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First, some comments from previous columns . . .
Rene Charbonneau: I didn't want to spoil anything, but after seeing another person complain about the absence of the Borg on Voyager even though Voyager has supposedly entered Borg space at this point in the series, well...the season finale of Voyager will be dealing with the Borg.
Phil: Hmmm. Let's see. It's the end of the third season. The Borg are going to attack. Any chance that they will capture Janeway, turn her into a Borgette and make her their spokesperson? (ala "Best of Both Worlds") Picard was Locutus of Borg. I wonder what Janeway would be? Locutie of Borg? The CuteLass of Borg?
Actually, there was a nitpicker who sent in a funny play on words on this one but I never thought I'd use it because it contains a word that I normally don't repeat in public . . . um . . . (fingers drumming on keyboard . . .asadewfaeaeawe) . . . okay, I apologize in advance for offending anyone by this because it's really sexist and--though if refers to Janeway's posterior in a complimentary way--it nonetheless uses terminology that's unacceptable in some quarters.
Picture the scene. Voyager is caught in the Borg cutting beam. Janeway has disappeared. Chakotay is getting ready to fire the rest of the photon torpedoes. Onto the viewscreen, comes a dark willowly figure. It's Janeway as a Borgette. She smirks and announces, "I am la cute---
(Having second thoughts) . . . um . . . nah, you can figure it out for yourself.
Harvey H. Kitzman, Jr.: I read somewhere, a long time ago - back in the late 70's or early 80's after ST:TMP came out, in a non-cononical book (like the Starfleet Medical Manual or History of Spaceflight), that for some reason the soldiers that patrolled near the Federation border were surgically altered to appear like humans. For some reason the High Council did not want anyone to know their true appearance, and that the first time the true appearance of Klingon's was revealed was in ST:TMP. Some long time Trek fans may remember where I read this as I sure don't.
I wondered what they were going to do for Kang, Kor, and Koloth in the DS9 episode Blood Oath. However, I still think Worf's comment about "not wanting to discuss the matter" of Klingon appearance in "Trials and Tribble-ations" was a lame cop-out on the part of the writers.
Phil: Sometimes, there's just no good way to get out of a corner!
Corey Hines, Hamilton, ON: You stated that the line with Worf saying that isn't Klingon blood comes from the video ST:VI. I realize it's been 5 and a half years but I remember when I saw the film in the theatre, Worf saying that line. I remember it because one can really never forget Dorn's voice.
Phil: On reflection . . . I think you're right! It was the demasking of the Klingon assassin that was added to the video release (and the subsequent revelation that the assassin was actually Colonel West).
Murray Leeder: I was just thinking. Klingon blood has once been depicted as being purple. On the other hand, it has been red countless times, some of which predate Star Trek VI (in "real world" terms). So it seems to me that Star Trek VI is the sole offender in this matter, not the other way around.
Phil: (Sigh.) Could be! Unfortunately, I keeping hearing that growl of Dorn's saying, "This is not Klingon blood."
Chris Davis of Colorado Springs, CO: Someone has already noted that in ST:IV the crew was able to beam onto the ship while it was cloaked...now if memory serves in the TNG episodes Reunifaction I and II Picard, Data and Spock were apparently able to beam up and down from the cloaked Klingon ship in orbit without it decloaking (at least I don't believe they ever mentioned having a problem). Perhaps its just a difference between Klingon and Romulan cloaking devices...?
David McGrath of St. John's, Newfoundland: A second possibility occured to me -- that it's a second Voyager. After all, when the Enterprise got destroyed, Starfleet took a new ship and slapped the same name and call number that the old ship had. Perhaps something similar happened to Voyager -- SF noticed it missing, and named one of their new ships Voyager... mind you, there's a matter of a missing 'A', but hey, it's Trek. ;)
Phil: You never know!
Tom Elmore, Columbia SC: I may be wrong, but I seem to recall having once read that "NCC" on starfleet ships did not mean anything (at least at first). Gene Rodenberry wanted them to seem and feel as authentic as a modern naval vessal thus he created the NCC numbers, used names starting with USS, etc. In otherewords, he just liked the sound of it and thought it gave the ships credibility. It is however possible that since then the "creators" may have now come up with a "logical" (pun intended) explanation for the letters.
Paul Steele of Springfield, VA: Something interesting to note is that NCC originally meant nothing. In fact, the whole NCC-1701 came from someone's private airplane registration number (NCC1701)! I can't remember who the individual was, but it was someone working with props and/or sets for the original series. I have heard that "Naval Construction Contract" explanation before. I understood that that was something developed later to bring meaning to the initials. Is that now conical?
Phil: Couldn't tell ya!
On to the questions . . . .
Dave Gibson: Why did, In the episode 'Relics' Scotty asume Kirk had rescued him when, to the best of his knowedge, Kirk had died on the Enterprise B's maiden voyage?
Phil: This question comes up periodically. The creators knew this was a nit before they made the movie but they wanted Scotty in the film so they decided that they didn't care that it caused an incongruity!
Craig A. Livingston of San Luis Obispo, CA: I've been thinking about the Cardassian practice of extracting molars for idendification (Tribunal, DS9). Exactly what good would it do? I suppose they could keep the tooth as a DNA sample but I would think that a skin or blood sample would be better. At first it just seemed like an extreme version of identifying person by their dental records (like we do today) but even if one tooth was enough to positively identify someone, you can't compare an extracted tooth with the tooth of an unidentified person because that particular tooth isn't in their head anymore! So what do the Cadassians do? Sit there with a pile of teeth and try one by one to fit them in the gap in the unidentified persons jaw?
Phil: While I certainly wouldn't put it past the meticulous Cardassians to have a Department of Tooth-To-Jaw Matching, I would guess that the extraction of the molar is more for dominance and control than anything else. Real life societies with similarities to the Cardassian society haven't been above implementing policies that are senseless just to show they can!
Sue Medina: I've been wondering about this for some time: In a recent commercial for the Nicoderm (I think - might have been that other brand) patch - every time I see the woman who appears in this commercial something deep inside says "Star Trek." Has anyone else had this happen? Has this woman ever appeared in a Star Trek episode? Maybe you can shoot this question out to Guild members to see what they think, unless you already know the answer.
Phil: I think I the aforementioned actress but I can't place her anywhere in Trek. If I had a name I could look through my reference materials and find out.
Matt Nelson: What is O'Brien's son's name?!? Every time I hear it, it sounds like either "Yoshi" or "Kioshi" or something!
Phil: I believe it's "Kirayoshi."
Robert Ponchart of Livonia, MI: Hello, I have a disagreement with a co-worker and wonder if you could help me out? On the series Voyager, he says that on one of the first few shows the captain said the ship Voyager did not have holodecks, but I seem to recall Tom Paris having that dumb program of a french bar. Do you have any imput on this to help clear up this argument.
Phil: As far as I know, Voyager has always had holodeck. In fact, near the beginning of "Parallax"--the episode after the premiere episode "Caretaker"--Janeway asks Kim if he has had any luck getting alternative power from the holodeck reactors. And, there were several pre-launch reports concerning Janeway and a continuing holodeck story that would play over several episode. Although, that idea seems to have bitten the proverbial dust, if does indicate that the creators believed Voyager had holodecks from the beginning.
Jim Cadwell of Minneapolis, MN: In The TNG episode "Allegence," the fake Picard goes into Ten Forward, orders an ale and then ales for everyone. He then makes a toast to "the finest crew in the fleet", followed by a song.
I like that song. It goes something like this: "Come cheer up, my lads/'Tis to glory we steer/To find something new/in this wonderful year." Then there's some more before "We'll always be ready/Steady, boy, steady/We'll fight and we'll/conquer again and again." Then I think it repeats.
Now the question: Do you know the rest of this song? If so, I would greatly appreciate if you would write back and tell me.
Phil: No idea! Anybody?
Have a great weekend, everybody!
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Copyright 1997 by Phil Farrand. All rights reserved.