Phillip Thorne wrote:
I, too am working from old memories of this, but what would
usenet be if I couldn't spout off half-formed and half-informed
thoughts?
>Plot comments:
>
>The Phyllosians speak of encountering humans before, which is why
>they're able to cure Sulu; presumably they mean Keniclius, although
>the connection is never made explicit. Keniclius, of course, did not
>bother telling Starfleet of his discovery.
Keniclius has no loyalty to (or knowledge of? see below)
Starfleet.
>The plague occurred when Agmar was "very young," an indeterminate time
>before.
Yeah, is his species annual, biennial, or perennial?
>Has Keniclius been there the whole time, just waiting for his
>perfect specimen to happen by? Did he decide to stay and study the
>natives' biological knowledge? Did he make it his home base, and has
>traveled secretly to other stars? Did he perhaps learn of Spock and
>plant appropriate rumors, hoping Enterprise would be dispatched? Or,
>since he left Earth before contact with Vulcan, maybe he'd be happy
>with any Vulcan specimen.
Something I should know; Does Keniclius know that Spock is a
Vulcan -- or, rather, a Vulcan/Human hybrid? Could he believe
him to be a mutated or Augmented Human? Finding a guy with such
strength, brain capacity, hearing, and an inner eyelid, he might
declare him "perfect" or at least "perfect enough for my
purposes." Oddly, I don't remember Khan having a reaction to
Spock one way or the other. He didn't meet Spock until he'd had
a chance to read up on current events, (the "hey, Mister
Man-from-the-past, here's an alien" gag having been played in
"Tomorrow Was Yesterday") but there probably could have been some
questioning about relative superiority.
Keniclius knows about Klingons, Romulans, and Kzinti, so he must
keep up on the news somehow. I don't really get the feeling
anything had launched from that planet for a while, so I will
guess subspace radio. If his equipment is incompatible with
aliens' transmission standards such that he can't get video (as
was the case during the "Earth-Romulan War" of a century ago) he
might know *of* Klingons, Romulans, and Kzinti, without knowing
much about them. (A fan fiction idea arises of Dr. K. and his
plant men scoffing at a galaxy filled with humanoids.)
>Milieu comments:
>
>Among the other lifeforms are: A tribble-sized mobile bush (the
>"retlaw"), purple in color, with a venomous sting. ("It's a mobile
>plant ... I think it likes me," explains Sulu excitedly to Kirk. "We
>always encourage our officers to make friends with the natives.") And
>the "Swoopers," large purple flying dragon-like creatures with eyes,
>beaks, two wings, and two coiled tentacles.
Purple... I suppose instead of pinning that on the famous color
blindness, it is explained by color theory: purple going well
with green, which is, I presume, the dominant color of the
background plates.
Here's a theory to cover the lack of chlorophyll:
Some plants do put a lot of stored energy around their seeds.
Perhaps these purple fellows are seedpods using energy for
self-mobility rather than depending on animals to carry them off
in the form of grapes, apples, pumpkins, etc.
>Keniclius-5 is approximately ten meters tall and has taken to going
>bare-chested, wearing an ancient Greek-style skirt and sandals;
Are you fishing for the comment applied to Apache Chief and
Giganta of Superfriends and The Legion of Doom? A skirt is never
a wise fashion choice for a giant.
--
-Jack
