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taH pagh taHbe'
Sep. 22nd, 2009 09:39 pmI'm trying to figure out if General Chang, the Klingon traitor in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is maliciously clever, or just an idiot. (I know he'd prefer to be maliciously clever.) He's the one he keeps quoting Shakespeare at Kirk, most obnoxiously during their battle above Khitomer. (McCoy: "I'd give real money if he'd just shut up.")
Now, it's obviously meant to be mocking, whether you think Klingons really believe Shakespeare's plays were originally written by a Klingon or not; if he does believe that, then quoting it in English is mocking Human inferiority, and if he doesn't, then it's probably meant to glorify the Human penchant for war and thus the need to disrupt the peace talks. Actually, it's meant to to that regardless.
But that's not what gets me.
Talking to Kirk, Chang refers to Shakespeare as "your favourite writer". Now, clearly Kirk would have studied Shakespeare as part of his education, but he's not borderline obsessed with it like, say, Captain Picard. He quotes other sources a hell of a lot more frequently, really.
BUT there is one connection between Kirk and Shakespeare that, if Chang knew about, I'm sure he'd love to exploit just to irritate him. Namely, Kodos the Executioner came aboard Kirk's ship as a senior actor in a travelling company of players who specialized in Shakespeare's works. Kodos, who ordered the massacre of half the inhabitants of Tarsus IV -- which a 13-year-old James Kirk witnessed.
If Chang knew about that -- that twist, specifically -- then I could see him trying to get under Kirk's skin with it. But if he genuinely thinks Kirk's favourite writer is Shakespeare, well, I'm pretty sure he's wrong.
Now, it's obviously meant to be mocking, whether you think Klingons really believe Shakespeare's plays were originally written by a Klingon or not; if he does believe that, then quoting it in English is mocking Human inferiority, and if he doesn't, then it's probably meant to glorify the Human penchant for war and thus the need to disrupt the peace talks. Actually, it's meant to to that regardless.
But that's not what gets me.
Talking to Kirk, Chang refers to Shakespeare as "your favourite writer". Now, clearly Kirk would have studied Shakespeare as part of his education, but he's not borderline obsessed with it like, say, Captain Picard. He quotes other sources a hell of a lot more frequently, really.
BUT there is one connection between Kirk and Shakespeare that, if Chang knew about, I'm sure he'd love to exploit just to irritate him. Namely, Kodos the Executioner came aboard Kirk's ship as a senior actor in a travelling company of players who specialized in Shakespeare's works. Kodos, who ordered the massacre of half the inhabitants of Tarsus IV -- which a 13-year-old James Kirk witnessed.
If Chang knew about that -- that twist, specifically -- then I could see him trying to get under Kirk's skin with it. But if he genuinely thinks Kirk's favourite writer is Shakespeare, well, I'm pretty sure he's wrong.
