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15 Publication of the U.S.S. Chesapeake and Science-Fiction Club April, 2008 Star Trek 11 ends filming, beams into post-production The latest Star Trek feature film was More publicity came when the actor who expected to conclude filming the end of last will be playing Hikaru Sulu added new fuel to week. What’s next? The folks behind the the online decades-long debate over which is movie anticipate beginning post-production the better franchise, Star Trek or Star Wars.

Star Trek 11 has this week, still aiming for release on May 8, John Cho, who considers himself a late- been getting a lot of 2009, more than a year away. comer to Star Trek, told Entertainment Tonight publicity lately. The film got some unexpected publicity the he finds Trek to be more “mature.” last week when a local traffic accident revealed “When I was a kid, it was much easier to the presence of the crew filming in the Bakers- love something like Star Wars right off the field, California, area. bat,” he said, “with its lightsabers and fighting An unidentified site manager for the and stuff.” movie suffered moderate injuries following a “On the other hand, Star Trek was much head-on crash outside of a shooting location more mature than that. I became a Star Trek for the J.J. Abrams movie. fan because it was on late, and I would catch KERO, Channel 23 in Bakersfield, said the it in reruns here and there,” Cho said. “It is crash took place near Highway 119 and Enos something that I appreciate more every year Lane. According to the California Highway because it’s very thoughtful and meditative.” Patrol, the site manager was trying to turn Of course, anyone playing Sulu would onto a road where filming was set to take want to meet with George Takei to get advice. place, but instead crossed in front of oncom- “I wrote George a letter before we started ing traffic and hit a truck. filming,” said Cho, “and I said ‘I’d like to take When the media investigated the accident, you out to lunch and talk a little bit’ and we word of the previously secret filming location did. He said ‘yes,’ and we had a great time.” was made public. “I remember asking George, ‘Just what The Bakersfield area is also the infamous am I in for, is it crazy?’ His response was just hometown of Gabriel Koerner, who was classic George Takei because he’s so witty and featured in the documentaries and so kind. He said ‘Hey, listen—they’re going to Trekkies 2, and later became a special effects be calling me the guy who played the old John artist working on shows including Battlestar Cho pretty soon, so don’t worry about it, kid.’ In this issue: Galactica. He’s just the greatest guy in the world.” Art Credits 3 Club Members Insert front It’s the April club meeting at the Whites’ house Coming Events 4 Directions to Meeting The next meeting of the U.S.S. Chesapeake meeting, which will start at 7:00 p.m. Insert front Star Trek and Science-Fiction Club will be held We’ll discuss what fellow club members Meeting Minutes on Saturday, April 19, at the Laurel, Maryland, have been up to, talk about the upcoming Insert back home of Intelligence Officer Annie conventions as well as discuss the latest news Reflections 2 Science Trek 3 White and Chief of Computer Operations about Star Trek and other sci-fi television Wayne’s Worlds 4 John White. shows and feature films. Phasers on Fun 4 We’ll get together to decide what to do for For directions, please check out this

dinner around 5:00 p.m., followed by our club month’s Insert. Volume 17, Issue 3 Captain Randy Hall’s REFLECTIONS: Battlestar Galactica, good? column will return next month. There are two questions that have plagued shows would go right over the heads of the genre fans since the dawning of time. (For average viewer. genre fans, the dawn of time would be about Drama is what fuels the soul. Drama is 1895—that’s when H. G. Wells wrote The Time what keeps people watching. Drama is what Machine.) “What is science fiction?” and what brings most people back. The “human condi- is GOOD science fiction?” The answer to the tion” is the thing that most people understand. first question is, “fictional literature based on What brought me to this area of interest is science.” Some of you may let out a distinct the recent airing of a special on Sci-Fi Chan- “duh,” but you’d be surprised how many nel entitled: How Battlestar Galactica Changed people get THAT one wrong. Pop Culture. Now, I like Galactica a lot (al- Vampires are NOT science fiction. Were- though I did find the episodes near the end of wolves are NOT science fiction. Elves are NOT last season to be a bit on the boring side), but science fiction. Lord of the Rings is NOT sci- when did it change pop culture? I never hear ence fiction. They are things to enjoy, but they any fans outside of genre fans talking about are different genres, and there are some people the show. Sure, it’s graced the cover of Time who want these genres combined. They call it magazine, been praised in the pages of Rolling “speculative fiction.” I call it a cheap ploy to Stone, The New Yorker, The New York Times, include fantasy in the already respected field of New York Newsday and National Review (Do science fiction. you get the feeling it’s a New York thing?), but What is GOOD science fiction? There’s this press has NOT transformed into viewers. the question. Needless to say, this has been a As I said, I love the show, but I think Sci-

Copyright 2008 hotly debated topic for some years now. Some Fi doth protest too much. Outside of genre U.S.S. Chesapeake people will tell you anything Star Trek is good events and the press, I NEVER hear anyone NCC-9102, a science fiction. Some people will tell you discussing the program. A good friend of not-for-profit organization. anything BUT Star Trek is good science fiction. mine is a mundane (“genre ignorant”), and All rights reserved, Some people will tell you that Babylon 5 was he has discovered The 4400. He is constantly including the only TRUE science fiction on television. bugging me to borrow my DVDs of the show’s reproducing parts of this document. Most people will disagree with that. No one first two seasons. I consented and asked him seems to know. The purist will tell you most if he wanted to check out Battlestar Galactica Check out our club website: www. of the genre television shows are not because as well. His expression was one of total undue usschesapeake.org they don’t use enough science. I wonder how concern. He shrugged his shoulders and said, the purists feel about Eureka. There’s a lot of “Eh, I don’t think so.” The opinions expressed in this science—in fact, it is a town full of science. Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t base publication do not Science fiction is supposed to be about my findings and opinions solely based on my necessarily represent wonder, about speculation and what if. I friend, but that is just an example of the reac- those of the entire club. have no problem with that. My question is: tion I get when I bring up this show to anyone On television, is that entertainment? The of the mundane persuasion—this look of “Star Trek,” “Star Trek: The Next reason the original Star Trek was bought in “Why would I waste my time watching that?” Generation,” “Star the first place was because Lucille Ball did not Unfortunately, it is the exact same look I used Trek: Deep Space understand any of the science in the pilot she to get when I asked people about watching Nine,” “Star Trek: Voyager,” and “Star saw, but she understood the drama. Without Babylon 5 except I used to ask it to genre fans. Trek: Enterprise,” the “human condition,” most science-fiction Whereas I was never a fan of Babylon 5 (I did as well as the terms watch every single episode of that “starship” and “,” God-awful show!), I like Galac- are registered tica, and it bothers me that the trademarks of Paramount Pictures show isn’t more popular than it is. Corporation. Battlestar Galactica is a great All rights reserved. show. It is great drama, but is it Absolutely no infringement on good science fiction? That is the these rights is question we will dive into next intended. frakking month. Above: A promotional poster for the final season ofBattlestar Galactica taken as the cast gathers for a leisurely lunch during filming. Conn Officer Lorenzo Heard COMSTAR, page 2 SCIENCE TREK: Hodgkin’s explains it all Or does it? different but similar environmental condi- How many times have you been on an tions. The first question is, how similar and away mission when someone comments on how different? Think about the factors that how remarkably similar those twelve-legged went into life on Earth—location in the galaxy, beetles are to the winged tsena beetles of Re- composition of the pre-solar system interstel- ticula Prime? Then that wise-ass in Security lar environment, location in the “zone of life” who doesn’t know the difference between the (distance from the sun), formation of the business and butt ends of a phaser waves his planet, chance meteorite and asteroid strikes, hand and attributes it to “Hodgkin’s Law of and these days, the greenhouse effect. Now, on Parallel Planet Development.” another world in another solar system, we may The Man have a similar set of circumstances, but are Courtesy of Memory Alpha, the Trek wiki, they similar enough to drive evolution along and the Enterprise episode, “Strange New the same lines? World,” we know a little bit about the man The real answer is: Who knows? We can himself. A.E. Hodgkin lived—er, will live theorize and even make (educated) guesses around the beginning of the 22nd Century. based on remote research, but until we actual On an expedition to Loracus Prime, Hodgkin travel to these distant worlds—or they come discovers a plethora of termite-like creatures here—we can’t truly know. that are remarkably similar to those on Earth, The next topic is similar and other Class M worlds. Like Dar- cultural developments on win at the Galapagos Islands, he constructs a worlds light-years apart. If the theory to explain the evidence. biological aspects of the Law The Law were an elephant pill, this one Simply put (by Memory Alpha): “The is the size of planet. Factors theory was that similar planets with similar to consider include not only environments and similar populations tended environmental and climate to gravitate toward similar biological develop- conditions, but also the indi- ments over time.” Later on, the theory came vidual and collective actions of to apply not only to biology, but also sociol- people across hundreds of mil- ogy and societies. Witness the Classic Trek lennia. To me, at least, while episodes “Bread and Circuses,” “The Omega the biological similarity exists Doctor McCoy (left) Glory” and “Miri.” in the realm of the possible, the sociologi- discusses Hodgkin’s Makes sense, at least in science fiction. cal aspects of the Law are, as Vizzini has said, Law of Parallel Devel- opment on television It also explains why when they go where “no “Inconceivable!” with an unhappy fan one” has ever gone before, everybody speaks As a footnote to this discussion, Star Trek during Classic Trek’s English (when you don’t see Kirk with a Uni- offers another explanation, discovered centu- “Bread and Circuses.” versal Translator in hand). ries after A.E. Hodgkin: Ancient humanoids In the real world, of course, the reason is seeded the galaxy with DNA codes to drive the self-evident, so let me explain. Anyone know development, over billions of years, of human- of a “real” alien playing one on TV or a show oid species. (Then there are the Preservers, filled on location on another world? Earth- who were/are/will be their descendents.) based production run by humans requires In the end, we don’t know, but that doesn’t human actors filmed on location at, say, the mean we shouldn’t try to figure it out. Vasquez rocks. Within the world of the show, of course, Web Notes: it’s supposed to make sense (suspend our dis- • http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/A.E._ ART CREDITS: startrek.com 1, 3 belief and all that). Hence, Dr. Hodgkin and Hodgkin: The Man; scifi.com 2, his eponymous law ... which really should be • http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/ Insert front images.google.com 4, called a theory since, in science, a law is only Hodgkin’s_Law_of_Parallel_Planetary_ Insert back a theory that has not been disproven despite Development: The Law; and sevtrek.com 4 countless attempts. • http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Preservers: Let’s take it from the top: Similar biolo- The Preservers, duh. gies of life evolving on different worlds under Second Officer Phil Margolies COMSTAR, page 3 COMING EVENTS APRIL April 19 ...... The next meeting will be on Saturday, April 19, at the Laurel, Maryland, home of Starfleet Intelligence Officer Annie White and Chief of Computer Operations John White! WAYNE’S WORLDS: The right to retcon In a recent interview on SyFy Portal, changes direction in mid-stream,” wrote anoth- Battlestar Galactica writer David Weddle (also er. “If they don’t know where they will end up, of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fame) men- how can we ever trust them?” tioned that the writing team from the show As a writer/editor myself, I find all this had gone back and taken a second look at epi- amusing. Anyone who has written or edited sodes focusing on one of their most popular for a living/professionally knows it is extremely characters, Starbuck. They noticed something rare that a first draft sails through the review they wanted to change, so they did it. process with no changes. “We went back and screened the scenes Then, too, after a writer has left a project from ‘Valley of Darkness’ and noticed the for a period of time and returned to it, he or mandala that she had painted on her apart- she might see things from a different perspec- ment wall,” Weddle said. “That gave us the tive and discover a more dramatic or, dare I say David Weddle from idea to put it on the temple and to build it it, a better way to do something. Battlestar Galactica into her backstory in ‘Maelstrom.’” The creative process is an ongoing and dy- As Michael Hinman, author of the article, namic one, and anyone who believes that the gold noted, “the writing team that includes Weddle that drips from his or her pen or keyboard should and partner in crime Bradley Thompson have never be altered needs a serious reality check. been utilizing the technique of retroactive In another part of the article, Hinman said, continuity, or as fans like to call it, the retcon.” “Finding a retcon isn’t easy because viewers In other words, they thought of some- typically don’t know what was planned out thing they liked better, so they went with it. ahead of time, and what was simply picked up “The truth is, nothing’s nailed down until from previous episodes to run with.” the final episode is written, shot and edited,” So, if Mr. Weddle hadn’t said anything, it’s said Weddle, who was one of the writers of likely that very few people (if any) would ever “He That Believeth In Me,” the premiere epi- have noticed the change. Should he have kept sode of the program’s fourth and final season. this to himself? He would have been thought I’ve been rather intrigued by the reaction much smarter by some. of some fans to this. A number seem to think In my opinion, it’s is all about telling good that Weddle and the other writers “admitted stories. Whether one has a great idea in the that they can only write ‘by the seat of their first hour, three weeks later or just yesterday pants,’ without any idea where they are going,” makes no difference as long as the end result is as one online fan stated. a quality, entertaining tale. “It’s disrepecting the viewers when a show Chief of Security Wayne Hall PHASERS ON FUN: Sev Trek

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