were isolationist, so it's also justified for them never to interact with humans again. There are limited place to go with them. They could have had Sheliak stop being isolationist and start trying to expand, but then it'd be a generic war plotline they could have done with any race. They could have had humans try to colonize Sheliak space again, then it would be a repeat of Ensigns of Command.

Unless there are dissenters among the Sheiliak, there are among the Qs so why not?

True, but if there were, why would they run to the Federation? I suppose if they were a very liberal dissident group enough so to choose the Federation over a race better able to protect them.

That might work but it'd be very hard not to make preachy.

 

[Melakon]

The Sheliak are still preparing a formal response to Picard's alteration of the agreement. They're currently writing page 583 of their reply.

 

[ReadyAndWilling]

Maybe I should have put this in the general Trek forum... Were they ever mentioned in DS9 during the Dominion War?

 

[JD5000]

^ No.

 

[ReadyAndWilling]

But the Sheliak were inside the Alpha Quadrant... so how could they not be involved?

 

[Melakon]

They're not members of the Federation, and they don't care to associate with humanoids at all, being non-humanoid themselves.

 

[Nebusj]

Sheliak were isolationist, so it's also justified for them never to interact with humans again. There are limited place to go with them. They could have had Sheliak stop being isolationist and start trying to expand, but then it'd be a generic war plotline they could have done with any race. They could have had humans try to colonize Sheliak space again, then it would be a repeat of Ensigns of Command.

Or if there were something the Federation wanted which the Sheliak had, or which the Federation had and the Sheliak wanted, perhaps.

 

[Orphalesion]

But the Sheliak were inside the Alpha Quadrant... so how could they not be involved?

They weren't involved in the Dominion war because the planets the Dominion was interested in are not the same planet the Sheliak were interested in. The Dominion could have, theoretically, struck an alliance with them, but considering the linguistic problems mentioned in their Episode it would have likely taken longer to negotiate that alliance than it was worth.

Also the Alpha Quadrant is a giant place the Sheliak could have been on the other end of the Federation from Bajor. There were likely worlds in the Federation for whom the Dominion War was just something on the evening news.

 

[Roysten]

I wish the Sheliak had made another appearance as they're very alien compared to the vast majority of aliens that we see in Star Trek (the humanoid with extra bits), though as stated in previous comments budgets are the main drivers for this.

Some interesting stuff in these comments, a lot of it I didn't know which is always very nice to read.

Though obviously not canon the computer game Star Trek Generations for PC featured a mission and space battles with the Sheliak. The game suggests that Picard has had diplomatic meetings with the Sheliak and shows some interesting visuals of what a base of theirs might look like. The Sheliak themselves are completely changed in the game, I've linked a pic of the only screenshot of them I can find from the game:

http://www.allvideo.org/pictures/startrek/star_trek_generations_screenshot1.jpg

 

[Kobayshi Maru]

But the Sheliak were inside the Alpha Quadrant... so how could they not be involved?

The Gorn aren't mentioned either, except on ENT (especially in the mirror universe ep.). The Tholian are only mentioned preposterously . Tholian silk??? Really? Who could wear it? Sometimes the writers, just use words without even thinking at what they mean. The Tholian live in extreme conditions, very hot for one thing, one would think their silk would need the same constraints, they certainly couldn't wear OUR silk, could they?