Section 31: Dark Side Of The Federation?

Its mission was supposedly to protect the interests of the United Federation of Planets by any means necessary does Section 31 represent the proverbial “dark side” of the Federation’s supposedly high ideals?

By: Ringo Bones

Renewed discussion of this rather esoteric aspect of the Star Trek universe was rekindled after the second season of Star Trek Discovery began visiting yet again on how might this rather secretive arm of the Federation came to be in the Dominion War era of Star Trek Deep Space Nine and its probable origins in Star trek Enterprise. But what makes Section 31 such an interesting aspect of the current Star Trek lore?

Probably founded in the 2140s primarily as an organization to protect the security interests of United Earth, the rather secretive organization known as Section 31 eventually evolved to protect the security interests of the United Federation of Planets. During the mid 23^rd Century, they were considered a critical division of Starfleet Intelligence. While by the 24^th Century, they were believed to be a rogue organization not considered a part of the Federation. The organization claimed to be sanctioned by the original Starfleet Charter:  Article 14, Section 31 of which allowed for extraordinary measures to be taken in times of extreme threat.

According to Memory Alpha, Section 31 was also somewhat comparable to the Romulan Tal Shiar or Cardassian Obsidian Order except unlike the latter two, it operated on its own without Starfleet's knowledge or consent. In the 2250s, it was mentioned in rumors and even had its own insignia that was recognized, a black Starfleet badge. By the 2370s, Section 31's very existence was a deeply buried secret, known only to a handful of people beyond its own membership. (DS9: "Inquisition") 

Perhaps Section 31's darkest aspect was that, while it had existed since the beginning of Starfleet, it was an autonomous department, having operated for over two centuries with no oversight or accountability whatsoever, even free to kill those it deemed a threat to Federation interests at its own discretion. (DS9: "When It Rains...") By the time of the Dominion War, at least some of Starfleet Command's top officers knew for certain of Section 31's existence, and on occasion even worked with them to serve the interests of the Federation. However, for the sake of propriety, they tended to keep as much distance from the organization as possible. (DS9: "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges") As far as Section 31 itself was concerned, it seemed to have well-placed agents in nearly every level of both the civilian Federation government and Starfleet's command structure, allowing it to carry out operations without risk of being publicly exposed. (DS9: "Extreme Measures")

Even though Memory Alpha already has a very detailed entry on Section 31 and there are already proposals to make it into a live action Star Trek series before the COVID-19 shutdown, Section 31 is still probably one of the least discussed aspects of Gene Rodenberry’s Star Trek universe and only the most knowledgeable of Star trek fans know of its existence. And more importantly, portrayals of Section 31 that eventually gets used in an official current Star Trek TV series script or teleplay can be heavily influenced by the zeitgeist when it was written.

Section 31 in Star Trek Deep Space Nine was heavily influenced by the 1990s era of the American people’s distrust on the government when it comes on how much the military knows about intelligent extra-terrestrial life. Like back in 1995, probably all Star Trek fans reject the Pentagon’s explanation of the July 1947 Roswell crash was nothing more than a top secret balloon borne nuclear explosion detecting device. I mean it was only in 2013 that the US Government finally made it official that Area 51 exists even though every Star Trek and X-Files fan already knew that this place is real and experimenting on captured alien tech back in the 1990s.

Section 31 during Deep Space Nine could be considered most interesting from my perspective because it mirrored the shenanigans on what the then US President George Dubya Bush’s so-called neo conservatives’ reaction and policies after 9/11 even though the DS-9 era Section 31 was probably written 5 or more years before 9/11. Though, the Star Trek Discovery era Section 31 is the full-bloom of the concept because of contemporary Trumpism and the American right wing conservatives’ normalization of intellectual ineptness.

Has Kevin Spacey’s Sexual Misconduct Shaken The Star Trek Universe?

Although it happened over 30 years ago, has Kevin Spacey’s alleged sexual misconduct with an underage cast of Star Trek shaken every seasoned Trekkie and Trekker?

By: Ringo Bones

Although many have angered in the recent Kevin Spacey apologizing for a sexual misconduct with Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp that happened back in 1986, the revelation have indeed shaken the largely complacent Hollywood entertainment industry. Many have asked whether to continue to patronize the collective thespian works of Kevin Spacey for artistic reasons or to boycott it as a matter of principle; Though many will chose to sympathize with Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp given that back in 1986, Rapp was only 14 and Spacey was 26.

During his entire acting career, Spacey was very private about his sex life, sadly, when he chose to come out in 2017 – it resulted in the tumbling out of skeletons out of his closet so to speak. Despite of the sordid state of affairs uncovered in Spacey’s revelations, some good did manage to come out of it. It managed to empower anyone to speak out about inappropriate sexual advances committed by those in authority – and it probably nudged a number of Trekkies and Trekkers to watch again Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home whether to check if Anthony Rapp was part of the cast; Though I did found out that Go Go’s guitarist Jane Wiedlin was part of the cast as an alien communications officer.

Colonel Philip Green: Star Trek’s Most Mysterious Villain?

Despite reappearing sporadically in Star Trek: Next Generation and in a couple of episodes in Star Trek: Enterprise, why is it that Col. Green remains a “mysterious” villain to the casual Trekkie?

By: Ringo Bones 

Despite the actor Philip Pine saying that Col. Green was one of the most recognizable villains of Star Trek, it seems that to younger Trek fans – especially those born after the last episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation aired back in 1994 – Colonel Philip Green is still a relatively obscure minor character that, to them, is probably reserved for high-stakes Star Trek trivia games. But despite his picture inexplicably appearing in TNG after Data was assimilating the Dixon Hill novels prior to participating in a Holodeck role-play in the episode The Big Goodbye, and a few episodes in the 21^st Century era Enterprise, why is it that Col. Philip Green is still a relatively obscure and mysterious villain to the young Trekkie? 

When he first appeared in the original Star Trek series episode titled Savage Curtain, Colonel Philip Green was a despotic militia leader on Earth in the 21^st Century during World War III, Green, known for his motto: “Overwhelm and devastate,” was notorious for striking at his enemies during treaty negotiations. During the war, Green led a faction of violent eco-terrorists whose actions led to the death of 37-million people. Barely two years after a cease-fire had ended the war Green ordered the euthanasia of thousands of radiation-sickened humans so they would not pass on mutations to future generations. Green outlined his rationale by speaking to a crowd about how they must “reject the impure and cast it out.” This act was met with mixed feelings by survivors, may regarding him nothing more than a genocidal madman. Others saw him as a pragmatic visionary who “humanely” euthanized radiation-afflicted individuals, preventing those afflicted and their descendents from passing on deadly mutations and the suffering that would come to that. (ENT: “Demons”) This controversial and posthumous view of Col. Green resulted in the heated debates about him and the impact of his policies for many years; among the students of Green’s teachings, years afterward, John Frederick Paxton made use of his ideologies to lead a group known as Terra Prime in an unsuccessful bid to expel all non-humans from the Sol System in 2155 (ENT:”Terra Prime”). 

As a Star Trek fan himself, Philip Pine – the actor who played Col. Philip Green when he first appeared in Star Trek TOS – was delighted to receive the role of Green, play the part, and be associated with it. “The character of Green was well-written,” he remarked. To the first generation of Trekkies, Col. Green proved extremely popular. Although Philip Pine had previously played many villains in television productions, he found Col. Green to be most often recognized by Trekkies at the time. “I think Colonel Green is probably well-remembered because he was such an unmitigated bastard,” Pine mused. “He had no redeeming qualities at all, none. The guy’s smile was even sinister! He probably had bad teeth and they hurt. Everything about him was bad.” Col. Green’s timeline in the Star Trek universe happened way after the Eugenics Wars / Gene Roddenberry's Sino Indian War of 1992 – 1996. 

Lucille Ball: Star Trek’s Godmother?

Even though not all Star Trek fans have known her importance on the existence of Star Trek, would Star Trek in its current beloved form still exist today if not for Lucille Ball?

By: Ringo Bones 

Without the help of Lucille Ball, Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek would have been the most brilliant still-born idea in 1960s Hollywood. But what do I Love Lucy and Star Trek have in common? 

Back in 1964, Star Trek creator Gene Rodenberry found a home for his still fledgling science fiction series at Desilu Productions, the studio founded in 1951 by the husband and wife team of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz who became television superstars in the 1950s with the groundbreaking sitcom I Love Lucy and hence the name Desilu - which is a contracted combination of Desi and Lucy. By 1964, the couple divorced and Lucille Ball became the sole owner of the lucrative studio making her a true Hollywood player – which was a rarity for a woman in the 1960s. But some within her studio weren’t very excited by Roddenberry’s ideas. Ball took a liking to the writer and the Star trek concept and it was her influence that would eventually keep the show alive when most other shows would have been scrapped by the powers-that-be. 

In 1965, Roddenberry got a pilot order from NBC and produced the original Star Trek pilot titled “The Cage”. It was rejected by the network execs because it was deemed “too cerebral” and for most pilots that’s where the story would have ended. Luckily for Roddenberry, he had Ball on his side. The story goes that Ball still thought that the Star Trek idea had legs and used her considerable influence in television to push for NBC to give Roddenberry a second chance. The network made the exceedingly rare move of ordering a second pilot from Roddenberry who overhauled almost the entire cast of characters from “The Cage” and eventually produced “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. The pilot was accepted, the show was given a series order and the rest is history. So if it weren’t for the Hollywood clout, and eye for story, of an iconic redheaded comedienne-turned-mogul, we might not have Star Trek as we now it today.

Farewell, Mr. Spock

Often described as a presence rather than a mere acting role Star Trek fans around the world now mourns the passing of a science fiction acting legend.

By: Ringo Bones 

After being hospitalized a few days ago, science fiction acting legend Leonard Nimoy, more famously known as the half Vulcan half human science officer Mr. Spock in Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek passed away in his Los Angeles home on February 27, 2015 at the age of 83 after suffering from a chronic lung ailment. Star Trek fans around the world now mourns his passing given Nimoy’s last “profound” Tweet was about a beautiful garden preserved only in memory plus his iconic catch-phrase: “Live long and prosper”.

U.S. President Barack Obama even sent his tribute quoting “Long before nerdy was cool, there was Leonard Nimoy.” And the U.S. space agency NASA also sends their tributes to Nimoy given that most of their staff that got hired after the Apollo program were inspired by the original Gene Roddenberry Star Trek to sign up for NASA – some even became space faring astronauts.

Growing up in an Orthodox Jewish family in Catholic Boston, Leonard Nimoy knew firsthand how it feels like to be an outsider. Despite being well-known for his role in Star Trek, Nimoy’s first breakthrough acting role was in Republic Production’s Zombies of the Stratosphere were he plays as a Martian spacecraft pilot and in an interview back in the 1990s, Nimoy finds the role fascinating not only because of how cheap the production cost was in comparison to the rather good finished product but also on the Martian ray-gun props used which he describes as “.38 caliber revolvers with fins attached”. Which now make those ultra-rare Zombies of the Stratosphere posters often spotted in the History Channel's The Pickers an extremely coveted and extremely expensive artifact. Also, Nimoy was the only one in the original cast of the Star Trek: The Cage TV series pilot that went on to be a part of the original 1960s era Gene Roddenberry series.

Leonard Nimoy’s “claim to fame” went beyond Star Trek he also appeared in the original 1960s era Mission: Impossible TV series and Sherlock Holmes. Nimoy also recorded 7 albums, one of the most famous of which was the Ballad of Bilbo Baggins and a now forgotten musical collaboration with 1960s era cowboy star Jack Palance. Leonard Nimoy will surely be missed by the global Star Trek community as he departs from our plane of existence to “boldly go where no one has gone before". 

Is the Star Trek Franchise Pro Dalai Lama and Pro Free Tibet?

As it was with Gene Roddenberry as it is now with J.J. Abrams, has the Star Trek franchise always been pro Dalai Lama and pro Free Tibet?


By: Ringo Bones


Whether he really intentionally showed it or not, the truth can be self-evident for some Trekkers and Trekkies whether – during his lifetime – Gene Roddemberry was ever sympathetic with the causes of His Holiness, The Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet. From Roddenberry’s frequent use of the Sino-Indian War of 1962 as a creative science fiction literary tool to various Star Trek episodes mimicking the Dalai Lama’s exile into Dharamsala, India after Tibet was unlawfully annexed by the Beijing Government back in 1959. But is this proof enough that Gene Roddenberry is pro Dalai Lama and pro free Tibet?

Tales about strategically insignificant political and spiritual figures being pursued by an imperialist power with utter disregard of that imperialist power’s own eventually limited military resource. Like not following aspects of Sun Tsu’s Art of War when it comes to leaving alone strategically insignificant targets to fulfill the desired main objective. Like that Star Trek: Enterprise episode titled Fallen Hero. Where the Vulcan Ambassador named V’Lar - a strategically insignificant target - was pursued by corrupt alien agents with no regards to their limited resource.

J.J. Abrams even exploited this apparently “inexplicable” link of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Freedom cause to the Star Trek franchise. Like his decision to use one of the songs of the Beastie Boys – an unabashed Tibetan Freedom and Milarepa Fund supporters – titled Sabotage as part of the soundtrack of the latest Star Trek movie. Future moves to make the Star Trek franchise even pro Dalai Lama and pro Tibetan Freedom Movement would probably involve guest appearance of traditional Tibetan musicians and dancers. Like Yungchen Lhamo, Nawang Khechog and Chaksampa to make guest appearances in coming Star Trek episodes, movies and even on official Star Trek conventions.

Trekkies v. Trekkers

Former Star Trek TNG star Denise Crosby may have initiated this Kultur Kampf back in a 1996 Star Trek documentary, but which of the two pass muster as the official term for a Star Trek fan?


By: Ringo Bones


The two terminology’s Kultur Kampf probably gained worldwide attention in the 1996 documentary about the universe of Star Trek fans titled Trekkies. Unfortunately, the issue never became fully resolved. Even in the documentaries’ sequel seemed to have devolved into name-calling – i.e. overtly-zealous and overtly-obsessive Star Trek fans should be called Trekkies while serious-but-levelheaded Star Trek fans/enthusiasts should be called Trekkers. But who’s right?

Trekkers may have an unfair advantage over this because most Windows OS equipped computers’ spellchecker accepts the term as legit while Trekkies – especially in older versions of Windows OS – show up as a misspell. The term Trekkies does have the precedent because even as a “mere casual” Star Trek fan, I already heard the term being used in the first few Star Trek conventions during the late 1970s and in the early 1980s. William Shatner (Captain Kirk) and Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock) seem to have chosen the term Trekkies out of habit when addressing to their fanbase at every Star Trek convention even though they are increasingly being corrected to use the term Trekkers instead around the mid 1990s.

From my perspective, it does not seem that much relevant to me whether the proper term is Trekkies or Trekkers in describing Star Trek fans. To me there are just two kinds of Star Trek fans – the good ones and the bad ones. Even though I may seem like just one of those “minimalist” Star Trek fans – i.e. purchasing a Star Trek T-shirt or two and buying discounted memorabilia or two. I do draw a line on some obsessive Star trek fans.

Putting on Klingon make-up and reciting Shakespearean sonnets in Klingon is okay with me, but harassing convention-goers on the parking lot by donning full Klingon garb and yelling Klingon expletives and imprecations and passersby is just over the top for me. While some are maybe a tad too unforgiving by declaring that Trekkers means “well-behaved” and mature Star Trek fans while Trekkies should be used to refer to those immature over the top Star Trek fans. A bit harsh, but a lot of Star Trek fans I know seem to agree with this view.

Star Trek-Themed Search Engine Optimization

For Star Trek enthusiasts desperately seeking on-line exposure and access to interesting Star Trek themed sites, are Star Trek themed search engine optimization techniques the answer?


By: Ringo Bones


Believe it or not, it is still not easy in the digital age for a skilled budding science fiction writer – even those specializing in Star Trek-themed stories – to get the on-line exposure and connections they desperately need in order to gain some form of financial success. Not to mention those who want to set-up a Star Trek-themed on-line memorabilia trading website. But can a Star Trek-themed search engine optimization scheme serve as a solution?

To the uninitiated, search engine optimization - or SEO – is the process of increasing the quantity and improving the quality of traffic to a particular website from search engine search results via natural or unpaid – also known as organic or algorithmic – search results. It is often mistaken for search engine marketing – or SEM – which is a scheme that deals with website inclusions that are often paid by their owner or operator. In actual practice, the earlier or the higher the search rank of a particular website in the search engine result listings, the higher the probability that it will have more visitors it will receive if that particular search engine is used. Search engine optimization may target different kinds of search strategies and methods, including image search (Bing), local search, video search (You Tube) and industry-specific vertical search engines to give a particular website “web-presence”.

The term “search engine friendly” is commonly used to describe website designs, menus, content, management systems, images, videos, shopping carts, and other elements that had been optimized for the purpose of increased probability of search engine exposure. Black hat SEO or spamdexing is a class of SEO techniques that often use methods of questionable legality, such as link farms, keyword stuffing and article spinning. Often found in Friedrich Nietzsche search results when using leading search engines, these SEO “tricks” more often than not tend to degrade both the relevance of the search result and user’s experience (confidence?) of that particular search engine.

Ideally, search engines should be inherently “net-neutral” whenever it is assigned to search a particular subject – i.e. in neither favors or disfavors a particular website and should rank the results according to true algorithmic or organic search ranking criterion. But in the real world, search engines owned by certain search engine providers only practice net neutrality only up to a point. More often than not, search engine providers prioritize search results to websites that have a beneficially lucrative corporate relationship with them. Proving the adage that neutrality – like altruism – is seldom free. And yet some search engine providers do manage to prop-up a semblance of net neutrality by sometimes favoring Bohemian-like specialty websites from time to time.

So what does this leave to your typical Star Trek themed websites that have something more special to say in comparison to the run-of-the-mill sort? Well, if you choose to go via the online world’s equivalent of a word-of-mouth website endorsement – i.e. by checking your online buddy’s roster of Star Trek themed blogs and websites that they are following – then there is little much else to chose from that’s free of charge. Looks like were stuck with the old way of doing things if we want to know which particular literary works by Doris Lessing or Philip K. Dick is ever adapted for a Star Trek episode, we’ll have to ask our not so friendly local eccentric and egocentric grand Trekkie / Trekker. Or even the bluebook pricing of mint-condition late 1960s era Star Trek memorabilia.

The Knighting of Patrick Stewart: Long Time Coming?

As the venerable Shakespearean actor who gave life to Captain Jean-Luc Picard, did the knighting of Patrick Stewart still came as surprise to most Star Trek fans?


By: Ringo Bones


In our local Star Trek fandom in our own little corner of the world, the news did came as a surprise to us when Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II named the venerable Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart as part of the roster of those to be knighted. We here in our isolated corner of Trekkie / Trekker fandom used to think that that Patrick Stewart was already knighted by HRH Queen Elizabeth II probably after making Star Trek: Generations with William Shatner back in 1995. After confirmation of the said announcement, the now Sir Patrick Stewart does truly deserve the knighthood for giving life to one of the most important characters in the Star Trek universe named Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Although, if Sir Patrick Stewart is knighted for some charitable cause my local Trekkie / Trekker still hasn’t known of, we do apologize to everyone concerned.

Our local Star Trek fandom had reached a somewhat “silent consensus” around 1989 or so that if Captain Picard wasn’t portrayed by someone with Sir Patrick Stewart’s acting prowess, the success of Star Trek: The Next Generation would have been very unlikely. And we here had also reached a “silent consensus” that without the “runaway” success of Star Trek TNG during the late 1980s there would not have been Star Trek Original Series reruns in our neck of the woods. Thus there would have been no Star Trek fandom in our little corner of the world.

The now knighted Sir Patrick Stewart was also very instrumental back then for introducing the venerable works of William Shakespeare to us Trekkies / Trekkers whose former perceptions of the work of that great English bard view it as an “undiscovered country”. Given that he is a venerable member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Sir Patrick Stewart did seamlessly manage to not only make a generation of Star Trek fans more familiar to the works of William Shakespeare, but also convinced us that Shakespeare’s works will still be loved centuries from now. This is probably reminiscent of what the famed anti-Apartheid campaigner and former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela did when he introduced the works of Shakespeare to his fellow inmates in the Robben Island Prison Complex during his 27-year incarceration. Remember, without that famed actor who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his love for Shakespeare, we Trekkies / Trekkers would have never seen or heard Shakespearean plays done in the Klingon language.

Non-Roman Lettered Domain Name URLs: More Interesting Star Trek Websites?

If the planned use of domain names other than one’s currently using Roman or Latin letters gets an ok will the move lead to new, improved and more creative Star Trek websites?


By: Ringo Bones


Even though the various incarnations of Star Trek aired on TV and shown in movie theaters feature sentient beings from other worlds with an excellent grasp of the English language. Other Star Trek fans and I are probably wondering if this “scheme” was done in order to fit the particular episode or feature in the conveniently allotted time, isn’t it? But the existence of a vibrant Klingon language community only shows that the global Star Trek community could creatively exploit the recent ICANN approval of using domain names other than the Latin or Roman letter-based ones that are currently de rigueur.

Back in November 18, 2009, a UN backed conference held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on the use of non-Latin or non-Roman lettered domain names has finally been put forth for serious discussion. Which – to me, and everyone else, can be a good thing since millions of perfectly literate people worldwide still has trouble using the Internet since their native language doesn’t use Latin or roman letters. And most of the folks denied the “convenience” of using the Internet belong to emerging markets and / or economies like China and India. Not to mention Arabic speaking countries who must go through the inconvenience of learning English just to enjoy the privilege of enjoying the fruits of knowledge currently available on the world wide web. Being proficient of languages other than English – especially ones that don’t use Latin or Roman letters – does have its privileges, but how can it help in setting up more interesting, and I mean more “interesting” Star Trek websites?

In the present universe of the Star Trek fan, the only “extra-terrestrial” language currently developed – i.e. both spoken and used for translating Shakespearean works – is Klingon. And those that offer to teach Star Trek fans on how to read and write the Klingon alphabet or letters are few and far between. Imagine in the near future, Klingon language tutorial websites that caters to the typical hardcore Star Trek fan sporting domain name URLs that feature the Klingon alphabet or Klingon letters.

And after that, Vulcan language tutorial websites would emerge. Which will be more interesting since the scant Vulcan writings featured in most Star Trek episodes that I’ve seen so far looks suspiciously like Samaritan writing. Or what about the Romulan language where the sentient android Data with his positronic brain even has trouble mastering the complex verb roots of the language. Whatever happens, I think this would be a boon for us who can now set up our “specialist” websites sporting Cyrillic or Hiragana, Katakana, or Kanji domain name URLs.

The New Star Trek Movie: Good Time to be a Trekkie?

In it’s 40 years of history of various incarnations of a highly consistent theme; will the latest Star Trek movie attract more fans to the franchise’s ever-growing fan-base?


By: Vanessa Uy


Though I haven’t yet seen the movie despite of my anticipation of it’s purportedly December 25, 2008 release. The latest Star Trek movie really has a lot going for it. Especially in the casting front where they judiciously opted for the “best and brightest” stars currently du jour of the under 25 demographic. Though not everyone agrees that the casting of the latest Star Trek movie has been beyond reproach.

The chatter on the blogosphere throughout 2008 pertaining to the movie suggests that the choice of both Zachary Quinto and John Cho is the one thing that the movie’s casting department had done right. Especially if the aim is to entice a new legion – i.e. ages 25 and younger - of young fans into the wonderful world of Star Trek. Zachary Quinto recently gained fame during the last few years for his role as the villain on the TV series “Heroes” with an infinitely complicated character that would make Friedrich Nietzsche an avid fan. The choice of Zachary Quinto to play the young Spock would not only do wonders for the new Star Trek movie given his under 25 demographic fanbase, But also for his acting career in Hollywood as well. So does the choice of John Cho to reprise the role of the Starship Enterprise’s helmsman Hikaru Sulu after gaining a somewhat fast-tracked worldwide fame – with the help of the Internet - for his roles in the two Harold and Kumar movies.

The casting of Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott – a.k.a. Scotty – probably raised more eyebrows in the Star Trek’s fanbase since the casting of Jerry Ryan as “that sexy borg drone” named Seven of Nine. Given that Simon Pegg is an Englishman – as opposed to the Scottish Scotty – the howls of protests over the casting decision has since reverberated throughout the “Trekkie Universe” for much of 2008. Like the clamor for the role of Scotty should be reserved for an authentic Scottish actor. But given that the original actor who played the famed Starship Enterprise engineer, James Doohan, in the original Star Trek series in the 1960’s was not even Scottish – he was Canadian by the way – only serves to vindicate the decision of the movie’s casting department.

Given the progress achieved in recent years for the movie-crafter’s ability to create even wonderful whiz-bang special effects, will this make the new Star Trek movie the best one in the franchise’s 40-year history? Even though most women that I know of had always had “lingering” doubts over the movie’s director J.J. Abrams “creative aesthetics”. Citing an example on his TV series opus “Alias” and its ilk, where story-craft and literary plot tend to go to the nearest toilet once you give the “leading lady” superhuman-like powers. Or maybe it’s just Abram’s decision to avoid making “Alias” just another copycat version of “Cold Case” or “The FBI Detective Dana Scully Show”.

Given that America and the rest of the world had already been inspired and “energized” by US President Barack Obama’s inaugural speech, especially the part about “putting science back to it’s rightful place”. Anything that serves to renew the freshness of the 40-year old Star Trek franchise should be embraced with open arms by us unapologetic Trekkies. Especially when it attempts – rather unabashedly – to attract a new legion of younger fans. But for now, see you after the show.

What the Ferengi Can Teach Wall Street

Known in the Star Trek series canon as an ultra-capitalist race of beings, will the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition provide guidance for Wall Street as a way out of it’s current economic slump?


By: Vanessa Uy


The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition is probably the closest thing that passes for as moral law for this “fictitious” ultra-capitalist race of beings. Given that in the Star Trek universe their greediness has not driven their entire race and civilization into extinction, can the Ferengi offer Wall Street some advice – no matter how inane – on how it can get out of it’s current economic slump? But first, here’s a brief primer and refresher on the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition.

Given that their home world – Ferenginar – seems like being forever trapped in an eternal monsoon downpour, the Ferengi’s native environment probably shaped their drive into ultra-capitalism as a “way to get out of the rain”. As their civilization advances the first ad hoc Ferengi Rules of Acquisition was formulated by the first Grand Nagus (sort of like the president of the Ferengi home world) of the Ferengi Alliance named Gint. Primarily as a code of conduct in conducting business transactions with other alien races who are members of the Ferengi Alliance. Grand Nagus Gint chose the title “Rules of Acquisition” as a clever marketing ploy since for all intents and purposes these are just “mere guidelines”.

In the Star Trek series canon, there is a “creative” / “literary” consensus that Grand Nagus Gint numbered his first rule as #162, in order to create a demand for the other 161 rules that had not yet been written. The rules – according to the Ferengi – are said to be divinely inspired and sacred, and thus serve as the closest thing that passes for as a religion in Ferengi society. Also, the profit-obsessed Ferengi’s funeral rights revolved around vacuum-desiccating their “mortal remains” after they die and various mounted slice remains sold to the highest bidder. The amount of funds earned during the sale of their mortal remains determines their status on the “Divine Treasury” – the Ferengi equivalent of Paradise in their afterlife. Here, every Ferengi is held accountable for their adherence to the rules during their “living years”. If the sale of a Ferengi’s vacuum-desiccated mortal remains who has passed-on generates scant revenue, their “souls” are sentenced into “Eternal Destitution” their equivalent of hell in the thereafter.

When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – the particular Star Trek series which highlighted the Ferengi culture and societal structure – aired, there were already 285 Rules of Acquisition currently in place. The “quirky” ones include Rules of Acquisition #34 stating that “War is good for business.” while #35 states that “Peace is good for business.” Which only highlight’s the Ferengi’s acumen for flexibility when it comes to making a profit; Especially on Rules of Acquisition #177 states that “Know your enemies…but do business with them.” Serving as a twist on Sun Tsu’s “The Art of War” – which can also be applied on our existing corporate world. Even the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition #285 – currently their last – stating that “A good deed is it’s own reward.” Only epitomizes the Ferengi’s constant acquisition of profit as their society’s “moral center”. Even the Ferengi Quark – owner and proprietor of DS-9’s “Quark’s Bar” even irreverently created his own Ferengi Rules of Acquisition #286 stating that “When Morn leaves (his best customer with an extremely high-tolerance for intoxicating drinks) it’s all over, highlighting profits above all.

During their darker moments, when the Dominion declared war on the Federation / United Federation of Planets, Quark only mentioned that his home world only has known one major economic collapse. But during the time of the episodes airing, Japan was already reeling in from a recession when their Go-Go 80’s economic bubble went bust, investment guru George Soros was accused of breaking the Bank of England. Plus, Sumitomo was resorting to unfair means of cornering the copper market in the London Metals Exchange and so on. Even though we humans only knew 1929 as our only major market collapse (what about that Carter Administration era “economic malaise”? Reaganomics?), the Ferengi has indeed something to teach us, and even Wall Street. Greed is good, but if profits are acquired at the expense of Main Street, the market will surely collapse.

Of Gene Roddenberry and the Geneva Convention

Using one of his episodes on the original 1960’s Star Trek series as an example, does Gene Roddenberry have reservations about our currently existing Geneva Convention?


By: Vanessa Uy


I hope that the Gene Roddenberry estate won’t sue me for doing a long-distance psychoanalysis on him akin to what some shrinks did with Barry Goldwater back in the 1960’s. But more often than not, the question whether Gene Roddenberry has reservations about the Geneva Convention does come up in hardcore Trekkie circles.
For the benefit of those Trekkies who still don’t know what Eugene Wesley “Gene” Roddenberry does for a living before the success of Star Trek, here are the pertinent facts, which could also serves as a basis in support of our current discussion.

Gene Roddenberry acquired first-hand knowledge on the action-adventure workings of Star Trek when he joined the US Army Air Corps back in 1941 (the US Air Force is a post-WW II entity). He flew many combat missions on board the B-17 Flying Fortress over the Pacific theatre with the 394th Bomb Squadron 5th Bomber Group which he was honored with the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal. After World War II, he enlisted in the police force before quitting to find a more lucrative job to support his family. Then came the successful breakthrough of Star Trek, and the rest is history – so to speak.

Many Trekkies that I know of harbor a belief that Gene Roddenberry is somewhat dissatisfied with our current Geneva Convention because of an episode on the original Star Trek series titled “A Taste of Armageddon”. On this particular episode, two warring parties – through a binding but arcane agreement or treaty – made war neat and painless. Especially when it comes to damage inflicted on their respective cultures and civilizations by sending their citizens – who were designated as dead by a supercomputer modeling a thermonuclear attack – into a “disintegration chamber” were they are killed and their bodies disposed of in a neat and efficient manner. When Captain Kirk, who visited this particular civilization became one of the casualties and was sentenced / designated to die for real in their civilization-safe arcane war. This resulted in Captain Kirk breaking the Prime Directive (a set of protocols Starfleet Personnel must follow like non-interference of alien cultures and practices etc.) to save his crew members who got embroiled in the arcane conflict. Captain Kirk’s “cowboy diplomacy” caused the war between the two civilizations to turn real – as opposed to being just a simulation on a supercomputer. Sadly, Gene Roddenberry have not shown on that particular episode how Starfleet Headquarters reacted on Captain Kirk’s “cowboy diplomacy” or if the captain is ever punished or reprimanded.

Using this example, one might conclude that this is Gene Roddenberry’s critique on the Geneva Convention and it’s effects on every post-World War II low-level conflicts. I too believe that our current Geneva Convention is somewhat hypocritical in it’s oversight and the arbitrary legislation of “Rules of War” on every number of low-level civil conflicts that happen after World War II. Like the prohibition of soldiers to use tear gas to flush out entrenched combatants. The US Army was reprimanded for their violation of the Geneva Convention on their use of tear gas on NVA regulars and the Vietcong during the Vietnam War, while the use of dioxin contaminated defoliants like Agent Orange were allowed. Or why the 5.56mm X 45mm rounds used in M-16 rifles weren’t banned by the Geneva Convention despite causing inhumane levels of suffering by allowing personnel hit by the said round to die slowly. The legal precedents of banning the use of the 5.56mm X 45mm round is already established – i.e. the legislation of banning the use of dum-dum bullets back in 1901 for example. This example even has an analogue in the Star Trek universe like Klingon and Romulan Disruptor-type weapons killing “inhumanely” compared to Federation approved Phasers.

An excellent example of the arcane way the Geneva Convention legislates laws – which gained widespread press exposure during the late 1990’s – was the ban on the use of laser-based weapons in the battlefield that temporarily blinds enemy combatants. Which to me is utter hypocrisy. If I was a soldier for example, it is ok for me to stab my enemy in the heart with a shovel or trowel. But under the Geneva Convention, it is illegal for me to temporarily blind my enemy for half an hour or so that I can take my enemy as a prisoner. During the 1990’s the Geneva Convention’s adverts are all over the major news channels like BBC and CNN with the tagline: “Even wars have limits.” Wars have limits all right, but it is the poor enforcement of existing Geneva Convention legislated laws (the sensible one’s anyway) that’s killing civilians. The April 1994 incident in Rwanda is a case in point.

Star Trek-Based Airsoft Game Scenarios

Since Star Trek-style “Holodeck” technology is still probably many years off, Trekkies had been content with recreating their favorite battle scenes via airsoft weapons systems. Where no one has gone before?


By: Vanessa Uy


Ever since the release Star Trek-based shoot-em-up type video games like Star Trek Elite Force and it’s subsequent incarnations, Trekkies lucky enough to possess airsoft weapons systems had been replicating their favorite battle scenes found in Star Trek episodes for sometime now. Noting that Star Trek: The Next Generation style holodeck technology - based on photons and force fields - is for all intents and purposes probably centuries off, then airsoft military simulation battle scenarios will have to suffice.

Presently, the leading manufacturer of replica Star Trek weapons and official Starfleet Armory – Masterpiece Models – haven’t yet licensed their Star Trek-based weapons for airsoft use to the major manufacturers of airsoft weapons systems. Like the Type III Phaser Rifle used in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Compression Rifle used in Star Trek: Voyager would be great as a platform in airsoft design given their somewhat large internal volume in comparison to contemporary infantry weapons. Given that the M 41 A Pulse Rifle used in the movie Aliens by the US Marine Expeditionary Force accompanying Lt. Ellen Ripley is already widely available in airsoft gaming world, the dearth of Star Trek based airsoft weapons systems needs to be addressed. Maybe it’s high time for us Trekkies who are airsoft enthusiasts to contact them at www.masterpiecemodels.com on their views about our requests.

Even if most of us will have to settle with contemporary limited production infantry weapons systems that are already manufactured as airsoft replica guns – like the P90 and the XM8 – it does pass muster as a “science fictioney” military simulation a few years before the Captain Archer-era Enterprise. Though, to me at least, the airsoft version of the XM8 is probably the one with the closest resemblance of a Next Generation period Type III Phaser Rifle.

Maybe it is churlish to complain, because even airsoft models that are ubiquitous – like the Operation Iraqi Freedom-era M-4 Carbines can be used in simulating Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict’s Sino-Indian War flashback scenarios. Or if airsoft gaming Trekkies can’t wait a few centuries, they can develop their own holodeck technology right here and right now. All they need is probably a few years of intellectually taxing hard work and countless millions of dollars burning a hole in their pockets.

The Anthropology of Star Trek

Ever since the newer incarnations of the TV series Star Trek evolved from the “recycled” prop and set portrayal of alien cultures in the original series only made the franchise better. But can it pass muster a cultural anthropologist’s peer review?


By: Vanessa Uy


The cultural anthropologist Franz Boas has shaped modern anthropology by emphasizing the collection of facts about primitive cultures, instead of resorting to mere speculation. But when it comes to the study of alien or extraterrestrial cultures that live on planets maybe light-years away from us, one can’t help but resort to mere speculation since the technology that allows us to travel to this worlds might still be centuries off. Yet this hasn’t stop science fiction authors from transforming mere speculation into one of the best-loved forms of literature in the past 200 years.

When the science fiction visionary Gene Roddenberry conceptualized the alien beings and their cultures populating on one of his famous works like Star Trek. He did so with an uncannily believable accuracy that many of Roddenberry’s fans probably think that he works as a university-tenured anthropologist as his day job. By just using the data collected by cultural anthropologists of the 19th and 20th Centuries, Gene Roddenberry populated his Star Trek universe with beings that are not only pass muster as speculative anthropological constructs of an organized culture. But also as accurate predictive models of our own still-existing-somewhat-primitive-cultures evolving without outside help into a space-faring civilization.

Take for instance the Vulcans, which Mr. Spock – the famous science officer in the first Star Trek series – is a good example, is based on a prediction on what if post-WWII Tibet and Bhutan were allowed to evolve into a space-faring civilization without outside help or interference.

A race in the Star Trek universe that could qualify as the polar opposite to the Zen-like society of the Vulcans is the one of the Klingons. The Klingon society is based on martial bravado epitomized by their motto “Today is a good day to die”. Despite their bloodthirsty attitude, the Klingon language is probably the only fictional language used in science fiction literature that has developed like a living language. Shakespeare’s Hamlet has even been successfully translated into Klingon. Unlike the more interesting language of the Romulans with its complex system of verb roots would serve as a formidable challenge for linguists that have a “Trekkie” streak to develop. Could make that German verb wheel seems like child’s play by comparison.

Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Ferengi is also one of the most interesting alien races inhabiting Roddenberry’s fictional Star Trek universe. Probably one of the few extraterrestrial / alien races whose creation Roddenberry oversaw before his passing in 1991. The Ferengi may not be pretty by Madison Avenue fashion-ethic standards, but their society is shaped by a ruthless business / mercantile acumen where an individual’s self-worth is measured by how much gold-pressed latinum (the Ferengi monetary standard) they have or can earn. Except that they take their chauvinism to the extreme. Ferengi women are not only subservient they have to chew first the food of the Ferengi men they are indentured to. Also they do not let their women wear clothes which to other races tolerate since Ferengi’s keep their women sequestered in their homes.

But to me the most interesting alien race of all in the Star Trek universe is the Kreetassans. The Kreetassans debuted on the Star Trek TV 's (I hope not) final franchise Enterprise and are well-known for their relatively “eccentric” customs compared to ours like eating in public to a Kreetassan is taboo. Since most Star Trek writers at this point probably pass muster as university tenured cultural anthropologist, the way they created the Kreetassans’ homeworld’s architectural structure. Especially of their buildings is really reminiscent of what might have happened if Native Americans living in the Pacific Northwest region were allowed to independently develop into a space faring civilization.

Sadly, Star Trek writers have not yet created an alien civilization who developed in the southern hemisphere of an Earth-like planet and possessing analog watches / steam gauges that move counter-clockwise. Sadder still, Enterprise was forced to end due to lack of viewer support and escalating costs of production. I wonder how Star Trek writers would have shoehorned into the Star Trek universe the recent Mecca Mean Time controversy as a launching pad for a very interesting Star Trek TV episode?

The Klingon Language: Another Useless Trekkie Extravagance?

First gained widespread popularity beyond the Trekkie fanbase due to the release of the last Star Trek Original Series motion picture titled The Undiscovered Country. Is the Klingon language useful in our everyday life?


By: Vanessa Uy


Being the last movie of the original series Star Trek, my first impressions of The Undiscovered Country was that William Shatner, who plays Captain James T. Kirk, and the rest of the original series cast, were allowed to have free reign to prove that they are as literate about Shakespeare as Patrick Stewart was. Given that the Next Generation captain was a well-known Shakespearean actor. But it changed further into the thick of things when the Klingons in the Undiscovered Country were unabashed Shakespeare fans and freely quoting his works in both English and Klingon. Given that English language has penetrated every corner of the world, why would anyone bother to learn another language, especially a supposedly fictitious one and not of this Earth?

If you’re concerned that during the last thirty years, half of the world’s 6,000 languages that we no of are either extinct (the native speakers have all passed away) or is dying due to the pressures of globalization to learn the English language at all costs. Or if you live in a “culturally despotic” country like the Philippines were teaching various dialects – especially ones spoken by ethnic Muslims – is about as illegal as making high explosives using household cleaners, then yes, you should be concerned. The good news is that in learning dialects spoken by ethnic Filipino Muslims is possible if you get enrolled in a CIA “spyschool” in Langley, Virginia or study for yourself in the US Library of Congress.

The question now is why learn – as the actors who played Klingon characters on a Star Trek set frequently describe it as - the guttural spit-spaying, made up language? Well, it does lead to authenticity even if it’s “only a movie” to someone who is naturally born for a penchant for languages, my ears (and brain) can easily discern a genuine language with real syntax and grammatical structure as opposed to mere gibberish used in very early Hollywood movies.

And believe it or not, there is already a plethora of Klingon language learning schemes. Plus books like the Klingon Dictionary by Pocket Books, also, an audio-tape by Simon & Schuster on how to learn Conversational Klingon. And also correspondence courses like the Philadelphia-based Klingon Language Institute. Lawrence Schoen, a linguist, psychologist and founder of the Klingon Language Institute has described many of the Institute’s members as those who want to be more authentic while role playing in Klingon persona. Though some of them had played as extra Klingons on an actual Star Trek set, most of them are just happy to wow their fellow Trekkies in Star Trek conventions by performing works of Shakespeare – like Hamlet - in the Klingon language or by giving lessons to interested parties. Lawrence Schoen summarizes their work in the Klingon Language Institute akin to that of a typical linguist approach it’s study to that of a dead language with no living speakers.

The foremost authority of the Klingon language – given actual involvement on an actual shooting of a typical Star Trek episode – is linguist Marc Okrand. He created Klingon for Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, a time before Trekkies dressed as Klingons were performing Shakespeare in their native tongue at Star Trek conventions. Marc Okrand created the Klingon with a much-increased lexicon for Star Trek III based on snippets of Klingon heard in the Original Series and the first Star Trek movie and went from there. By combining sounds heard in Arabic, Yiddish, Japanese, Native American / First Nations tongues, and more. Okrand picked real human sounds, but mixed them in a way that is kind of “ergonomically difficult” for us native earthlings to utter. According to Okrand, the still-limited Klingon vocabulary will keep on expanding as is normal on a still-living language. Or as long as Klingons stay active in the Star Trek universe. Even Klingon enthusiasts are using the existing lexicon to write Klingon fiction based on the anthropological background and history of the Klingon race portrayed in Star Trek. Given the current progress, anthropologists and sociologist thousands of years in the future might probably conclude that the Klingons are a real and distinct race with their own culture if existing records doesn’t state that they are just works of late 20th Century science fiction.

Star Trek Versus Babylon 5: A Futurists Utopian Conflict?

The two most popular science fiction television series of the 1990’s, did the fan feud between them made these two science fiction series even more popular or did it hurt the respective science fiction enthusiasts’ image as a whole?


By: Vanessa Uy


To outsiders ignorant of the science fiction genre, motion pictures about space faring civilizations in the distant future may look all the same to them. They probably can’t tell the difference between Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek from George Lucas’ Star Wars, and humanity is much poorer because of this oversight. But seriously though, has anyone remembered or still care about that famous feud between fans of Star Trek and Babylon 5 back in the mid-1990’s where everyone is vandalizing each other’s web page with digital graffiti with “BABYLON 5 RULES” or “STAR TREK RULES”? The past might now seemed as if a foreign country to most of those fans but does the reason behind the feud hold something much deeper?

To the uninitiated, Star Trek and Babylon 5 may seem the same. Both are about the future of our civilization a few centuries into the future, and yet these two demarcate the two differing philosophies of the 20th Century, namely the Humanist’s view and the supernaturalism of Protestant Calvinism. And each of these TV series displaying the good – and bad – parts of the social contracts of the two differing philosophies, for better or for worse.

Gene Roddenberry was an unabashed Humanist and his Humanist views are part and parcel of Star Trek since the original series back in the 1960’s. He typified an idealized altruism-leaning version of Marxist-Leninist Socialism that was embraced in Star Trek’s time, even though this ideology is prone to bureaucratic corruption and very much open to abuse at present. Roddenberry’s utopian future would probably be hell for Ayn Rand.

While in Babylon 5, the complexities of laissez-faire mercantile Calvinism / 20th Century American Capitalism is alive and well from wrongful death lawsuits, litigious mindsets (a man suing an alien for damages for abducting his great grandfather and for performing traumatic medical experiments) and more. Plus, the various organized religions that existed in the 20th Century managed to survive in Babylon 5’s time, unashamedly displayed in full glory.

Though I am a fan of both Star Trek and Babylon 5, there seems to be something that these two works seem to agree on, war. Yep, war will still be around in the future with means and complexities that rival what humanity had been dishing out with each other for centuries. It seems as if to make a science fiction serial interesting, there should be a political power struggle to secure the continued existence of a certain sentient race.

Other thing common to the two is ingenious ways to overcome the speed-of-light restrictions of interstellar travel. Though Babylon 5’s jumpgate is somewhat reminiscent of the Panama Canal-type technology by being very dependent on fixed incumbent technological structures, I find it more plausible given current advances in quantum physics. Star Trek’s warp-drive technology has a certain sexy-ness in it though because works without dependence of incumbent structures like exit apertures of artificially created wormholes and Casimir vacuum technology.

As a hole, I have to agree with what the 2007 Nobel Literature laureate Doris Lessing said about science fiction. In that science fiction deals more on the probable social conditions of the future and less on the technology that might be in common use then. I wonder what kind of science fiction stories Friedrich Nietzsche would write if he just had the time?

Captain April: Star Trek’s Man of Mystery?

Despite the preexisting assumption that Captain April does not belong to the official canon of the Star Trek lore, fans that occasionally miss him have been clamoring for answers lately. But the question is, will Captain April be finally included in the official Star Trek canon?


By: Vanessa Uy


Majority of the Star Trek fans that I know on a first hand basis, first gained acquaintance of Captain Robert T. April when he first appeared in Star Trek: The Animated Series back in 1974. And every time they reminisce about this elusive Captain, they always start to ponder on what ever happened to him. But before we delve any deeper, lets discuss first about the concepts governing behind the official Star Trek canon.

The history of Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek now spans a little over 40 years, and its evolutionary development has no end yet in site despite of the latest “Enterprise” series’ somewhat premature conclusion back in 2005. This evolution is more or less (with the emphasis on more) kept true to the creative vision of the “Original Series”. The continuing evolution of the Star Trek series was not only kept in line because Gene Roddenberry wants it to but because the people who belong to Roddenberry’s “creative circle” really loved his vision. To me, it’s a love reminiscent of Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Humanist” description of love. You know the kind that’s beyond the confines of the dichotomy of good and evil. In short only characters who had appeared in a live action television episode or film. The bad news is, if you use this “ironclad” rule as a guide, a lot of other very interesting characters will be excluded from the official Star Trek canon. This includes characters from the 1974 animated series, those comic books and novels published between the end of the original Star Trek series onwards. Even though the animated series, the comics and the various novels featured characters that are always part and parcel of the official Star Trek canon like Captain Kirk, Spock, and Captain Picard to mention just a few.

Another explanation on why the story lines featured in the 1974 animated series, the comics and some of the various novels will never see the “light of the script” never mind being played out in the live action environment of TV and film. This is due to the harsh reality that in the movie and TV world, the final frontier is not space but the budget to be spent on those whiz-bang special effects. The costs might be lower compared to 40 years ago and of much better quality, but these special effects – especially the very good ones – will never ever be cheap. But going back to the “ironclad” rule that I’ve mentioned governing the official Star Trek canon, in practice it’s more of a voluntary code of conduct practiced by writers when contributing to the Star Trek lore. Unfortunately, Captain April’s “shaky” status can also be blamed on one of Gene Roddenberry’s “peculiar habits”.

During the early part of the 1960’s before Roddenberry made Star Trek, he has a peculiar habit of “recycling” his own works – especially when it comes to character’s names. One of these names is April, whose surname made an episodic appearance in Roddenberry’s pre Star Trek TV series “The Lieutenant”. And also on his mid 1960’s TV pilot entitled “The Long Hunt of April Savage”.

Despite being slated as the first to captain the Starship Enterprise, Gene Roddenberry unfortunately chose to drop the Robert T. April name during the shooting of the first Star Trek pilot. Instead, Roddenberry chose the name Christopher R. Pike as the Enterprise’s first captain prior to James T. Kirk becoming captain during the regular run of the original Star Trek series. It seems that the name: Robert T. April - will only be known to Gene Roddenberry and his “creative inner circle” who made the original Star Trek series possible.

Despite of its unfavorable start, the Robert T. April name wasn’t dead yet. Gene Roddenberry’s “choice” for this particular captain’s name was well documented during his formulation of an early outlines of the Star Trek TV series. This well documented fact even made it into Stephen E. Whitfield’s 1968 book “The Making of Star Trek” which has become - by default - as the first reference book defining Gene Roddenberry’s creative vision. This book was also extensively used as a reference during the making of the 1974 Star Trek: The Animated Series - which served as Captain Robert T. April’s debut to the Star Trek fan community. Also, Whitfield’s “The Making of Star Trek” is the oft- quoted book in defending whether or not Captain Robert T. April is part of the official Star Trek canon despite of April’s lack of live-action TV episode or film appearance.

“The Counter- Clock Incident” episode of the 1974 animated Star Trek TV series might be where Captain April made his debut appearance to the “Trekkie Fandom” but it won’t be his last. He appeared in a number of comics and novels during the intervening years. One of Captain April’s finest portrayals – according to a majority of “Trekkies” - is on the novel “Final Frontier” written by Diane Carey, which was published in 1988. And Captain April’s claim as a part of the official Star Trek canon was further reinforced during the publication of Star Trek Chronology: The History of The Future – a “companion” / guidebook of the Star Trek lore written by Michael and Denise Okuda – back in 1993.

A few years ago when a new Star Trek TV series was proposed pertaining to the time in the Trek universe before the time of Captain Kirk. Trekkies around the world were expecting it to be about the adventures of Captain April, yet it was about an even earlier captain, before there was even a “United Federation of Planets” hence Captain Jonathan Archer. But as the current / latest Enterprise series ended in 2005, will we – the Trek community – be finally be able to meet a live action Robert T. April?

Unfortunately, not anytime soon because - to me at least – science fiction is very, very much dependent on the prevailing “social condition”. A few years back, the creators of the movie “Independence Day” were asked if they could have made the movie in post-9/11 America, and their answer is a definite no. I also agree with them because given the austere fiscal environment of the early 1990’s; the move “Independence Day” is more or less paying homage-like “thanks” to the men and women of the US Armed Forces. A thanks for defending our freedom during the first Gulf War despite of the fact that “Uncle Sam” has no money to thoroughly investigate this thing we call Gulf War Syndrome throughout the 1990’s.

To me, the same thing also applies to the Star Trek franchise. Given that the prevailing social condition in Captain April’s time is much, much, much, better and rational than the one we have. And would very much alienate any potential new viewers who can’t very much relate to the series because it’s too far removed from the social conditions that the “new viewer” is accustomed to. It would be a certain financial disaster to network executives if they choose to release a new Star Trek TV series in 2008 that pertains to Captain April’s adventures and times. Star Trek reference books and companion guides are not exactly a part of the US Board of Education’s current curricula. Maybe after Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama have sorted out the mess created by the Bush Administration whose neo-conservatives have very much made White / Aryan Supremacy the official state religion and “Creationism” the official state science of the United States.

Also, delaying the Captain April Star Trek for a few years can benefit the advances that would be made in special effects technology. Maybe a few years from now a realistic looking tail special effects like the ones used in the X-Men trilogy will become cost-effective enough for network TV. Imagine M’Res and the Caitians from the 1974 animated series can finally appear in a live-action Star Trek TV series with organic / realistic looking tails. Realistic looking tails on humanoids can be a pig to reproduce, especially on a network TV special effects budget. I think it’s the primary reason why Trance Gemini – a humanoid alien found in another Gene Roddenberry series titled “Andromeda” – had her tail cut off in a close quarter gunfight in the story line due to special effects budget constraints. Excellent special effects should go hand in hand with the very excellent story line, don’t you think?