 U.S.S. CHESAPEAKE 15 Fifteenth Anniversary

Publication of the U.S.S. Chesapeake and Science-Fiction Club July, 2006 Star Trek: Of Gods and Men new Web film begins shooting While J.J. Abrams is busy considering the parts, each approximately 30 minutes in next Star Trek feature film, what’s a fan to do? length, to be released exclusively on the Principal photography commenced re- Internet as a download. The timing couldn’t cently in New York state on what is billed as a be better as the phenomenon of Internet-only “40th Anniversary Gift to Trek Fans.” The episodes — or “webisodes” — is gaining new Web-only mini-series, Star Trek: Of Gods momentum, especially as there is no current and Men, will feature several Star Trek actors Star Trek show in production. and even some production crew members, “I’m very excited about the script,” en- including , who portrayed Lieuten- thused . “And I’m looking ant Tuvok on Voyager, as director. forward to re-creating Uhura in a time line The series was conceived and written by that feels good to me. I think the fans will producer Sky Douglas Conway, together with enjoy it immensely!” former Deep Space Nine freelance storywriters “The original series was in danger of being Jack Trevino and Ethan H. Calk. cancelled after the second season, and the fans The stellar cast for Star Trek: Of Gods and came through,” said Walter Koenig. “Once Men includes both original and more current again, after 40 years, with the support and Trek actors: Original Series stars Nichelle enthusiasm of the fans, Star Trek will have Nichols (Uhura), Walter Koenig (Chekov) another life on the Internet — and I’m very and (Rand) will be work- pleased to be part of it.” ing along with (Captain John Har- “I’m looking forward to working with a riman, Star Trek: Generations), Garrett Wang lot of fine actors,” exclaimed Tim Russ. “It’s a (Harry Kim, Voyager), Chase Masterson nostalgia-based Trek project — and I think the (Leeta, Deep Space Nine), J.G. Hertzler (Mar- fans will really get a kick out of it. We’ve tok, DS9), and Gary Graham (Soval, Enter- never seen this kind of Trek story before.” prise) and Crystal Allen (D’Nesh, Enterprise). “The character I’m playing is completely Russ will appear in the film as well as helm it. opposite from my Voyager character,” said Many from the same team that created the Garrett Wang, “and it’s always more challeng- short film Roddenberry on Patrol are involved, ing for an actor to play a bad guy.” IN THIS ISSUE: which was also directed by Russ. For more information, check out http:// Art Credits 3 Club Members The idea is to produce the series in three www.StarTrekOfGodsandMen.com. Insert front Coming Events 6 Captain’s Log 2 Discuss Shore Leave 28 at the July meeting! Directions to Meeting The July meeting of the U.S.S. Chesapeake club members are up to and the latest news Insert front Meeting Minutes Star Trek and Science-Fiction Club will be regarding Star Trek and other science-fiction Insert back held on Saturday, July 22, at the Hard Times television shows and movies. Rantings 5 Cafe located in College Park, Maryland. Do you need to get directions to be able to Reflections 4 Science Trek 3 We’ll gather at 5:00 p.m. for dinner, fol- travel to the June meeting? Then you should Wayne’s Worlds 6 lowed by our club meeting, which will begin be sure to check out the insert that you can no later than 7:00 p.m. We’ll talk about the download to your computer from our online recent Shore Leave 28 convention, what fellow Yahoo! Group. Volume 15, Issue 7 CAPTAIN’S LOG: From crewman to captain Our first view of Hikaru Sulu came during gressed, we saw less and less of Sulu. Star Trek’s second pilot, “Where No Man Has That didn’t happen because the helms- Gone Before.” At that point, he was a physi- man was off somewhere practicing his fenc- cist who explained Gary Mitchell’s growing ing. Actually, kept getting work power with the illustration of a penny whose in other projects, the most notable being the value doubles every day. movie The Green Berets. Looking back, that was a curious example As a result, a lot of Sulu’s bits had to be for Sulu to use, since all money had been done rewritten, and the major beneficiary of Takei’s away with by that time. Still, I guess his crew- absences was Chekov, who had joined the cast mates were up on economic history! at the start of the second season. Sulu’s role on the Enterprise A perfect example of this was “The changed dramatically after the show Gamesters of Triskelion.” Sulu was to have became a full-fledged series. He shared the transporter pad with Kirk and moved into the command track Uhura, but Takei was replaced with Walter (hence the gold shirt) and became Koenig’s character. the ship’s helmsman. Remember when a drill thrall kept mis- Serving on the bridge was pronouncing Chekov’s name as “Cheekhoof” always good for a Star Trek charac- or something like that? She was supposed to Helmsman Hikaru Sulu ter, as it put him or her in the middle of the be calling Sulu “Soolooey.” action and often led to being chosen as a Those extra appearances boosted Chek- member of a landing party or away team. ov’s popularity, and Sulu didn’t get many That was the case with Sulu, who was a other interesting things to do for the rest of Copyright 2006 U.S.S. Chesapeake man of many hobbies during “Charlie X” and the series. NCC-9102, a asked for a pot of coffee while down on a Even when the show graduated to movies, not-for-profit organization. freezing planet during “The Enemy Within.” Sulu’s parts always seemed to end up on the All rights reserved, Of course, Sulu’s best-known appearance cutting room floor. including took place in “The Naked Time,” when an Hikaru was supposed to get a promotion reproducing parts of this document. alien virus released crew members’ inhibitions during The Wrath of Khan, but Shatner and our favorite helmsman fenced his way claimed his schedule wouldn’t permit the Check out our club into Trek history. filming of that scene. Sulu ran into an ances- website: www. usschesapeake.org Like most things dealing with pointy tor of his as part of The Voyage Home, but weapons, Sulu’s fencing proved to be a guess which scene got cut when the film ran The opinions double-edged sword. While it gave fans long? expressed in this publication do not something to easily remember him by (other However, Sulu did get one line in Star necessarily represent than the fact that he was the Oriental member Trek IV that led to bigger and better things for those of the of a multi-national crew), it also came to the character. As the crew shuttled toward entire club. define him in many non-TV storylines. their new ship, Hikaru said he was hoping for “Star Trek,” Look at the novels, comics and audios. the U.S.S. Excelsior. “Star Trek: The Next When Sulu’s the lead character, the adventure While he served on the Enterprise A for Generation,” “Star Trek: Deep Space almost always boils down to him fencing with The Final Frontier, he became captain of the Nine,” “Star Trek: someone or something. Excelsior in The Undiscovered Country, during Voyager,” and “Star Trek: Enterprise,” Some fans have speculated that Kirk which he said my favorite line the character as well as the terms always checked out planets on the Enterprise ever uttered. “starship” and itinerary, and when he found a beautiful When racing to help the Enterprise, Sulu “starship Enterprise,” are registered woman, he was the one to go down to the demanded that the Excelsior go faster. After a trademarks of planet. If it was all old men or funky aliens, crewman responded that going any faster Paramount Pictures Spock got the job. would make ship fly apart, the captain yelled: Corporation. All rights reserved. Using that theory, it seems that Sulu “Fly her apart, then!” Absolutely no looked up all the planets in the quadrant Scenes like that led me to support the infringement on where some form of fencing was popular, and effort to produce an Excelsior series, and I these rights is intended. then, he volunteered to be on the landing party. would still enjoy seeing a TV movie of Sulu We might even have seen more of that on and his crew. COMSTAR, page 2 the TV show, except that as the series pro- Captain Randy Hall SCIENCE TREK: Flying free One of the coolest things I’ve ever done this month’s Discovery mission wore the is go for a space walk. Okay, I didn’t actually SAFER packs, which provided some excite- walk, and I wasn’t really in space (Alabama’s ment when Sellers’ unit became partly de- close, right?), but it was still an awesome tached during a spacewalk. experience. Many a year ago, in my last Before the rocket pack and the spacewalk semester of college, two classmates and I were science facts, they were literally the stuff ventured down to the Marshall Space Flight of science fiction. Rocket packs have been part Center in Huntsville, Alabama, a key NASA of space fiction since the days of the original research and production facility. Buck Rogers. In Star Trek, Spock used a pack Going through the center tour, we came to fly to V’ger and perform his mind meld in across a simulation of NASA’s first opera- Star Trek: The Motion Picture. tional rocket pack for astronauts called the Now, here’s the fun part of this month’s Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). They column: Find three other examples of rocket asked for a volunteer, and it was yours truly packs in science-fiction television shows (not who stepped forward for some reason. books, not movies) without using Google and They strapped me into a chair with the submit them on three pieces of 5x8 teal news- simulated MMU on my back, moved me 20 paper stock to the address at the bottom of feet from the audience and said I had to this column, and you will be entered to win simply turn around and make my way back your very own rocket pack (previously used)! to the audience. Took me about five min- (Apologies to Click and Clack.) utes, but I did it. (Yeah, it seems simple, but remember Web Notes: Newton’s laws — objects in motion and • http://www.astronautix.com/craft/shulemmu. equal and opposite forces, et al — propel htm (Short and simple, like the MMU.); yourself too much one way and you have to • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_ counter the force to stop and overcounter it Maneuvering_Unit (Gotta ref Wiki.); to move back. Takes a little practice.) • http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4219/Chapter13. The real MMU lasted only three missions html (Your gov’t $ @ work.); and during 1984 but was retired because of the • http://www.mel.nist.gov/div821/museum/ Challenger disaster (safety reasons). In 1994, timeline.htm (Gotta have a list). however, NASA introduced the next genera- Second Officer Phil Margolies tion of rocket pack, the Simplified Aid For The first USA spacewalk, during Gemini 4. EVA Rescue (SAFER). The modern unit is not intended for general use; as the name implies, it’s for emergency purposes — ev- ery spacewalker wears one. Both units use nitrogen as the propellant. However, SAFER is smaller, less com- plicated and less powerful than MMU. MMU contained nearly 6 kg of nitrogen and could ART CREDITS: change an astronaut’s vel- startrek.com 1, 2, ocity up to 80 feet per sec- Insert front ond, while SAFER contains nasa.gov 3 images.google.com only about 1.5 kg of nitro- 4, 5, 6, Insert back gen and has a delta-v of about 10 feet per second. Astronauts Michael Fossum and Piers Sellers of COMSTAR, page 3 REFLECTIONS: The end of the chase Brian Henson is a stubborn man. Like official, in January ’98, we went to Australia. James T. Kirk, he doesn’t take “no” for an Rockne started to rewrite the pilot script, and I answer. He continued to trot out his presen- started working on ideas for the season. In tation package – drawings of characters and February, Rock and I started on these ideas interiors, models – and went on a slow march ourselves, and on May 1, full pre-production around the world for about three years, pitch- began. The day we started , we were already ing his show to any network and production about four months behind! company that would listen. “With Matt Carroll pulling together a “Every once in a while, we’d go out and behind-the-camera creative team from the talk to people about it,” O’Bannon recalls, cream of down-under talent and “but what we were suggesting as a weekly with actors being auditioned on series was always too daunting.” both sides of the Pacific for the Rod Perth, president of the Sci Fi Chan- leading roles, the final major change nel, had received two of O’Bannon’s scripts was put into place. The show and excitedly told his wife that he had found needed another name. Space Chase what he was looking for. At the same time, just wasn’t makin’ it. the Henson Company was trying to find co- “‘Let’s invent a word for our title,’ Rockne production finance outside America. As said, ‘because if we want something that’s truly discussions continued with the Sci Fi Chan- unique, we probably can’t describe the dy- nel, another key figure entered into the quest namic that we’re talking about with any exist- for financing. ing word that will say ‘It’s Sci Fi’ without Yes, Sci Fi was interested, but as it was, creating some expectations.’ the show would be too costly to produce for “All of our broadcasters were really them. Even with the high cost, Rod Perth nervous about us making up a word,” Brian remained anxious. Matt Carroll, an Austra- Henson remembered. “They asked: ‘How do lian film and television producer, stepped in you market that?’ Our argument was: create a with a proposal to lower the production cost word, and that becomes the identity of the by doing the actual shooting in Australia. show. You can find it on the Internet if you “I just kept putting through ways of how want to know about Farscape. You just do a we could structure it so it could be made in search for that word, and all you will find is Australia,” Carroll said. “It was an ideal stuff about our show. You put in Farscape, project for Australia because we could make it you only get us.” for the budget that they had. So the project “Brian Henson did something that people wasn’t compromised at all in terms of the way don’t do it this business. You work for big Rockne envisaged it.” companies, and they’re institutions. A project Brian Henson wasn’t the only person to dies, and it dies. Your executives go and hire keep hope alive and persevere with his aspira- other writers, they create something else. But tions. O’Bannon continued for three years to Brian, stunningly, had a passion for this show keep abreast of Henson’s progress or lack and because it was a family-owned company, thereof. And he wasn’t the only one. Like with him in charge, no one was telling him, Henson and O’Bannon, David Kemper was ‘You have to let go of your dream.’ also unwilling to give up on Space Chase. “There’d be no Farscape if Brian Henson “When a show dies in Hollywood, it hadn’t held on for five years and said, ‘I’m going dies,” Kemper revealed. “Every year, my to make Farscape. I’m not letting the show die!’ agent said: ‘Space Chase is dead.’ I said, ‘No, There’s no Farscape if Rock doesn’t write any no. Brian’s going to try to sell it.’ So in every scripts, but boy, there would be no Farscape if contract thereafter, I had a clause that if Space Brian Henson hadn’t gone back and sold what Chase ever started, I could walk off the show was essentially a dead project. Brian KNEW I was on. he could produce a good show, and he made it “I was working on Pacific Blue in October live through that act of dedication.” of ’97, and I got a call from Rock saying, Next month: You know how it got started. ‘You’re not going to believer this; I think Now, you’ll see how it ran. we’ve sold the show.’ So I waited until it was Conn Officer Lorenzo Heard COMSTAR, page 4 RANTINGS: Even Dark Knights can crash and burn The Batmania caused by the spectacular from Jean-Paul Valley and given briefly to performance of 1989’s Batman ensured a Dick Grayson (Nightwing). sequel. Batman Returns took an even darker In December 1993, the animated movie approach to Batman. It featured Danny Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was released to Devito and Michelle Pfeiffer as the Penguin theatres, featuring a new villain along with the and Catwoman, opening in June 1992. Joker. The film was a success. Back in the It continued some traditions begun in the comics, over the next couple of years, Robin, previous film. It grossed over $160 million Catwoman, Azrael and Nightwing all got their domestically, ensuring that the film series own series. Prep work began for the third would continue. Batman Returns was nomi- Batman film, but BIG changes were coming. nated for Best Makeup and Best Visual Effects Fans had tired of the Tim Burton influ- at the 66th Academy Awards. ence on the films. They wanted more action In fact, 1992 was a banner Year of the Bat. and less gothic introspection. Burton was Creative team Paul Dini and Bruce Timm’s bumped up to producer, and Joel Schumacher Batman: The Animated Series premiered on was brought in to direct the film. Fox with the episode “On Leather Wings.” Michael Keaton was tired of the hero Kevin Conroy provided the voice of Batman. being upstaged by the villains and hung up the It was a huge hit and set new standards for cape and cowl. Batman Forever premiered in animated television. June 1995 with Batman played by Val Kilmer Cartoons were not just and Robin by Chris O’Donnell, plus Tommy for kids. Many fans took Lee Jones and Jim Carrey as Two-Face and the the view that this series Riddler. was “Batman like he Batman Forever was nominated for Best ought to be.” Cinematography, Best Sound and Best Sound In one episode, Adam Effects Editing at the 69th Academy Awards. West returned to the Val Kilmer abandoned the role shortly after world of Batman as the the release of the film, opting to play Simon voice of the Grey Ghost, Templar in The Saint and promptly disap- Bruce Wayne’s child- pearing off the franchise market. hood hero. A comic In 1997, Batman & Robin premiered, adaptation, The Batman Adventures #1, pre- again directed by Joel Schumacher with miered and ran for years. The series won an George Clooney starring as Batman and Chris Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated O’Donnell returning as Robin, Alicia Silver- Program for the episode “Robin’s Reckoning.” stone as Batgirl, plus Arnold Schwarzenegger In the comics, changes came hard and and Uma Thurman as Mister Freeze and fast. Tim Drake became the third Robin in Poison Ivy. Batman #487. In June, a new comic book, Fans were revolted by Schumacher’s Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1, premiered. In homoerotic take on the characters and with October, Jean-Paul Valley (Azrael) made his nipples on the Batsuit. It was an inglorious debut in the four-part series Batman: Sword end to the Batman movie series. This film was of Azrael. closest in tone to the old Batman After “The Death of Superman,” DC put series. Batman: Sub-Zero, the animated movie all their heroes through “death and resurrec- featuring Mister Freeze, went directly to video tion.” In 1993, Bane made his first appear- and was embraced by the fans, eclipsing the ance in Vengeance of Bane #1 in 1993, which live-action film. revealed why he was determined to destroy Even though the movie Batman & Robin Batman. was a turd, this did not kill production of the At the peak of Denny O’Neil’s “Knight- Caped Crusader. In the fall of 1997, The New fall” story arc, Bane broke Batman’s back, Batman Adventures premiered on the WB, opening the door for a temporary substitute, picking up where Batman: TAS left off. Azrael, in Batman #497. The problem was It was teamed with Superman: The Ani- that Valley was more of an avenger than mated Series for an hour on Saturday morning COMSTAR, page 5 Batman, so the “Mantle of the Bat” was taken Continued on page 6 COMING EVENTS JULY July 22 ...... We’ll get together for our July meeting to talk about the recent Shore Leave convention. We’ll journey back to the Hard Times Cafe in College Park, Maryland! Let’s gather at 5:00 p.m. for our dinner, then hold our meeting no later than 7:00 p.m. Be sure to get directions from the Insert in our Yahoo! Group.

RANTINGS: Even Dark Knights can crash ... concluded continued from page 5 Bruce Wayne mentoring high school student on the WB and launched with a three-parter Terry McGinnis as the new Batman. Kevin presenting their first team-up, a battle against Conroy voiced Bruce Wayne/Batman in this Lex Luthor and the Joker, and was later re- series as well. leased to video in movie form. “Let every eye negotiate for itself and trust Batman Beyond was a cartoon about a no agent; for beauty is a witch against whose futuristic Gotham City that premiered on charms faith melteth in blood.” — Claudio Kids’ WB in 1999. It highlighted an elderly Procurement Officer Peter Chewning

WAYNE’S WORLDS: The 4400 This occasional column will return as lives are often complicated by their pasts as needed, usually when space permits in issues of well as their new powers. COMSTAR. Now in its third season, The 4400 is part of Summers used to be a down time, when a a group of cable “summer” shows that take science-fiction fan could catch up on DVDs advantage of the fact that the “main” networks or reading. But Ira Behr is once again chang- are either in reruns or running American Idol- ing the landscape of television, this time with like talent competition shows. USA Network’s The 4400. And it seems to be working well for the Each Sunday night at 9, The 4400 explores USA Network. Ratings are good, and DVD another universe, this one inhabited by 4,400 sales are doing well for those interested in abductees who apparently were taken to the catching up on previous seasons. future, given special abilities, then returned to The 4400 in previous years has had mostly “our” time to right a cosmic wrong that stand-alone episodes, with some continuity threatens the world. ties from week to week. This year, however, Ira Behr, who strutted his stuff while the show is endeavoring to introduce as many helming Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, has taken 4400s as possible in an ongoing storyline Behr over this show, which was created by fellow similar to those he made famous on DS9. DS9 alumnus Rene Echeverria, and put his Perhaps the most interesting — and most trademark on it, with well-rounded charac- frightening — character on the show is Isa- ters, gripping storylines and surprises — belle, who is actually not a 4400. She was con- plenty of surprises! ceived before her mother was sent back in The show focuses on two main charac- time. She was born shortly after the group’s ters who are partners working at NTAC, the appearance, and as a baby, she wrought havoc National Threat Assessment Command, lo- wherever she went. cated in the Pacific Northwest. Tom Baldwin Now she’s turned into a young woman and Diana Skouris both either have or de- through an unanticipated aging spurt. Imag- velop ties to the 4400, so they have a personal ine a teenager with tremendous power and stake in what happens to them. Tom’s you can see just how dangerous she is! She nephew Shawn, who has healing abilities, has gets what she wants, or else! become the 4400’s leader, while Diana’s If you enjoyed DS9, you will definitely adopted daughter, Maia, can see the future. want to keep up with this engaging series. And The 4400 were gathered from different besides, what else is on each Sunday night? COMSTAR, page 6 decades, so their attempts to have “normal” Chief of Security Wayne Hall