Publication of the U.S.S. Chesapeake Star Trek and Science-Fiction Club May, 2007 Scotty’s ashes proving difficult to locate after space launch After nearly a year’s wait, the ashes of Jim- b With a communicator, cloaking device, my Doohan, who played Scotty in Star Trek, transporter and phaser already in the works, were launched into space on Saturday, April it was only a matter of time before someone 22, from the new spaceport in New Mexico. made a breakthrough in replicator technology. But the story doesn’t end there. Since the Desktop Factory will soon begin selling a “3-D ashes returned to Earth after a sub-orbital printer” to produce solid objects based on Trek fans watch the launch of the rocket flight, they’ve gone missing. electronic plans. bearing James “The steep canyons and mountain terrain Desktop Factory will begin selling a three- Doohan’s ashes. reflects the radio frequency making direc- dimensional printer for about $5,000 this year, tional finding almost impossible,” explained according to TrekToday.com. Bill Gross, the UP Aerospace President Jerry Larson at Live chairman of IdeaLab, said that by developing Science Blogs. He said that rough terrain and technology that uses a halogen bulb to melt high winds in the mountainous region of the nylon powder, the company expects prices to White Sands Missile Range where the ashes of fall to $1,000 in four years. “We are Easy-Bake more than 200 individuals parachuted down Ovening a 3-D model ... the fundamental after the launch. engineering allows us to make it for $300 in After reports that the booster portion had materials,” he explained. been tracked and recovered, despite multiple Cornell University professor Hod Lipson transmitters, the payload has eluded search said he believed that in the future, such print- teams. ers will be common, and that people would be StarTrek.com has video of the launch, able to reproduce “a toothbrush, a fork, a shoe. where Doohan’s widow, Wende, pushed the Who knows where it will go from here?” The button to ignite the rocket. The site also has devices are referred to as printers because they video of the memorial that took place to cel- assemble objects from specks of material in a ebrate those whose ashes were launched along manner similar to the way traditional printers with Doohan’s, including astronaut Gordon create images out of dots of ink or toner. Cooper and writer John Meredyth Lucas. Desktop Factory’s version is expected to be Hundreds of spectators watched the 25 by 20 by 20 inches and weigh less than 100 IN THIS ISSUE: launch, including family and friends, news pounds, making it easy to use in a home office. Art Credits 3 Club Members reporters and fans. About 10 printers have been made so far. Insert front Coming Events 6 Captain’s Log 2 It’s Hard Times for the May club meeting! Directions to Meeting The next meeting of the U.S.S. Chesapeake out what fellow club members are up to and Insert front Meeting Minutes Star Trek and Science-Fiction Club will be held hear the latest news about Star Trek and other Insert back on Saturday, May 19, at the Hard Times Cafe sci-fi television shows and movies. Reflections 4 in College Park, Maryland. Do you need to get directions in order for Science Trek 3 Wayne’s Worlds 5 We’ll gather at 5:00 p.m. for our dinner, you to make it to the May meeting? Then be followed by our club meeting, which will sure that you download this month’s insert, begin no later than 7:00 p.m. We’ll talk about which you can now find in our online Yahoo! upcoming science-fiction conventions, find Group. Volume 16, Issue 5 CAPTAIN’S LOG: Trek’s greatest special effect On May 11, the Visual Effects Society nantly Star Trek club, I felt the need to re- announced the 50 “Most Influential Visual spond. First, though, I agreed with what made Effects Films of All Time,” as determined by a the top of the list. Without a doubt, the first vote of society members, most of whom live in Star Wars was a huge influence on the movies Los Angeles. that came after it. As you might expect, many of the movies However, Star Trek was originally realized were science-fiction or fantasy pictures, with as a TV show in the 1960s, with all the related 1997’s The Fifth Element squeaking onto the budget limitations. Nevertheless, as Lorenzo list in a tie with Darby O’Gill and the Little will quickly tell you, Trek scored several Emmy People from 1958. Awards for what were ground-breaking special In fact, many of the winners were older effects at the time. films. Disney’s 1937 animated classic Snow In fact, creator George Lucas has acknowl- White and the Seven Dwarfs worked its way in edged that the cantina bar scene in the first at number 45, one lower than the high-flying Star Wars was greatly influenced by what he’d Superman the Movie from 1978. seen on Trek years earlier. Exploding starships are great, but Trek’s With a little effort, 1966’s Fantastic Voyage The flow worked the other way after Star greatest special effect hit number 40, just below Planet of the Apes, Wars’ incredible box office success. As a result, is the ability to make which monkeyed around in 1968. Tied for Paramount ditched its plans to return Trek as a us think. 36th place were The Day the Earth Stood Still syndicated TV series and focused its efforts on in 1951 and Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers what eventually became Star Trek: The Motion (2002). Picture. I was a bit surprised by some of the films Granted, I would have liked to see one of Copyright 2007 on the list. Aliens from 1986 just beat out the Trek movies on that list, particularly TMP U.S.S. Chesapeake NCC-9102, a 1964’s Mary Poppins to come in at number 31, with its cinematic scope and spectacular space not-for-profit while The Ten Commandments (1956) washed effects. But does it really bother me that none organization. All rights reserved, away 1953’s The War of the Worlds for movie of the Trek flicks made the list? Nope, and including number 24. here’s why. reproducing parts of Raiders of the Lost Ark from 1981 whipped I’ve stated often that a hit television series this document. into the 17th spot as Titanic (1997) sank to or movie franchise is the result of a combina- Check out our club number 18, and The Wizard of Oz from 1939 tion of a number of elements: the writers, the website: www. blew in as number 15, just ahead of Who actors, the directors, the designers, the readi- usschesapeake.org Framed Roger Rabbit in 16th place. ness of the audience to accept the project and, The opinions The top 10 was a sci-fi festival, working up in most instances, a tremendous amount of expressed in this from 1989’s The Abyss to Alien in 1979, then luck. publication do not necessarily represent Close Encounters of the Third Kind from 1977, Trek has had an incredible convergence of those of the 1933’s classic King Kong, Tron from 1982, Ju- these items, and that’s a big reason we’re still entire club. rassic Park in 1993, 1999’s The Matrix, 2001: A talking about it more than 40 years after the “Star Trek,” Space Odyssey from 1968, 1982’s Blade Runner Enterprise was launched on September 8, 1966. “Star Trek: The Next and at the top of the hill was the 1977 block- But in my mind, Star Trek still remains Generation,” “Star buster, the first Star Wars. head and shoulders above other science- Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Star Trek: Two other Star Wars movies, The Empire fiction franchises due to what I consider a Voyager,” and “Star Strikes Back (1980) and 1983’s Return of the truly special effect: the ability to make us Trek: Enterprise,” as well as the terms Jedi, made the list, at number 11 and a tie for think. “starship” and number 46, respectively. Certainly, a lot of TV shows and movies “starship Enterprise,” As you can imagine, the “Warsies” were now consider a variety of social and philo- are registered trademarks of exuberant in online message boards over the sophical issues, but that’s because Trek led Paramount Pictures weekend, and some were quick to point out the way, first on the small screen, then in the Corporation. that another sci-fi franchise didn’t even make theaters. All rights reserved. Absolutely no the list: Star Trek. This was particularly true in Classic Trek, infringement on “You see?” one fan posted eagerly. “Star and while some of that was lost during The these rights is Wars IS better than Star Trek, and this defin- Next Generation, Deep Space Nine picked up intended. itely proves it!” the torch and took a whole new look at things COMSTAR, page 2 Naturally, as the captain of a predomi- continued on page 6 SCIENCE TREK: New and notable A lot has been happening in the universe • http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/ lately, or rather, we’ve been seeing it for the 05/02/jupiter.rings.reut/index.html (Probe first time. This month, I’ll give a rundown of shows Jupiter up close and personal); the latest news: interplanetary to intergalactic • http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18557139/ and every rest stop in between.