Yep, it's cat.
Are cat people considered canon in the Star Trek universe?
Yep! They're Caitians, first seen in TAS.
this post was submitted on 01 Dec 2023
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Weird, somehow I've never heard of this species or seen one in another Star Trek series. From a cursory internet search that might be because I've never seen Star Trek: the Animated Series.
Supposedly the federation is a lot more diverse than humans with weird ears, noses or foreheads. Just that the old shows did not really have the budget and / or ability to make convincing, actually alien looking species. TAS can get around this by being a cartoon, modern shows use plenty of animation.
But even in TNG is a running joke about the cetacean officers that are always off screen of course. But supposedly there is a whole part of the ship under water where intelligent dolphins are doing their duties as crew members.
There's a running joke in DS9 about Dax having a thing for a man with a transparent head (so you can see his brain stuff). But of course we never meet this guy because they didn't have the CGI to actually make that.
They would have had the money and time for the CGI if they didn't spend so much in footage for all of Morn's damn monologues.
Ah right, thats a great example too. Also the elusive tholian ambassador who is referenced a bunch of times
And they are finally shown in Lower Decks
Until ENT, the Andorians were kind of a joke/throwaway faction. Their original costumes were, shall we say, phoning it in. Blue paint, a very obviously antenna headband, some weird poncho things, and that’s kinda it. AFAIK, they weren’t ever shown on-screen at any time between TOS and ENT.
Andorians are shown at least once in TNG... Lal has an Andorian appearance in the running when choosing her non-android avatar.
ok fair. But at the same time… I would not call that an improvement on the TOS rendition.
Hahaha, definitely not
How have I watched TNG so many times and missed this? I'm sure one of you knows an episode reference off the top of your head. Care to share it?
I don’t know the episode name, but I recall them being mentioned during the metamorph episode, I think she is named kamara or something.
At one point the ferengi (who try to steal her and have infiltrated the ship for that purpose) try to chat up captain Picard and the ambassador who is caring for her, Geordi takes them away to "show them the dolphins".
Perfect mate, or something like that. I'll have to rewatch it soon.
They even show up in Star Trek Into Darkness as furless cat girls that the writer claims are the same species even though they're clearly not. Memory Alpha dutifully lists them on the Unnamed Caitian page, but amusingly doesn't actually call them Caitians explicitly.
To be fair, the text never refers to them as Caitians, it's just the writer saying it in an interview.
Yep! There have been cat people serving on Starfleet vessels since the animated series, in TOS era.
Yes. Caitians have appeared in ST:TAS, ST:TMP, Lower Decks, and Prodigy. Kzinti, who are also cat-like, have appeared in TAS and Lower Decks.
Wait, so the cat person in Lower Decks is not a Kzinti? Also, I feel it's worth noting that the Kzinti are from Larry Niven's Known Space universe (because he wrote those episodes for TAS). I feel like it's about time some federation ship stumbled into that alternate Universe.
Kzinti are Star Trek canon.
Niven himself wrote The Animated Series (TAS) episode ‘The Slaver Weapon’, adapted from his short story ‘The Soft Weapon.’
Niven sees Star Trek as a separate universe or timeline, but it shares the Kzin with his own Known Space universe.
In Lower Decks, there is an ensign who is Kzin in addition to Dr T’Ana being Caitian.
Also, it was Niven himself, writing on the official Star Trek website, who put forward the view that Caitians and Kzinti are cousins, with the Caitians having settled on their planet Cait, and adopting a more scientific and technologically oriented culture.
In TAS, Lt. M’Ress was the Caitian second communications officer.
Wow, this is possibly the most insightful comment I have ever gotten as a reply. Thank you.
I'm much more familiar with Niven's Known Space books, so it's interesting to see actual depiction of Kzin. Makes me want to see other Niven aliens like Pierson's Puppeteers, Pak Protectors, and Gw'oth on the screen even more.
There was a third species in TAS that some interpret as felinoid, but are more likely lemurians.
The ancient, advanced space-faring species the Vedala was introduced in the TAS episode’The Jihad’ written by Stephen Kandel, whose other episodes featured Harry Mudd.
Here are a few more images from TAS that show the breadth of sentient species that the show established
Caitians are cousins of the Kzinti, like Vulcans and Romulans.
Wow, I need to go eat something. I was just about to ask "when have we seen a Caitian in Lower Decks?"