[RJLCyberPunk]

I've always wondered why Gene Rodenberry chose the most notable and prominent of the aliens in his show the vulcans to be so similar in appearance to elves! Including almost the fact while elves are inmortal vulcans are extremely long lived living easily over 3 centuries!
Does anyone know if indeed there is?

[Lenale]

Elves and Vulcans both have pointy ears, but I think the similarities end there. For instance, their blood is green, being copper-based instead of iron as humans (and, presumably, Elves) tend to have. They also appear in distinct races with slightly african, hispanic or caucasian features and colouring which is very much not the case with Elves, which as far as I know are all white and differ only in hair and eye colour.

Vulcans have a life expectancy of about 250 human years. Compared to average humans that's quite long, but I don't think it qualifies as anything like the eternity the Eldar have.

The Elves in the books tend to be a happy bunch (wood circle, anyone?), singing and dancing and generally having fun. The Vulcans used to let their -very strong- emotions run freely, resulting in quite a lot of bloodshed. After this, they started practising a rigid form of mind control through meditation and exercises, in which process part of their people decided to leave the planet and form their own society (to be known later as the Romulans). However, there were no shiny jewels, higher beings or promised lands involved this time.

The remaining Vulcans, who became the ancestors of the Vulcans we know, have arranged marriages and behave based on logic. They're also from a desert planet, they do NOT like to touch their food, and forgot most of their own history (even their common ancestry with the Romulans).

To me, they just feel much less... 'earthy' than Elves. Which isn't so strange since they came from Vulcan .

However, some of the similarities are there, and I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Roddenberry read a fair bit of Tolkien in his time, and some of the ideas stuck.

Hope that was helpful.

[Eyborg]

I myself, being a Trekkie have also thought a lot about the similarities of elves and Vulcans... But I have a feeling that it might possibly have been Peter Jackson that made his elves look a bit like the Vulcans...
On the other hand, I'm sure Gene Roddenberry must have read at least a bit of Tolkien.

BTW so would the dwarves (or the Rohirrim) be like the Klingons then? He he he...

[Lenale]

[Eyborg]

[Lenale]

[Eyborg]

Yep... especially if they get lots of food!

[Scribe]

Okay,

Showing my total geekiness here. If I recall correctly, Roddenberry wanted Spock to be more exotic looking in terms of being alien but the studios execs wouldn't agree to spending too much on makeup, particularly on a weekly basis so Roddenberry suggested something with the ears, which was inexpensive. So that's what they went with.

[SilverMoonLady]

And they were afraid people wouldn't be able to 'relate' to a character too far different from humans... (my recollection, therefore possibly inaccurate)

[Ningloreth]

[Viv]

[Eyborg]

You're right Viv. - I also admit that the Rohirrim remind me of Klingons sometimes... which perhaps isn't so surprising, since Mr. Roddenberry based his Klingons a lot on medieval Vikings. I could so imagine Théoden or Éowyn saying: "Today is a good day to die..."