Your assertion is incorrect, nice try though... | Report this post to moderator
By: Deslok 2 (Odo's file, contact) @ 15:29:44 on Sep 03, 2004

The Making of Star Trek was indeed a wonderful book. My copy is missing both the front and back covers.

However, as far as I can tell, it wasn't Roddenberry, but Robert Justman who suggested the naming patterns you described above. Here is the text from The Making of Star Trek as regards this:

*****************
To: Gene Roddenberry Date: May 3, 1966
From: Bob Justman Subject:STAR TREK VULCAN PROPER NAMES


Dear Gene:
I would like to suggest that all proper names for denizens of Mr. Spock's "PLANET VULCAN" follow a set routine.

To wit: all names begin with the letters "SP" and end with the letter "K." All names to have a total of five letters in them-no more and no less.

Therefore: Mr. Spock aptly fits this pattern. Other names would be as follows:

Spook Spenk Spurk Spakk

Spuck Sponk Spawk Spekk

Spack Spiik Spauk Spikk

Speek Spalk Speuk Spokk

Spouk Spelk Spuik Spukk

Spaak Spolk Spouk Spark

Spilk Spulk Splak Sperk

Spiak Spirk Splek Spirk

Spunk Spark Splik Spork

Spank Spork Splok Spurk

Spink Sperk Spluk Spxyx

Hope that the suggestions are of immense help to you.
I remain,

Your humble and obedient servant,
Robert H. Justman

(Herb Solow must have gotten wind of that memo, because this memo was issued shortly after the one above)

To: Gene Roddenberry Date: May 5, 1966
From: Herb Solow Subject: PLANET VULCAN PROPER NAMES

Dear Gene:
In an industry that is founded on the uncontrollable appetite for creativity, it is indeed heartwarming for the management of a major studio to receive a copy of a memo that deals with such an intensely competitive and accurate discussion of proper names on the planet Vulcan.

However, what with time being of the essence, with our schedule callling for early production of our series to commence in three short weeks, I feel enough time -rather, more than enough time-has been spend devising names for Mr. Spock's relatives. With a deep respect for creativity, I feel we should go on to something of greater importance.
H.F.S.

P.S. Have you thought of the name Spiik? Or Sprik? Or Sprak? Or Sprok? Or Spruk? Or Spudk? Or Spidk? Or Spuck? Or Spisk? Or Spask? Or Spesk? Or Spask? Or any of the other seventy-eight I have devised?

P.P.S. Please refer to Mr. Justman's May 3 memo and you will find that the fifth name in column one is the same as the sixth name in column three. I understand that you science fiction people with your technical jargon have a word to describe this happening. It is known as a "mistake."

P.P.P.S. What do you say if all the people on the planet Vulcan are lawyers (interesting idea) and they all have a firm name like Spook, Speek, Spork, Splik, and Roddenberry? (The last name is necessary to keep the audience aware at all times that this relates to science fiction.)

P.P.P.P.S. Also note that in the May 3 memo the eighth name in column two is the same as the eight nbame in column four. Also the tenth name in column two is the same as the ninth name in column four. There are probably others, but my time is too valuable to waste pointing out that the seventh name in column one is the same name as the third name in column two.

*************

... and in the spirit of conserving valuable time, I will not re-type the rest of the memos on the subject, as they degrade into silliness. The bottom line here is that your assertion is untrue. It's a nice idea, but that adherence isn't a hard fast rule, and there are inherent problems in trying to have ALL Vulcan names follow such a rule.

Clearly, Vulcan Females tend to have names that begin with "T", but these things may be regional or may have other criteria that dictates what one's name is. Vulcans such as Savik, Stonn, Selar, Soval may be from the same continent, or were born under some celestial circumstances that dictate their names. Since a name is necessary to differentiate one Vulcan from another, they may have Random Vulcan name generators with which Vulcan parents choose the names of their children. Also, it should be noted that somewhere on TOS, someone said that Spock's real name would be impossible to pronounce. For all we know, Spock's real name could be Myxyzptlk.

There is no canonical evidence to really give credence to the assertion that Vulcan names all follow the "SP" five letter rule ending in "K".

--------

"Beam me up Scotty, there's no intelligent life down here."

Reply

Quote

Parent

Top

RE: Vulcan Names and Canon | Report this post to moderator
By: Avilos (Odo's file, contact) @ 15:33:05 on Sep 03, 2004

How many possible names could there be following those rules? Not many. Being a Superman fan it reminds me of rules with Kryptonian names. All men having names like Jor-El and women with ones like Lara and with the same number of letters. Well it does not work. It is just to limiting.

Reply

Quote

Parent

Top

RE: Vulcan Names and Canon | Report this post to moderator
By: Merlinus Ambrosius (Odo's file, contact) @ 15:12:03 on Sep 03, 2004

Thats a pretty limited number of names. I'd hate to be the Vulcan who got stuck with "Shity". Or what about the poor one who got "Sssss"?

--------


Scientists discover the world that exists;
engineers create the world that never was.
-Theodore von Kármán

Reply

Quote

Parent

Top

RE: Vulcan Names and Canon | Report this post to moderator
By: StarFleet Captain (Odo's file, contact) @ 14:53:14 on Sep 03, 2004 | (2)

Quote:
Hence names such as SPOCK, SAREK, STANN, SAVIK, etc.

Actually its spelled Saavik. Since Gene served as Executive Consultant during the production of "The Wrath of Khan", the movie in Which the character of Lt. Saavik debuted, that debunks that theory.


Although, to be fair, I think I remember reading somewhere that her named was changed or they added an extra "a" or something. I can't put my finger on it.

You can argue that her character was originally written to be half Romulan. But since events and facts that appear "on Screen" only can be considered as canon, it wouldn't get far. There was never any "ON SCREEN" reference, to my recollection that Saavik was half Romulan, though we know from interviews that it was in some of the original drafts.

Reply

Quote

Parent

Top

RE: Vulcan Names and Canon | Report this post to moderator
By: Jadzia-Dax (Odo's file, contact) @ 14:50:04 on Sep 03, 2004

Quote:
In Roddenberry's view, all Vulcan names would have five letters and begin with an 'S.' Hence names such as SPOCK, SAREK, STANN, SAVIK, etc. The only exceptions would be high-ranking persons of importance, such as T'Pau.

I used to have that book a long time ago (and it went the way of a garage sale after the center began to fall out... LOL). But from what I understand, it was "males" had names with the "S" and females with the "T'" as a prefix.

Thus you have (including under Roddenberry), a "T'Pau", a "T'Pring" (Spock's intended), a "T'Lar" (the priestess who performed the Fal Tor Pan in TSFS), etc. And with respect to females such as "Saavik" and "Selar", the assumption was that the names were modified to a Federation "standard" type (ie., Kirk, et al called "Saavik", "Mr. Saavik" to remove a gender from the formal identifier "Mister"), instead of using the traditional "T'Saavik" or "T'Selar", etc.

Quote:

I know this is a minor gripe,

I don't consider it minor at all. I have been sortof hand-waving over it - particuarly when DS9 started doing it with a "Lojal" and others, but I think now is the time to cease doing such.

I wouldn't necessarily expect them all to do it because even in TNG, we have a "Taurik" (who is male - although he was named in a season after Roddenberry had died) and with VOY, a "Tuvok" also a male and a "Vorik" a male as well. But I think some of the wackier names need to be reigned in. The use of "Soval" and T'Pol and coming up, T'Les is still staying with the tradition, but this definitely needs to be kept in mind.

Quote:

but it's just another abandonment of canon as set up by Roddenberry.

Agreed.

Quote:

Would it have been so difficult to come up with names to fit in with Gene's ideals? Probably not, but then again, canon has been pretty much ignored over the past few years anyway. Just my opinion

Shared by more than you think, for sure.

--------

"I think the show talked to people through the characters. They're stories that speak to the heart. They talk about love, they talk about friendship, they talk about loyalty, they talk about patriotism, exploration, curiosity, reaching out... And I think all those things still touch people. Even when you look at a 30-year old show, it still has something to say." - D.C. Fontana, Sci Fi Channel Special Edition TOS 1998
----
"If the season finale involves the re-built USS Reliant coming back in time to the 21st Century crewed by Moogie, Dr. Selar, Morn, Transporter Chief Kyle, and the Salt Vampire, then we'll know that Coto has gone too far." - tomba1701

Reply

Quote

Parent

Top

RE: Vulcan Names and Canon | Report this post to moderator
By: Mr. Xindi (Odo's file, contact) @ 14:34:55 on Sep 03, 2004

Now this is nitpicking.....

--------

Hoshi: I was hoping you'd put up a fight.

T'Pol: I'm surprised you're not exhausted from all the beds, you've jumped into, recently.

"In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II"

Reply

Quote

Parent

Top