Michael Ballway of Evanston, IL: "I hate bringing down the wonderful cover art, but I noticed that the
TVs depicted don't extend very far back (to accomodate the cathode tube, or whatever the projection in the back is used for). The simple answer is: They're projection TVs. So then why do the screens curve in slightly at the top?
They use a display technology that contains a spatial isomiatic plasma discriminator to flood the front of the tube selectively with out the need of a cathod tube. That's why they don't bulge in back! (Boy, that technobabble generator really comes in handy doesn't it! Wink, wink.)
Season Seven
9-10, Johnson Lai of Ajax, Ontario: "In 'Interface,' the second trivia question asks the reader to
name the other three TNG episodes where Geordi had his eyes made normal (or something to that effect). The answer section only gave two answers."
Just playing with your minds! (I'm joking... I goofed!) Are there three?
David L. Tayman of Springfield, MO: "I believe that the third would be 'All Good Things...'"
20, Laura Dachenbach of Gahanna, OH: "I believe that I can make a pretty good case for Deanna's accent and in fact, I think it is the only reasonable explanation. Lwaxana and Ian Troi get married and enjoy the
services of Mr. Homn. They have Kestra who grows up to speak an American English accent exactly like her father. (Just listen to her in "Dark Page," her vowels and lack of nasality is like her father, not
Lwaxana.) Kestra dies but Deanna follows in her footsteps and also speaks an American English accent. Mr. Homn goes on sabbatical and a new servant ala Professor Higgins steps in to teach Deanna some rare
Betazoid languages in which he is fluent. How do I know this? Because Lwaxana says in "Dark Page" that Deanna was very good with languages. Where did she learn them? From her mother who can read
people's thoughts? From her father who was sent from mission to mission? From Starfleet who relies on the Universal Translator as an interpreter? Certainly not from Mr. Homn. No. This new servant (who
probably appeared on the scene when Deanna was about three or four years old and in prime condition to accquire new languages) tutored Deanna for a year or two and either deliberately taught her quasi-British/Russian accent she now speaks or caused her to accquire it from tutoring her in different languages. Mr. Homn returned from sabbatical and Deanna never got a chance to pratice her
language lessons anymore and may feel that she never fully mastered the accent. Hence Deanna speaks with an accent that none of her immediate family members speak. Perhaps this would also explain why Deanna's accent
is unstable and "shifts" throughout the series."
Well... there ya go!
39, Brian Lombard of Gaithersburg, MD: "In 'Homeward,' the second note under Equipment Oddities has a sentence that goes 'Not only does the HOLODECK go down....'. This sentence occurs during your
discussion of the turbolift journey of 44 decks when it was going to the bridge. I think you meant 'Not only does the TURBOLIFT go down.'"
44, Mickie Robarge of Norwalk, CA: "In the trivia questions of 'Lower Decks,' your second question asks, 'What is Ensign Sito's first name?' (Are you kicking yourself yet?) Well, I thought it was a trick question and answered, 'Sito.' But no, your answer if Jaxa! Since Sito is Bajoran and her full name is Sito Jaxa... but I guess you've figured it out by now."
Yup, yup, yup, yup. I should have asked for Sito's given name. (Although, it would have been a great trick question!
53, Brian Lombard of Gaithersburg, MD:"In 'Eye of the Beholder,' you ask why Riker didn't have O'BRIEN (emphasis mine) beam Kwan out of the tube. As I read it, I thought, ok, Phil's setting us up for more of his twisted humor. Phil knows that O'Brien had moved to DS9 a full season before this episode was made. But the punchline was apparently edited out!
I am sorry to report that the punch line wasn't edited out. This was just a brain cramp. I had been
wrapped up in NextGen for months and forgot that O'Brien had left. Come to think of it... it would have made a cute joke. Maybe the nit should have read, "And speaking of Kwan jumping to his death, why didn't Riker tell O'Brien to beam him out of the nacelle tube? Too much interference from the plasma stream? (Oh wait: O'Brien's on DS9. Well, there you go! That's the problem!)"
57, James Clink of Glendora, CA: "You err in stating that lemurs aren't in the human ancestry. [According to the theory of evolution,] the amphipithecines are ancestral to mankind and they are lemurs and just barely miss being monkeys. (There are times when a Ph.D. in biolgy does come in handy.)"
62, Andres Rosales of Oxnard, CA: "Is the Continuity and Production Problem from 'Firstborn' or is it from 'Dark Page'? (page 21). It says the same on both pages."
I have no idea what happened here! The last nit on page 62 should have been, "Is Alexander really Worf's son? O, did K'Ehleyr actually have an illicit relationship with (gasp!) a Romulan! As an adult Alexander bears a striking resemblance to none other than Admiral Jarok from 'The Defector.'"
(new!) 76, Matt Cotnoir of Coventry, RI: "I picked up on an error on page 76 under the episode 'All Good Things...'. One of your sentences reads 'Of course, us nitpickers...'. This is incorrect grammar. If you
take out the word nitpickers, which is an appositive describing the pronoun us, It reads 'of course, us wouldn't...'. The correct way to write this would be, 'Of course, we nitpickers wouldn't...', as we is the subject of the verb wouldn't. Till I find another error."
Actually, there are many grammatical errors in the book. This is *intensional.* It gives the writing a woodsy, hometown, kind-o-feel. And, since I ain't Data, I can get away with it!
77, Sara Green of Lake Elsinore, CA: "I have a few things to say about the Skin Flick Tote Board. First off, I think number three way a good way to point up Data's really pathetic modesty, but did you need to use such
a...picturesgue...example? How can you come up with something like that if the simple words "Worf in a tutu" gives you the creeps? Yiikkes! Ya coulda just asked how many times Data appeared dressed in
anything more revealing than a Victorian suit. The second thing is that maybe you should have allowed Lore, Q, and Lwaxana into the contention for "buck nakedness." They all showed off considerable skin
and, interestingly enough, all 'actors' involved were au natural in 'Datalore', 'Deja Q', 'Menage a Troi', and 'Cost of Living' (I know, I know, Lore was played by plastic pieces-parts at the time, but we did get a good view of his bare behind, and I think that counts!)"
Snicker, snicker, snicker. Ya know, every once in a while I get a hyperbole attack and like to push things to the absurd! Data's striptease seemed funny to me at the time. (Actually, it still does!) And, I admit it, I missed an opportunity with the contention for "buck nakedness." Of course, we'd have to add Picard to the list for his revealing performance in "Chain of Command, Part 2."
Star Trek Generations
89, Michael Ballway of Evanston, IL: "Starfleet might not have abandoned the Enterprise-B modification for Excelsior-Class. It could be that (Ahhhhh!) the ships shown in TNG are more than 80 years old. (After all, according to the Tech Man., the -D was made to last 100!)
Well . . . there ya go! See, I knew there was a reason Starfleet had drafted that dweeb Harriman to captain the Enterprise-B. Obviously, they adopted a policy of employing a bit less adventurous captains so their ships would last longer. If Kirk hadn't been onboard, the Enterprise-B would have sustained a *lot* less damage!
(new!) 90, Mike Leinoff of Glens Falls, NY: "You referred to an episode called 'Brother.' That wouldn't be anything like the episode 'Brothers,' would it? :)
Well . . . since Lore's dead now . . . (Wink, wink.)
91, Michael Ballway of Evanston, IL: "About surprise due to the Bozeman's operation -- could this be the Bozeman-C? It's not necessarily the same ship. Just the same name (Witness Enterprise A through D)"
92, Margie Kirschstein of Glendale, NY: "You mention that Kirk's clock should have chimed 11 times after the tune. Well apparently Kirk has a clock just like the one on my living room wall. At the top of each hour, it rings out the normal tune then stops."
You didn't happend to buy that clock out of the back of a guy's truck did you? (I'm *just* joking!)
93, Michael Ballway of Evanston, IL: "Why is Russ's appearance a nit? Certainly you're allowed to
LOOK like someone, right?"
I've been asked about my "doppleganger" tracking before. In my life, I have yet to stroll into a room
and meet someone who looks exactly like someone else I know; who talks the same, who uses the same mannerism, etc. etc. There are times when the only way you can tell an actor is playing another part is by
the credits. For instance, Tim Russ also plays a Klingon in the DS9 episode "Invasive Procedures." Personally, I had to look really close to tell that it was him. But, in the case of the guy on the Enterprise-B and Tuvok, it's *obviously* the same guy. And, until this happens to me in real life, I consider it a nit!
93, James L Morrow of Merced, CA: "One of the nicer things about laser discs is that the picture quality far exceeds VHS. That level of detail makes it easier to track down nits. When Riker pauses in the
doorway of the ready room, just for a moment you can catch a glimpse of the upper right corner of the main viewscreen if you look carefully. Likewise, you can see the corridor wall detail over the top of
Picard's chair for a second or two when Troi enters his quarters. I disagree about the sets being disconnected, since they started shooting the movie as soon as they finished 'All Good Things.'"
93, Johnson Lai of Ajax, Ontario: "You noted that the transporter officer of the Enterprise-B was Tim Russ, who also plays Tuvok on Voyager. But you also said that he played a terrorist in 'Captain's Holiday'. I believe you meant 'Starship Mine'. Also, I'm not sure but I think Tim Russ also played one of the Klingon mercenaries in
the DS9 episode "Invasive Procedures".
(new!) 93, Jackie Roswell: "Generations was released for purchase on Video today and I have already
watched my copy. In your book you mention that as the film progresses more characters start wearing DS9 uniforms. You also mention that females still wear the normal STTNG uniforms. In the scene where Data is scanning for lifeforms whilst singing there is a female crew member at the back of the scene wearing a DS9 uniform."
I should have said the main female characters (Crusher and Troi) were still in their regular uniforms.
(new!) 93, Jackie Roswell: "My boyfrind Julian Barker (Same Address) pointed out that when the two refugee ships are destroyed by the thread a crew member announces that the starboard ship is going to
blow but it is the left hand one that explodes. I know that it is the right hand ship from the other refugee ship's point of view but it makes no sense for bearings to be given that are not in relation to the captain's
present location. Julian tells me that this is what would happen on a modern day warship where all bearings are given relative to the ship except courses which are given relative to the compass. Tactically it would be logical for a starship to follow the same principle. "
I actually had this down in my list of nits but I didn't include it because I wasn't sure of the exact protocol and I didn't have time to contact someone about it!
Season One
103, Michael Ballway of Evanston, IL: "Ah-ah! That was the Eugenics War, not WWIII. For example -- did we call the Gulf War WWIII? Just because it's after WWII doesn't mean it's WWIII."
For me, the key distinguishing point here is Classic Trek identified the Eugenics War as "worldwide." The Gulf War was several nations against Iraq.
(new!) 128-129, Matt Cotnoir of Coventry, RI: "In the updated damage tote board, you goofed in the listing of the episodes where the ship blows up. The first one you list is, 'The senior staff watches a replay of the shuttles log in "Cause and Effect"'. The episode you are referring to should be 'Time Squared'."
Sorry, neurons took a vacation!
137, Evan Kirby of Kenner, LA: "I think you were up just a little bit late with the nits for this
episode. The last nit refers to a Companion as their central computer on Aldea. It's 'Custodian!' (Well, they both start with "c" and end with an "n" so I gotta give you credit for that.)
Season Two
172, Brian Lombard of Gaithersburg, MD:"You state amazement that Commander Maddox looks so young for a guy who supposedly admitted Data to the academy, as Data has 26 years of service. You
missed the obvious answer! Maddox used the now famous "Pulaski Method" to rejuvenate himself. I suspect that he's really about 60 years old. He must have found a sample of his 'young DNA,' entered it
into the transporter, and grown young
again. There's certainly enough time between 'Unnatural Selection' and 'Measure Of A Man' for him to do this. Wink, wink.
172, Heather Kent of Traverse City, MI: "You say that Starbase 173 is in the 21st sector, but actually, accordin to Cpatain Louvois in her conversation with Picard, she is 'in charge of the 23rd sector JAG office.'"
176, Sara Green of Lake Elsinore, CA: "The number of times Picard reads a book should include the time
he read out of Data's *very* nice copy of Shakespeare in 'The Most Toys'. (I am convinced, however, that the book they used as a prop was a Bible, mostly because I have never seen a copy of Shakespeare bound in a soft leather cover and thin pages, whereas I have seen inumerable Bibles published that way. I
couldn't read the printing on the page because of my less-than-spectacular copy, so I can't confirm the books real identity.)"
176, Michael Ballway of Evanston, IL: "An addition to the Picard Toteboard: The actor who plays Picard-B on Time Squared (which, incidentally, is the very next episode in your book. grin)
Season Three
208, Laura Dachenbach of Gahanna OH: "I like your point about Patches, Jeremy Aster's male calico cat.
However, my college roomate actually did own a male calico cat named Chester. I was fortunate enough to meet Chester before he died and can confirm that he definitely was male and calico. (You probably
know this, but in case you don't, the term calico is not a breed of cat. It simply refers to any cat with at least three colors in its coat.) So male calico cats are not so exceedingly rare that they appear once every hundred years or
something. Anyway, the one big problem hindering the rise of male calico cats is that they are almost always sterile and therefore have few chances to pass this trait on to their offspring. But Starfleet, whose scientists has
probably been messing around with animal DNA for quite some time, has probably altered the breeding conditions of cats and caused male calico cats to become much more prevelant in the 24th century.
223, Sara Green of Lake Elsinore, CA: "On your revised Romance Tote Board, you said that the consumable
Troi was a 'fantasy woman.' Troi cake has a romantic component?! To whom? Well, yeah, to Frued, but Frued thinks everything has a 'romantic component' and it wasn't his nightmare anyway!"
Ya know, anything I say in defense of the inclusion of the Troi cake on the Romance Tote Board would probably just get me in deeper trouble but I remain convinced of it's validity. (Moving right along now...)
239, Sara Green of Lake Elsinore, CA: "In your review of 'The Most Toys', you had a little parenthetical
statement about Data's statement that "Perhaps something occurred during transport. You said he was
probably lying here...well, technically speaking, he isn't. What he said is literally true but also deceptive. Wanna know what happened during transport? Data fired the disruptor, that's what happened during
transport! Data's got an interesting way to play with the crew's minds; all he has to do is tell them the truth in a way that will make them think he's saying something else and they believe him because they think he's to naive to be sneaky."
Me thinks I hear the sound of splitting hairs! In my mind, any person who consciously misrepresents themselves with the intent to deceive is lying. (Or... if not "lying" then performing some close derivative of lying.)
Season Four
274, Kevin Cassidy of West Carrollton, OH: "'Miscellaneous Data Tote Board', in item # 3, you mention there were at least eighteen times Data displayed a feat of strength. You mentioned several of these times. Don't forget Data also lifted an anvil in "Time's Arrow Part 2". He does this in his hotel room, when Jack returned with the items Data had requested."
274, David S. Durall of Charleston, IL: "The fifth qeustion asks about Data mimicking another person's voice. You listed the answer as four, but I believe the answer to be at least five. In the episode 'Sililcon Avatar,' Dr. Kila Marr asks Data to 'read' something from her son's journal files and, in doing so, does it in her son's voice."
295, Kent S. Siegel of Farmington Hills, MI: "'Feyhman' should be 'Feynman.'" (See 364 below)
Season Five
310, May Chin of Silver Spring, MD: "You wonder why Sela left Picard and vrew alone and unguarded in her office. I say again that arrogance as an Achilles heel is nothing new, and Dela was certainly arrogant and overconfident as all get out."
319, Evan Kirby of Kenner, LA: "In 'The Big Goodbye,' Data says 'He's on ice,' referring to Picard. That wasn't in the reviews for the episode or in the Updated Conundrum Toteboard. (i.e. Data used yet another contraction.)
Season Six
350-351, Brian Lombard of Gaithersburg, MD :"You spelled People as 'Poeple' in the headers."
Actually, the production people did. (Wink, wink)
352, Kevin Cassidy of West Carrollton, OH: "Under the synopsis of 'Relics', you state that Scotty was kept alive
in a modified 'tractor beam'. Actually, I believe it was a modified 'transporter beam'. Scotty rigged the
transporter to remain in a diagnostic mode."
364, Kent S. Siegel of Farmington Hills, MI: "You refer to a certain shuttle as 'Feyhman.' I believe the correct name is 'Feynman.' This would be a reference ot the famous physicist and Nobel Laureate, Richard Feynman."
367, Mike Ballway of Evanston, IL: "You bring up the idea that something's wrong when the Computer
doesn't respond to Barclay's "end program." No, it's much MORE eerie than that! Think: Barclay *IS* a program! Aside from Moriarty, the Computer supposedly doesn't respond to any other characters. So, not
only is Barclay still on the Holodeck, but he's a character as well!"
Insert Twilight Zone Theme here.
(new!) Kevin Loughlin of Kitchener, Ontario: "This is _Confirmed_. He was apparently transferred to the USS Voyager's memory shortly after it was comissioned, but when the Emergency Medical Hologram program was also installed, the Barclay program was forgotten about, until he was ressurected in the Doc's malfunctions during the Voyager episode 'Projections'. I rest my case."
370, Mike Ballway of Evanston, IL: "In your Technobabble Generator sidebar, you give pattern 3123
as 'Annular Confinement Beam.' To get that Tech term, you'd need 3122, not '23."
375, Sara Green of Lake Elsinore, CA: "In 'Birthright, Part 1,' you expressed some surprise that Data could handle his paintings after they were so freshly painted. You talked about advanced twenty-fourth
century rapid drying acrylics. After getting over my jealousy that Data could paint a figurative picture in just under seventeen minutes, I thought to tell you that backwards twentieth century acrylics can dry that
fast. Acrylics take about a day to really harden, but in the space of twenty minutes, a coat of acrylic will have dried to the point that it won't mix with more acrylic (trust me, I know...I've tried to get ten-minute-
old acrylic to blend! It just won't!) . At this point, you could still get color to come up on your fingers, but in an hour, a reasonable layer of acrylic will just be tacky. (Now if you do impasto, which is a very thick
technique, it will obviously take longer to dry. But at a convention, I saw the "paintings" up close, and if they had been real paintings, they wouldn't have been done in thick technique.) If the paintings Data
picked up were some of the older ones, (that is, they are at least an hour old) then the paint wouldn't come up on his fingers, assuming, of course, that he did use acrylics. (Probably he did; he is quick enough that
he could use the acrylics as if they were closer to oils and he wouldn't need the slower drying time to make smooth blends and all the other fun things you can do with oil paint.) I am impressed that in the entire
six and a half hours he managed not to get a drop of paint on his hands, though. Whenever I paint (or draw for that matter) I make a decent mess of my hands, and it's a good day when I don't get paint on my face and arms."
387, Ken Murtha of Albuquerque, NM: "You state 'That would be fifty hours--or four days--of normal time.' Of course, fifty hours is just over two days."
Brain cramp! Aaaaaaah
Index
394, Mark Belanger of Butte, MT: "I came across an entry for 'Aldebran, Scotty, 275.' I turned to page 275 to see who this Scotty Aldebran was. On page 275, the following line appears: '7. Makes Troi a Samarian Sunset in 'Conundrum' and offers Scotty Aldebran whiskey in 'Relics.'"
Ooops! Jane Farnol is a great indexer (I believe she's related to Nana Visitor, by the way). She just got a little too zealous with this one!
Back Cover
394, Murray J.D. Leeder of Calgary, Alberta: "On the back of the book, it says that Spot was a he for six season. Was it just me, or did Spot (albeit looking quite different) first appear in the fourth season's 'Data's Day'?"
The Unlocated
These were sent without page numbers or episode titles and I don't have the time to dig through and find out where they are! (Sorry, sorry. I'm a bit busy right now.)
Jackie Joe of Greenville, TX: "You asked about Wesley receiving credit for classes when he had not been accepted to Star Fleet yet. Phil, where have you been? When I was in high school, quite a few of
classmates (the gifted ones) did several college freshmen courses while still seniors. When I started working on my masters, I was allowed to take 12 hours of class before taking the GED and before being accepted into the graduate school. It's a fairly common practice."
How true, how true.
If you would like to submit a nit that you've found in the NextGen II Guide drop me an e-mail at chief@nitcentral.com. Put "NextGen II" in the subject line and include your name and address as it appears in my database so I can find you. Thanks!