April 23, 2007

What Would Gene Roddenberry Do?

Recently, I found myself reading the July solicitations for IDW Publishing
Glancing over the Star Trek comics, I came across this cover, which seems to be the Klingon version of Day of the Dove:



I wasn't sure if I was looking at it correctly, so I used my favorite image view for a close-up. Whereupon I discovered the female Klingon had Power Girl-esque proportions:



Now, I hadn't remembered this particular character being so, er, "top heavy", so I tried to track down a photo from the episode, since I do not have the technological ability for screen captures. However, I was able to find this picture on Walter Koenig.com:




Since it looks like the actress in the episode does not share the same proportions as her comic counterpart (and since I am - let's face it - a single fanboy with way too much free time), I have a few questions:

  • Is this artistic license, or to paraphrase Heidi Meeley, is it gratuitous?
  • Am I being too picky about this, or is this a way to sell Trek comics to reads who don't normally enjoy Trek?
  • Are the authors suggesting that Klingons like to brag and exaggerate their physical qualities?
  • Will the remastered version of this episode give the actress, er, the "endowments" of her Comic counterpart?
Anyway, times like this make me glad I'm more of a Doctor Who fan...

EDIT - A quick shout-out to a fellow comics blogger:


(Original image from Showcase # 22, for those of you keeping score at home)

3 comments:

Richard said...

Everything I've ever read about Gene Roddenberry -- including countless interviews with the guy and people who worked with him as well as two posthumous biographies -- suggests that he would wholeheartedly approve. The man was incredibly lecherous.

I don't mean that as a negative. Unlike certain lead actors who continually hit on their female costars, Roddenberry actually liked women as human beings and they liked him back. Remember, this is the guy who created a female first officer before feminism became "hip." His love of sex is one of the things I admire about him. I'm just saying, the man was what kids today would call a total horndog, and probably would have thought Mara was shamefully overdressed in both screen and comics incarnations.

DAVID MESSINA said...

...the Power Girl-esque proportions was just my interpretation of the Klingons woman's beauty, which I imagine more fleshy than the other specie...

That 's all!

Gordon D said...

David,

Thanks for the follow-up. (I'll have to post a retraction/clarification this weekend)