It’s already one of several planets that are identical to earth and have a history that parallels our own. The idea that planets in different solar systems would form as perfect copies of each other, and that they would both independently evolve humans, and those humans would form identical cultures that diverge only enough to create a 20th century Rome, that’s a level of ridiculous implausibility that seems more like something you’d find in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
By comparison, the fact that they also developed modern English seems like a far more logical possibility, given that they are starting with copies of the same cultures and presumably the same linguistic roots more or less. And the word play itself might actually have been intentional, making it the least implausible part of the whole thing.
It’s like using literally to add emphasis to something that you are saying figuratively. It’s not objectively “wrong” to do it, but the practice is adding uncertainty where there didn’t need to be any, and thus slightly diminishes our ability to communicate clearly.
For Combs, I was only counting Weyoun as one character, even if he’s playing multiple copies of him.* And I’m only counting TV and movies, not video games. This also means that Tallman doesn’t get to have her Romulan appearance counted twice because the trading card game turned it into a different character.
For Tallman, I’m not counting any work as a double,** but I am counting her unnamed Starfleet officers that each had the misfortune of being played by a stuntwoman, and therefore tended to die. She gets one redshirt role each in TNG, Generations, DS9 and Voyager. She also plays one of the trilithium thieves from die hard in space, one of the aliens that knocked up a warbird’s engines, an immortalish prisoner in the gamma quadrant, a Bajoran nurse, and one of the space succubi that tried to beat Harry Kim with a large phallic object and drain him of his genetic material.
So, by that count, Tallman has 9 roles while Combs has 8.
Obviously this is a matter of preference and interpretation, and the more you think about it the more you start to open Pandora’s box. Are clones with the same look and personality all the same character? What about clones that are wildly different? What about parallel universe versions? Is a doppelganger added to the count? Or a time travel duplicate? What about body swaps or possessions, do they count as being a different character? What about a character who is playing another character in an in universe fiction? What about versions that appear in dreams or simulations?
** If we’re going to nitpick, I’d argue that stunt doubles are intended to be seen as the character by the audience, so it’s not unreasonable to count them that way, even if I’m not.
Going down to the planet, introducing yourself to the pre-warp civilization, making no effort to hide the fact that you are aliens from another world, planning your shore leave and preparing to fuck as many of them as you can? Not a prime directive violation.
Rescuing one of your kids who accidently breaks one of their rules and is immediately condemned to death, and asserting that as a member of your crew he is subject to your punishments and not theirs? Prime directive violation.
Taking one of the locals up to space to see the thing they consider to be a god, and openly defying the very foundations of their civilization’s system of law and order? Not a prime directive violation.
Just realized I forgot the time that his wife got turned into a 10 year old. A 10 year old who got mad at him for being uncomfortable with physical affection at a time when she is going through something crazy and wants to feel comforted. Forget the Kobayashi Maru, that right there is the real no-win scenario.
Now if only I could go back to forgetting that episode.
The more mundane, day to day stuff is where there’s a big difference.
(Young) Obi-Wan gets super powers and a highly respected position in society that allows him to operate independently on a day to day basis.
O’Brian gets dragged out of bed in the middle of the night because a hypochondriac feels a tingle, and after extensive diagnostics show nothing is wrong, he’s ordered to take the transporter apart piece by piece and put it back together again.
During a disaster where he is the most experienced person left on the bridge, he has to take orders from Troi (who needs him to explain everything to her)
Has arachnaphobia, gets stationed somewhere that’s overrun by giant spiders, just has to deal with it.
Let’s not forget that Miles fought in a war against the Cardassians, which caused some serious psychological scars that don’t seem to be getting addressed. Those same events broke his commanding officer, and Miles is the only one who really understands why.
Then he goes on to take a quiet post at a space station in the middle of nowhere, only for it to become the frontline of an even bigger war.
Let’s not forget that time when primitive 20th century freezer jockeys were thawed out on the Enterprise D and a sleazy 80s business man was able to do pretty much whatever he wanted with the computer. When Picard yells at him, he replies that if there were things he shouldn’t be allowed to do, why didn’t they set the computer to not allow it? And Picard replies that people shouldn’t have to be told they aren’t allowed to do certain things, they should be able behave without the computer forcing it.
So, the reason they have such a huge security issue is that they run everything on the honor system. Though I suppose this was right after Worf took over security, so I guess that makes sense.
Give Tom a break. He got forced into being the nurse because he took biochemistry classes before getting kicked out of the academy.
Plus, he’s juggling nursing duties with his full time job as the pilot. And his side gig as a commando team leader. While moonlighting as a spy. And despite all that he’s still finds the time to develop an encyclopedic knowledge of twentieth century earth. And let’s not forget that he also designed engines with a top speed of infinity. He’s the most competent man in Star Fleet. Not bad for a dropout and ex-con.
Pretty sure if you Tuvixed Paris and O’Brian, combining Paris’s competence with O’Brian’s work ethic, you’d get some sort of god.