Addendum to "Edit - Star trek: AOS crew"
Addendum to Star Trek: AOS crew edit.
Annotations that had to be removed from the main post since the post was exceeding Livejournal characters limits.
Further notes
About the non-canon positions or assignments:
- Una / Liaison officer. With Pike's death, I liked the idea that Number One (Pike's wife and or partner, if you wish) succeeded him.
- Uhura / Chief communications. As explained above, although not specifically said in canon, Uhura in The Original Series is the head of the communications department. I want the AOS to reflect this: young Uhura certainly has what it takes to command the whole communications department. In the Ongoing comics series (issue #4), Jim refers to Uhura as "my chief communications officer".
- Sulu / Senior helmsman + Third officer. There is no canon nor not-canon third officer specified for the TOS!Enterprise. I thought in AOS Sulu fitted the position, as he's the only one, besides Spock, who is shown as acting captain during the course of the three movies.
Considering this edit portrays the crew as after the events of Into Darkness, Jim saw that Sulu held his own when was given the conn during the Harrison/Khan debacle, so he appointed him officially third officer before setting out for the five-year mission.
He's one referred to as senior helmsman at Memory Alpha, and I liked it that there's a term to make it clear he's the primary helm.
- Chekov / Chief + Tactical officer. Tactical officer comes from an ultimately unused line of dialogue from Star Trek's script, in which Chekov's referred to, by Kirk, as the Enterprise's tactical officer. I'm not sure if TOS Chekov was made tactical officer for previous canon reveals, or the title was added after his alternate counterpart. Whatever.
He's referred to as the chief navigator at Memory Alpha, same as for Sulu.
- Hendorff / Security Chief. Canon speaking, Hendorff is just a security officer. I decided years ago that he's the Enterprise Security Chief. Besides, he's the only named or just recurring security officer of the trilogy...
- Carol / Armory officer. I came up with this position for Carol because I didn't know what to write besides her name and rank. Since she's specialized in weapons, I guessed it would be great to have someone responsible for the weapons on board (NCIS might have influenced me on this); also, she needed a position to put her "advanced weaponry specialist" title to use.
Fine, it was an excuse to have her as part of the senior crew (she is, in my WIP fics, but I never before came up with a fitting title).
- Moto / Security area chief Duh. His/her presence on screen, which amounts to the scenes in the security area, is the reason why I came up with such a position.
- 0178 + Gaila / (Chief) Computer Systems Officer. When making the first version of this edit, I couldn't resist having Gaila cover that position. I wanted to include Gaila and I had the position not covered and suddenly... bam, it was perfection.
As of January 2021, though, Gaila has been downgraded in favor of Lieutenant 0718.
Lieutenant 0718 technically (in comics) acts as the "Enterprise Mainframe conduit" but, since his origins have been (partially) given to the human!Enterprise, he reverts back to what he is in the canon (at least according to his actor Joseph Gatt's word): "an human with cybernetics augmentations", that was meant to "managing the science and engineering systems in the bridge". Also "The concept is that (the device on the back of his head; NdA) it's a miniature version of the ship's main computer which puts me in direct telepathic connection with the ship's systems at all times.". Since this specific function is covered by the human!Enterprise, I thought he would be perfect to be assigned the maintenance of the computer systems, which is the closest to his "canon" duty.
- M'Benga / Senior medical officer. This is how McCoy defines himself when he's trying to sneak Jim on the Enterprise ("Or would you like to explain Captain Pike why the Enterprise warped into a crisis without one of its senior medical officers"). Later, McCoy is the one promoted to CMO when Puri (the CMO) is reported dead.
Since, in the Original Series, M'Benga is the doctor who - in the event of McCoy's absence - becomes the ranking CMO, I decided to keep this definition to underline that he's McCoy's second.
- I also added the specific title of "chief" where I felt that there should be a title to tell the head of the department from the rest of its personnel and the "chief/head" lacked in the canon. The science officer (as in Spock) is technically a "chief science officer" (as per Memory Alpha), and I reflected that thing for the communications officer (as explained above for Uhura/Nichelle) and the made up computer systems officer as well.
About the ranks (unclear, changed or non established):
- Una. The timing to allow Number One to make her career from XO to Admiral are very tight. So I thought that perhaps she wouldn't be a full admiral by the time of the post-ID yet. In the script of Star Trek (2009), Pike was meant to be a vice admiral. I opted for rear admiral like Kirk in The Motion Picture.
- Hendorff's rank is unspecified. He has no sleeve stripe, which likely means ensign. Considering the position I gave him - the head of the security - I had to heavily promote him from the bottom of the chain to lieutenant commander. But hey, if Kirk managed to go from cadet straight to captain (with a short lived stint a Lieutenant Commander that basically lasted a whiskey on the rocks and a trip on a elevator)...
- Keenser in the movies is an ensign, as he has no sleeve stripe; in the comics, however, he is established as lieutenant and part of Starfleet since the 30s. I initially gave him the rank of lieutenant, then changed idea and decided to stick to the canon, and leave him the rank of ensign to then restore again the lieutenant rank. But at least I resisted to the temptation of making him "assistant chief engineer": since he doesn't speak much, I don't see Keenser able to step in as chief engineer if Scotty is unavailable - although the comics series establish that he had previous experience as chief engineer in an outpost, making him eligible for a position of a head of department.
- Darwin's rank is unknown, since her female uniform didn't sport the stripes and she sadly wasn't featured in Beyond. In the comics is established as lieutenant, and I decided to stick to that.
- Moto has no sleeve stripe and is likely an ensign. Given his position, I decided that a promotion was in order.
- Nurse Chapel in The Original Series is described as "ensign" (and she has no sleeve stripe); she gets promoted to lieutenant between the end of the series and The Animate Series, in which she has the lieutenant stripes. I decided to stick to this and make her alternate younger counterpart still an ensign.
- M'Benga's rank in The Original Series is unknown. Since he's the doctor that steps in as "acting" CMO when McCoy is unavailable, I guess he deserves a lieutenant.
- Gary Mitchell in The Original Series is a lieutenant commander; the alternate timeline Gary who is featured in the comics is just lieutenant. Since in this universe everyone had less time to to move up the ladder, lieutenant he is.
- Gaila's rank, as established in the comics during the storyline in which she is revealed alive and kicking, is lieutenant. But, given she is "stuck in a lab", she might've not climbed the ladder and managed to just move up from ensign to the superior rank of lieutenant junior grade.
- Rand's in The Original Series is unknown. In the Motion Picture is chief petty officer, so it's likely she was just petty officer in the tv series.
About the names:
- Una. D.C. Fontana (who is, you know, D.C. Fontana!), suggested that Number One's moniker was not simply a nickname or title and that she "was an Illyrian who was named "Number One", as the best intellect among her generation". I accept it.
Canon, via Short Treks, has now established her name as Una (as seen on a PADD), but that she "insists on being addressed as Number One"; I decided to remove the "Number One" from the graphic. Even if StarTrek.com still lists her as Number One.
Discovery made Number One's name "Una" canon, although StarTrek.com still lists her as Number One but, as of September 2021, with the first look at Strange New Worlds, we finally have a canon full name.
- Hendorff. The initials "G.P." are established in the comics, but the full names have never been revealed (and, at this point, likely never will. Sigh).
- Darwin. The name has been revealed in the comics.
- Kyle. Canon-speaking, Chris Doohan's character has no name, and in Into Darkness he is credited as "Transport Officer". On Twitter in 2009, Chris Doohan replied to a (rpg)account of lieutenant Kyle by stating "It was a pleasure being you in Star Trek XI :)" and even Memory Alpha accepted that his character is the alternate version of that Kyle.
Since the TOS character has never been given a name on screen - and in official non-canon material has doubly been named after his actor, John Winston (with Memory Beta setting on John for whichever reason) I decided to give AOS Kyle the name Christopher, in honor to Chris Doohan who portrayed him.
- M'Benga. His name comes from non-canon sources and, according to the book's author, means "healer" (duh!) in Kenyan. For some unknown reasons is the one chosen at Memory Beta, although he was also called "Geoffrey" in another book. I conformed to Memory Beta who calls him also "Jabilo Geoffrey M'Benga" by adding the G.
I reserve the right to edit in case Strange New Worlds establishes his canon name with a different one. As of April 2022, Strange New Worlds official poster made "Jabilo M'Benga" canon.
- Gaila. Neither in canon nor in official material, she is given a surname. The most closer we can get, is that she belongs to the Hexis-Kyse, "the most powerful of the eight families". The comics establish that her father Kazek fled to Earth to save Gaila and her brother Kai from the evil machinations of their mother; it's likely that, even if the Orions had the custom to include the family into their names, Kazek - since he was hiding - didn't keep that name.
Fandom has somehow come up with the "Vro" surname, which I admit I used as well in the past. But, in light of the comics - in which Spock refers to her and her brother as "Lieutenant Kai and Lieutenant Gaila" - I scraped the surname all-together. Why should alien populations conform to what, according to Gene Roddenberry's own words (spoken through TOS Kirk in the Motion Picture novelization), is a custom that even on Earth is considered somehow ancient and likely surpassed, after all?
Final annotations about secondary and non-AOS canon characters:
- Una. In AOS Spock barely had the time to graduate before 2258 happens, so either he never served with Number One or didn't have the time to strike the good/close rapport they have in TOS (as seen recently in the new shows), so I pretend they never met altogether.
- Keenser. His backstory, from his meeting with George Kirk and leaving a planet where he's bullied for his out of ordinary height to working with Scotty on Delta Vega, comes in issue #14 from Star Trek (2011) comics series. You can read the issue here.
His color blindness was established by the 2013 Star Trek videogame; while not strictly canon, I elected to keep this detail.
- Gaila. I liked that - at least in the comic-book expanded verse - Gaila is confirmed to be alive, healthy and serving on a starship. At the end of the events of "Reunion" (Star Trek 53/54), Gaila asks for a transfer to the USS Enterprise and we're left with a Kirk puzzled at her question to approve the transfer.
My headcanon is that Kirk accepts and she eventually becomes part of the Enterprise family.
The comic two-part story is set in circa December 1st of the year 2262, only a month before the events of Beyond; my headcanon is that she becomes part of the crew between the 2260 and the 2261, halfway between the ending of Into Darkness and the start of Beyond.
- Darwin. The tap dance thing in honor to the character's actress.
- Kyle. Time speaking, it makes little sense that Doohan's character could be the lieutenant Kyle from TOS. Not counting the non-canon material, that makes Kyle graduated in 2263 or born in 2241, it's still a stretch that a character that is a lieutenant in 2267 in a timeline manages to become a lieutenant commander by the 2258 in that timeline's derivative timeline. I elected to then, in homage to Christopher Doohan and his twin Montgomery who made a cameo in The Motion Picture, make two Kyleses where there should be one: the first, Doohan's, and a John who can follow a different path and become the TOS!Kyle in due time.
- Lieutenant 1701 is the humanoid version of the USS Enterprise and her existence was at first heavily inspired by the comic explanation of Lieutenant 0718. More (old) headcanons about her here and here.
- Chapel. Canon only tells us that she's on the Enterprise during Nero's attack and then (via Carol) that she and Kirk were intimate at some point and she then left. My headcanon is that Kirk's asshole-ish implied attitude toward his lovers isn't to blame, and that she either felt awkward to the very idea of serving under that former lover of hers or just didn't want to take orders from him.
- Rand. Basically everything the TOS Rand is, but adapted to AOS. The singing reference in honor to Grace Lee Whitney, who was an actress but a singer as well.
Annotations that had to be removed from the main post since the post was exceeding Livejournal characters limits.
Further notes
About the non-canon positions or assignments:
- Una / Liaison officer. With Pike's death, I liked the idea that Number One (Pike's wife and or partner, if you wish) succeeded him.
- Uhura / Chief communications. As explained above, although not specifically said in canon, Uhura in The Original Series is the head of the communications department. I want the AOS to reflect this: young Uhura certainly has what it takes to command the whole communications department. In the Ongoing comics series (issue #4), Jim refers to Uhura as "my chief communications officer".
- Sulu / Senior helmsman + Third officer. There is no canon nor not-canon third officer specified for the TOS!Enterprise. I thought in AOS Sulu fitted the position, as he's the only one, besides Spock, who is shown as acting captain during the course of the three movies.
Considering this edit portrays the crew as after the events of Into Darkness, Jim saw that Sulu held his own when was given the conn during the Harrison/Khan debacle, so he appointed him officially third officer before setting out for the five-year mission.
He's one referred to as senior helmsman at Memory Alpha, and I liked it that there's a term to make it clear he's the primary helm.
- Chekov / Chief + Tactical officer. Tactical officer comes from an ultimately unused line of dialogue from Star Trek's script, in which Chekov's referred to, by Kirk, as the Enterprise's tactical officer. I'm not sure if TOS Chekov was made tactical officer for previous canon reveals, or the title was added after his alternate counterpart. Whatever.
He's referred to as the chief navigator at Memory Alpha, same as for Sulu.
- Hendorff / Security Chief. Canon speaking, Hendorff is just a security officer. I decided years ago that he's the Enterprise Security Chief. Besides, he's the only named or just recurring security officer of the trilogy...
- Carol / Armory officer. I came up with this position for Carol because I didn't know what to write besides her name and rank. Since she's specialized in weapons, I guessed it would be great to have someone responsible for the weapons on board (NCIS might have influenced me on this); also, she needed a position to put her "advanced weaponry specialist" title to use.
Fine, it was an excuse to have her as part of the senior crew (she is, in my WIP fics, but I never before came up with a fitting title).
- Moto / Security area chief Duh. His/her presence on screen, which amounts to the scenes in the security area, is the reason why I came up with such a position.
- 0178 + Gaila / (Chief) Computer Systems Officer. When making the first version of this edit, I couldn't resist having Gaila cover that position. I wanted to include Gaila and I had the position not covered and suddenly... bam, it was perfection.
As of January 2021, though, Gaila has been downgraded in favor of Lieutenant 0718.
Lieutenant 0718 technically (in comics) acts as the "Enterprise Mainframe conduit" but, since his origins have been (partially) given to the human!Enterprise, he reverts back to what he is in the canon (at least according to his actor Joseph Gatt's word): "an human with cybernetics augmentations", that was meant to "managing the science and engineering systems in the bridge". Also "The concept is that (the device on the back of his head; NdA) it's a miniature version of the ship's main computer which puts me in direct telepathic connection with the ship's systems at all times.". Since this specific function is covered by the human!Enterprise, I thought he would be perfect to be assigned the maintenance of the computer systems, which is the closest to his "canon" duty.
- M'Benga / Senior medical officer. This is how McCoy defines himself when he's trying to sneak Jim on the Enterprise ("Or would you like to explain Captain Pike why the Enterprise warped into a crisis without one of its senior medical officers"). Later, McCoy is the one promoted to CMO when Puri (the CMO) is reported dead.
Since, in the Original Series, M'Benga is the doctor who - in the event of McCoy's absence - becomes the ranking CMO, I decided to keep this definition to underline that he's McCoy's second.
- I also added the specific title of "chief" where I felt that there should be a title to tell the head of the department from the rest of its personnel and the "chief/head" lacked in the canon. The science officer (as in Spock) is technically a "chief science officer" (as per Memory Alpha), and I reflected that thing for the communications officer (as explained above for Uhura/Nichelle) and the made up computer systems officer as well.
About the ranks (unclear, changed or non established):
- Una. The timing to allow Number One to make her career from XO to Admiral are very tight. So I thought that perhaps she wouldn't be a full admiral by the time of the post-ID yet. In the script of Star Trek (2009), Pike was meant to be a vice admiral. I opted for rear admiral like Kirk in The Motion Picture.
- Hendorff's rank is unspecified. He has no sleeve stripe, which likely means ensign. Considering the position I gave him - the head of the security - I had to heavily promote him from the bottom of the chain to lieutenant commander. But hey, if Kirk managed to go from cadet straight to captain (with a short lived stint a Lieutenant Commander that basically lasted a whiskey on the rocks and a trip on a elevator)...
- Keenser in the movies is an ensign, as he has no sleeve stripe; in the comics, however, he is established as lieutenant and part of Starfleet since the 30s. I initially gave him the rank of lieutenant, then changed idea and decided to stick to the canon, and leave him the rank of ensign to then restore again the lieutenant rank. But at least I resisted to the temptation of making him "assistant chief engineer": since he doesn't speak much, I don't see Keenser able to step in as chief engineer if Scotty is unavailable - although the comics series establish that he had previous experience as chief engineer in an outpost, making him eligible for a position of a head of department.
- Darwin's rank is unknown, since her female uniform didn't sport the stripes and she sadly wasn't featured in Beyond. In the comics is established as lieutenant, and I decided to stick to that.
- Moto has no sleeve stripe and is likely an ensign. Given his position, I decided that a promotion was in order.
- Nurse Chapel in The Original Series is described as "ensign" (and she has no sleeve stripe); she gets promoted to lieutenant between the end of the series and The Animate Series, in which she has the lieutenant stripes. I decided to stick to this and make her alternate younger counterpart still an ensign.
- M'Benga's rank in The Original Series is unknown. Since he's the doctor that steps in as "acting" CMO when McCoy is unavailable, I guess he deserves a lieutenant.
- Gary Mitchell in The Original Series is a lieutenant commander; the alternate timeline Gary who is featured in the comics is just lieutenant. Since in this universe everyone had less time to to move up the ladder, lieutenant he is.
- Gaila's rank, as established in the comics during the storyline in which she is revealed alive and kicking, is lieutenant. But, given she is "stuck in a lab", she might've not climbed the ladder and managed to just move up from ensign to the superior rank of lieutenant junior grade.
- Rand's in The Original Series is unknown. In the Motion Picture is chief petty officer, so it's likely she was just petty officer in the tv series.
About the names:
- Una. D.C. Fontana (who is, you know, D.C. Fontana!), suggested that Number One's moniker was not simply a nickname or title and that she "was an Illyrian who was named "Number One", as the best intellect among her generation". I accept it.
Canon, via Short Treks, has now established her name as Una (as seen on a PADD), but that she "insists on being addressed as Number One"; I decided to remove the "Number One" from the graphic. Even if StarTrek.com still lists her as Number One.
Discovery made Number One's name "Una" canon, although StarTrek.com still lists her as Number One but, as of September 2021, with the first look at Strange New Worlds, we finally have a canon full name.
- Hendorff. The initials "G.P." are established in the comics, but the full names have never been revealed (and, at this point, likely never will. Sigh).
- Darwin. The name has been revealed in the comics.
- Kyle. Canon-speaking, Chris Doohan's character has no name, and in Into Darkness he is credited as "Transport Officer". On Twitter in 2009, Chris Doohan replied to a (rpg)account of lieutenant Kyle by stating "It was a pleasure being you in Star Trek XI :)" and even Memory Alpha accepted that his character is the alternate version of that Kyle.
Since the TOS character has never been given a name on screen - and in official non-canon material has doubly been named after his actor, John Winston (with Memory Beta setting on John for whichever reason) I decided to give AOS Kyle the name Christopher, in honor to Chris Doohan who portrayed him.
- M'Benga. His name comes from non-canon sources and, according to the book's author, means "healer" (duh!) in Kenyan. For some unknown reasons is the one chosen at Memory Beta, although he was also called "Geoffrey" in another book. I conformed to Memory Beta who calls him also "Jabilo Geoffrey M'Benga" by adding the G.
I reserve the right to edit in case Strange New Worlds establishes his canon name with a different one. As of April 2022, Strange New Worlds official poster made "Jabilo M'Benga" canon.
- Gaila. Neither in canon nor in official material, she is given a surname. The most closer we can get, is that she belongs to the Hexis-Kyse, "the most powerful of the eight families". The comics establish that her father Kazek fled to Earth to save Gaila and her brother Kai from the evil machinations of their mother; it's likely that, even if the Orions had the custom to include the family into their names, Kazek - since he was hiding - didn't keep that name.
Fandom has somehow come up with the "Vro" surname, which I admit I used as well in the past. But, in light of the comics - in which Spock refers to her and her brother as "Lieutenant Kai and Lieutenant Gaila" - I scraped the surname all-together. Why should alien populations conform to what, according to Gene Roddenberry's own words (spoken through TOS Kirk in the Motion Picture novelization), is a custom that even on Earth is considered somehow ancient and likely surpassed, after all?
Final annotations about secondary and non-AOS canon characters:
- Una. In AOS Spock barely had the time to graduate before 2258 happens, so either he never served with Number One or didn't have the time to strike the good/close rapport they have in TOS (as seen recently in the new shows), so I pretend they never met altogether.
- Keenser. His backstory, from his meeting with George Kirk and leaving a planet where he's bullied for his out of ordinary height to working with Scotty on Delta Vega, comes in issue #14 from Star Trek (2011) comics series. You can read the issue here.
His color blindness was established by the 2013 Star Trek videogame; while not strictly canon, I elected to keep this detail.
- Gaila. I liked that - at least in the comic-book expanded verse - Gaila is confirmed to be alive, healthy and serving on a starship. At the end of the events of "Reunion" (Star Trek 53/54), Gaila asks for a transfer to the USS Enterprise and we're left with a Kirk puzzled at her question to approve the transfer.
My headcanon is that Kirk accepts and she eventually becomes part of the Enterprise family.
The comic two-part story is set in circa December 1st of the year 2262, only a month before the events of Beyond; my headcanon is that she becomes part of the crew between the 2260 and the 2261, halfway between the ending of Into Darkness and the start of Beyond.
- Darwin. The tap dance thing in honor to the character's actress.
- Kyle. Time speaking, it makes little sense that Doohan's character could be the lieutenant Kyle from TOS. Not counting the non-canon material, that makes Kyle graduated in 2263 or born in 2241, it's still a stretch that a character that is a lieutenant in 2267 in a timeline manages to become a lieutenant commander by the 2258 in that timeline's derivative timeline. I elected to then, in homage to Christopher Doohan and his twin Montgomery who made a cameo in The Motion Picture, make two Kyleses where there should be one: the first, Doohan's, and a John who can follow a different path and become the TOS!Kyle in due time.
- Lieutenant 1701 is the humanoid version of the USS Enterprise and her existence was at first heavily inspired by the comic explanation of Lieutenant 0718. More (old) headcanons about her here and here.
- Chapel. Canon only tells us that she's on the Enterprise during Nero's attack and then (via Carol) that she and Kirk were intimate at some point and she then left. My headcanon is that Kirk's asshole-ish implied attitude toward his lovers isn't to blame, and that she either felt awkward to the very idea of serving under that former lover of hers or just didn't want to take orders from him.
- Rand. Basically everything the TOS Rand is, but adapted to AOS. The singing reference in honor to Grace Lee Whitney, who was an actress but a singer as well.