Distinguished Officers

I've been watching Star Trek: The Animated Series which I have never seen before and it's just so extra awesome. Ok, it is very much a 70's cartoon and, yes, sometimes I feel like I'm watching vintage Scooby Doo. And, yes it would be better in a lot of way if they re-made it now (or any time after Batman: The Animated Series swooped in and changed kids' cartoons forever) but there's  really something very special about this series. All of the original actors returned to voice their character (and several other characters much of the time) and, in 1973, when this cartoon first ran, it had been four years since there was any new Star Trek and no one really thought there would be anymore... EVER! So, I think it's great that it exists. Gene Roddenberry said that he never regarded TAS as canon but I feel that, since it exists and I've never seen it, I ought to watch it.

Anyway, one of the rules Roddenberry had about this show was that the writers ought to do things, go places, feature species, etc that they could never accomplish with the live action series. Just imagine a Star Trek without budgetary limitations! That's what they tried to do and, in spite of the fact that they actually had a very minuscule budget for TAS, I think they managed it rather successfully. Not only does the crew visit extraordinary places and go on crazy missions that wouldn't be feasible for live action, but we get brand new crew members and I love them. And, since I love them so much, let me introduce you:


First, Aleek-Om. I love this guy. How can you not love a giant, Never-Ending-Story-esque Bird Guy? Also, he's apparently a historian, which makes me love him even more.

Next is M'Kess who I like so much I had to do my own illustration of her in a previous post. She's a felinoid species complete with a fur coat and tail and she gets to walk around barefoot on the bridge all day which is definitely my kind of thing. She's voiced by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry and sounds an awful lot like Henrietta Pussycat. 

Finally, there's Arex. He's basically a navigator who works during Chekov's off time. He has three arms and three legs which makes no sense at all but looks pretty damn cool. 

These crewmen really highlight the "race doesn't matter" ideal that Star Trek was really trying to get across to the general public. Not only are these officers not white guys--they're not even human (or half-human.) One of them is a kitty cat! But, again, it doesn't matter because, by the 23rd century, we've left all those old, commonly held beliefs about supremacy and segregation behind. And, that's pretty awesome.