#brikars

[star-trek-fandom-confessions]

#483 by @thelesseroftwoweevils

"I'm really happy Peter David's Brikar species got ported into proper canon in Prodigy.

Rok-Tahk's a lovely character in her own right."

[marymoss1971]

Brikars in Trek

I've been thinking about how different Rok-Tahk looks from Peter David's Zak Kebron. They're both Brikars, yet Zak has a chiseled look. Of course, Rok is a child, so I'm curious, does their appearance change as they get older (the equivalent of humans losing "baby fat") or are there different species of Brikars?

BTW, I think it's so cool that Brikars are canon now!

[sshbpodcast]

Won’t someone think of the children?! A Rok-Tahk Appreciation Post

By Ames

Last week, we covered just why your hosts here at A Star to Steer Her By largely dislike the children characters in classic Star Trek (tl;dr: it’s mostly because they’re written as props instead of people, or so I make my claim). There is one show in the franchise, however, that’s a huge outlier in how its children characters are written, acted, and treated overall as individuals who grow and develop. Obviously, it’s Star Trek: Prodigy. Since basically all of the main characters are children, the show would have failed if it couldn’t make them compelling and relatable to both a young audience and the preestablished fanbase. 

And against the odds, it succeeded like whoa. There’s a reason why the fanbase is in such an uproar right now about Paramount’s avaricious cancellation of the Emmy Award–winning animated underdog (go sign the petition if you haven’t yet!), and that’s that the show is just so surprisingly good. We’re the last group of people who would laud a kid’s show so much, and we absolutely adore it.

Read on below for what Prodigy gets so right when establishing its children characters. Rok-Tahk is the prime example here because a) she’s voiced by Rylee Alazraqui, a legit child voice actress, who NAILS IT, b) she ticks all the boxes for what makes a good child character, and c) she’s just the best. Period. But let me explain anyway…

[images © CBS/Paramount… I guess? For now? Yikes.]

Rok is more than you expect

I think all the kids who made our favorites list in last week’s blogpost have one thing in common: they had some kind of hidden depth to explore. A character having some kind of twist or secret or hidden identity is just a staple of science fiction. We see it in Barash and Taya, who turn out not to be the children they appear to be. We see it in Mezoti, whose dual nature as both a young innocent girl and a Borg drone with the collective experiences of a whole hivemind makes her endlessly fascinating. 

So when this massive rock creature whom we start off being intimidated by turns out to be the sweetest little girl, we’re immediately interested because it subverts our expectations. We’re forced to remind ourselves not to judge someone by how they look on the outside, something Star Trek has been doing since its very conception. And then when we learn even more about her and realize that her jailors put a child in a prison camp, we can’t help but root for her.

Rok is allowed to just be a kid

Sure, Rok is still smarter than your average kid, but she’s smart without being obnoxious like other naturally brainy kid characters I could name. *cough cough Wesley Crusher* As the obvious example, Wes is exhausting as a character because he’s a boy genius who is acutely aware of it and his supernatural smarts force him into situations another kid wouldn’t be in. He isn’t allowed to be a kid because he is first and foremost a child prodigy. 

Rok, on the other hand, is first and foremost a child in the show Prodigy! Her excitement about new encounters is because most encounters to her are just that: new! She plays “Delta Heart Magical Veterinarian” in the holodeck, she loves ice cream, she plays with the cute little creatures on “Dream Catcher” planet, she naturally cares for Murf as though he were her puppy. Rok’s youth informs how she reacts to circumstances in the show and she acts accordingly in ways that aren’t forced, better suited for other characters, or just downright unnecessary. And seeing the universe through the eyes of someone with such a clean slate allows the audience to make their own judgements about the Protostar crew’s circumstances episode by episode.

Rok is a freakin’ alien monster

Prodigy also introduces us to the Brikar, a new alien race of rock monsters. And everyone accepts her without a single word! Now that’s the Star Trek way! From the moment we meet Rok-Tahk, she’s not physically cutified or even feminized, which is frankly refreshing. She’s less humanoid than most creatures we meet, outside of say, the Horta or Murf. It’s also a great use of the CGI-animated medium because live-action shows can’t pull stuff like this off. 

I’m honestly impressed to see any female character, let alone a little girl, portrayed in a way that isn’t that cookie-cutter kind of attractive that we see everywhere. Rok is BIG. Rok is HARD. She’s not feminine or pretty or soft. Her cuteness comes from how she acts, talks, and treats people. And the crew of the Protostar and the Starfleet officers we meet later treat her like they treat everyone else: like a person. The people who run the slave show in “Preludes” pin her as a monster because they don’t/can’t know her. But our other main characters do get to know her and barely even bring up her size! And when they do, Rok subverts it by proclaiming that she doesn't want to be the muscle on the ship, and they go with it. I love that.

Rok has character flaws

Like any person, especially a well-written character in a television program, Rok isn’t perfect. Perfect people make for obscenely boring television (unless it’s a satire or something), and perfect children are just plain not believable and take you out of the story. But Prodigy writers went a few extra steps in developing someone like Rok to have credible flaws for her situation that also informs how she acts, changes, and grows. Rok overthinks and doubts herself constantly because she has anxiety. She’s suffered through traumas, like some of the orphaned boys mentioned in last week’s blog have, and that gives her something to overcome over the course of the season and [hopefully] beyond. 

And, as mentioned above, she’s also really young! She doesn’t have the experience and knowledge yet to save the day every week. She knows she has limitations and when she remembers this, she panics, freezes, and languishes in self doubt. I’m thinking specifically about the turmoil she goes through in the supremely excellent “Time Amok,” in which she is forced to be alone (already terrifying) and also with so much pressure put on her (downright immobilizing!). Audiences can relate to anxiety and stress like this. It doesn’t matter that she’s a kid: we all get what she’s going through and connect with her immediately.

Rok grows throughout the season

You’d think it would be easy to create story arcs that help child characters grow since they’re going to grow up just by virtue of natural development anyway, but it’s harder than you think. Both Jake Sisko and Wesley Crusher get things to do as they get older that build on the foundations for their characters, but they also had several seasons to work with. Rok, in just one season, has her entire world opened up for her because of the nature of the story, and she runs with it!

This is a science fiction show, so of course the characters are going to love science, and watching Rok learn, try new things, occasionally fail, and try again is an excellent entry point into STEM. Just like how a lot of today’s doctors credit watching Dr. McCoy and today’s engineers got their start because they wanted to be like Scotty, and just like how many women and people of color joined the space program specifically because of Nichelle Nichols, I really hope that kids today watching Rok-Tahk and crew are captivated by science in that same way. I would be.

We love you, Rok! We love the other crew members of the Protostar too! We love Star Trek: Prodigy! Check out the other character appreciation posts for Dal R’El, Gwyndala, Jankom Pog, and Zero while you’re here. I know I can speak for not only the other hosts here at A Star to Steer Hey By but for myriad other fans when I seriously hope someone picks up this wonder of a show. We’re really looking forward to seeing more from these amazing child characters, and we’re seriously wishing we get that opportunity. #SaveStarTrekProdigy

[spockvarietyhour]

Wait that's a Zak Kebron species! I either missed or wasn't revealed til now that Roh-Tahk was Brikar

[fate-motif]

if rok sounded like a large gravelly rock monsters to everyone else without the universal translator to convey that she’s a child to others, does it mean that in turn, everyone sounds like chipmunks to rok without the translator

[startrekprodigyfan]

I really like that Star Trek Prodigy, as an introduction to the Star Trek franchise for kids, literally just runs the gauntlet of atypical plot lines. In no particular order we have:

Alien planet is sentient and wants to kill you.

Time travel shenanigans (several times).

Aliens want to help you obtain nirvana… but there’s a catch.

First contact goes awry.

Scary Borg episode.

Sentient AI wants to destroy you.

Sentient AI wants to take over the planet.

Trapped on the holodeck.

Holodeck characters run amok.

Additionally, they also run the gauntlet of introducing different aliens and races and concepts. So we’ve got:

Klingons, Romulans, Ferengi, Vulcans, Tellerite, Andorians, Borg, and Tribbles. But we’ve also got Medusians, Kazon, Caitian, Brikar, Trill, Lurian, and Denobulans.

And on top of that we get slow fed Star Trek concepts and staples such as:

Phasers, Transporters, holodecks, genetic modification, starships, photon torpedos, quantum torpedos, shields, deflector, tractor beams, universal translators, com badges, pips, and more.

Like I cannot overstate how monumental this show is in trying to cover every aspect of Star Trek and get people into the franchise in a way that doesn’t talk down to them or scare them off. Every piece is explained, explored, utilized, and put to great effect in service of the story, not just as Easter eggs or jokes.

[hazelcephalopod]

I am genre aware enough to know that the kids being officers in Prodigy is ok Bc it’s a show for children first. It’s supposed to make them feel empowered and have relatable characters. That said.

Star Fleet really gave -well they let Janeway do it tbf after I assume she called in all her favors- ensign ranks to a like 5 year old whatever Murf is and to a roughly 10 year old Brikar -who if I remember correctly actually mature later than humans. At least the rest are basically in late adolescents and even maybe adults. Rok and Murf are literal children -ok tbf we know so little about Murf idek for sure still. It’s so damn funny. That’s canon now. Star fleet doesn’t just have children on their “exploration” ships they fully are out giving them commissions. Janeway made that happen!

[thelongestway]

I'm rereading Time to Orbit: Unknown in honor of the ebooks coming out (and that it's something of a day off for me), and as I was getting groceries A Horrible Crossover Thought popped into my head.

TTOU/Star Trek: Prodigy.

After the first meeting on neutral ground.

On the Courageous:

Tal: ALIENS. COOL ONES!! Did you see the one built like a brickhouse?

The Friend: She's a Brikar, Tal. And very good at her job, if a little young. I wonder if we can get her to help with the genetics...

Tinera and Denish: wait. these kids were. convict miners. fucking what.

Aspen: ...and one of them got woken up on a sleeper spaceship to fix it while ever more problems cropped up and at the end of it the AI said he'd used up too many resources and he decided to jump out in an escape pod.

Tinera: AND THEN HE GOT CAPTURED AND MADE INTO A CONVICT MINER GIVE ME THOSE VAU N'AKAT I WILL HAVE THEIR HEADS.

Adin: Tiny, I think that one's already dead anyway.

Tinera: Not with those kids' luck he isn't.

On the Prodigy:

Gwyn: ...Well, here we are, first contact with a spacefaring race, us representing Starfleet - didn't expect to have it happen quite so quickly. But all the languages!..

Jankom: And their ship! Brrr, it gives Jankom flashbacks.

Rok: They even have someone named Friend! It's so nice!

Dal: Nope. Nope. No it isn't. Something is wrong here. Does it even count as first contact if they're obviously some sort of weird alternative humans? This is Not Normal!

Ma'jel: They seem like perfectly normal humans to me.

Zero: ...and one perfectly normal hive mind.

Everyone: WHAT.

Zero: What?

[star-trek-pop-quiz]

Star Trek POP-QUIZ #11

( 16 / 12 / 2023 )

Question 1. What race is Morn from Star Trek: Deep Space 9? a. Tholians b. Lurian c. Brikar d. J'naii

Bonus Question: How many episodes does Morn appear in? ( Points for within 5 numbers )

Question 2. TRUE OR FALSE Rene Auberjonois ( Odo's Actor ) also played the role of Pepé Le Pew.

Bonus Question: TRUE OR FALSE: Rene Auberjonois' mother is a Princess.

Question 3. Which of these characters are vegetarian? a. B'Elanna Torres b. Geordi La Forge c. Chakotay d. William Riker

Bonus Question: What is this character's position on their ship?

Question 4. What does Dr Mccoy leave behind on Sigma Iotia II in "A Piece of the Action"? a. a Medical Tricorder b. a Communicator c. a Phaser d. a Journal

Question 5. Fill-in Question! How many separate temporal offenses has Kirk committed?

Score: __/ 5 + 3 bonus ( Answers under cut )

Question 1. b. Lurian

+ Morn had 93 appearances in DS9, meaning that he had more appearances that Jake Sisko ( 71 appearances ) and Elim Garak ( 37 episodes ).

Question 2. TRUE

+ TRUE

Question 3. c. Chakotay

+ First Officer.

Question 4. b. a Communicator

Question 5. Kirk has had 17 separate temporal violations, making it the biggest on record .

[divinemissem13]

30 Days of Prodigy, day 12: Favorite Character(s)

After smashing a vial in the science lab, Warrant Officer Rok-Tahk has run off in a fit of anger and embarrassment. The Admiral rubs a hand over her face and drains the last of her coffee (this mission requires coffee, no matter what Doctor Noam says) and goes to find the young Brikar.

She’s not sure of the context of Rok-Tahk’s childish tantrum, but she has to remind herself that despite her stature and impressive intelligence, Rok-Tahk is, after all, still a child. 

When she had taken the former Protostar crew under her wing, Janeway had been surprised to realize how quickly she would become a mother figure to them. She has certainly been in that position before, lost in the Delta Quadrant with such a young crew… but this time is different. These young heroes had no mother figure in their lives at all until they came across the Protostar, and it seems that they had quickly imprinted upon their Emergency Training Hologram which just happened to look and sound a whole lot like Admiral Janeway herself. 

So now, here she is, trying to figure out how to deal with Rok-Tahk’s outburst in a way that is both commanding and comforting. Chakotay was always so good at finding this balance. She thinks and then quickly corrects herself: Is … he is good at it.

Janeway finds Rok right where she knew she would - in the holo-enabled zoology lab, sitting scrunched up (well, as much as a Brikar can scrunch) in a corner and stroking a targ that is curled up in her lap.

Janeway is struck, suddenly, by the memory of another young woman, wise beyond her years with the gentlest of souls, who used to take refuge amongst nature as well. On a different Voyager. In a different lifetime. 

Returning to the present, the Admiral clears her throat gently, just enough for Rok to realize she has company. 

“Vice Admiral Janeway!” she exclaims, her voice impossibly high pitched and young sounding coming from her gigantic stone-like stature. Rok moves as if to stand, but Janeway stops her with a gesture and instead finds a stool which she perches on so that they can speak face to face. 

Before Janeway can say a word, Rok-Tahk is launching into an apology. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to break anything! But no one was listening to me - they never listen to me because they think I’m just a kid - and I got frustrated.” 

Rok hangs her head in shame and Janeway is overcome with the urge to take her in her arms and rock her like a baby. Of course, that would be an impossible proposition even if Rok wasn’t under her command. Instead, she compromises by resting her small hand on the massive rough shoulder and giving her an encouraging pat.

“What were you trying to tell them?” Janeway asks diplomatically. 

“They were talking about tachyon particles and if they can really be controlled and… and I know they can. I’ve done it. But they wouldn’t let me talk.”

“Ah, so you broke the vial to get their attention,” Janeway says.

“Yeah, but then… I was so embarrassed that I just ran away,” Rok moans.

Janeway hops down from the stool and begins to pace thoughtfully.

“Did you know that I started out as a science officer too?” she asks.

“Really?” Rok asks, wide-eyed.

“Oh, yes. And I also had to struggle to be heard,” Janeway confirms.

“But you’re an Admiral! Everyone listens to you!” 

“They do… now,” Janeway smiles sympathetically at her young charge. 

“You may not have noticed, but even for a human, I’m fairly, well, short,” she chuckles. “When I was first starting out, other officers found it easier to simply talk over my head than to listen to what I had to say. Especially if I had something to say that might challenge their way of thinking.”

“So what did you do?” Rok asks, leaning forward with rapt attention.

“I did my fair share of yelling, of storming off, but then I realized something: If I was confident and assertive, people began to listen. I was trying to make them listen, but what I should have done is stated my case, firmly and confidently, they would want to listen.” 

“Firmly and confidently,” Rok echoes, sitting up a bit straighter. 

“That’s the ticket,” Janeway nods. She hesitates for a moment and then adds, “And try not to break things. At least not on purpose.”

“Ohhhh my gosh!” Rok-Tahk jumps up to her full height, now towering over the Admiral. “I didn’t clean it up! I’ve gotta go! Thank you, Admiral Janeway!” she calls as she runs from the room. 

Admiral Janeway pinches the bridge of her nose and looks down at the holographic targ that is now stubbornly head-butting her leg.

“That went well,” she quips to the targ and then she leaves the room too, making sure to deactivate the holograms before she goes.

[ricardoazsi]

Desenho gráfico de tela de PADD sobre vestimentas de membros da Frota Estelar. Vários uniformes técnicos de serviço: dramiano, brikar, damiani e andoriano.

Graphic design of a PADD entry on Star Trek's Starfleet members' uniforms and clothes. [made with MSWord + HeroMachine 3]

[nerds-yearbook]

In the year 2383, a group of teenage alien convicts, Dal, Zero, Rok-Tahk, Jankom Pog, Murf, and their captive Gwen escaped a penal colony on Tars Lamora in the Delta Quadrant using an abandoned Federation space ship they found. They were able to fly the USS Protostar with the help of a training program Hologram in the form of Captain Janeway of the USS Voyager. They were hunted by The Diviner, who was Gwyn's father, and his robotic assistant Drednok. ("Lost and Found", Star Trek Prodigy, TV)

[fate-motif]

you know, i never let myself think about the simplicity of rok’s name. this is a kid’s show. you can just get away with naming a character rok tahk that’s a rock that talks. but it really seems that rok did not grow up around other brikar. she might not even have been named by other brikar.

[ltkebron]

“A vague stickiness that I’ll wipe clean with a towel.”

[commandermeg]

I mentioned this on twitter but here's a thought...

A star Trek prodigy episode where the translators stop working for one reason or another (To quote Ensign Mariner: "It's not a day in Starfleet until Comms are down") and we get to see the sheer magnitude of Gwyn's language knowledge because she winds up translating for everyone.

Brikar, Ferengi/Standard, Tellarite languages - all of it

(Zero, being a medusan, would be able to telepathically communicate and wouldn't need a translator.)