Build Trip's Family

[Alelou]

Well, in a science fiction show they have to keep track of soooo many things -- not just the details about each character, but about normal everyday life of that time.

I sometimes wonder how they do it, honestly, especially the writers who've been hired from other shows and aren't lifelong Trekkies.

[WarpGirl]

I'm not tolorent I admit it. You should have seen my reaction when some idiot made B'Elanna 12 when her father left. The only thing that saved that episode for me was all of the kissing sexy stuff. I also didn't tolorate it much when Bones screws up Hodgins and Zach. I just do not see why you can't look it up! I flipped out over West Wing mistakes (although there were barely any there), and so far Burn Notice is the only show exempt from my wrath. With computers you should be able to hit a key and get the infor you need. We do it all the time, and DON'T GET PAID!

Bottom line, if Matt Nix and Arron Sorkin were in charge of ST, I would be in nirvana... They so rarely mess up its not funny. So I refuse to believe its impossible.

Back to Trip's family... I switched out my first pick for Trip's older sister, Maeve is now Jennifer Nettles from the group Sugarland, she's a sporty "tough" girl just enough of a girl, but she's got no problem kicking *ss. And she's a rascel like Trip and his flirty eyes.

[Brandyjane]

In my universe, Trip's parents are black. I know exactly what they look like, but I haven't found the actors yet. I decided a long time ago that Trip and Lizzie were adopted by the Tucker family, who already had at least two older kids. Trip and Lizzie's biological parents were pretty scummy. Lizzie was too young to remember them, but Trip has some bad memories that he represses. It's the reason he doesn't like to really open up to people when something is bothering him - it's just habit for him to keep it in. That's why he was so protective of her, and it's why he doesn't feel like he has a home anymore (though his parents would disagree!) -- Well, that's what I've been playing around with. I don't know if I'll ever actually write the story, though.

[WarpGirl]

Dang! Nobody I mean nobody has ever been that creative! TPTB should have taken a lesson in that kind of out-of-the-box thinking... Please write it! Sydney Portier and Diane Carrol as mom and dad! Or you know whoever YOU want...

[Rigil Kent]

In my universe, Trip's parents are black. I know exactly what they look like, but I haven't found the actors yet. I decided a long time ago that Trip and Lizzie were adopted by the Tucker family, who already had at least two older kids.

An interesting idea, but it doesn't really track with E2 and the whole Trip/Lorian conversation about Trip seeing his dad's eyes when he looks at Lorian. Just saying...

[WarpGirl]

Hmmm. Well if like Brandyjane said, Trip does remember his biological parents, it could work.

[Brandyjane]

In my universe, Trip's parents are black. I know exactly what they look like, but I haven't found the actors yet. I decided a long time ago that Trip and Lizzie were adopted by the Tucker family, who already had at least two older kids.

An interesting idea, but it doesn't really track with E2 and the whole Trip/Lorian conversation about Trip seeing his dad's eyes when he looks at Lorian. Just saying...

Yeah, and it also wouldn't work with Sim's childhood memories. He would have probably said something about it. That's the main reason I haven't done much with the idea.

[WarpGirl]

Why would Sim mention it? I would think, that interacial adoption (among humans) would not be something extraordinary in the 22nd century. Today it's finally becoming so mainstream that it's normal. Thank god.

[Alelou]

With computers you should be able to hit a key and get the infor you need. We do it all the time, and DON'T GET PAID!

It's easy now -- Chrissie put all her transcripts up, and fans have filled in Memory Alpha with all their details -- but when a show is actually in production, those details don't tend to be up on the Internet yet. And certainly the five or six episodes that haven't aired yet aren't anywhere to be found on the Internet (except as spoilers).

[WarpGirl]

I know that, but really all you'd have to do is save all previous episodes written to a data base, add a search option, and all a writer would hav to do is type in "Trip's siblings" or "Archer's father" and it would come up what was canonically given already. It's not rocket science, my brother could write the program.

And every time I see "Chrissie's Transcripts" I have to remind myself, I don't have a website, and my name is spelled differently.

[Alelou]

You wouldn't even need a database program, you could just use google docs. However, if you haven't indexed the thing, which takes some time and effort (read money), you'd better be good at searching with the exact terms you need.

(Krissy....?)

[WarpGirl]

All I know is you can easily save massive amounts of information on a computer, one episode of TV of any genera is probably less than the 230pg SW's monster fic on my PC. And all I gotta do is open the doc and use the search and I can find everything I worte about Force visions in 2 seconds. I can print it in 30 seconds, and bingo done. If it was the 60's I'd completely agree with you, heck I can even cut slack for the 80's, but after that... No. It's not JUST Star Trek that this ticks me off about, believe me. I used to go nuts about Sara Sidle's vacilating vegetarianism on CSI.

About my name, I'll just say it's technically not Krissy on the birth certificate.

Now Trip's family. I think Richard Dean Anderson needs to be a relative, problem which one?

[Linda]

Fan fiction writers on this site have given Trip's parents different first names, different political views, different personal problems and habits. They have given different numbers of siblings and different sibling names. And now I see from scaning this thread, Trip may also receive adoptive parents. I think all are valid if you build a good story around the differences. I would find it helpful, especially in stories with a lot if characters, if the author would list the characters in a note at the start of the story, and give a little summary of their personalities. Of course with most stories you can get this from context, but I find, especially in stories where there is a long time between chapters being published, that it really helps to have a character list. And it would help me to have a summary-of-plot-so-far, especially if I am reading the 10th chapter and it has been a month since the last chapter came out. I tend to get easily confused. Must be a senior thing.

[WarpGirl]

See now some people think character lists and such take away from a story, I think they're helpful too. But sometimes its hard to decide whether to make one because you might get called out on it with the "If your story is so good, and its relevent to your plot, the reader should know who these characters are..." On the other hand... Me personally I'd love a list. I just don't know whether to write one...

On a personal note, I think Ragua has the best "Trip's family" I'd ever read even if Trip is the older brother, which doesn't really make sense.

[Rigil Kent]

even if Trip is the older brother, which doesn't really make sense.

It makes perfect sense to me. *shrug*