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9305.15 DATELINE: STARFLEET #35
Originating from the America Online "Star Trek: The Club" forum
Also distributed to:
FredMail BBS (Wyandotte, Michigan)
Florida State University's Center for Educational Technology
Internet (info-mac at sumex-aim.stanford.edu)
MacSavvy BBS (Dallas, Texas)
Paperback Jukebox BBS (Portland, Oregon)
Planet BMUG BBS (510-849-2684)
Ravenloft BBS (Ogden, Utah; 801-476-8704)
Rutgers University
STTNG and STDS9 BBS (San Francisco, CA; 408-732-1654)
(Any SysOps who would be interested in joining the distribution
and that have Internet access, write to Bill Mason at Internet
address 'data1701d@aol.com'.)
From the Big Chair
------------------
Howdy to The Bird's Nest BBS (815-477-9338) in Crystal Lake,
Illinois, as well as Frenchy's Hideout (914-266-8472) in Staatsburg,
NY! |)
--Bill
News from Over the Hailing Frequencies....
------------------------------------------
RENEWALS ANNOUNCED
On April 28, Paramount officially made an announcement that both
TNG and DS9 were being renewed for another season. (Paramount's "The
Untouchables was also renewed.) "They have all struck a chord with
millions of viewers and are poised for continued growth next year,"
said Paramount TV Group chairman Kerry McCluggage. (From the
Paramount press release)
TV GUIDE RECOGNIZES STAR TREK
In their 40th anniversary issue, "TV Guide" named Patrick
Stewart the best dramatic TV actor of the 1980's for his work on Next
Generation. Star Trek as a whole was also named best science-fiction
series in this issue.
BARCLAY'S PILOT
TNGer Dwight Schultz is in a pilot up for consideration as an
NBC series. "Boomtown" is about a man who moves his family out of
the big city to buy an out-of-the-way run-down motel, anticipating
that a major highway will be built near the hotel. But when the
highway is built elsewhere.... The proposed series is for the 93-94
season. (From Hollywood Hotline on AOL)
TNG AND DS9 SCHEDULES
With thanks to JurasicPrk for these.
TNG (dates are week of dates)
05/09: "Suspicions" (Beverly finds herself the subject of a
court-martial)
05/16: "Rightful Heir" (Could Kahless the Unforgettable still be
alive?)
05/23: "Second Chances" (an away team finds...another Will
Riker?)
05/30: "Aquiel" (rerun; Geordi falls for Lt. Aquiel)
06/06: "Face of the Enemy" (rerun; Troi captured by Romulans)
06/13: "Timescape" (no confirmed plot; reportedly involves the
Romulans and uses a DS9 runabout)
06/20: "Descent" (season-finale cliffhanger; the return of both
the Borg and Lore)
06/27: "Tapestry" (rerun; Q offers Picard a change to change his
life history)
07/04: "Birthright, Part One" (rerun; Worf searches for his
father; Data discovers his ability to dream)
07/11: "Birthright, Part Two" (rerun)
07/18: "Starship Mine" (rerun; Picard vs. thieves aboard the
Enterprise)
07/25: "Lessons" (rerun; Picard falls in love)
08/01: "The Chase" (rerun; the Enterprise tries to solve a 4
billion year old archaeological mystery)
08/08: "Frame of Mind" (rerun) (Riker is trapped in an alien
asylum)
08/15: "Suspicions" (rerun)
08/22: "Rightful Heir" (rerun)
08/29: "Second Chances" (rerun)
09/05: "Timescape" (rerun)
09/12: "Descent" (rerun)
09/19: SEASON SEVEN PREMIERE
For DS9 (again, week of dates):
05/09: "Progress" (the Bajorans want to open a mine on one of
their moons -- only one dissident farmer & Major Kira stand in the
way)
05/16: "If Wishes Were Horses" (things the crew imagines
suddenly become real)
05/23: "The Foresaken" (Lwaxana Troi comes to DS9, and finds
herself trapped in a elevator with Odo)
05/30: "Dramatis Persona" (the crew splits into Sisko/Kira
camps)
(this portion of the schedule is unconfirmed)
06/06: "Captive Pursuit" (rerun; Tosk comes to DS9 in the course
of his people's ritual hunt)
06/13: "Duet" (a Kira episode; no other information)
06/20: "In the Hands of the Prophets" (non-cliffhanger season
finale; a Bajoran priest takes exception to Keiko teaching physics
but not Bajoran religion)
TNG GUEST STAR'S NEW ROLE
Famke Janssen, formerly Kamala of TNG's "The Perfect Mate," is
working in a starring role in "Model By Day," a future TV movie for
the Fox network. Ms. Janssen plays a woman who is one of the world's
most beautiful models by day, and a crime-fighter by night. (Wonder
if Cindy Crawford does that sort of thing?) (From Hollywood Hotline
on AOL)
Editorial: Updating P*A*S*T
by Bill Mason
---------------------------
So far, with the gracious support of AOLers and others, the
P*A*S*T petition (to restore Animated Trek to the Star Trek
Chronology) has (just this week, in fact), topped the 100 name mark.
Your thanks for the support are extended. |) New additions to the
petition are still being taken at the addresses at the end of this
issue.
From the Home Offices....
by Bill Mason
-------------------------
Top Ten places Odo's extra mass goes when he becomes something
small:
10) Inside Rom's brain...lots of extra space there.
9) Inside Bashir's brain...no, sorry, cheap shot, forget that.
8) Turns into Bigfoot and kills time posing for "National
Enquirer" pictures.
7) Offensive line of the Dallas Cowboys.
6) Extra moon appears around Bajor.
5) The mysterious Enterprise-D Bridge head.
4) Stunt doubles on "Terminator CCXXIII".
3) What do you think the comet in the opening credits is?
2) Attends weekly "The Blob" film festival on the Promenade.
1) Moonlights in a governor's mansion in the Deep South,
U.S.A., Earth.
Book Review: "The Romulan Prize" (STTNG Novel #26)
by JACruz
--------------------------------------------------
"The Romulan Prize" is the new STTNG novel by Simon Hawke. To
my knowledge Hawke has not previously written any Trek novels, nor
has he written for the Next Gen TV Series.
As with "Grounded" (STTNG Novel #25), I was immediately taken by
the premise given in the teaser. The Romulans have created the new
D'Kazanak-class warbird, which is not only superior to the current
D'Deridex-class warbirds, but twice the size and certainly more
powerful than the Federation's Galaxy-class starships, of which the
Enterprise is one.
The Romulan plan for the maiden voyage of this new ship is
"far-reaching." It involves Hermiticus 2, a planet that most people
in the Federation (including Captain Picard) do not even know about,
until the Romulan plan to discover the secret of Hermiticus 2 takes
Picard and the Enterprise crew on this adventure.
Unlike "Grounded", this novel delivers most of the goods. It is
far better than the more recent STTNG novels. It deals with familiar
people and familiar situations, yet shrouds itself in a good mystery.
(What are those Romulans up to this time? And what impact will it
have to the future of the Federation?) The writing is also
well-honed for most of the book. The story unravels itself in a
manner that caused this reader to be riveted to the novel, though the
writing becomes rushed as it nears the end.
WARNING: Spoilers are inherent from this point in this review.
Please do not read the following unless you wish to know of some of
the key points in the novel.
Hawke is, for the most part, masterful at unraveling his story
to the reader, as the events simultaneously unfold for the Enterprise
crew. We know what Picard knows and learn of the new developments as
Picard learns of them. Again, as in most Romulan stories, we are put
in a chess game. Commander Valak, the captain of the new warbird
Syrinx, is a different kind of Romulan. He is studied in human
culture and behavior. And he "respects" humans, despite adhering
with the Romulan politics of considering humans as enemies.
Moreover, he considers humans as prey.
So thus begins the chess game between Picard and Valak, as the
Syrinx is found derelict in Federation space. Sensors show that
there are no life signs whatsoever on the ship. An away team beams
on board the warbird to ascertain what happened. Their survey
deduces that a failure occurred in the life support systems and
everyone on the ship died of suffocation.
Geordi sees this as an opportunity to get a jump on the Romulans
and find out all he can about the new Romulan warbird technology.
After a discussion by the senior officers they decide to download all
information and schematics in the warbird's databanks, then set the
ship's coordinates to return it to the Romulus, so as to avoid an
escalation of the already uneasy truce with the Romulans yet fulfill
their duties to Starfleet.
The preparations are made to restore the life support systems,
so as to begin tapping into the warbird computer system. Picard is
on hand in the Syrinx bridge to take a look at this ship himself. As
life support is restored, several Romulans are beamed onto the
Enterprise's main stations (the bridge, engineering, transporter
rooms, etc). As Data and Picard are about to access the computer
system, the once-dead Romulans on the bridge begin to rise. It has
all been an elaborate hoax to entrap the Enterprise and its crew!
Picard hails the Enterprise at Valak's request. The first thing he
sees is Riker being held a disruptor point.
Check and mate? Not so long as the Enterprise crew is alive to
outwit Valak and the crew of the Syrinx. From this point, the story
branches out into three mini-stories, which will eventually converge
at the end. Worf and several others, including Keiko and Chief
O'Brien are taken aboard the Syrinx as prisoners and are held in the
shuttlebay. Riker is kept aboard the Enterprise, along with Geordi,
to maintain the ship's operations. Picard is kept near to Valak on
the Syrinx, as both ships head to Hermiticus Two.
They arrive at the planet and discover an old Constitution Class
Federation starship, the Independence. The Romulans feel that they
have found what they were looking for...a Federation outpost. But,
alas, the ship is completely abandoned and the planet it is orbiting
shows no signs of life.
Data discovers that the planet is really an "ark". There is no
surface or lifeforms on the surface because everything is inside the
planet. Valak assembles an away team made up of his security chief,
Crusher, Troi, Data, and Ro. They beam inside the "ark" planet.
After being unable to contact the away team, Picard and Valak and
three sets of 10 Romulans beam down.
What they discover is an inverted world. The "sun" is in the
middle of the planet and the surface is inverted, such that one looks
as if they are walking upside-down or inside-out. Mystery still
ensues as several people and groups of people begin to disappear.
Riker, in the meantime, is trying to play his own chess game
with Korak. He challenges Korak to a hand-to-hand brawl in a
holodeck. The first time around, Korak is about to break free from
Riker's hold when they are interrupted by a Romulan officer who
relays to Korak that he is to report to the bridge. Korak is seen in
a precarious position, as he has been seen as bested by a "puny"
human. Riker takes advantage of the situation by chiding Korak.
Korak eventually confines Riker to his quarters to avoid future
embarrassment. This is a blessing, as Riker will not be monitored
while he and Geordi plot a way out of their predicament, and attempt
to regain control of the Enterprise. Meanwhile, Worf, O'Brien, and
other Enterprise crewmembers are plotting their way back onto the
Enterprise.
Most Trek books, in my opinion are made or broken by their
supporting characters. "Prize" is one such example of being filled
with very well written supporting characters. Valak and Korak are
two representations of the different trains of thought among
Romulans. Valak is a black sheep that still considers humans as
enemies, yet has come to understand and respect them. Korak is the
"typical" Romulan, driven by Romulan pride and believes that humans
are inferior in every way, despite evidence to the contrary.
From this point in the story, Crusher, Troi, Data and Ro
discover the survivors of the Independence while in the ark. Still,
not everything is fitting into place, as the Independence crew is
hesitant to spill the beans.
So as not to spoil the mystery of the ending and the "secret" of
Hermiticus Two, I will only say that it is not a disappointment. The
way it is portrayed, however, is a different manner.
Among the negatives are the constant use of "human sayings" by
Valak for most of the first half of the book. Fortunately this
desists. Another more substantial negative, however, is the "Scooby
Doo"-type ending where everything is explained for us at the end,
rather than having it acted out throughout the story. While it is
not necessarily a bad ending, it did strike this reader as a rushed
one.
In summary, I would recommend this book. It's a quick and
delightful read, that keeps the reader on their toes for the most
part. It is a step up from recent releases such as "Devil's Heart"
(which I would strongly advise against). It is probably among the
best Romulan novel that I've read in a long time. Still, to put it
in perspective, it would not rank up there with "Q-in-Law", "Imzadi",
"Vendetta", or "Reunion" (which would be my recommendations for a
first-time reader of STTNG books).
Happy Birthday!
---------------
June 10: James Cleveland McFadden Talbot!
Trek-related Products/Happenings
--------------------------------
Magazine news:
Scheduled for "Starlog" #192 are stories on DS9, and on a
never-filmed project of Gene Roddenberry's, a UFO encounter movie.
Also from Starlog is "TNG Magazine" #24, which continues its
writer/director interviews in this issue.
(From "The Westfield Newsletter")
New and exciting (we hope) comic book stuff:
"William Shatner's TekWorld" #11 (Marvel): Warbride returns to
kick off a three part story leading to the next Tek adaptation,
"Teklords."
"Star Trek" #50 (DC): Kirk and Gary Seven join forces in a
giant-sized 50th issue special. Written by Howard Weinstein.
"Next Generation" #48 (DC): "The Worst of Both Worlds" part 2 of
4 -- Picard plots to capture his Locutus alter-ego. Written by
Michael Jan Friedman.
Forgot to mention last month that Malibu Comics has a three-part
series, "Raver" being written by Walter Koenig. This month issue #2
comies out; Raver tries to stop a living planet from committing
suicide!
(From "The Westfield Newsletter")
And some random product news:
For model fans, vinyl kits of Data and Worf invade the market
from Geometric Design.
In books-on-tape, the new releases are "Windows on a Lost World"
(a TOS story read by Walter Koenig) and a reading of the DS9
"Emissary" novel by Nana Visitor.
And for holding your own Riker-style weekly poker games,
Hamilton Gifts is releasing playing cards tins, a set for TOS and one
for TNG. Each tin has two complete decks. For TOS, the card backs
are Kirk and Spock on one deck, the Enterprise on the other. For
TNG, the Enterprise-D backs one deck, a cast photo the other.
(Yes, from "The Westfield Newsletter")
Failed to mention last month -- since I didn't know -- ;) that
the movie "The Player" (recently released to video), includes the
efforts of DS9er Rene Auberjoinois as well as TNG's Whoopi Goldberg.
(Thanks to ever-alert Madsen for this tip!)
Personal Logs, Stardate Today
-----------------------------
Trade you 223 Wesley Crushers for your Captain Picard.
(A little trading-card horse-trading, from the comic strip
"FoxTrot")
Lots of competition here.... But we simply feel that Stewart's
work on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" took a dubious notion -- a
"Star Trek" retread -- and made it fly. He gave his role unexpected
humanity, gravity, and literate grace. His formidable screen
presence raises others to his level.
("TV Guide's" view on why Patrick Stewart was the best dramatic
TV actor of the 1980's.)
I thought it would be a unique way to remain unlisted.
(Star Trek fan Mark Shields, who wanted to be in the phone book
yet be unlisted. So he had his number listed under the name Jean-Luc
Picard! He also got his BBS phone number into the directory under
the name James T. Kirk. ;) None of which is against phone company
policy, according to a Southwestern Bell spokesperson.)
Credits where Credits are Due
-----------------------------
"Dateline: Starfleet" -- edited by Bill Mason. Comments and
submissions are invited via any of these avenues: America Online
(E-Mail to Data1701D), Internet (send to 'data1701d@aol.com'), or the
US Postal Service (753 Rively Ave, Glenolden PA, 19036-1118)
The Away Team of Contributors -- JACruz
Copyright and Trademark Notice: In no case is use of any
copyrighted material and/or trademarks without identifying symbols
intended as a claim of ownership to those copyrights and/or
trademarks. "Dateline: Starfleet" is a non-profit production
reporting and commenting on the universe of Star Trek.
STAR TREK is a Registered Trademark of Paramount Pictures. All
other copyrighted material, trademarks, and/or service marks cited
herein are registered to their respective owners.
Readers are granted permission to reproduce this file wherever
they think there's an interest. I make no copyright claims on this
file and encourage public distribution. Just tell 'em where you got
it from!
If you read all this, I hope it's cooler where you are than it
was here today. ;)
Dateline #36 will be out June 15th.