The Vortex #16 - USS Blackheart

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
OF THE STORMBRINGER
ISSUE 16
USS STORMBRINGER, NCC-74213
SPECIAL
SAFETY
ISSUE
S F I
R E G I O N
The Casual Cyberspace Correspondence Chapter of
STARFLEET: The International Star Trek Fan Association
SECTION 31: COVERT OPERATIONS COMMAND
F O U R C H A P T E R O F T H E Y E A R 2 0 0 0
I S S U E
1 6 N E W S
ARE YOU TWISTED? ABNORMAL?
SPECIAL
SAFETY
ISSUE
Number 16
May/June 2001
The Vortex is the official magazine of the
Correspondence Chapter USS Stormbringer. The
opinions expressed herein are our just ours and not
those of anyone too important nor any other entity
or organization. If you are offended by any materials
contained herein, please let us know... We like to hear
when we do something right.
The Vortex is a copyrighted publication. Any materials
contained herein may be copied for personal or
professional use upon written consent from the
National Football League or the editor.
Subscriptions to the Vortex can be obtained only by
joining the Stormbringer as a Starfleet member. Due
to the high cost of printing this magazine, we can
only offer full color issues to our members. Online
issues are available to the general populace whenever
we feel like uploading it to the web.
Deadlines for submission are sometime during each
even numbered month. Submissions should be sent to
the subscription and membership address or emailed
to: [email protected].
Membership is free to all members of Starfleet who
request the Stormbringer as their official primary vessel
assignment and submit their assignment cards to the
Stormbringer. All other types of memberships are
forbidden due to a membership cap imposed by the
wisdom of the command staff who are experienced
and intelligent enough not to let us get too big for our
britches.
The Stormbringer is a Correspondence Chapter of
Starfleet: The International Star Trek Fan Association,
Inc.
Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek:
Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager are registered
trademarks of Paramount Pictures Inc., A division of
Viacom.
No intention to infringe upon these and other
trademarks is intended nor should be implied. If you
imply infringement, you are advised to schedule a
CAT scan to properly diagnose the tumor you
obviously have.
C
MMI JOHNATHAN SIMMONS
VORTEX GRAFIX INX.
02
The USS STORMBRINGER
is currently looking for you... either call Miss Cleo or
email the CO or XO for more details...
MEMBERSHIP & SUBMISSION INFO
[email protected]
W E B S I T E S
SHIP’S HOME PAGE
WWW.GEOCITIES.COM/AREA51/VAULT/9505
MESSAGEBOARD
UNDER RECONSTRUCTION
STARFLEET
WWW.SFI.ORG
DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE IS JUN 30, 2001
C O M M A N D
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S T A F F
Commanding Officer
Fleet Captain Dave Pitts
[email protected]
Executive Officer
Vice Admiral Johnathan Simmons
[email protected]
Second Officer
Captain Rayford A. Milligan
[email protected]
Chief Medical Officer
Fleet Captain Ken Dysinger
[email protected]
Chief Science Officer
Commander Damon Schoonover
[email protected]
Chief Security Officer
Commander Jonathon Smith
[email protected]
Chief Engineering Officer
Lieutenant Commander Karen Pitts
[email protected]
Webmaster
Lieutenant Commander JP Balzan
[email protected]
IN HONOR OF FALLEN COMRADES...
1998 1999 2000 DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ROBERT JOHN “BOB” GALVAN 1970-2000
1999 SFI SHUTTLE OF THE YEAR
1998 R4 SHUTTLE OF THE YEAR
2000 R4 CHAPTER OF THE YEAR
98 99 00 R4 NEWSLETTER OF THE YEAR
2000 SFI BEST ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER
S
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[email protected]
THE AYE OF THE STORM
FLEET CAPTAIN DAVE PITTS
COMMANDING OFFICER
Hi, Dave the Knave here.
I was sitting down recently trying to decide what in the world I was
gonna write about (Yes, CO’s get writer ’s block
also) when I noticed this article from a diligent member on the Starfleet
ListServe. I think it has a wealth of valuable information that I hope
you never have to use.
- - - Survival Subject - - WHAT TO DO IF YOU LOSE YOUR
PURSE OR WALLET
We’ve all heard horror stories about fraud that’s committed using
your name, address, SS#, credit, etc.
Unfortunately I (author of this piece) have firsthand knowledge,
because my wallet was stolen last month and within a week the thieve(s)
ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA
credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer,
received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record
information online, and more. But here’s some critical information
to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know.
As everyone always advises, cancel your credit cards immediately, but
the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy
so you know who to call. Keep those where you can find them easily
(having to hunt for them is additional stress you WON’T need at
that! point!).
On a personal note, I remember loosing a MC and until I got the toll
free number from information, etc. I was a wreck.
File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen, this proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first step
toward an investigation (if there ever is one).
But here’s what is perhaps most important. I never ever thought to do
this.
CALL the three national credit-reporting organizations immediately
to place a fraud alert on your name and SS#. I had never heard of doing
that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for
credit was made over the Internet in my name. The alert means any
company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen
and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.
By the time I was advised to do this-almost 2 weeks after the theft all
the damage had been done! (there are records of all the credit checks
initiated by the thieves’ purchases, none of which I knew about before
placing the alert). Since then, no additional damage has been done,
and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned
it in). It seems to have stopped them in their tracks.
The numbers are:
Equifax 1-800 525-6285
Experian (formerly TRW) 1-800-301-7195
Trans Union 1-800-680-7289.
Social Security Administration also has a fraud line at 1-800-2690271.
We pass along jokes, we pass along just about everything... think
about passing this information along .... it could help someone else.
Until next issue...Fare thee well.
UberDave
Fleet Captain Dave Pitts, CO
USS STORMBRINGER NCC-74213
Proudly serving SF Covert Ops since...
For the record...
Month: April
Region: 04
Chapter: USS STORMBRINGER
Last Meeting: Correy
CO: Fleet Captain Dave Pitts
Mail: 4510 E. 28th St, Tucson, AZ 85711
Phone: 1-(520)-512-1036
E-Mail: [email protected]
ICQ: 4821530
Status: OTS & OCC
Chapter Address: 4510 E. 28th St, Tucson, AZ 85711
Chapter E-Mail: [email protected]
Chapter URL: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/9505
Paid Fee: Yes
City of Charter: Tucson, AZ
Shuttles: None
The
fleet monthly status report
Registry: NCC-74213
Crew: 24
Next Meeting: Correy
Newsletter: THE VORTEX Last Pub: Mar 15, 2001
XO: Vice Admiral Johnathan Simmons
Mail: 5552 Rutledge Drive, The Colony, TX 75056-1310
Phone: 1-(469)384-1974
E-Mail: [email protected]
ICQ: 12026868
Status: OTS & OCC
Graduates: None
Promotions/Awards: None
Problems/Results:
None at this time
Stormbringer Activities & Other Neato Stuff!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Revamping webpage.
Gathering coupons for another OCP donation.
Readying Issue #16 of ship’s newsletter, “THE VORTEX.”
XO created electronic mail snapshot update for the crew. Not quite a newsletter as it has the “Hey, this is what’s
happening RIGHT NOW” kinda feel to it whereas our newsletter is more laid back looniness.
Cadet Commander taking course on Space History via SFA.
Crew gearing for this year’s International Conference
Formation of Starfleet Marine Unit on board.
NOW
HEAR
THIS!
Welcome to Issue
16 of the madness
we call The Vortex!
We hope your stay
will be a pleasant
one.
This issue, we get
into con survival,
our red planet
neighbor and news
on the fifth televised incarnation
of star trek. Not
to mention the
usual goofiness
and humor that
y’all have come to
expect from our
misguided crew.
Top that off with a
trip to our FleetFamous Salad Bar
and you have a
winning combination!
So venture
through the pages
and enjoy the
uniqueness that is
The Vortex!
This magazine is
not intended to
serve any real
purpose other
than to blow an
hour of your
time...
but then again...
you knew that
before you read
this.
Submissions are
accepted in just
about any format.
Issue 17 deadline
is June 30th, 2001
Send submissions
to:
[email protected]
That is all.
03
THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
VICE ADMIRAL JOHNATHAN SIMMONS
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
[email protected]
e
c
i
V
APOLOGY
FROM
DUBYA
Dear China,
We’re sorry that you don’t train
your fighter pilots better. As an
apologetic token, please find an
enclosed copy of Microsoft
Flight Simulator 2000.
We’re sorry that your front-line
fighter planes can’t outmaneuver a 35-year old prop-driven
airliner. Perhaps you’d like to
consider purchasing some
surplus 1950’s era Lockheed
Starfighters from Taiwan. (They
just replaced all theirs with
shiny new F-16’s).
We’re sorry that you’re
confused about the boundaries
of your country and believe
that your territorial waters
extend all the way to Australia.
Please accept this gift— for
future reference—of an American
6th grade World Geography
textbook. Please take note of
the Copyright information
printed inside the cover.
We’re sorry that you can’t seem
to acknowledge your role in
this incident, and consider it
politically expedient to take 24
young flight crewmen hostage
for the antics of a known hotdog fighter jockey. Ponder this
while we build several new
Aegis destroyers for our friends
in the Republic of China
(Taiwan)
We’re especially sorry for
treating you with such respect
for the last 20 years. We’ll
definitely rethink this policy,
and consider treating you like a
common street gang very soon
We’re very sorry for ever
granting you Most-FavoredNation trading status. This
will be rectified at the soonest
possible opportunity.
Sincerely,
George W. Bush
Presidential Appointee
The United States of
America
Would you like
to know more?
04
ADMIRAL
STUFF
CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH
It’s almost that time again! Gearing up for IC this year has been
the main focus around here. I can’t wait to meet friends for the first
time that I chat with online around the Fleet! If you are planning to
attend, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can plan you
into schtuff we’re gonna do while we’re there!
New Website Work Continues. That’s right folks, A NEW
WEBSITE! I’d like to express my thanks to Commander Lauren
“Belanna” Milan of the USS Avenger for the countless hours of
putting up with my bad ideas and changes! As soon as the new site is
ready, I will send out FLASH traffic to all crew.
Monthly FLASH Email Updates. Something new we are trying and
you should have already gotten it. Every month around the first, we
will send out an electronic update to keep you up-to-snuff on events
and happenings on board. If you have not gotten this month’s update,
or you have problems viewing it, please contact me.
Online Gaming Anyone? After a few requests from members, we
are going to start team gaming sessions for Diablo 2, Starcraft and
other games. More on this in the next email update.
The Few... The Proud...The Marines. Major Robert Watts is
assembling the Stormbringer’s first Starfleet Marine Unit. If you are
interested in joining or desire more information, email him at
[email protected]
Do you know the way to San Jose? Next year’s SFI International
Conference will be held next summer in San Jose, California. Remember
to get your reservations early. You can get registered at this year’s IC
in Kansas City, or go to www.IC2002.org
Admirals... Schmadmirals! Um... hey, we’re outta quarters!
Vice Admiral Johnathan Simmons & Rear Admiral Mark Vinson search the net for
free beer during the USS Panther City’s 2nd Anniversary Party.)
Long Range Sensors. The site for DinkyCon 2 has been chosen
and it is (drum roll) Reno, Nevada! More info can be found online at:
http://www.region4.org/wc2001
This years conference will be at the Peppermill Hotel and Casino,
located in wonderful, scenic Reno, Nevada Oct. 19, 20 and 21, 2001!
Some of the things that this hotel offers include:
H
O
T
E
L
G
O
O
D
I
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·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
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Free Airport Shuttle
In-room movies
Mini Bar
Room service
Safe deposit boxes
Laundry/Dry Cleaning
In-room fax machines
Overnight shipping & receiving
In-room private voice mail
Wake up calls
Wheelchairs
Shoe shine
Beauty Salon with · Luxurious Facials
Pharmacy & Gift Shop
ATM’s
Baby-sitting
Cribs
Action packed arcade
Waterfall swimming pool & spa
Health Club & Sauna
Massage Therapist
Happy Birthday... To Damon Schoonover, Ed Nowlin, Boyd Harmon,
James Covington and Duke The UberPOOCH!
This years Room Prices are as follows:
$49 for the Motor Lodge (Per Night)
$59 for the Annex G Building (Per Night)
Ideas? Suggestions? Slander? Your comments are welcomed at
ANY time! This is your chapter and we want YOU to participate! So
be sure to holler at me if you have something you’d like to see us take
part in!
The official code is CST1018 with a group name of Starfleet
Western Conference. BE SURE TO REFER TO THIS CODE AND
GROUP NAME WHEN RESERVING YOUR ROOM, or else you
will not get the special rate.
Crewmember Database... In the email FLASH update, we asked
for updated crew info. This will be used to assemble a database of our
fine crew that we can use for emailings and contact lists and website
pages and lots of other cool HI TEK SCHTUFF! Please send that info
on to us if you haven’t already. Thank you fer yer support!
The reservation number is (800) 648-6992. If you need more
information, contact them via their website or you can snail-mail
them at:
What the Future Brings? As you can see, we have come a very
long way with our ship. I am getting more feedback from new members
each month and our membership is growing to reflect that. On behalf
of the Command Staff... I thank you all for showing your spirit!
Admiral, Arriving! Welcome to Admiral Dennis Gray, former
Chief of STARFLEET Shuttle Operations! Dennis will be overseeing
our Jacuzzi refits approved under the new Stormbringer Fiscal Budget!
PepperMill Hotel/Casino
2707 S. Virginia St.
Reno, NV 89502
I hope to see all of you there! You have PLENTY of time to plan!
More on this in the coming months.
Until Next Issue,
Gumby out.
[email protected]
RIDERS ON THE STORM
CAPTAIN RAYFORD A. *TONY* MILLIGAN
SECOND OFFICER
Greetings fellow crewmates! As some of you
know, the STARFLEET IC 2001 is approaching
this July. I am going to the IC along with a victim,
uh I mean friend, I am trying to recruit into the
chapter. Actually, he insisted on accompanying
me to the IC. I have my reservations at the Marriott
and our Registration for the IC has been received
by STARFLEET and should be returned soon. I
have been told that three other members are
planning on going as well. They are Damon “Bok”
Schoonover(Science Officer), Johnathan “Gumby”
Simmons(1st Officer) and Jonathan “Bobo”
Smith(Tactical Officer). I hope to see them there,
as well as other Stormbringer members that can
make it. I have been to only 1 other IC, and that
one was in Atlanta, Georgia in ‘95. I went with
Gumby and another person, we were members
of another chapter called the Vindicator, based out
of Denton, Texas. That IC was ok, but there were
some mis-communications with the people who
organized the IC there. But overall it was good.
There also happened to have been a very large
Fantasy/Sci-fi convention down the street that we
also attended. I am hoping the Kansas City,
Missouri IC will be better than the Atlanta IC.
Now another topic. A game review!! I am giving
a review on the recent STAR TREK game for the
PC called, “STAR TREK: STARFLEET
COMMAND 2”. The game is really good. The
graphics are killer and the sound and interface
make it a really fun game. The main story-line for
this installment, is that the Organians have been
missing for a while and then they return with an
ally. Now, the Organians are a bit peeved that the
Feds, Klingons, Romulans, etc., still haven’t gotten
along with each other. So, they have brought the
ISC(Inter Stellar Concodrium) to force peace upon
us. The ISC can be reasoned with peacefully, so
guess what!!!? You guessed it!!! You get to kick
their proverbial ASSES back to where they came
from!!! Their ships are very formidable and
powerful. There are other campaigns you can do
as well.
You can edit the ships through certain ways. You
need to have a spreadsheet program to do this,
otherwise forget it! If anybody gets the game and
wants the knowledge on how to do this e-mail me
and I will send you the instructions. I have played
around a little bit with it, because the Fed ships
are at a disadvantage against everyone else in
their ships. So, I created a Frigate that could
handle most of those ships.
In campaign play, when you complete missions
you get “Prestige Points”. You get to repair, rearm and buy new ships with these points. There
are specific campaign missions and just random
missions to get you skill and points. There is also
a multi-player option, but I haven’t tried that yet.
Now for the bad points of the game. On my
system at least, I have been having crash problems
or the computer just locks up. My roommate says
he doesn’t have this problem. When you save, if
you have multiple saved games, be sure to type
in the lower left corner the name of the saved
game you want to save or you will over-write any
other games. Before loading your saved game
make sure you set the ambient lighting to max or
you won’t see much of your ship or the enemy’s.
Those are about the only drawbacks I have found
with the game. If anyone wants to get together on
the net to do multi-player SF Command 2, e-mail
me and some others and maybe we could have
some fun. Oh, by the way, I just finished the
Federation vs the ISC campaign. Boy was that
tough!!!
‘Til Next Time!!
Captain Rayford A.(Tony) Milligan
Second (to Nun) Officer and Chief Helmsman
(and no! I don’t drive by braille!)
“T
aking the Galaxy by Storm
“Taking
Storm”
”
[email protected]
NEW
CREW
MEMBERS
Stormbringer
Welcomes
New Members
We haven’t done this
in awhile and we’ve
had new folks join up
so welcome the
following fun folks...
Wayne Roberts
-Security Officer
Commander
Lynn McCrarry,
- Forensics Genius
Major Robert Watts,
Officer In Command
- SB Marine Unit
Admiral
Dennis Gray,
- JSE Certified Jacuzzi
Master Technician
Commander
Tim Evans
TDY for USAF in Japan
- Intelligence Officer
Now if we forgot
anyone... send an email to
us RIGHT NOW at
[email protected]
to make sure we add you
to the roster. The nice
color roster that Captain
Milligan used to do will
be coming back to the
Vortex starting with Issue
16 (this one). Tony has
really done a sweet job
putting this together, so
we want all y’all to be in
there!
05
CUTTING UP A STORM
FLEET CAPTAIN KEN DYSINGER
CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER
[email protected]
10 WARNING SIGNS YOU MAY BE TECHNOLOGICALLY IMPAIRED
Being technologically challenged or impaired is nothing to be ashamed about.
In fact, millions of people suffer from it daily. Many, however, don’t recognize their condition, and unless they talk about
it, these people are often difficult to diagnose. It is our sincere hope that the following list of Warning Signs may serve as
a guide to help you, or someone you know, make an informed decision.
HELP
WANTED
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Stormbringer
has the following
positions open...
Minister of
Propaganda Communications
Chief
RED SHIRTS
WANTED!
Look at these
benefits and
compare!
501k/Afterlife Ins
Paid holidays
Free meals
Travel
Fake your own
accident!
•
•
•
After sending someone an email, you phone to tell that someone that you’ve sent them an email.
All your bookmarks are tech support sites.
Look at your email address. Does it end in “aol.com”?
You keep forgetting which side of the mouse you use to “right-click.”
All your bookmarks are genealogy sites.
When your computer freezes, and someone tells you to turn up the heat in the room, you actually do it.
When installing software and it asks if you want to do a “normal” or “custom” install, you get upset that
there is more than one option.
You say things like, “With my new 850 Mhz machine, the Internet is much faster.”
You ordered a computer with a CD-ROM, but instead it came with a stupid cup holder.
You are told about viruses such as ILoveYou and warned not to click the attachments, then the next day
you get an ILoveYou email and click on the attachment because, well, it came from someone you know.
If you recognize any three of these signs, you may be in need of an evaluation by a Licensed Techcare Professional. If
you recognize five or more, you may be suffering from a more serious condition known as Reinstallzheimers.
Seek help now!
GHOST IN THE MACHINE
LCDR. KAREN PITTS
CHIEF ENGINEERING OFFICER
[email protected]
You left Spacedock without a Tractor Beam?
Hi, Chief Engineer Karen here with an interesting tidbit
concerning an early 21st century tractor beam.
LIFE on
BOARD
Life on board the
Stormbringer is a daily
mix of fun and duty.
From “PakLed Poetry
Nite” to “Transporter
Tag!” the Stormbringer
offers a warm, cozy
atmosphere... especially
if you are buying.
During your tour of
duty, be sure to stop by
the Stormbringer Pro Shop
on Deck 4 to purchase
that timely moment for
that special someone.
Sign up for the
Stormbringer
HoloBowling League or
just relax in the
jacuzzis... Heck,
sometimes, you even get
to blow stuff up!
06
It’s the equivalent of the make believe tractor beam in “Star
Trek” moving things in space without touching them—only at
the microscopic level. Scientists at the University of St.
Andrews in Fife, Scotland, said on May 3rd they’ve developed a
technique using specialized lasers to spin even the most delicate
microscopic objects, such as chromosomes, without making
physical contact. The system could have a variety of futuristic
applications in powering micro-machines and assisting in
biomedical studies.
Building on so-called optical tweezer technology, the St.
Andrews team invented a way to spin objects by focusing two
laser beams to create a spiral pattern. Beams of light pack a very
small force that can be harnessed at the microscopic level.
The technique could be used to drive tiny motors, mixers,
centrifuges and other rotating parts in cheap, tiny, automated
technologies of the future.
It could be used to rotate biological structures in living cells as
part of the process of developing new medicines. By manipulating a cell’s chromosomes with the laser technique, scientists
could study how the genome gets divided during cell division—a
process that causes serious genetic disorders when it does not go
right.
Optical tweezer technology already allows scientists to move
microscopic objects back and forth and up and down by
trapping them in a tightly focused laser beam. Scientists use this
to insert genes into cells and assist with in-vitro fertilization. But
the value was limited because objects could not be spun around
for a more complete manipulation.
St. Andrews colleagues Lynn Paterson and Michael MacDonald
demonstrated their technique with glass beads just one micron
across (a human hair is 100 microns thick) and a tiny glass rod,
which could be used to stir small amounts of liquid. They also
rotated a hamster chromosome, demonstrating the potential for
studying other structures inside a cell.
Paterson said the technique may have applications no one has
yet considered. “One doesn’t know where this is going to go,”
she added.
More next month from the Warp Core Habitrail!
LCDR Karen Pitts,
Chief Engineer
[email protected]
See page 11 for more info on the tractor beam
STORM TREK
VORTEX STAFF
TREK IN THE NEWS
[email protected]
IN
THE
NEWS
• Tim De Zarn who played Satler in the sixth season Next Generation episode ‘Starship Mine’ and Haliz in Voyager’s ‘Initiations,’
is to star as the father of Mary Jane Watson in the Spiderman
feature film set for release in 2002. More information on this can be
found here at Spiderman Hype. Thanks go out to Steve for this.
• A report on William Shatner’s (James T. Kirk) 11th Annual
Cosequin Hollywood Charity Horse Show is available at the official Star Trek site. The event is expected to exceed last year’s take
of $200,000 raised to benefit various handicapped children’s charities.
ONLINE
SESSIONS
look for our AIM
nicknames...
FCapnDave
Admiral Gumby
BoboFlash
balzfam
• Nancy Hower, who plays Ensign Wildman on Voyager will be
making her first ever Star Trek convention appearance on May
26th and 27th in Cleveland, Ohio. More details about this can be
found the Nancy Hower News Source. Thanks go out to Rebecca
for this.
• Robert Beltran (Chakotay) and Roxann Dawson (B’Elanna
Torres) were honoured at the 2001 American Latino Media Arts
Awards (ALMAs) on April 22nd. They both received “Special
Achievement Awards” for their work on Voyager. The awards will
be broadcast on TV on June 1st on ABC. Thanks to Jung for this
information!
• The Deep Space Nine Horizons site has been updated with an
exclusive clip from the fan-made “How You Live” Feature. The
clip can be downloaded from the sites’s multimedia section. Thanks
to Doug Wilson for the news.
[email protected]
here’s our ICQ
numbers...
• 22-year-old Californian Marlon Esracio Pagtakhan was given
five years probation yesterday, after pleading guilty to charges of
stalking Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) and former Voyager executive
producer Brannon Braga. Pagtakhan was ordered to stay at least
1,000 yards away from the couple, and away from their work
places and public appearances, and must stay away from seek
treatment in a mental health facility.
Gumby 12026868
Ken 1014051
Dave 4821530
Ann 203083
Bobo 113492863
COME JOIN US
ONLINE
TODAY!!!
More on these and other Trek related stories are available at
www.trektoday.com
THRASHIN THE KITCHEN
CHEF GUIDO THOR DEL FUEGO
PATHOLOGIST AND GALLEY CHEF
Cooking Up A Storm!
Chef Guido Thor Del Fuego
Chief Pathologist & Galley Cook
~ Presents ~
BEEF AND SHIITAKE STEW
ON GARLIC MASHERS
2
2
2
2
1
pounds hanger or skirt steak cut into 2X2 inch pieces
diced red onions
diced carrots
diced stalks of celery
tablespoon fermented black
beans
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 heads of garlic, cloved
1 pound quartered shiitake
mushrooms, stems removed
½ cup Shaoshing Wine
a cup dark soy sauce
Salt and black pepper to taste
Canoga oil to cook
In a large stockpot, brown the
seasoned meat on all sides. Set meat aside and wipe
out stockpot. In the same pot: saute onions, carrots,
celery, beans, ginger and garlic. Add mushrooms and
season with salt and pepper. Deglaze with Shaoshing
and reduce by 50 percent. Add soy sauce and check
again for seasoning. Return meat to pot, and add water
to cover. Cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until meat is tender.
In a large pasta bowl, place a mound of mashers and
cover with copious quantities of the stew, sauce and
all. Enjoy.
“GARLIC MASHED POTATOES “
6 large russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1½ cups heavy cream
2 to 4 ounces of butter
Salt and pepper to taste
In a sauce pot, add potatoes and fill
with cold water. Add a little salt.
Slowly boil potatoes for 30 to 40
minutes until potatoes come
cleanly off of a pairing knife. In
another saucepan, caramelize
garlic than add the cream. Reduce
cream by 30 percent. In a large
stainless steel bowl, add hot
potatoes and garlic cream. Hand
mash together. Add salt and
pepper and check for seasoning.
Yield: 4 servings
Bon Appetit
from the Culinary Department
of the USS Stormbringer
Mmmmm
GOOD!
On-board culinary tricks
are just a small part of
the overall Stormbringer
Experience, we also like:
BakTurian Pizza
Romulan Ale
Delulain Ravioli
Klingon Gagh
Cheeseburgers
Roast Rack of Targ
Chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate
and uh,
Chocolate!
Gotta recipe? Send it
to Guido!
[email protected]
07
TOYS WE REALLY NEEDED
ADMIRAL DENNIS GRAY
JSE CERTIFIED JACUZZI TECHNICIAN
[email protected]
Fisher-Price
My First
Voting Device
V O YA G E R
FAREWELL
Cast thoughts...
If you can’t vote
with this you
can’t think enough
to choose.
May 2001 The Voyager cast were
recently interviewed on the set of
‘Endgame,’ revealling some interesting new information about
the finale.
“We’re trying to keep as much
of the story a secret as
possible,” executive producer
and endgame co-writer
Kenneth Biller told Ian
Spelling, in the new edition of
his Inside Trek column. “But I
can tell you that Janeway must
come face to face with her own
limitations and also her past
decisions. There will be some
resolution to the season-long
Paris/Torres arc. And there’s
some unexpected romance that
develops.”
Garrett Wang (Harry Kim)
described the atmosphere on
set as bittersweet. “It’s been a
great run,” he said, “but it’s
also time to move on. We’ve all
loved and appreciated the
security of the job - and the
steady paycheck, to be honest but I think I can speak for all
of us when I say we want to see
what else we can do, what else
is out there for us.”
Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) was
already looking ahead to life
outside Voyager. “It’s fun and
exciting to think about the
future.” she said. “And it’ll be
nice to play roles in actual
clothing, with no corset [and]
with no rubber.”
As the fourth Trek incarnation,
comparisons between Voyager
and the other Star Trek series
were inevitable from its
conception. Everyone has a
favourite series, and
arguments between different
factions can be bloody.
Kate Mulgrew (Kathryn
Janeway), however, refused to
be drawn on the subject. “I
think that, if I did listen to all
that stuff, I would have gotten
terribly depressed. Not only am
I proud of the show, but I’ve
heard so much praise for
‘Voyager’ that I’ve been
uplifted and delighted by it.”
“I’m piqued by it,” she
continued, “and my ego is
certainly interested in the
subject, but Oscar Wilde was
correct: comparisons are
odious. They can only bring
you down.”
www.startrek.com
08
Ages 18 & up
Moron not included
Choose your own shape!
Fun Toys for Girls and Boys!
G.I. JOE
STAR WARS MISSLE DEFENSE
SPECIAL BONUS
Real working
5 GigaJoule
Laser!
!
ages 50 & up
some assembly required
NO
PERMITS
REQUIRED*
* Requires 7,200,457,201 “D” Cell Batteries
747 SATELLITE SHOOTER
STORM OF THE CENTURY
COMMANDER TIM EVANS
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER
[email protected]
was going to be a 35th year celebration in Vegas. But
as I said there is no info available. Email me if you can
help me find out more.
Series Five
Well I am winding down here in San Antonio. Getting
prepared to got to school for three months. I will be
relocating to Las Vegas after school.
I was wondering what everyone thinks about Series
V. From the rumors I have been reading it going to
take place before TOS and the Klingons are supposed
to look the same as in the STNG. I think that is a
mistake. In the original series they look like humans. It
is said later either in the STNG or DS9 that an accident
or something to that nature happed to make the
Klingons look as they do now.
I really do not think the writers should mess with the
timeline. It will change everything and more than likely
upset a lot of fans.
But I am anxiously awaiting Series V.
I can’t seem to find any info about the conventions in
the Las Vegas area. After Dave pointed me to the
local chapter in the Vegas area they told me that there
CMDR Tim Evans
Intel Officer
[email protected]
In Texas, they take their golf SERIOUSLY!
Intel Ops
[email protected]
ONLINE
SESSIONS
We are online
almost everynight
on ICQ, mIRC and
AIM...
look for our mIRC
nicknames...
FCDaveP
Gumby
MrFlash
Ghost
TTO
Mekanic
Connect mIRC to:
honor.fleetchat.org
destiny.fleetchat.org
Server Port 6667
SHADOW STORM
LCDR. JP BALZEN
SPEC OPS TEAM LEADER
REPORTS? Here’s mine...
For the past few months, I’ve been wondering about
hobbies. Hobbies, hobbies, hobbies. Then I realized I
had been part of one for more than 6 years, and another
for more than 5 years off an on. The second one was
SFI. The first one is the one I want to share with you...
Do you like to write? Do you find yourself thinking of
story ideas regarding your favorite Star Trek
characters? If so, the Alt.StarFleet.RPG might be the
creative outlet for you. It’s one of the web’s oldest
Star Trek PlayByE-Mail Role Playing Games. It’s
actually more of an Interactive/Cooperative Science
Fiction Writing group than an actual per-se RPG. You
create a character, and write for that character once
he/she is assigned to a vessel to serve in a position. All
our players start out as Ensign, fresh out of the
Academy, and after a brief orientation period, are
assigned to one of three fleets. The ships we have run
through various types of missions, such as Scientific/
Diplomatic, Military Action/Adventure, Intrigue, or any
mixture of those.
Please check us out on UseNet, our newsgroup is
named alt.starfleet.rpg (If you don’t have UseNet or
NewsGroup access, you can go to Googles UseNet
Search, http://groups.google.com/googlegroups/
deja_announcement.html . We can also be found on
YahooGroups http://groups.yahoo.com/group/starfleetrpg . Our website is currently undergoing a MAJOR
revamp (similar to that of the beloved
STORMBRINGER too) but is currently located at
http://baudelaire.princeton.edu/asr/ .
Our game is played entirely by e-mail. The Captain of
the ship provides the basic layout of the mission in the
form of a briefing to the crew. Then each member of
the crew writes their characters thoughts, actions,
reactions, duties, etc. until the mission is resolved. Then
there is a little shoreleave, and it starts again. Basically,
we’re writing a never-ending series.
Feel free to view our website, archive, and newsgroup.
If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line,
and I’ll be more than happy to answer them for you.
LCDR JP Balzen,
SpecOps Team Leader
Ship’s Webmaster
[email protected]
GAMES
WE
PLAY
Here is the updated
list of what we are
currently playing...
Diablo 2
Unreal Tournament
Icewind Dale
MechWarrior IV
Fallout 2
X-Wing vs. TIE
ST: Elite Force
SF Academy 2
Soldier of Fortune
Starcraft
Send us an email if
you wanna play
online...
[email protected]
09
S
T
STORE
R
M
Trip Update
2001
STORM STORE
SHIP MERCHANDISE
WWW.CAFEPRESS.COM/GUMBYTREK
NOW YOU CAN FINALLY PURCHASE YOUR VERY OWN
USS STORMBRINGER APPAREL TO PROUDLY DISPLAY!
Casual Duty wear A
100% Cotton Hanes “Beefy T”
White
Casual Duty wear B
100% Cotton Hanes “Beefy T”
Grey
International
Conference
Kansas City
Jul 27-30.2001
So far we have the
following members
who will be attending
this year:
Commander Damon
Schoonover
Commander
Jonathan Smith
$15
.99
Back
$15.99
Front
Front
Coming Soon...
Da BOMB!
Hanes® Heavyweight 50/50 cotton/polyester sweatshirt
Captain Tony Milligan
Vice Admiral
Johnathan Simmons
Admiral Dennis Gray
Email us and let us
know if you can make
it! We can work on
room sharing and
other ways to try to
help each other out!
This will be a monumental event in
Stormbringer History
for it will break the
record of number of
SB members at one
event!
Join us!
010
Hats
New Logo Patches
Jackets
Jerseys
and much more!
Shield patches are still
available from the
Captain. $5! email him
for more information!
Front
$25.00
Back
MousePADD
$13.99
At the 2000 Western
Conference we had 4
SB members make the
trip to Vegas.
We hope to shatter
that record at
DinkyCon 2 coming
up this fall in wonderful, scenic Reno,
Nevada!
Back
$13.99
STORMBRINGER
Personal
Caffeine
Administrator
to purchase, please visit
www.cafepress.com/gumbytrek
thank you fer your support!
THE MENSA PAGE
SMART PEOPLE INFO
NEATO THINGS THAT YOU WILL LIKELY FORGET
JUST IN CASE YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW EVERYTHING
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Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
Peanuts are one of the ingredients in dynamite.
There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
The average person’s left hand does 56% of the typing.
A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
There are more chickens than people in the world.
Two-thirds of the world’s eggplant is grown in New Jersey.
The longest one-syllable word in the English language is screeched.”
On a Canadian two-dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament building is an American flag.
All of the clocks in the movie “Pulp Fiction” are stuck on 4:20.
No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.
“Dreamt” is the only English word that ends in the letters “mt”.
All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.
Almonds are a member of the peach family.
Winston Churchill was born in a ladies’ room during a dance.
Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.
There are only four words in the English language which end in “dous”:
a. tremendous, b. horrendous, c. stupendous, and . . . (Can you think of the fourth one??? The answer awaits at the end).
Los Angeles’ full name is “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula”
A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.
Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10.
Al Capone’s business card said he was a used furniture dealer.
The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra’s
“It’s a Wonderful Life.”
A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.
A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
It’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. (DON’T try this at home)!
The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world.
In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.
The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
Mr. Rogers is an ordained minister.
The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.
“Stewardesses” is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.
IF “WINDOWS XP” WAS
SOFTWARE BY
REDNECKS...
Their #1 product would
be “Mikersoft Winders.”
Instead of an hourglass
icon, you’d get an empty
beer bottle.
Occasionally, you would
bring up a winder
(window) that was
covered with a Hefty bag
and some duct tape.
Dialog boxes would give
you the choice of “Ahhright!,” “Naw”, or “Git.”
Instead of “Ta-da!” the
opening sound would be
dueling banjos.
The “Recycle Bin” in
Winders XP would be an
outhouse.
Power Point would be
called “Par Pawnt.”
The Winders XP logo
would incorporate the
confederate flag.
Instead of “VP,”
Mikersoft big shots
would be called “Cuz.”
Hardware could be
repaired using parts
from an old Trans Am.
And . . .here’s the answer to those 4 “dous” words . . . tremendous, horrendous, stupendous . .. and . . . hazardous.
Four words: Daisy Duke
Screen Saver.
SCIENTISTS CREATE TRACTOR BEAM
“Well, the first thing
you know, old Bill’s a
billionaire.”
A ‘Star Trek’ Tractor Beam at Microscopic Level
“STAR TREK,” ONLY SMALLER
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It’s the equivalent of the fictional tractor beam
depicted in “Star Trek” moving things around in space without touching
them — only at the microscopic level.
Dholakia compared the effect to the fictional tractor beam depicted in the “Star
Trek” television shows and films, which is used to pull objects into a spaceship
without touching them.
Flight Simulator would
be replaced by Tractor
Pull Simulator.
Scientists at the University of St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland, said on Thursday
they have developed a technique using specialized lasers to spin around even the
most delicate microscopic objects, such as chromosomes, without making
physical contact. The system could have a variety of futuristic applications in
powering micro-machines and assisting in biomedical studies.
“It’s that type of effect, but obviously on a microscopic scale. Physicists cannot
grab and move large (objects). Light has momentum, but it’s very small,” he
said.
“It is a massive advance in the field,” researcher Kishan Dholakia, lead author of
the research appearing in the journal Science, said in an interview.
Building on so-called optical tweezer technology, the St. Andrews team invented a way to spin objects by focusing two laser beams to create a spiral
pattern. Beams of light pack a very small force that can be harnessed at the
microscopic level.
Dholakia said the technique could be used to drive tiny motors, mixers, centrifuges and other rotating parts in cheap, tiny, automated technologies of the
future.
He also said it could be used to rotate biological structures in living cells as part
of the process of developing new medicines. By manipulating a cell’s chromosomes with the laser technique, scientists could study how the genome gets
divided during cell division — a process that causes serious genetic disorders
when it does not go right.
Optical tweezer technology already allowed scientists to move microscopic
objects back and forth and up and down by trapping them in a tightly focused
laser beam. Scientists use this to insert genes into cells and assist with in vitro
fertilization. But the value was limited because objects could not be spun around
for a more complete manipulation.
“It’s a bit like a jigsaw puzzle,” Dholakia said. “If you take a jigsaw puzzle and
you’re assembling it, it’s OK to move the pieces backward and forward and left
and right. But if I have the ability to move that piece around, it can slot much
more easily into the puzzle.”
Dholakia and colleagues Lynn Paterson and Michael MacDonald have demonstrated their technique with glass beads just one micron across (a human hair is
100 microns thick) and a tiny glass rod, which could be used to stir small
amounts of liquid. They also rotated a hamster chromosome, demonstrating the
potential for studying other structures inside a cell.
Dholakia said the technique may have applications no one has yet considered.
“One doesn’t know where this is going to go,” he added.
Mikersoft CEO: BillyBob (a.k.a. “Bubba”)
Gates.
Internet addresses
would begin with
“dubya, dubya, dubya.”
When your software
goes down, you would no
longer receive the
message “A fatal
exception has occurred,”
but rather “You gone
and done it now!
Submitted by...
Admiral Dennis Gray
JSE Certified
Jacuzzi Technician
[email protected]
011
THE ART OF THE STORM
GALLERY OF COOL STUFF
FROM THE MINDS OF OUR MEMBERS
SERIES V
Characters
Captain Jackson Archer: Early 40s. Physical.
Bold personality. Intensely
curious. Born and raised an
explorer. Unlike the
Starfleet captains in centuries to come, he exhibits
a sense of wonder and excitement, as well as a little
trepidation about the
strange things he will encounter. He holds a grudge
against the Vulcans, who he
blames for impeding
humanity’s progress. But
his science officer is
Vulcan, and he’s struggling
to reconsider those preconceptions. Although he has
a strong sense of duty, he’s
a bit of a renegade - he’s
not afraid to question orders or even disobey them
if he feels in his gut that
he’s right...
Sub-Commander
T’Pau: Late 20s, early 30s.
Vulcan female. Austere yet
sensual. She’s the Science
Officer assigned to oversee humanity’s progress on
board Enterprise. Although
she’s cautious and guarded
around humans, whom she
considers primitive and irrational, she’s developed a
grudging respect for Captain Archer. She’ll become
one of his most loyal and
trusted crew members.
Commander
Charlie
‘Spike’ Tucker : Chief
Engineer. Early 30s. A
Southerner who enjoys using his “country” persona
to disarm people. He has
an offbeat, often sarcastic
sense of humor. Spike was
hand-picked by Captain
Archer, who is something
of a mentor to him. Although Spike is a brilliant
Engineer and an outstanding officer, he has very
little first-hand experience
with alien cultures, and he’s
often a “fish out of water”
when dealing with new civilizations.
012
Stormbringer Windows Desktop Wallpaper in 800 X 600 24-Bit RGB
SFI Black Widows Logo
Werk by
Gumby
[email protected]
- Region 4 Staff Logo Set
BRAIN STORM
CMDR. JONATHAN SMITH
GAMING OFFICER
[email protected]
engagements. While both use single ships as the smallest unit,
Fleet Action simplifies many concepts allowing the Fleet Admiral
to focus on the operation of the engagement itself instead of small
unit tactics. While I have not played Fleet Action as of the writing
of this report, I find its treatment of fleet engagements to be fascinating.
Books available for Fleet Action: the main rulebook, the Earth
Alliance/Minbari book, the Narn/Centauri book, and the Shadows/
Vorlon book. The though of playing out the Earth-Minbari war or
the War of Retribution or any of the Shadow war on a fleet level
gives me the Heebie Jeebies!
Fellow Smegheads:
It’s that time again....
This time its Babylon 5 Wars from Agents of Gaming
(www.agentsofgaming.com). This is the tactical space combat
game based in the Babylon 5 Universe. Units are individual ships
ranging anywhere from fighters (Starfuries, Nials, Thunderbolts,
etc.) to capital ships (Nova Dreadnoughts, Whitestars, Vorlon
Planetkillers (he he he)). Each ship or group of 6 fighters has its
own control sheet with various systems and weapons marked on
them. For those of you who know Starfleet Battles, these sheets
will look very familiar to you (they serve the same function).
A third set of books for the Babylon 5 Universe is the Babylon
Project Role Playing Game from Chameleon Eclectic and Wireframe.
As far as I know it is out of print. I have the main book plus the
Earth Alliance sourcebook. This is pretty much what it sounds
like. The game system itself is average, but the production quality
is superior. The background info is worth looking at on its own.
Final comments on Babylon 5 Wars: Two books are currently in
print for it that are worth a look.
Ships of the Fleet is a large book that has (at the time of its printing) all the currently published official ships for the game. What
makes it more noteworthy is the fact that Agents of Gaming converted all of the ships in the product to PDF format and put them
on a CD. This means that with Acrobat reader and a printer:
Time frame is any thing from the Dilgar Invasion up to and includ- instant ship control sheets. Very nice!
ing the Shadow War. Source books include the Dilgar Invasion,
Coming of the Shadows, War of Retribution, several scenario The other book is the Babylon 5 Rules Compendium. Limited
Hardback release and larger paperback release. Two things make
books, a few variant ship books, and several others.
this book noteworthy. As with Ships of the Fleet, at the time of its
Game play is comparatively easy (try playing Starfleet Battles). release, it contained all of the rules for the game in a single volume.
Turns amount to allocating energy, movement, and weapons fire. No more searching through several books to find what you need.
Non necessary systems may be shut down to provide extra power The other note is that it has a foreword by none other than J.
Micheal Straczynski himself. Even more noteworthy, is the folfor other systems, in many cases for electronic warfare.
lowing quote at the end of his foreword: “... if you want the Real
Movement is basically realistic. Unless acted upon by an outside Deal, if you want accuracy, canonical authority, and the best of the
source, a ship will continue to move in its current speed and head- best when it comes to Babylon 5 licensing and gaming. . . . you’ve
come to the right place.” Q.E.D.
ing forever.
Two final thoughts. Agents
of Gaming is planning to release GROPOS in May 2001.
This is to be the Ground
Pounders game of infantry,
Weapons are used straight from the TV series, of course. Yes, armor and anti armor combat.
All of the major races and
Vorlon Planet Killer is appropriately named!
many of the minor ones (inScenarios range from the simple ship to ship duel to small task cluding, as I understand it, the
force engagements to anti piracy scenarios to almost anything imag- Dilgar). With Babylon 5 Wars, Fleet Action, and Gropos, the gate
is opened up for full Invasion . . . . .
inable.
Combat is also relatively straightforward. Offensive electronic
warfare makes a target easier to hit, while defensive makes your
ship harder to hit. This can make for an interesting cat and mouse
game fairly reminiscent of sub and anti subwarfare in modern times.
Overall, I find Babylon 5 Wars to be simpler to play than Starfleet Finally, just prior to writing this report, I watched Red Planet.
Despite a few not so good reviews on IMDB (and numerous good
Battles, though no less tactically diverse and enjoyable.
ones), Admiral Gumby and myself thoroughly enjoyed it. If you
Another related series of have not seen it yet, do yourself a favor and watch it. If you have
products from Agents of seen it, watch it again and see if you can pick out what other Sci-fi
Gaming is Fleet Action. This is movies it refers to indirectly.
a set of books also set in the
Babylon 5 Universe. While
TTFN fellow Goits
Babylon 5 Wars focuses on small
Commander J. F. Smith
numbers of ships, Fleet Action focus on, you guessed it, fleet
ycaripsnoc eht
gnikool era uoy
ereh ton si rof
SERIES V
Characters
Ensign
Hoshi Sato:
Comm Officer. Japanese. Mid
to late 20s. Striking and intelligent, Hoshi has a feisty spirit
that often tests the patience of
the crew. She’s in charge of
communications on Enterprise,
but she also serves as ship’s
Translator. An expert in exolinguistics, she learned to manipulate her vocal chords to
emit a range of alien sounds no
human has ever produced. She
has a natural affinity for picking up languages. Hoshi
doesn’t like the idea of being
trapped in a “tin can” hurtling
at impossible speeds. Every
time the ship jumps to warp
she grips her console and closes
her eyes. She’s a “white
knuckle” space farer.
Secondary
Characters
Silik: Late 30s to early 40s.
Alien. Physically agile. One of
the leaders of the Suliban, a
deadly species obsessed with
genetic enhancement. Our villain. [Note: Silik is described
as a recurring character.]
Admiral Forrest: Human
male. 50s to 60s. A career military man who’s the highest ranking officer in Starfleet. He’s fond
of Captain Archer and has personally selected him to command Enterprise. [Note: Forrest
and all further characters are
non-recurring, and cast for the
pilot episode only.]
Admiral Leonard: Human
male. 40s - 50s. A high-ranking officer in Starfleet who
serves directly under Admiral
Forrest.
Commander Williams: Human male. 50s. A somewhat
temperamental Starfleet officer
who serves as attaché to Admiral Forrest.
Ambassador Soval: Vulcan
male. Late 60s. A wise and
arrogant diplomat who has very
little patience with Captain Archer.
Tos: Vulcan male. 50s. Ambassador Soval’s assistant.
Shares Soval’s disdain for human culture.
013
CONVENTION SURVIVAL TRAINING 101
SFI INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES
AND OTHER NIFTY PARTY HINTS
2001
IC nternational
onference
SURVIVAL
IC do’s
& don’t’s
DO leave plenty of room
in luggage for stuff you
will bring back!
G
U
I
D
Stormbringer
EXCLUSIVE
article
E
With all the last minute hecticities of planning and execution of an excursion to
the International Conference, we thought some helpful, handy last minute
reminders would help you better enjoy the trip! Keep in mind that these are just common
sense guidelines and not really anything more substantial...
DO go to mapquest or
Yahoo and get a map of
the hotel and surrounding restaurants!
Before the trip...
DON’T bother with trying to remember everything that happens at the
IC... that is what the CQ
and listservs are for!
When registering, do not use the credit card you found in the parking lot.
Go to your room BEFORE you go to the bar.
DO put your film rolls
in a platic baggie and
hand them to the clerk
at the airpor t scanner.
DO take an overnight
bag with a change of
clothes if you are flying... you know how the
delays can get.
ABOUT
THE COVER
Plan, plan, plan... Pack, pack, pack.... Forget, forget, forget!
Do not pack more than you can carry comfortably *and* still negotiate stairs while drunk.
Hotel Therapy...
Buffet Etiquette...
If the Fleet Admiral asks you how your salad is...
remember that others are watching.
If you drop your silverware, casually pick it up and remark that the floor is the cleanest you’ve seen.
If you like chicken, be sure to eat the beef instead.
Party Tips and Hints...
If someone hands you a small glass of blue colored liquid... ask them to “Super-Size” it.
Vulcan Mind Probes are an ancient form of Romulan torture.
If you imbibe the homemade alcoholic beverages... Drink lots of water!
The Day After...
The best way to fake faking a hangover is to just sleep through opening ceremonies. This is easily explainable to your
crew by stating that you stayed up until 8am meeting folks that you had not met before and by the time you realized
what time it was, you were already promoted.
On the Flight...
We found this over in
Region 17’s webstuff.
This was taken at
StarCon in Denver. I
have asked who took this
photo, so that I could
mention it here, but
have had no luck.
If the man in the seat next to you is wearing handcuffs, order him a drink as he could probably use one.
Do not mention anything about the man on the wing... once they know yer a trekker, they’ll be expecting it.
When we saw this photo,
we knew that it was the
classic diamond in the
rough!
Be polite and honest and help this man do his job. Donut and educational remarks or reaching for the glove compartment are not recommended courses of action. What does “felony speeding” mean, anyway?
We are still wondering
about the location of this
fleeter’s head!
And the identity of the
mystery photographer!
Somehow, I think that
the USS Mir is involved
herer somehow.
I could be wrong...
Just a hunch!
- Gumby
014
On the Drive...
If you switch drivers and wake up to realize that you do not know anyone in the van, you might wanna backtrack
to the rest area.
If you pack a cooler of sandwiches and chips, remember: ICE MELTS!
The Nice Officer...
When filing the Police Report...
Write legibly.
Tips on Sleep...
Forget it. Don’t even bother.
If you must sleep, do it on the way to and from.
The Ceremonies...
Do not heckle the Honor Guard for they carry sharp thingies!
When accepting an award, remember that little step UP to the stage.
Things to Remember...
If you wear the Insurrection Dress Whites, people will ask you to get them things. You might even get tipped.
Even the best plans fall apart 5 min after the IC begins.
All SFI International Conferences are best done using the “Buddy System”
DON’T
LOSE
YER
BUDDY!
TERRASTORM
THINGS THAT END UP IN OUR INBOX
MISC. HUMOUR & OTHER NEAT STUFF
[email protected]
“SPACE AGENCY SETS
DOWN-TO-EARTH
GOALS”
By Jocko Grinn
thing about there.”
Greenfield points to other similarities between
the two places: unbreathable air, extreme temperatures - in the case of Mars, ranging from 116 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit, compared to the
0 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit range expected in
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Grinn News SerNew York - and a lack of any compelling evivice) - Even during the day, it is uncomfortably
dence of intelligent life.
cold. At night, the temperature plunges and
winds that could freeze your blood howl their
New York has several other factors going for it
way through desolate stone canyons. The air
as a NASA terraforming project, according to
itself is fatal to breathe.
a report issued by NASA officials. For starters,
Mars is 163,549,107,427 square kilometers - a
This is a place long the darling of science ficmuch larger surface area than New York City.
tion writers like Larry Niven and H.G. Wells.
The thought that there might be life there has
Additionally, New York City is about 1,100
inspired millions with excitement and fear, and
miles north of Cape Canaveral - a trip NASA
many others have been inspired with the dream
officials believe they can complete in less than
of transporting life there, of seeing this formi24 hours, assuming only moderate stops for
dable alien landscape broken and made habitmeals and to bathroom trips, provided drivers
able by the human race.
go in shifts.
W
E
That dream one day soon may be a reality.
Here at Cape Canaveral, in NASA headquarters, Jeff Greenfield shares that vision, and what’s more – he believes he can make it happen.
Within the next few years, Greenfield hopes to
see a terraforming project under way in New
York City.
There is nothing extraordinary about Greenfield
at first glance. Nearly 60, he is short and balding, and jokes about the size of his “equator.”
Behind his desk is a picture of Rocky and
Bullwinkle wearing spacesuits as they stand before the Statue of Liberty. He is not the sort of
person one would expect to lead NASA in such
a radically down-to-earth program.
C
O
N
T
R
O
L
while a third group will seed the soil with specially cultivated grass species and
other simple vegetation that will begin the process of creating a breathable, oxygenating atmosphere in New York.
“That’s the trickiest part,” says Greenfield.
“But if the plants survive long enough to germinate, we stand a good chance of success.”
The grass itself is the primary contribution of
the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The grass
was developed from a strain capable of surviving in the cracks of sidewalks in Dallas, Texas,
widely regarded as one of the most hostile terrains on Earth.
“We can’t risk failure. We have to show that
terraforming can be done,” Greenfield says,
pounding a fist into the palm of his other hand.
“We might not get funding for a second try, so
it has to be done right the first time.”
Mars, on the other hand, is a minimum 35
million miles from Earth, a nine-month trip
that would require - at a minimum - hotel and
meal vouchers for the drivers, a sentiment shared
by Buffy, the secretary.
Greenfield’s plan in the first year is to create a
swath of earthlike terrain beginning near the
entrance of the Lincoln Tunnels and covering
at least 400 acres. The grass roots, he hopes,
will reach through the bottom of the soil and
“And that’s an expense we just can’t afford connect to the pavement, where they will bethese days,” says Greenfield, who lives by the gin the long and difficult process of breaking
NASA mantra of faster, cheaper, better. “Do up New York’s paved surfaces.
you have any idea how expensive it is to get a
maid to tidy the room up in space?”
Help in that area is expected to come in the
second year of the effort, as special NASA roPlans for terraforming New York already have bots, run from Cape Canaveral through virtual
begun in earnest. According to draft proposals reality interfaces, plant saplings from more than
headed toward Congress, NASA hopes to fill 30 different species of Earth-trees and wild
two dozen Ag-Bag storage containers with or- strains of other earthly vegetables to prepare
ganic waste to compost it at Cape Canaveral. for eventual colonists. Ivy will be added to take
advantage of the sunlight drenching the skyThe Ag-Bags, which each can produce up to scrapers all over the city’s downtown.
200 tons of rich soil in about a month’s time,
will provide the basis for the first stage of the Since the spread of the plants is dependent upon
terraforming project. Once the topsoil has been pollination, Greenfield is hopeful NASA will be
created – pending congressional funding, NASA able to provide insect larvae early in the sechopes to have everything in place by May 2004, ond year to provide that service.
in time for the planting season - reassigned
space crews will carry the compost north to “Given enough time, the trees and grass should
New York, where trained astronauts will begin begin creating their own natural mulch, and
spreading the mulch across the city.
enlarge the terraformed territory,” he adds.
“We’re hoping in the fourth year that the eco“This is going to be raw, exposed soil with no system will have taken root enough and spread
roots to hold it in place and prevent erosion. far enough that we’ll be able to introduce a few
We’ll be laying it directly onto paved surfaces,” herbivores. After that, it’ll just be a matter of
says Greenfield, who is painfully aware that his time until we can send colonists.”
career may be over if the plan fails. “Ideally,
we would use huge rock-crushing machinery to He pauses, his eyes misting over as he peers
grind up the alien terrain and mix it with the into a future he can only imagine. On his desk
topsoil, but we can’t afford to hit a gasline or is a miniature of the Empire State Building,
cut off someone’s cable TV.”
sitting beside a model globe of the Moon.
T
WE CONTROL THE H
HORIZONTAL
E
“It really began as something of a misunderstanding,” Greenfield admits in an interview at
his office Friday morning. “I was supposed to
be planning a terraforming strategy for Mars,
but Miss Buffy here - that’s my secretary - was
planning a trip to the Big Apple and we accidentally bumped into each other in the hall and
spilled our papers everywhere.”
Greenfield pauses for a moment and smiles as
he remembers the incident, which he calls “pure
serendipity.”
“By the time I realized I had been looking at
her map of a couple of New York’s boroughs, I
had already drawn up a budget, hired staff and
entered the preliminary phases of planning,”
he says. “Still, Buffy told me the vacation she
ended up going on was literally out of this
world.”
The Martian landscape is rugged and hard, and
although the elements have eroded it in places
to fine grains, it could not honestly be called
soil. The same, Greenfield asserts, can be said
of New York City, with its labyrinthine network of roads and pavement.
V
E
R
T
I
C
a
l
Once the top soil has been laid, microbiologists
associated with the space agency will ensure
that essential bacteria and mold cultures are
introduced into the soil and that they can survive the hostile New York atmosphere of nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and other poisonous gases.
“I visited New York a few years ago,” he says.
A second crew from the space agency will trans“Never saw a single tree for block after block.
plant grubs, earthworms and other terrestrial
Those landers we sent to Mars said the same
lifeforms necessary to a healthy soil ecology,
“After that, who knows?” he asks. “If we can
make New York habitable, there’s nothing we
can’t do.”
Submitted by Admiral Dennis Gray
Next Issue:
NEAT SCHTUFF TO TERRAFORM
YOUR NEIGHBOR’S YARD WITH!!!
RED
PLANET
SPECIAL
SECTION
Fabrication
Begins on Mars
Desert
Research
Station
Fabrication has begun on the
Mars Desert Research Station,
the second of the Mars operations simulations stations that
the Mars Society is building
around the world. The first unit
in this program, the Flashline
Mars Arctic Research Station, a
simulated Mars exploration
base, was built during the summer of 2000 on Devon Island in
Nunavut, Canada, and will go
into operation in the high Arctic during the summer of 2001.
The Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) will be deployed
in a Mars analog desert environment in the American southwest
this September, and will support field operations during the
fall, winter, and spring. Together, the two stations will act
as laboratories supporting a yearround program for learning how
to live and work on Mars, offering researchers the opportunity
to conduct systematic studies of
the strategies, technologies, human factors and hardware designs
necessary to prepare for the human exploration of Mars.
The Mars Desert Research Station is being fabricated for the
Mars Society by Built on Integrity (BOI), of Boulder City Nevada. Founded by Scott Fisher,
of the Fisher Space Pen company, a longtime supporter of
space exploration in general and
the Mars society in particular,
BOI has developed a proprietary
construction technology combining a steel frame, foam core,
and elastomeric skin to produce
an ultra lightweight structure
with extremely effective insulation properties. The MDRS will
use this technology to produce
a station that is the same size as
the fiberglass honeycomb
Flashline Station, but which
weighs less than half as much.
The Mars society intends to take
advantage of the lightweight
nature of the MDRS to make it
mobile, moving it to support
exploration at several different
desert locations in the course of
its operating lifetime.
More info online at...
www.marssociety.org
015
ION STORM
COMMANDER DAMON SCHOONOVER
CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER
IS
MARS 1
MARS
FACTS
SECTION
THE ANSWER ?
Planet Profile
Mass (kg) 6.42 x 10^23
Diameter (km) 6787
Mean density (kg/m^3) 3940
Escape velocity (m/sec)5000
Average distance from Sun
(AU) 1.524
RED
PLANET
SPECIAL
SECTION
REPORT
Rotation period
(Earth days) 1.026
Revolution period
(based on Earth year)
686.98 Earth Days
Obliquity
(tilt of axis in degrees)
Orbit inclination
(degrees)
25
1.85
Orbit eccentricity
(deviation from circular)
0.093
Maximum surface
temperature
Minimum surface
temperature
(K) 310
(K) 150
Visual geometric albedo
(reflectivity)
0.15
Highest point on surface
Olympus Mons
(about 24 km above
surrounding lava plains)
Atmospheric components
95% carbon dioxide,
3% nitrogen,
1.6% argon
Surface materials
Basaltic rock and altered
materials
Estimated Travel Time
180 Days using existing
technology.
Projected Manned Mission
2025
Terraforming
Oxygenation, Hydration,
Temperature
Gravity
1/6 Earth Gravity
016
Greetings all! Here be the Science Dude,
Damon. This month we won’t be talking
much about NASA, as not much as happened
at NASA. Just know that so far the
International Space Station is still in space,
and the Mars Odyssey robot craft is but a
mere 174 days from arrival (assuming the
Mars Orbital Defense System doesn’t shoot
it down, or NASA can’t figure out the
difference between meters and feet.) So, I
wish to take this time to speak of the past,
present and hopeful future of space
exploration, specifically about the fourth
planet in our star system, Mars. If you need
to go to the bathroom during this
presentation, just hit the space bar and go,
but make sure to not step on anyone (or
thing!) on the way back to your seat.
service just 1year and not quite 3 months
after I was born. Apollo took us to the moon
just 6 more times, though Apollo 13 had it’s
little problem and didn’t get to land. Apollo
17, the last Apollo mission, happened in
December of 1972. We have not been back
since. In fact, no human has made it past low
earth orbit. To be sure, NASA has sent probes
to all the planets in our system except small,
dark Pluto. Robots. Arthur C. Clarke said we
should be at Jupiter by 2001. Werner Von
Braun that we would be on Mars by the 80’s.
Where has the dream gone? Where are the
dreamers? In Hollywood, of course. And,
some in the real world are still working
towards this goal.
GETTIN OFF THIS ROCK
[email protected]
I wish to talk about the way ‘Red Planet’
conjectures our way to Mars, and talk about
some very real hardware being developed for
this very mission. Anybody wanna go? I do!
I will break this down into several parts; the
ship, the ground units, terraforming
(earthaforming??), Life !?!?, and Disaster
Recovery (or, HELP!!!!!). But first , the why.
Why go to Mars? Why have a Space
Program? Why send people into such a
dangerous environment? Why? Because
HUMAN BEINGS ARE EXPLORERS. We
like mysteries, and we really like solving
them. We like to be the first to see
something, go somewhere, and experience
something that betters our race. We like to
share our discoveries with others. We like to
share our experiences with others. We like to
share our dinner with others. We like… or
dinner??. And Finally, BECAUSE IT IS
THERE. Why do people climb Mount
Himalaya?? Why do they dive the Great
Barrier Reef in Australia?? Because it is there.
Seems like a good enough reason to me.
Now for the ship. Gotta have a ship. Did you
know that over 90% of the Space Shuttle’s
weight at lift-off is fuel?? Liquid Hydrogen
and Liquid Oxygen. Bring them together,
strike a match, and BOOOOOOM! Lotsa
thrust out the back, enough to throw the
Shuttle at 17,500 miles per hour into orbit
around our nice blue planet. Because Mars 1
will have to take enough fuel to get to Mars
and back, and the fact that our Mars crew of
4, 8, 12 or 16 will need food and water,
radiation shielding, bathroom facilities (not
located in or near an airlock,) sleeping
facilities, and of course scientific and
technical equipment and spares (for the still,)
the Mars 1 ship will be big, expensive, and
have to be built on orbit. Luckily, NASA even
now is in the process of learning how to build
This past Monday, I finally saw the other
Mars movie from last summer, ‘Red Planet.’
Val Kilmer, Carrie Ann-Moss (Trinity from
The Matrix), Tom Sizemore (Sergeant
Horvant from ‘Saving Private Ryan’), et all.
For those of you who have not seen the
movie, it is about a mission to Mars to
discover why the algae sent ahead to start
terraforming Mars by creating oxygen in the
atmosphere has all vanished. From the
beginning orbital scenes to the landing, from
space-borne threats to bad stuff on the ground,
‘Red Planet’ tells a very believable story,
especially from a technical viewpoint. The
ship these intrepid humans take to Mars and
back is so large that it must be built on orbit.
It has 2 counter rotating wheels for artificial
gravity. It has big engines. It has a handy
moonshine still in Biolab 1. It even has an
artificially intelligent main computer that
doesn’t promptly go nuts on them.
‘Red Planet’ got me to a’thinkin... Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set the most
famous footsteps EVER on the dusty lunar
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
[email protected]
ION STORM
MARS COMMENTARY SPECIAL
COMMANDER DAMON SCHOONOVER
Zubrin’s
MARS ROVER CONCEPT VEHICLE PLATFORM
something big, bulky and expensive on orbit;
the erector set project called ISS Alpha, still
on orbit (and not about to crash either.)
Since we don’t want our astronauts to be as
weak as kittens when they do get to Mars,
some kind of artificial gravity will be needed.
Now, since we haven’t mastered the Graviton
Particle yet, another way must be found. Of
course, the logical way to do this is through
spinning some or all of the spacecraft around
a central point. Counter-rotating rings will
work, as they spin around the central axis of
the ship, and will cancel each other ’s
momentum transferred to the ship. The plan
is to gradually slow the rings down on the trip
to Mars in order to acclimate the crew to the
approximately .38 earth gravity of Mars. And
on their way home, to gradually speed up the
rings to get the crew re-acclimated to Earth
gravity.
Okay, so they made it to Mars. Now, it’s time
to land and explore. While where there, we
will need someplace to park our boots,
booties, and beers. Robert Zubrin, a former
Senior Engineer at Lockheed Martin, wrote
a presentation to NASA called ‘Mars Direct.’
In it, Zubrin and two other engineers gave a
very well thought out concept for the quick
and relatively inexpensive exploration of
Mars. He proposes that the crew living
quarters and ascent vehicle could be sent to
Mars without fuel! This would save much on
weight, allowing more consumables (air,
water, food) and equipment to be sent to
Mars. Now, obviously, a vehicle capable of
returning the ground crew to the orbiting ship
must have some go juice. Well, the plan calls
for the ship to make it’s own fuel from
resources on Mars (in-situ, in tech speak.)
Our little ascent vehicle will be powered by
methane and oxygen. It will make both from
the carbon dioxide atmosphere of Mars and
6 tonnes of Hydrogen sent with it from Earth.
This will not only drive the ascent vehicle,
but also provide fuel for a Mars dune buggy
and atmospheric oxygen for breathing.
plan calls for the launching every 2 years of
landers and living quarters to Mars, and of
crews that often as well. This would begin to
provide a very large amount of space for
explorers, as each lander can be moved to
close proximity to one another, then
connected with pressurized tubes. This, in a
very short time we can have a little village
on Mars. The Mars Direct equipment can be
easily adapted for Moon Direct missions. For
the moon, the lander will have to carry Liquid
Oxygen with it, since the moon doesn’t have
an atmosphere.
Now, we’re on Mars. Nice place to visit, but
kinda cold and foreboding for a living space.
So, let’s see if we can improve on the current
conditions. In ‘Red Planet’ we earthers had
already seeded the surface of Mars close to
the frozen arctic regions with algae. You know,
the green stuff that floats on the ocean and
makes lots of oxygen. Another way would be
to generate heat on Mars with the release of
large amounts of Greenhouse gasses into the
atmosphere. This would also increase the
atmosphere pressure. Since heating Mars
would probably keep the temperature above
the freezing level of water, plant life could be
grown in the open, creating oxygen and
further increase atmospheric pressure. And,
eventually, allowing us to walk the field of
Mars in shirtsleeves.
Terraforming Mars will take time. So, while
we are setting up a little home away from
home on the Red Planet, we will still be
exploring and searching for another prize:
Life. Not terrestrial life, not us, and probably
not little green men, but somewhere on, or
in, Mars may be microbial life or the fossils
of it. Perhaps the life on Mars will take a
form similar to Earth life, or very different.
We may have difficulty identifying it. We
may be allergic to it. Or, it may just not like
us. Still, the presence, or absence, of life on
Mars would go a long way in answering that
oft-asked question : Are we alone? Is our
human existence the only place God or Fate
or The-Little-Old-Lady-Who-Lived-In-AShoe decided to put the greatest gift ever
given? Or, might there be other peoples on
other worlds we have not even detected yet?
The answers are out there, and they are lonely.
Let’s go give em some lovin!
Okay, so we have a way to get to Mars, a
place to hang our hat when we get there, and
idea about earthaforming this rock, and a great
quest (life!) But what happens when you run
over a nail 30 miles from base and get a flat
tire, or you run out of gas halfway home, or
the battery goes dead and you can’t start the
RV. Now what? Well, you can’t call On*Star,
and AAA doesn’t have any space tow ships
yet. So, you get out you hand Swiss-army
knife,(you know the one with all the cool
gadgets,) duct tape, and chewing gum and have
at it. Well, yes, NASA does have tools with a
little more sophistication. But the point is
that if something breaks on your spaceship
or the ground habitation, the crew will be
required to fix it. And if they need ground
support, the turn-around for communications
is something like 40 minutes.
Now, NASA trains it’s astronauts for months
and months for just about every emergency
or problem that can erupt during a mission.
But Space Shuttle mission last 8 or so days. A
trip to Mars will last years. So, while training
and protocol can handle almost any problem,
the crew will need to be intimately familiar
with their craft and equipment, will need
drawings and blueprints of every piece of
equipment on the ship, spare parts and the
tools for the job. Rest assured that before the
Mars 1 vehicle gets 1 inch towards Mars, the
will prepare for just about everything.
Well, there it is; my take on the question of
Mars, why, when and how. Hopefully you learn
something; I know I have. Researching this
article opened my eyes to a great deal of
information available about this subject. Also
you will find that the private organizations
dedicated to space exploration (The Mars
Society, The Planetary Society, the Nations
Space Society, et al.) are on the World Wide
Web. Also, if you are interested in reading
more about Zubrin’s Mars Direct plan, go to
http://www.nw.net/mars and read the briefing
papers. And for the kiddies out there, http://
www.lego.com/mars has the scoop on some
really neat Life on Mars series toys. Man,
why do all the cool toys come out after I am
to old to play with them!
Oh, by the way... If you do feel strongly,
for or against, the exploration of the Moon,
Mars and the outer planets by humans, write,
call, email, throw tomatoes at your Senators,
Representatives and the President until they
hear our voices and put more support into
our National Space Program and NASA.
These guys and gals are supposed to do what
we tell them, right!?!?!
Damon Schoonover
Chief Science Officer
and Resident Web Head
03 May, 2001
RED
PLANET
SPECIAL
SECTION
Face on
MARS?
It stunned the world
and then it faded
into scientific
obscurity...
Since the initial
discovery, more
intersting
information has
been discovered
about the so called
“Face” on Mars.
The region in which
the face resides is
known as “The
Cydonia Region”
and is the source of
a lot of controversy.
Recent images show
objects that bear a
striking
resemblance to the
Great Pyramids of
Giza here on Earth!
Data collected
shows similarities in
the orientation of
three large objects
that, when
coordinated with the
face, bear a
resemblance to the
Sphinx and the
pyramid orientation
in Egypt.
Of course, no proof
exists until we get
our butts off this
rock and go seek
out and learn about
our lil neighborhood
we call
The Milky Way!
www.marssociety.org
017
NEXRAD STORM RADAR
[email protected]
CCMDR. JILLIAN WHITNEY PITTS
RUMORS REGARDING THE NEW SERIES
S T A R
T R E K
SERIES V
SERIES V
Characters
Doctor Phlox:
Exotic alien. Medical officer.
Appears to be in his 40s, but
we’re not certain of his real age.
Phlox speaks with a slight alien
accent and has an eccentric sense
of humor that no one quite understands. He thinks that humanity is fascinating. The Doctor has filled Sickbay with all
sorts of bizarre medical instruments, alien plants and spores,
and stasis chambers with small,
living creatures. He practices a
brand of “Intergalactic medicine” the likes of which we’ve
never seen. This makes the
most routine visit to Sickbay
an unexpected adventure.
Lieutenant Joe
Mayweather:
Helmsman. African American.
Mid to late 20s. A unique product of 22nd Century life,
Mayweather was raised on cargo
ships. As a result Joe is more
“interstellar” than even the
Captain. He’s travelled to dozens of planets and met many
different alien species.
Mayweather has an ‘instinct’
for space-travel that few humans
possess. Joe’s closest friend is
Spike. Similar in age and spirit
these two will spend their offduty hours finding new ways
to enjoy life in space.
Lt. Commander
Malcolm Reed:
Armory Officer. British. Late
20s - early 30s. In the new age
of humanity’s enlightenment,
Reed is a bit of a throwback.
He’s a 22rd Century “soldier”,
all spit and polish and by-thebook. Reed is filled with contradictions. Despite his nearobsession with munitions, he’s
soft-spoken, shy and awkward
around women. When testing
a new weapon, he’s liable to
put on a pair of space-age earplugs because he doesn’t like
loud noises.
For the past two years, the next Star Trek series has simply been
known as Series V. According to new rumours that appeared online
today, we will finally be able to say goodbye to that name, as it is
looking ever-more likely the title of the next series will be ‘Enterprise’.
Long-time Star Trek news site the Great Link just posted a report
from one of their sources, confirming many of the details that also
appeared in the leaked Series V casting sheet. According to the site,
Captain Jackson Archer’s ship will be called the S.S. Enterprise, and
will apparently not yet be part of Starfleet as we know it.
‘Enterprise’ will indeed be set in the 22nd Century, and will follow up
on some of the themes seen in ‘Star Trek: First Contact.’ We will see
the humans and the Vulcans working together to establish a Federation, at a time before even the war with the Romulans. Established
Star Trek continuity has placed this war at occurring around 2160.
The process of building the Federation won’t always go very smoothly.
As mentioned in the casting sheet, Jackson Archer himself “holds a
grudge against the Vulcans, who he blames for impeding humanity’s
progress,” and Archer isn’t the only character with flaws. The human
characters in the series will not be as “clean-cut” as those two centuries later, and will be a lot more darker than usual.
According to the source, Scott Bakula indeed has the part of Captain
Jackson Archer. The role of the Vulcan first officer T’Pau has also
been cast, though the sure was unable to confirm who exactly had
been selected for the role - supposedly, the current rumour is that it
will be someone who appeared on ‘Babylon 5’. Other roles that have
been cast include Engineer Charlie ‘Spike’ Tucker, who will be played
by “an English guy,” and Doctor Phlox, who was the first character to
be cast.
Currently, the Voyager sets are being replaced by the ‘Enterprise’
sets. We’ve heard production design for Series V being described as
reminiscent of the Original Series’ production design, and in some
ways this indeed appears to be true. The Great Link described the
gadgets as “Captain Proton-esque”, with switches and buttons rather
than panels. Of course, one aspect of production design that will not
be copied from the Original Series will be the focus on low-budget
design.
Looking at the pilot script, character development and relationships
seem to be at the forefront of Enterprise. One of the things I liked
most about the script is the sense of humor that is reminiscent of
TOS. Friends and adversaries spar with each other - remember the
Spock-Bones relationship? The series certainly has a lot more character drama than what we’ve seen on Trek in recent years.
At the time the pilot is set, Vulcans and humans are in a bit of a
strained relationship, best likened to a parental relationship, with the
Vulcans holding back the humans for fear they are not ready. The
Vulcans, ever logical, don’t think humans are ready to make the jump
into space yet, despite the fact that they’re raring to go. The T’Pau
character is assigned to the Enterprise as a supervisor, in order to give
the Vulcans some control over the proceedings.
The premiere starts off with the Enterprise at Spacedock, preparing
to go out into space. While this is happening, a Klingon crash-lands
on Earth, after being chased by two members of the Suliban, a new
alien race to be featured in the series. This certainly provides a new
dimension to McCoy’s comment in ‘Day of the Dove’ that Klingon
first contact was a “disastrous event.”
The Klingon is critically injured by a human soon after the crash. He
survives only because of his secondary organs and the life support
systems - but his life hangs by a thread. Another conflict erupts
between the humans and the Vulcans, as the humans insist on returning the Klingon to his homeworld. The Vulcans, on the other hand,
are afraid that the Klingon government would view this as a disgrace,
getting the relation off on a very bad foot.
However, the humans triumph in the end, and the Enterprise, under
the command of Captain Jackson Archer, makes its way to Qo’noS,
in order to return the injured Klingon. Hence, it’s possible to see how
the poor relationship between the Klingons and the Federation in
Kirk’s time was begun by this small diplomatic incident.
The Suliban, the new species featured in the series, are fresh and
original. They can change their skeletal structure, and this is showcased in the pilot, though I’ll leave the exact details a surprise. One of
the Suliban, a character known as Silik, will recur throughout the
series, according the casting sheet. Overall, they’re pretty cool!
Shooting is still scheduled to start on Tuesday the 8th of May, with a
timeline calling for the completion of the pilot and one additional
episode by July 1, the deadline for a possible actors’ strike. Details on
the events in the actual pilot are still sketchy, though it was recently
reported by several sources that it would show First Contact with the
Klingons (story).
The Enterprise itself is fascinating. Its maximum speed is warp four,
and it gets beaten around a fair bit - a far cry from the later starships
in TOS and TNG. Artificial gravity on the ship is generated by a
gravity well, which is also the one place on the ship without any
gravity. If you’re looking for Okudagrams or LCARS interfaces, you’ll
be disappointed, for the Enterprise is all switches and buttons!
As usual, please be aware that the above info has not been officially
confirmed by Paramount yet, and until they make an official announcement any news from unofficial sources should be treated as
you would any rumour.
A lot of the familiar technology we see in the later Trek series won’t
be around. However, we’ll get to see the origins of some of those
elements that we know and love so well. For instance, the phase
pistol, an early ancestor of the phaser, puts in an appearance. Of
course, there are no tractor beams, so the ship uses a sort of grappling
hook. You’ll be pleased to hear that transporters do exist in this time,
as do the flip-open communicators, so familiar to fans of the original
series.
Plot Information
A few weeks ago, I was able to read the pilot script for Star Trek:
Enterprise (although the series will probably just be called Enterprise).
The basic version of the pilot script was locked down quite a while
before the casting calls went out, so all the information in the casting
sheet matches perfectly with what I read - there is not a single difference with the script.
The series is set before the founding of the Federation, as previously
reported. If the producers keep to the canon founding date of 2161,
018
the pilot will be set five to ten years prior to this. Of course, this
opens up some great possibilities for the eventual series finale. Additionally, this removes the continuity problems associated with Spock
being the first Vulcan and Kirk’s Enterprise being the first ship with
that name in Starfleet. For in ‘Enterprise,’ Starfleet doesn’t even
exist yet.
There’s no universal translator, though. We do have an early translation device that allows the humans and Vulcans to communicate but
this doesn’t help with the injured Klingon - because this primitive
translator must be programmed with a specific language before it can
function. Enter Hoshi Sato, who, with her exo-linguistic skills, is able
to communicate with the Klingon.
STARSHIP U.S.S. STORMBRINGER
MAY/JUNE 2001
FANDEMONIUM CREW ROSTER
MEMBERSHIP
STUFF
05.01.01
Officers
16
04
13
33
Enlisted
Cadets
Total
We leave you with the
following thoughts...
Coming Soon...
New website
debut
Member Fiction
Stupid Admiral
Tricks
Zen & the Art of
Supression Fire
New Membership
Handbook
USS Stormbringer
Official Party
Guide
Sekret Black Ops
LOTS More
GOOD Schtuff!
IC
UPDATE
So far, we have a total
of 5 members confirmed for this event.
If you want to attend,
contact the XO,
Gumby at
[email protected]
ASAP
rosters designed by Captain Tony Milligan
Better yet! You can
register electronically
http://ic2001.sfi.org
019
What’s your favorite flavor?
w w w . s f i . o r g
Think different.
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