This newletter is published quarterly (April, July, October, December)
1996 SUBSCRIPTION RATES (for postal delivery only)
United States - $10.00
Canada - US$12.50
All Other Countries - US$15.00
This newletter is also available free of charge to Guild members via email
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COPYRIGHT 1996 by Phil Farrand. All rights reserved.
Books by Phil Farrand:
The Nitpicker's Guide for Next Generation Trekkers, Volume I
(ISBN 0-440-50571-2)
The Nitpicker's Guide for Classic Trekkers
(ISBN 0-440-50683-2)
The Nitpicker's Guide for Next Generation Trekkers, Volume II
(ISBN 0-440-50716-2)
The Nitpicker's Guide for Deep Space Trekkers
(Release date, December 1, 1996)
November 21, 1996
Greetings Fellow Nitpickers and Proud Members of the Nitpickers Guild!
It's out! The Nitpicker's Guide for Deep Space Nine Trekkers (DS9 Guide) from Dell Trade Paperbacks is hitting bookstore shelves all across the United States, in Canada and the United Kingdom. (In fact, the DS9 Guide was released in the UK before it was released in the United States!) Thanks to everyone who has written to say they are enjoying the latest installment. It always does my heart good to hear that people are happy with the work. Of course--as always--there are those pesky little mistakes, even in a Nitpicker's Guide! One in particular that I'm sure I will hear about from now until the end of time is the spelling of "Jem'Hadar." I spelled it "Jem'Haddar" in the DS9 Guide and discovered my mistake late in production. I tried to get it fixed but it was too late. Ah well! (More nits on the DS9 Guide in the April 1997 issue of the newsletter.)
Also, the next Nitpicker's Guide has been approved by Dell. Yea! It's the Nitpicker's Guide for X-philes. Yes friends, the nitpicking franchise is branching out. I'll start the new book the first week of December. It will be released in December of 1997 (which means it will hit the shelves the second or third week of November). I'm dubbing down tapes even as I write this. If you're a fan of The X-Files and have spotted a pesky nit or two along the way, send them in! Don't worry about not knowing the titles of the episodes. Just give me a line or two description about the plot and I'll track it down. A small caveat: The X-Files is one of those shows--in my humble opinion--that tends to vary in quality. When they're "on," the creators have put out some of the best science fiction I've ever had the pleasure of watching on television. The space-faring cockroaches show comes to mind. That particular episode is one of my all time favorites of any series. Unfortunately, there are times when The X-Files lurches far beyond my personal boundaries of good taste. (And frankly, so far, I haven't been impressed with the fourth season of The X-Files. Me thinks the creators have spent too much time in the much-too-dark world of Millennium.) So, while I'm am excited about the new Guide and I plan to have a truckload of fun writing it, I do feel an obligation to make the following statement: If you are already a fan of the show . . . great! Let's have some fun! If you aren't, don't start watching on my account. The X-Files can be spectacularly clever television but it can also be unnecessarily and almost laughably grotesque (as in the recent episode "Home" in which viewers were "treated" to a bloodfest hour of axe-wielding mutants more appropriate for a B-grade horror flick). Because of this, there have been several episodes of The X-Files that I have not allowed my daughter to watch and she's in her early teens! Parents, take note!
The Nitpickers Guild continues to grow. As of today, it has 5412 known members from 25 countries (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Republic of China, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and USA). The letter count is approaching 7700 and the email just keeps coming in. Thanks again for your interest!
And, speaking of letters, just two days ago I found an interesting one in my mailbox from Darryl Anka of Wooland Hills, CA. He had received the Classic Guide for his birthday and had some kind words for the work.
He went on to add, "I am a special effect designer, now starting my own production company, but have worked on a few productions in the past, including Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Back then, we built many of the props used in both ST:TMP and the Wrath of Khan, including the redesigned phasers. Your keen eye caught the difference between the lights on McCoy's phaser and those of Kirk's and Saavik's [on page 342]. I thought you might find it interesting to receive an explanation of what happened.
"Being the Star Trek enthusiasts we were (and still are) We wanted the phaser props to look as real as possible. We packed them with functioning electronics complete with touch sensitive controls that would allow lights to indicate various settings. If memory serves, they were: Stun, Kill, (both neurological effects) Heat, Disintegrate and Overload. Shatner and Alley hit the correct setting for Stun. However, Deforest Kelley accidently hit the Overload setting, which caused the lights to flash in sequence. When we saw the movie in the theater, we were waiting for the phaser to blow. Fortunately, we didn't take the realism that far."
Does that sound like a great job or what!? I thought I had a good job. Darryl and his buddies get to build toys for a living. Cool, cool, cool. As Yakov Smirnov says, "What a country!" (Now if we could just get the actors to hit the right buttons-after the production department goes to such wonderful lengths to insure realism--everything would be perfect! Wink, wink.)
Looking forward to seeing Star Trek: First Contact tomorrow.
United We Nitpick! Phil
Still more material that was cut from The Nitpicker's Guide for Next Generation Trekkers, Volume II. As I have done all year, I stripped out all the normal subsection headings to save space and I've included a single sentence plot description in case you can't identify the episode by its title. This material constitutes the rest of the second season. Unless I hear differently, next year we'll commence with the third season cuts!
The Icarus Factor Star Date: 42686.4
Riker and his father bond by beating each other with sticks. (It's a guy thing.)
At one point, Picard tells Riker of Commander Flaherty, first officer of the USS Aries. Supposedly this guy speaks 40 languages and can translate new languages very quickly. So why is he on a starship? Why isn't he a special attache to the linguistics division of the Federation? After all, they still haven't figured out how to translate the language of the Sheliak.
In this episode, Pulaski reveals that she knew Kyle Riker well enough to marry him "in a cold minute." She also tells Wil Riker that the subject of her close relationship to his father never came up. Yet, in "Time Squared," when she compliments Wil on his "practiced hand" at cooking, Wil responds that he has his father to thank for that. To this, Pulaski expresses surprise that Wil's father liked to cook. Then Wil explains that his father didn't like to cook and so made his son do all the cooking. It's easy to imagine in this scene that Pulaski is simply being coy--not letting on that she really knows Kyle Riker quite well. However, when the truth finally comes out in "The Icarus Factor," why doesn't Pulaski just tell Wil that she didn't enlighten him concerning her relationship with his father because it was none of his business? (Instead of lying by saying it never came up.)
Just after introducing Troi to Kyle Riker, Pulaski walks into her office. Then Troi and Kyle follow and the counsellor sits down at Pulaski's desk. Troi and Kyle have a heart to heart talk but Pulaski never appears in the rest of the scene. Now, there is another door in Pulaski's office but I thought it just lead to a restroom. Besides, there is no door opening sound to indicate that she ducked in there. (Of course, the designers of the Enterprise might have made restroom doors silent in deference to the more modest members of the crew.) I suppose Pulaski could have snuck out during a close-up of Troi. Either that or she is standing in a corner pretending she isn't listening to the exchange between Kyle Riker and Troi and wishing they would hold it elsewhere.
At the conclusion of the episode, Kyle and Wil Riker have it out in an anbo-jyutsu match featuring blindfolds and large sticks, padded on one end and sensored on the other. The sensors light up and make a buzzing sound when pointed directly at an opponent. The match contains two continuity and production problems. (Fight scenes are always very difficult to do perfectly. Too much stuff flying around.) Just after Wil whaps his dad on the back, he swings around the sensor end to find his target again. The stick points directly at his father but the end does not light. Then, when Kyle sweeps his son's leg with the stick, Wil halts the match by yelling. At this point, Kyle has the padded end of the stick pointing at Wil. The shot changes, Kyle leans back and suddenly the sensor end of the stick points at Wil.
Thanks to: Johnson Lai of Ajax, Ontario; Wendy A. Largey of Attlebord, MA and Michelle Sutherland of London, Ontario
Pen Pals Star Date: 42695.3-42741.3
Data makes unauthorized contact with a little girl named Sarjenka.
Just after Wesley marches in to meet his planetary survey team, Picard makes a log entry stating that is has been six weeks since the Enterprise entered the Selcondi Drema Sector. The next few events apparently happen in rapid succession in the episode but a short time later, when meeting with Picard on the holodeck, Data states that he has communicated with Sarjenka for eight weeks. It is possible that two weeks elapse between the time that Picard makes his log entry and Data meets him in the holodeck but it sure doesn't feel like it. (Time flies when you're having fun?)
The doors on the Enterprise once again display an amazing amount of sensitivity. As Wesley tries to get up the courage to meet his assembled team he paces back and forth in front of the door to the lab. It never opens. Now, it could be that the darker area of the carpet gives a rough idea of where the door will activate. For the most part, Wesley does stay in the darker area. This acutally makes sense because it would tell crewmembers where they could walk without every door along the hallway popping open (which could be exceedingly inconvenient in some cases). However, if the carpet shows where the door will activate, then the door across the hall from the lab door should open when Wesley wanders away from the lab door and right up to the jamb of the door of that hall. Of course, it doesn't because it knows that Wesley isn't going in there.
For some reason, the lab where Wesley and his team conduct their planetary survey has a sign on the inside of the door.
Thanks to: Glen Melanson of Riverview, New Brunswick
Q Who Star Date: 42761.3- 42761.9
Q plays match-maker between the Enterprise and the Borg. (Now there's a computer dating nightmare!)
Is it just me or does Ten-Forward seem oddly empty when Q and Picard return to the Enteprise? Just six hours earlier, it bustled with life. "Chain of Command" tells us that the crew of the Enterprise works in three shifts around the clock. Wouldn't that give the "watering hole" a fairly constant stream of visitors? Time hasn't stopped because Riker and Worf wander in a few minutes later.
In "The Offspring," Picard tells Admiral Haftel that he completely trusts Guinan. Why then doesn't Picard beat it back to Federation space when Guinan tells him to get going? (Because it would be a short show if he did!)
Apparently the Enterprise has a few "kitty" crewmembers--the kind that bolt away from their jobs with little warning. ("I think I want to beeeeeeee . . . over here!") As La Forge discusses courtesy to food replicators with Gomez, the camera angle shows a female crewmember working at the center island in Main Engineering. The shot changes, La Forge walks past the island and the crewmember is gone!
Someone is playing with the glasses in Ten-Forward. Just after Q and Picard reappear on the Enteprise, a wide shot shows that there are no glasses on the bar. Yet when Guinan rises up from behind the bar, two glasses sit in front of her approximately two feet apart. The scene continues and when we see the glasses the third time they are only six or so inches apart. There is plenty of time and opportunity for someone to move them but everyone seems very engaged in the dialogue during the time when the movements would need to occur. My guess is Guinan has a nervous habit.
Zapping the Enterprise back home, Q snaps his fingers and the ship begins rotating counterclockwise. A shot of the viewscreen shows stars travelling from right to left. At first, this seems reasonable. After all, if the ship is spinning, the stars would race horizontally across the screen. The only problem is the stars should be going from left to right not right to left. (The ship is spinning to the left. Therefore a star on the left side of the ship would come into view as the ship turned and disappear from view on the right side of the screen as the ship rotated away from it to the left.)
Thanks to: Jason Barnes of Springfield, MO; Clement Chung of Ipswich, England and Paul Stevenson of Abilene, TX
Samaritan Snare Star Date: 42779.1 - 42779.5
Pakleds trick Riker into thinking they are big, stupid oafs and Picard gets a new heart.
In the NextGen Guide under Equipment Oddities for this episode, I pointed out the silliness of sending the Enterprise's personnel on long trips in warp-less shuttles. I ran the calculations and showed that the crew actually put their captain in a shuttlecraft with Wesley Crusher when they could have dropped him off at Starbase 515 in a mere 33 seconds, travelling at warp 7! In this specific case Patricia Pozywak of Elyria, OH begged to differ. She maintained that Picard would have taken the shuttle no matter what because he was embarrassed and didn't want the crew to find out about his operation.
On page 121 of the NextGen Guide, I mentioned that Picard gives Wesley a little speech in this episode stressing the importance of discipline--a fact that he learned when a Nausicaan rammed a knife into his back and out his chest. The captain goes on to say that he hopes Wesley never learns the lesson the same way. I pointed out that I thought Wesley had already learned the lesson because an "animal thing" shoves a bayonet into Wesley's back and out his chest in "Hide and Q." Molly Taylor disagreed. She felt that subsequent episodes demonstrate that Wesley didn't learn any discipline from the experience. (By the way, several nitpickers have written to claim that Picard couldn't have known about Wesley's experience because the captain wasn't on the game planet at the time the "animal things" impaled the young ensign. In fact, Picard was on the planet. The incident occurs the second time Q kidnaps everyone--including the captain.)
Many have written about the apparent mistake that I made on page 120 of the NextGen Guide. In the summary for this episode, I identified the two pieces of equipment that spew the Pakled-demoralizing hydrogen cloud in the final moments of the show as "Buzzard collectors." Several nitpickers informed me that these should be identified as "Bussard collectors." What these nitpickers did not know is that these collectors actually serve a dual function. Not only do they gather hydrogen atoms from the depths of space, they also have the unique ability to attract a particular breed of carrion-eating bird thereby providing the crew with a delightful change of pace from the normal "burned, replicated bird meat." So you can easily see, the collectors can actually be identified as Bussard or Buzzard collectors. (Is anybody out there buying this?)
La Forge puts on a good show in this episode. At one point he struggles to his feet, left hand pressed to his right side, and stumbles over to the Pakled. He speaks with Riker on the Enterprise and maintains this pose throughout the communication. Riker and the rest of the senior staff drop him a bunch of hints about what they plan to do while simultaneously convincing the Pakleds that La Forge is a weapons expert. Oddly enough when the message terminates, La Forge suddenly seems fine. He even wrenches his right arm away from a Pakled grip--the arm attached to the very same side that hurt so much just moments before that he had to hold it.
Each time the episode shows the interior of the shuttle from the front looking back, you can see two vertical bars on Wesley's console and four vertical bars on Picard's console. What are these for? Merely decoration?
Thanks to: Greg Bradford of New South Wales, Australia and S. Webb of Northborough, MA
Up The Long Ladder Star Date: 42823.2 - 42827.3
Picard plays matchmaker between the Mariposans and the Bringloidi.
Shortly after beaming aboard, the Mariposan leader makes a shocking request. The Mariposan colony was based on only five individuals. For generations, they have cloned themselves and the need fresh DNA. The leader politely asks if they might have samples of the Enterprise crew's DNA to liven their gene pool. Picard, Riker and Pulaski are taken aback. Riker claims such a thing would diminish him in ways he could not imagine. The captain unilaterally claims that everyone else on the ship feels the same way. Now, it just might be my backwards 20th century way of thinking, but I don't have that big of a problem with someone using my DNA to clone another living being. I am more than my genetic makeup. I am my upbringing and my experiences and my achievements and no one can exactly follow the path that I have taken. Therefore, my clone wouldn't be just like me. Similar, maybe, but not just like me. (Actually, it might be kind of fun. I could split the work load and get more accomplished.)
Do the Enterprise's fire suppression systems differentiate between candles and other fires? In this episode the computer detects a sudden increase in heat and activates a forcefield to smother the fire that the Bringloidi start to cook some food. Yet, in "Menage a Troi," Counsellor Troi walks in on her mother who is surrounded by burning candles. And, what about that "Howard family candle" with the plasma flame as featured in "Sub Rosa." Maybe it takes a certain amount of heat to trigger the fire suppression systems?
Picard makes a very strange pronunciation error at the conclusion of the episode. After sitting down in the observation lounge with the Mariposan and Bringloidi leaders and finding both parties resistant to the idea of integration, Picard threatens seizure of all the cloning equipment. Specifically he says, "Commander Riker has asked that your laboratories be inspected for ssssttolen tissue samples." (Emphasis mine.)
Had Earth encountered Klingons by early in the 22nd century? The Bringloidi leader expresses some fear at the sight of Worf and the Mariposan leader doesn't even bat an eye. Fairly calm reactions for someone as alien-looking as our dear Security Chief. (The Bringloidi and Mariposans probably brought a large stack of Star Trek video tapes with them and as such are used to odd looking characters.)
In this episode, Worf orders the food replicator to make real Klingon alcohol. From the expression of the Bringloidi leader who imbibes it, the tonic has quite a kick. Yet in "Relics," Data must go to Guinan's private store to get a bottle of the real stuff. Did some teetotaler reprogram the food dispensers?
Discovering that the Mariposans have stolen cells from their bodies, Riker and Pulaksi storm down to the planet, where the first officer incinerates the developing clones. Yet, in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "A Man Alone," a man is arrested for murdering his own clone on the basis that, obviously, the clone is entitled to the same rights as the man. Does this mean Riker is guilty of murder and Pulaski an accessory because she agreed with his actions?
Thanks to: Graham Garfield of Evanston, IL; Jon Liming of Signal Hill, CA and Clark Scanlon of Council Bluffs, IA
Manhunt Star Date: 42859.2
Lwaxana comes to the Enterprise in search of a man and thwarts a group of terrorists.
On page 127 of the NextGen Guide, I mentioned that I found it odd that Deanna would haul her mother out into the hallway to have an intimate conversation simply to avoid Mr. Homm. I also mentioned that they have the conversation out loud when they can communicate telepathically. Jim Lazar of Milwaukee, WI suggested that Mr. Homm may have spent enough time with Lwaxana that he can read her thoughts and Deanna knows this so she takes her mother into the hall and speak out loud to her, effectively putting them our of ear-shot and "mind-shot."
In the first Dixon Hill episode, "The Big Goodbye," Picard comes into the holodeck wearing his space suit and everyone makes fun of him. In this episode, Riker walks in dressed in his space suit and no one pays any attention. I asked why on page 127 of the NextGen Guide. Murray J.D. Leeder of Calgary Alberta explained that, by this time, everyone in holographic San Francisco knows that wherever Dixon Hill goes, a bunch of bellboys are sure to follow!
It's too bad the creators decided they didn't have time to show us Lwaxana's attack path after she sizes up Wesley and Worf. From Mr. Homm's gesture, it appears that Lwaxana had decided to pursue La Forge next. Wouldn't that have been a truckload of fun to watch?
Thanks to: Joshua Truax of Fridley, WI
The Emissary Star Date: 42901.3
Worf's former girlfriend K'Ehleyr joins the Enterprise to assist in a crisis.
On page 131, I attempted to make a joke out of the fact that the creators reused the footage of the Klingon ship from "Heart of Glory." I noted that since the ship in this episode supposedly came from 70 some odd years ago, the Klingons obviously hadn't changed their ship design in a long time. And, since "Matter of Honor" showed a much more sophisticated looking Bird of Prey, I postulated that the Klingons had grown tired of nerdy looking ships and had made an all out effort to improve. Phillip Martin of Anniston, AL pointed out that 70 years isn't long at all to keep a ship design in action. He gave the example of the USS Wisconsin, a ship used in World War II and 50 years later in the Persian Gulf War. David Foster of Charleston, WV added that the 80 year old USS Hathaway used in "Peak Performance" and Picard's Stargazer were the same design, demonstrating that Starfleet keeps ship designs in action for a long time as well.
Responding to my example, on page 130 of the NextGen Guide, that Klingons do not react well to trickery --in which I noted that the Klingon captain in "A Matter of Honor" slugged Riker after the first officer seized control of his vessel by having him beamed onto the bridge of the Enterprise--Lee Zion of the USS Kitty Hawk offered that the Klingon captain didn't slug Riker because Riker fooled him. The Klingon captain slugged Riker because the first officer insinuated that he was unfit for command. Lee is correct. I should have given a better example by noting the rage of the Klingon captain shortly after appearing on the Enteprise's bridge.
K'Ehleyr appears to have red blood streaming from her palm as Worf drives her fingernails inward during their mating ritual. Is that because she's half-human? Didn't the Klingons in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country have purplish colored blood?
Thanks to: Leanna Yip of Concord, CA
Peak Performance Star Date: 42923.4
Sirna Kolrami joins the crew to oversee a battle exercise only to be "busted up" by Data.
I realize it may be ego but why doesn't Picard just tell the Ferengi the truth? What would happen if he simply told them that the Hathaway is an old broken down ship and Starfleet is playing war?
The leader of the Ferengi vessel Kreechta refers to himself as that, "leader." What happened to the title "DaiMon" popularized in the episodes "The Last Outpost" and "The Battle"?
Evidently the communications system on-board the Hathaway isn't equipped with an "off-handed remark" censor like the Enterprise. Fans of the Nitpicker's Guides will recall that I started down the nitpicking road because of a snide remark that Wesley made toward his mother that she should have heard but didn't. In this episode, Riker speaks with La Forge about the Hathaway and Wesley whispers that they don't have a prayer. He forgets he's working with an 80 year-old communications system and Riker actually hears the remark. Justifiably angered, Riker rebukes the young ensign for his indiscretion.
Worf exaggerated a bit when he give repair instructions to a young female crewmember on the Hathaway. She needs some optical cable to do a re-route. She asks where she could find some. Worf yanks some out of the ceiling and tells her, "Anywhere!" Presumably there are some systems that should be off limits from "scajumming." (I know it's not a very strong nit. I just wanted to find a place to use my new word in a sentence. Additional note from Phil for the newsletter: You may recall that in the NextGen II Guide on page 194 I had a snicker over the fact that Wesley invents the "scajummed" during his conversations with La Forge about the Hathaway's existing dilithium chamber.)
They probably did it when we weren't looking but no one appears to activate a secured channel of communications between the Enterprise and the Hathaway as Picard and Riker discuss how to handle the crisis.
Shortly after beaming aboard, Riker sits down in the captain's chair of the Hathaway. In the wide shot, La Forge is off to his left and Wesley far off to his right. Then the shot changes to a close-up as Riker addresses his skeleton crew. Suddenly La Forge is directly behind him just to his right and Wesley is directly behind him just to his left. This allows us to see their reactions for Riker's little speech.
Thanks to: Patricia Pozywak of Elyria, OH; Brad O'Sullivan of Glenwood Springs, CO; Kathy Ruddy of Junea, AK; Bill van Heerden of Toronto, Ontario; Walter L.Wakefield of Portland, OR; Gary Wesley of Cambs, England
Shades Of Gray Star Date: 42976.1
Riker's bad memories kill microbes. (Too bad it doesn't work for the common cold.)
Michael S. Sharp of Tulsa, OK--responding to my wonderment on pages 134 and 135 of the NextGen Guide that Riker remembers things in this episode's flashbacks that can't possibly be in his memories--commented that this "plot oversight" should really be an "equipment oddity." After all isn't it odd that the machine can pull memories from Riker that belong to someone else?
Early on in the show, Pulaski admits the grave danger of Riker's infection to Picard. At this point it's still confined to his leg. Given her claim she could replicate new eyeballs for La Forge in "Loud As a Whisper," wouldn't it be possible for Pulaksi to cut off Riker's leg and replicate a new one before the infection spread any further?
I've heard of people dreaming in color (in fact, I think it's even happened to me once or twice) but I've never heard of anyone dreaming in another language and then providing English subtitles for himself as Riker does when he remembers his time on the Klingon vessel Pagh.
In the opening credits, Colm Meaney is listed. However, the creators used upper and lower case on his name instead of the usual all caps. (Pick, pick, pick, pick, pick.)
After finding the deadly vine and phasering off a thorn, La Forge calls for beam up. He starts the trip with his hands about waist high and ends it with them almost shoulder high.
I'm not really sure if this is a nit but it seems like one. At the end of the episode as Pulaski consults the big board to check Riker's newly restored readings, the first officer sighs and opens his eye. Then he leisurely shuts them. Moments later, he acts like he is waking up for the first time as Picard and Data enter Sickbay. (I leave it for you to decide if this was planned or Riker simply forgot he was supposed to be asleep.)
Thanks to: Todd Felton of Victoria, British Columbia; Brian Lombard of Gaithersburg, MD; Martin Lucero of Orchard Park, NY and Isabella Rips of Bonn, Germany
Here's a small portion of the input I've received hot off the Internet in the last three days on the new movie, Star Trek: First Contact. Response to the latest Trek incarnation has been overwhelmingly positive but I only have two pages to dedicate to it in the newsletter so I've only included a sampling the nits that arrived first. Two items from yours truly and then we'll hear from Guild members.
Personally, I felt that the addition of the Borg queen minimized the Borg threat. I've always viewed the Borg as a major threat because of their group mind, their Mongolian Horde approach to life. They just keep coming. You can kill them and kill them and kill them and they'll just make more! It's impersonal. It's automated. It's emotionless. It's the reduction of all that we hold dear in life to tiny, meaningless, unnecessary cogs in a giant machine. This is the Borg threat. Giving them a queen focuses all their authority at one point and creates a target that can be destroyed--debilitating the whole in the process. For me, although the Borg were more grisly, they weren't nearly as intimidating.
Also, I felt Data's line just before the audience realizes he hasn't been comprised could have been better. I felt that having him say, "Resistance is futile," confused the emotional content of the scene. The audience is trying to figure out if he is really compromised or not and in the process miss the impact of smashing the plasma conduit. It's funny because my nitpicking buddy Darrin Hull came up with exactly the same response and the same solution: The Borg Queen realizes the torpedoes have missed. She whips around to look at Data and screams. Data snarls, "Resistance is not futile!" Then, he smashes the plasma conduit. Just my opinion but I think this works better! Less confusion for the movie goer. (Not that confusion is always bad, but there's a time for confusion and a time just to hit the feel-good button.)
These first few items come via NEWS, The Nitpickality Early Warning System.
Rene Charbonneau of Vanier, Ontario: Apparently, at one point in Star Trek: First Contact, Picard, speaking about the Borg, says, "They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. The line must be drawn here." Correct me if I'm wrong, but is it not Picard's fault that they haven't gotten rid of the Borg by now? I mean, if he had not visited (on Guinan's advice) Hugh, in "I, Borg", and bonded with him, he would have used the invasive program, thus destroying the Borg. And, why didn't he use his experience with the Borg in "The Best of Both Worlds" to update Starfleet on the Borg's vulnerabilities?
Jeremy Jones of Oakdale, MN: I found an item of interest in the scene from "Star Trek: First Contact" that was show on the 30th Anniversary special. The Borg Queen asks Data how long it's been since he's had sex. He replies, "8 years, 7 months, 16 days, 4 minutes, 22. . ." Apparently, he still can't calculate weeks!
Bob Canada: I bought the new Playmates Enterprise-E ship. It looks a lot like a cross between Voyager and the Excelsior--the saucer section is flattened and more elongated on the forward plane, and there's no longer any "neck"-the saucer just sort of grows out of the secondary hull. The whole ship, when viewed from the side, has a very flat profile. Anyway, my nit is--if this model is accurate (and they always have been before)--the forward deflector dish is so far up in the secondary hull, that if you traced a straight line out from it, the line would intersect the bottom of the saucer section. Not a very efficient design for a deflector dish, if its covered up by the rest of the ship. I hope no one's actually in the very bottom of the saucer section the first time they turn on the deflector, because it'll probably blast it right off the ship.
John Latchem: I just saw an HBO special on the making of "First Contact" and I'd thought I'd send along an observation. It would seem in "First Contact" that the creators are going to have a little fun with this whole "47" thing. Obviously the writers know that us fans will be looking for the 47s in this movie. Well, in one scene Picard has Data tune to Federation Communications Frequency 1486. They set us up with the "4," and when we are looking for the "7" they give us the two numbers which surround it.
We now return to our regularly schedule broadcast.
Charles Gragg: When Data discusses anxiety in the hallway, the lights on Picard's phaser rifle extinguish for an instant. Also, when did Picard and Lily have time to change clothes on the holodeck? Or did the holodeck somehow project the clothing? (And give Lily the appropriate cleavage?) So, the Borg's personal shields work against energy weapons, but not against machine gun bullets? Speaking of machine guns, they don't keep clicking when they run out of bullets (as Lily's did near the beginning of the movie.) And, is it really believable that in a post-nuclear holocaust setting a man could construct a warp drive?
Gary D. Freeman of Calgary, Alberta: When Worf is out on the hull of the Enterprise, he has to lay his weapon down to release a handle. He puts it beside him and then picks it up. Later, that weapon is knocked out of his hand and rotates off into space because of a lack of gravity (Note from Phil: Maybe the rifle is magnetic?)
In every other case the Borg have had to place implants in humans to sway them over to the cause. Yet out on the hull of the ship a Borg had only to lunge at a member of the Enterprise and within seconds that guy is hooked into the mind-set of the collective and ready to kill Picard. (Note from Phil: New Technology?)
Now the whole story pivots on Cochrane hitting warp speed so that a passing Vulcan ship can "notice it." Didn't it seem strange that the Vulcan ship "doing a survey" wouldn't pick up the Enterprise in orbit around the earth. I mean those sensors are sensitive. Surely they picked up the shots the Enterprise winged off at Cochrane's ship.
The time travel premise opened up that big nit-pick I had in Generations. In that movie, if the Nexus could take Picard to any place and time, why didn't he just go back to the Array and nip all potential problems in the bud there? Similarly, the Borg pick Cochrane's Warp display. Why didn't they go back to 1996 and assimilate the Earth when it wasn't such a critical moment (I know...I know...plot).
Oh, and one final nit, over half the Enterprise is assimilated by the Borg collective yet the "E" is ship-shape and ready to buzz back through time in only a few hours. I tell you when Geordi cracks the whip there's no telling what those engineers can do.
Murray Leeder: First thing, it strains credibility that all of our favorites all wound up on the same ship again (it also looks like Barclay got tired of that holo-programming gig and returned to engineering).
Starfleet sure does change uniforms a lot! I think now, they are going through a "pallid" phase.
When Queenie slashes Data's skin, there looks like there is blood. Blood? Blood coming from where? It's just a layer of skin over mechanical processors.
Data sure has developed a sense of drama. Just why did he fire those quantum torpedoes that missed the Phoenix? Couldn't he just have spoiled the party beforehand?
The Borg sure have gotten tougher. Data had to ring that one's neck in order to finish it off. In "Descent, Part II" Picard just pulled out one tube and the thing went down like a Pinto!
In "Descent", it was established that disabling the holodeck safeties requires the authorization of two senior officers. Obvious somebody changed that, because Picard did it himself in this film.
Lily Sloane appears to be Cochrane's only assistant, at least the only one mentioned. But it appears to take three to fly the warp ship.
Why was Data's hair messed up at the end? Maybe when you enter the Collective they give you the welcoming noogie!
John Latchem: Under the category of PAL (Previews Always Lie): Data saying "resistance is futile" in the preview makes it look like he was assimilated. In actuality, he is saying it to the Borg right before he kills them. Also, one preview seems to make a huge deal about Picard breaking his orders. The movie quickly glances over this plot point.
Speaking of which, if the Enterprise-E really is the most advanced ship they have, and Starfleet doesn't trust Picard, why not replace him temporarily with Jelico or someone like that?
Gotta hand it to those starfleet containment suit helmets. Even when cracked, they still hold air!
So first contact occurred in 2063 now? And Earth supposedly began to recover from WWIII after this? So why in "Encounter at Farpoint" did Earth look much worse off in 2079, 16 years AFTER this?
Michelle Filippo: When Picard goes down to earth with the away team, he tells Riker that he has the bridge. Yet, later when Picard realizes that the Borg have infiltrated the ship and decides to beam back to the Enterprise, Riker is there beside him on earth. When did Riker decide to leave the bridge? Who was in charge of the brand spanking new ship while everyone was gallivanting around earth?
I don't think that there would be breakable glass on the Enterprise for Jean Luc to throw a gun through.
Jean Luc was wearing a red shirt through most of the action. Then, when the Borg Queen captures him, we see him in a gray tank top. Was it under the red shirt--which looked kind of fitted--or did he find time to change before confronting her? The Borg never bothered to remove or change the clothes of the others they assimilated. (Note from Phil: I heard someone say that Patrick Stewart has been buffing up and this movie gave him an opportunity to show off his new muscles!)
Lawrence Miller of Hopkins, MN: At the end, they tell us that the Enterprise's warp signature will be hidden by the moon - that's good, that's very important, since they warp off in plain sight!
When Picard released the mag locks on his boots and free floated, the gas from the deflector array should have caused him to move away from the ship, leaving him stranded in space. And why the 5 buttons for the boots, when all they used was On and Off, and the things weren't even labeled anyway? In space, no one can hear you press the wrong button.
When Picard breaks the display case, you clearly see the Enterpise D hanging at an angle - but intact. Then, you see it busted at the bottom of the case, with bits of the C thrown in - and I think the C was intact originally too. That was sloppy!
Even though it look cool, bringing a sharp object out into space is pretty darn stupid, Mister Worf - and the patch job he did to his suit would have cost him his leg, at least.
Lisa Shock: Too bad this ship can't separate the saucer section! They could then have just blown up the drive section, but the film would have been really short.
Lily should not have used her gun inside the silo. Bullets should have been ricocheting everywhere in that stainless steel & titanium tube!
The space scene has very inconsistent gravity. When Hawk is picked up by the borg, his limbs act like he's in normal gravity. Other things are floating around oddly. (Note from Phil: Zero-G film shooting is tough. We were all spoiled by Apollo13!)
The shacks on Earth are too close to the silo. NASA keeps everything a very big distance away from launch sites because of the intense heat, and danger from debris being propelled with immense force. I think they should have been destroyed by the launch.
How did they land the Phoenix? The clearing didn't have a runway, and while the Vulcans may be able to land like a hovercraft, I didn't see anything that indicated that the Phoenix used that sort of system. It would probably have to land like the space shuttle.
Sean Corcoran of Clifton, VA: After the Borg sphereship goes into the temporal rift, Data gives a lifesign reading of Earth: "Population 9 billion. All Borg." According to "Q-Who" the Borg don't show lifesigns. He should have read a completely empty planet.
David D. Porter: When did the lovely doctor go blonde? (Note from Phil: Personally, I prefer her as a red head! Even the First Contact action figure of the our beloved Doctor Crusher has her as a redhead!)
Early after Enterprise's arrival (and the Romulan Neutral Zone must be real close to Earth for them to arrive while the battle's still going) Data mentions damage to the Borg ship and Picard orders it onscreen. Whyever wasn't it already on the screen? What else could be more important to see?
Funny how no other DS9 regulars were aboard Defiant--and a Lieutenant Commander was in command.
Do you think the events of the movie will be discussed on DS9 at all? Me neither. (Note from Phil: Assigning the movie a stardate of 50893.5 does give them some time to work it in. The creators just might surprise you!)
Having worked with computers, been responsible for their maintenance, and so forth, I would have thought cybernetic critters would have liked it cold and dry, not hot and humid.
I didn't know starships were built from ferrous materials. But I guess they are, or magnets wouldn't be attracted to the hull.
Those spacesuits could use redesigning. Didn't anybody think about suited combat? They should be at least lightly armored, and the faceplates should be smoothly rounded rather than having corners. Not only are the corners weak points, they interfere with vision.
Geordi is practically shouting to Cochrane how his statue will be here, this is all a monument, blah blah blah -- all in the open. Who else is listening? What happened to not contaminating the past? Does history now record the names of Cochrane's crew as Geordi LaForge and Will Riker? So much for keeping a low profile.
Did Cochrane also invent inertial dampers? Aren't they required for acceleration to warp speeds?
Karen Farthing of Cleveland, OH: Why is Cochrane Chapter One of the warp drive book? Presumably the Vulcans who made first contact have warp drive capabilities and their technology should be vastly superior! (just Earthcentric thinking I suppose.)
The fingers on the pressure suits are too wide for the buttons on the consoles of the dish release thing so they hit two at a time.
If the Enterprise can get to earth in 3.5 hours from the Romulan Neutral Zone, couldn't the Romulans easily attack Earth by sneaking in a midnight when all the low ranking people (presumably) are pulling nightshift duty?
Richard Steenbergen: Notice the Borg cube ship design change? The thing had curves on the inside (even in Picard's memory, where he remembered things that didn't exist, like those fancy green electricity sparks on the heads of the Borg-Mounts), a completely different design on the outside, and when it blew up it didn't split along straight cube-like lines. Seems like they should have stayed with the old design, it was more effective.
How is Picard managing to overhear the subspace link?
Eric Brasure: This movie raises some serious continuity problems. (Don't they all?) For instance, First Contact says WWIII is in 2053 while every other episode that addresses it says 2079. (Note from Phil: Did Q say 2079 was the war in "Encounter at Farpoint" or the aftermath of the war?)
Kathy Warren: Since when is Data bulletproof? In "Thine Own Self", he was run through and totally deactivated by one puny human with a metal rod. Now we're supposed to believe he can withstand a barrage of machine gun fire without even flinching?
Brian Carcione: The Enterprise E has been out for a year now? It's two years after Generations, and they built the Enterprise E in a year? Hmmm . . . looks like someone's been using the industrial replicators again.
The Borg have developed a wonder-drug. All they have to do is inject the humans and, bam, they're Borg. In "The Best of Both Worlds," they had to do lots of things to Picard. (Note from Phil: This could be the result of advanced nanite technology.)
Craig Cicero: Throughout most of the movie, Picard wears a vest, while everyone else wears their uniform. Is he just warm?
In the deflector dish sequence. On at least one of the panel-screens, I saw "AE35" listed. The AE35 unit was the device in 2001 that HAL claimed was defective.
The end credits weren't very consistent. They identify "Picard" and "Riker" but also "Geordi" and I think "Beverly" and/or "Deanna."
Shane Tourtellotte: I wonder why the Borg keep going after the Federation and Earth. They scooped up some Romulan outposts in "The Neutral Zone." Why not try assimilating the other guys, just once?
And if resistance is so futile, how did we beat them the first time, and why do they keep making that empty boast?
Shoot the Borg sphere before it time-warps, guys! You do have weapons!
The Borg drill holes in the left side of Data's head in their first assimilation attempt, but the holes disappear later.
Data gives a precise time since his last sexual contact. If I got it down right, using the 1000 to 1 ratio, he last functioned fully around Stardate 42270. That's right before "Elementary, Dear Data," a year after Yar seduced him. Do I want to know what he was doing on that Stardate? Uh, probably not. (Note from Phil: Pulaski maybe? Trying to determine his capabilities?)
It was closer to seven years ago, not six, that Picard was assimilated.
Someone says they have less than 48 hours before Phoenix's launch, but the dates they give and the sequence of events shows it was really less than 24 hours.
Picard has Data lock the intruder Borg out of the ship's computer. Have they forgotten how to do this with a quick voice command (a la "Power Play")? (Note from Phil: Well, we know why Picard didn't do this! If our fearless Captain had locked out the computer, the Borg Queen wouldn't have been interested in Data!)
Data has had emotions over two years, and this is his first experience of anxiety? Did he spend all this time on Risa, Planet of the Love-Numbed?
Once again, the computer announces a self-destruct countdown, then says there will be no further audio warnings. Why the Queen didn't have Data shut it off immediately eludes me. (I know, she had to do it on-screen.)
If Data has biofunctions, as he stated in "Deja Q," wouldn't they get fried by the coolant gas in Engineering, not just his skin grafts? Wouldn't that do to him what it did to all the others?
David Conrad: It interested me to find out that the Borg can assimilate someone that has a spacesuit on, seemingly without puncturing it. This happened to Hawk while he, Worf, and Picard are outside of the ship on the deflector dish.
Adam Farlinger: These quantum torpedoes that we keep seeing must be pretty special. The Borg were hit with a ton of them and still couldn't adapt.
They just happen to have enough information from their sensors to create a way back to their own time--never mind that they lost sensors somewhere inside the first temporal distortion; that they've probably never seen this kind of temporal distortion before and that replicating it exactly would take them back another three centuries. They'd have to reverse the effect somehow. Has the Federation had so much experience with time travel that they can figure out any temporal anomaly in minutes now? No wonder they need "Temporal Investigations."
The crew spends a good part of the movie fighting their way to places aboard the ship. Why not just use site-to-site transport and save the trouble? I don't recall having heard anything about the transporter being off-line. They should have used the transporters to beam the Borg into a volcano or something. It would have saved them a lot of trouble.
Picard tells Lily that he was assimilated by the Borg six years ago, and that he had no individuality left. So how did he fight through all the programming near the end of "Best of Both Worlds, Part 2?"
What's with the access panels on the exterior hull? This seems to be something new and relatively useless, though it was a good thing that they just "happened" to be there when they were needed. (Note from Phil: Wouldn't want to put them inside the ship now would we?)
It took 3 people to authorize the auto-destruct (and Picard had to give 2 authorizations), yet Data is able to deactivate it with a few keystrokes? Does this make sense?
I wonder what the "official" reason is behind the Borg's new look? Who did they assimilate this from? Or did they just do it so that they'd look a little more fearsome to their victims. (It works. Slimy-faced cyborgs look scarier to me than chalky-faced ones). (Note from Phil: Personally, it looked to me like they had just finished assimilating the Peanuts world of Pig Pen.)
Lily doesn't seem to mind having been cheated of her role in the warp flight (I'm assuming that she went with Cochrane in the original timeline). She should have been the first woman in warp!
Philip Blaiklock: "Metamorphosis" from TOS established that Cochrane would have been 33 years old at the time of the launch. Here he looks 50 or so. Perhaps the difference has to do with the massive nuclear fallout/pollution from the world war.
Michael Ash: It seems that mounting Cochrane's ship on a modified ICMB was a bad idea, given that all modern (and presumably future, there's no reason otherwise) ICMBs are sub-orbital. They would barely get the Phoenix into space, much less to an altitude to conduct his flight.
It seems strange that Data would react so badly to a little scratch on his new "skin" but be fine when it's all burned off.
Alan G. Labouseur: Here's a really obvious nit: A security dude reports to Worf that the Borg have assimilated decks 26 up to 11. Later Picard tells Lily that there are 24 decks.
Harvey H. Kitzman, Jr.: According to the Star Trek Encyclopedia, which I believe is considered canonical, Zephram Cochrane made the first warp flight in 2061, not 2063.
Nothing was mentioned about Worf and Troi's old romance. (Note from Phil: That died quickly, didn't it? We didn't even get a "knowing look" between them.)
Was it just me, or did the endoskeleton of the Borg Queen look like the Terminator?
Matthew Murray: I'm not sure about this one, since I don't keep track of the stardates, but I sure don't remember Worf not being around DS9 because he was fighting the Borg, or the Defiant having to undergo extensive repairs because of its battle. (Note from Phil: The stardate on the movie is 50893.5 which means we should hear about the Defiant being damaged towards the end of this season.)
Where is the tactical officer or the chief of security on the Enterprise-E? We never see or hear from him or her. Yeah, I know Worf is going back to his old position, but those two positions are important. I can't believe the Enterprise-E simply wouldn't have them.
Johnson Lai: When Data first frees himself, why did he try to escape instead of going after the coolant tanks? (Note from Phil: Aha! A genuine character motivation problem! Picard's last intent to Data before capture was to destroy the plasma conduit. It does seems reasonable that Data would attack that weak point and conquer the Borg instead of trying to run away.)
Nathan Hurst of Miami FL: Though it is probably not visible until home video, I'll try to be the first to point this out. During the beginning battle sequence with the Borg Cube, many ships flyby including: VOYAGER!
Now this is a rumor that I have assembled from two sources. First, in one of the teaser/trailer TV things it can be seen (and if you stop and look it is there in all its glory). And second, at a convention I attended during the making of ST:FC , Herman Zimmerman was supposed to be there, but couldn't get away. So they sent his assistant instead (whose name I forget), and since he couldn't make it they sent his assistant, whom I really forget, but brought nice footage of herself as an El-Aurian refugee during Generations. Anyway, people were of course asking about First Contact and all she would say (since her topic she was using 'normal' and 'everyday' things as cool trek props, was "We included a lot of old stuff and ships in this movie . . . including one that we know we shouldn't have. The produces seem to think you guys won't notice, but we know you will." At first I had no idea what she was talking about.
Nitpicking. The Final Expression of Fandom. These are the Continuing Communications of Nitpicker Central
I always enjoy hearing from you. Here are some excerpts from recent letters. But first, a quartet of correspondence on the last newsletter. There were other alternate viewpoints offered but if I included all of them there wouldn't be space for the new stuff! Rest assured I did read them and appreciated the comments.
Density and the ID4 Mothership
The October 1996 newsletter include Brash Reflections for the movie Independence Day, Shane Tourtellotte of Westfield, NJ found the density of the mothership unbelievable. Lawrence Roberts of New York, NY had a different opinion.
"There is an obvious resolution to the density problem. The core of the spacecraft contains a quantum black hole or some quantity of ultradense material such as Neutronium. Now, why a spaceship would need such material is purely speculative (perhaps a gravity generator, perhaps a power source, perhaps part of an interstellar drive)."
Ah, The Joys of Sharing a Common Language! (Part 2)
In the October 1996 newsletter, I mentioned that the word napkin has a different meaning in European countries and Canada. Evidently, my information on Canada needs updating!
Alan Brown of Burlington, Ontario wrote, "This is very true in Great Britain. However, within Canada, although we got a healthy dose of British culture in the 19th century, we have had American culture flooding over the border during the 20th century. This has resulted in a lot of compromises. To whit, we spell 'tire' like you guys (instead of 'tyre'); but we spell 'colour' like the Brits (not 'color'). We say 'gasoline' instead of 'petrol,' but we also say 'chesterfield' instead of 'sofa.'
"One of our many linguistic compromises is napkin/serviette. In short, we use both terms to mean the piece of cloth or paper with which one wipes one's hands while eating. The feminine hygiene product and the infant hygiene product, known respectively as a 'napkin' and a 'nappie' in Great Britain, are referred to as a 'sanitary napkin' and a 'diaper' in Canada, eh?"
He Obviously Loves Her For Her Brain (Part 2)
In the October 1996 newsletter Josh Miller of Gouveneur, NY commented that during the Voyager episode "Eye of the Needle," the Doctor tells Kes he'll have to run a full neural scan to see how she learns so fast when he had already done a full neural scan three episodes back in "Time and Again."
Jessica Greenlee remembered, "It's been a while since I watched the show, but as I recall, everything in 'Time and Again' un-happened after Janeway figured out the cause of the destruction. (Remember Kes coming to the bridge the second time?) Therefor, the doctor never actually examined Kes, although he would have if the Voyager had caused the destruction of the planet, which it didn't because Janeway figured out that the Voyager had caused the destruction of the planet."
Voyager's First Contact (Part 2)
In the October 1996 newsletter Sean Corcoran of Clifton, VA advised that he had identified the Voyager in a preview for the new Star Trek movie, "First Contact."
Josh Ethridge responded, "The shot Sean refers to is actually a rough composite of two shots although I'm not sure why the creators went to the trouble. The first shot is of Voyager with the words USS VOYAGER brushed out. The second shot I believe comes from the NextGen episode "Best of Both Worlds" when the Enterprise Saucer is firing on the Borg. Voyager is not in the next movie although Janeway and company are going to go head first into Borg space starting in February. Of course, it's no coincidence that February is a ratings sweep month."
Not That There's Anything Wrong With Living In Canada?
Scott McClenny of Newport, WA noted what was probably an inside joke when he wrote, "I had to chuckle to myself yesterday while watching the Sliders episode 'As Time Goes By'. In it there is a scene where Wade says, 'I don't want to spend the rest of my life in Canada!' As you probably know Sliders is filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, so it if continues to be popular Miss Lloyd, the actress who plays Wade, and the rest of the cast could very well spend at least a good portion more of their lives in the Great White North!"
I'm sure that Scott used the term "Great White North" with only the kindest of intentions when referring to our gracious neighbors to the north.
Picard's Secret Identity
Johanna Sundberg of Varby, Sweden observed, "[In '11001001,' Picard says to Minuet] 'nous sommes tous parisienne.' Since 'parisienne' is the feminine and you always use the masculine when referring to mixed company (or company you suspect might be mixed), Picard should have said, 'nous sommes tous parisien.' But that's not all! Bear in mind that our beloved captain is male. Now, can somebody tell me why he would refer to himself as 'parisienne'? (No don't answer that. I don't want to know.)
Data's Accuracy Confirmed
Scott Vogt of Cedar Rapids, IA noted from the episode, "Unification II," "Data got Riker's hair right in the hologram. He simply accessed a memory of Riker. His brain randomly selected a recent memory and picked the one from the cave where they both recently his from the Crystalline Entity. Watch the scene from 'Silicon Avatar,' where Riker comes out of the cave. Same hair."
Of Course, With Friends Like This . . .
Pondering the formerly friendly relationship between the Federation and the Klingons, Eric Penner Haury of Vista, CA commented, "In the first Klingon TNG episode, 'Heart of Glory,' we see that the Klingon bridge bears two symbols: The 'Triangle-thingie' of the Klingon Empire and the UNish shield of the UFP with Klingon writing under it. Why would it have that?
"There is a Paramount-endorsed publication from the first season that I have seen that explains what the UFP shield would be doing there, but it's not on your canon list and almost everything in that book was later contradicted. But, there is canonical confirmation [of a closer relationship between the Klingons and the Federation]. While sharing their shuttle-craft ride in 'The Samaritan Snare,' Wesley Crusher asked Picard, 'Was that before the Klingons joined the Federation?' That's joined. Not became the allies of.
"However, when the Klingon Civil War starts in 'Redemption,' Starfleet is wary of interfering in the internal affairs of another government. The political relationship of the UFP to the Klingons changes from that of the USA to Nebraska to that of the USA to France. And now we know for sure that the Klingons are an independent major power and that they were part of an alliance with the UFP, not a member state."
Starfleet Door Technology . . . Is There Nothing It Cannot Do?
Henry Keazor of Florence, Italy wrote, "I think that I can explain two nits that you submitted in volume II of the NextGen Guide. Both concern our beloved Doctor Crusher and both can be explained with help from the pilot for Star Trek: Voyager! On page 340 of the NextGen II Guide, you stated that Beverly (in the episode 'The Inner Light') apparently felt the need to have her hair dressed by Mr. Mot since she suddenly appears with freshly curled locks. On page 352 (concerning the episode 'Man of the People') you observed that there must be tricorders available all over the ship since Beverly suddenly appears in the transporter room with a tricorder after having left her office without one.
"Now let's resolve these mysteries: in both cases, I can tell you, it's the doors which are responsible! Take a look at the pilot episode, 'Caretaker' from Voyager. After having her ship catapulted 70,000 light years away by the Caretaker, Captain Janeway heads for Main Engineering where a warp core microfracture is imminent. See her rushing along a corridor without a tricorder, her hair still mussed by the effects of the displacement wave. While trying to fix a loose part of her hair, she turns to the left and heads for an opening door. Cut. Apparently, the opening door leads into Main Engineering where janeway enters still in a hurry--her hair now freshly combed and tressed, and a tricorder fixed to her hip. So, there must be some mechanism hidden in the thresholds of these doors which not only procures needy crew members with a fresh hairdo, but also with tricorders."
Ask Not How The Bell Tolls, It Tolls A Great Trek
John Wyant of Hants, United Kingdom commented, "A quick nit from 'All Good Things...' When Picard and La Forge go to visit Data in Cambridge, the unmistakable tones of Big Ben can be heard chiming in the background. Now I know that a lot of Americans believe that Britain is roughly the size of Manhattan Island, but Cambridge is actually about 60 miles away from London!"
While proofreading, Darrin Hull commented, "Hey, the Eiffel tower moved in 'We'll Always Have Paris'!"
Works For Me!
Adam Farlinger of Cornwall, Ontario postulated, "In the nits for 'Where Silence Has Lease,' there was mention of a medical kit built into the Conn Station. I guess that's Starfleet's idea of a solution to the exploding console problem. Instead of actually solving the problem, they put medkits where they'll most likely be needed."
Beverly Crusher's Hidden Shame
Keith Alan Morgan of Summer, WA noted several facts that may shed some light on the strange relationship between the Ornarans and the Brekkians in the NextGen episode, "Symbiosis."
"The name of the star in that episode is Delos. In 'Remember Me,' Beverly Crusher reveals that she studied medicine on Delos IV. In 'The Arsenal of Freedom,' Beverly says that her grandmother had become an expert in what herbs can do. In 'Sub Rosa,' we find out that her grandmother's name was Felisa and in 'Symbiosis' the name of the drug that addicts the Ornarans is Felicium. Just a coincidence or is Beverly hiding a dark, family secret?"
Nitpicking Spawns A New Form Of Entertainment!
Anne CM Long of Cornwall, England wrote to say that she and her family have made a game of identifying objects that are reused on Trek sets. They call it "Spot the Props." Two examples from Anne's letter:
"A pair of pink-orange, horizontal, neon-light things, that flash: 'Datalore,' In Dr. Soong's deserted laboratory on Omicron Theta; 'Suddenly Human,' on the distressed Tarellian ship; 'The Quality of Life,' on Dr. Faralon's space-station-drill.
"A blue and white striped, Japanese style, ceramic pot, with a large, black handle: 'The Most Toys,' In Fajo's treasure room, behind them, when he first examines Data; 'The Wounded,' In the O'Briens' quarters when they are eating; 'Silicon Avatar,' In Data's quarters when Dr. Marr comes to apologize; 'Lessons,' in Picard's quarters while he plays his flute."
The Number One Reason Not To Stop Dating Female Engineers
After watching "Menage a Troi," Christopher Pope speculated, "So Ferengi transporters can beam someone out of their clothes? Has Starfleet considered the practical advantages of such a device? Instead of just disarming a weapon, why not leave the enemy totally defenseless? But then, of course, they'd have to worry about practical jokers. ("Gee, Worf, I don't know how that happened!")
Dissenting Opinions Are Always Welcome
Ian Hillier of Winnipeg, Manitoba wrote, "I have to disagree with your remark in 'Evolution' (Alternate Viewpoints and Corrections) that humans would have been able to observe at most, two eruptions since the third would have occurred in 1778. When you look in the night sky and see stars, you see them not as they appear now but as they appeared many years go. Sometimes millions of years ago. In essence you are looking backwards through time. Since the Federation has warp drive, they could send a probe or ship a thousand light years or more from the star and see what happened a thousand years ago. Or perhaps there is a nearby inhabited planet with a good view of the star which has been observing it for thousands of years."
News From The Front
One of our number was recently at Image G while the models of the original Enterprise and Space Station K-7 were being shot for the wonderful DS9 episode, "Trials and Tribble-ations." He reported the following.
"You could barely see them, but a Starfleet Galileo-ish shuttle and Cyrano Jones' ship were parked in the hangar bay at the bottom of the station. Jones' ship was named the 'Spacematic,' and there was a large sign on the rear wall of the hangar bay [that read]:
"'WELCOME TO K-7'"
"'NOW GO HOME'"
And Now, In Honor of "First Contact: The Movie"
With release of the latest Star Trek movie, I thought I'd send along just a few of the recent Borgs to come my way. These are from Jim Cadwell, Harvey and Elizabeth Kitzman and Murray Leeder.
I am Lloyd Bentsen of Borg (speaking to Dan Quayle of Borg): I knew Locutus. Locutus was a friend of mine. You are no Locutus!!
I am Bob Dole of Borg: Bob Dole says you will be assimilated. Assimilation was good for Bob Dole, so why not for everyone else? Bob Dole says resistance is futile. Bob Dole wonders why anyone would want to resist. Bob Dole . . .
I am Chandler (Friends) of Borg. Could I be more assimilated?!
We are Forrest, Forrest Borg. Our momma always said, "Life is like an assimilation: We never know what kind of prosthetic eye we're gonna get." Then she said, "Futility is as resistance does." When JenBorg came back to live with me, we was like resistance and futility again. Got to find BuBorg! I was wounded directly in the Borgtocks. Lieutenant Borg! New Borglegs! Look, JenBorg, new Borglegs!
Groaners (The Marquis de Sade Would Be So Proud)
Why didn't the Enterprise come to a complete stop at the interstellar mall? The crew was shopping on impulse.
What do you yell when someone falls off the side of the cube-shaped cruise ship? "Man Overborg!"
What do you call the alien who assumes Marla Aster's form in "The Bonding"? An Aster-oid.
You can thank the following for your pain: Joshua Clark, Murray Leeder and Brian Smith.