FredM

To: Personnel Office Starfleet Command, Earth From: Captain Fred Michaels U.S.S. Reaent, NCC-3345-G Re: Brian Smith -------------------------------------------------------------- This communique is to serve as notice that effective Stardate 0703.09, First Lieutenant Brian Smith has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. This decision comes after extended review of his service and dedication to the U.S.S. Reaent. It is a pleasure to have such a capable officer aboard and I sincerely hope we will value from his assistance in the future.

To: Personnel Office Starfleet Command, Earth From: Captain Fred Michaels U.S.S. Reaent, NCC-3345-G Re: V'Roy -------------------------------------------------------------- This communique is to serve as notice that effective Stardate 0703.09, Lieutenant V'Roy has been promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant. This decision comes after extended review of his service and dedication to the U.S.S. Reaent. It is a pleasure to have such a capable officer aboard and I sincerely hope we will value from his assistance in the future.

To: Personnel Office Starfleet Command, Earth From: Captain Fred Michaels U.S.S. Reaent, NCC-3345-G Re: Mitch Johnson -------------------------------------------------------------- This communique is to serve as notice that effective Stardate 0703.09, Ensign Mitch Johnson has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade. This decision comes after extended review of his service and dedication to the U.S.S. Reaent. It is a pleasure to have such a capable officer aboard and I sincerely hope we will value from his assistance in the future.

Hey there, Anyone see the Family Guy "Star Trek" funeral this past weekend? Believe a copy of the video is somewhere on YouTube....can't stop laughing! ;)

Hey there, Now, I'm slightly confused. If you take step 4 and 5, switch them with step 20, but then divide that by step 15, can't you then come up with a solution a lot quicker? :D

Hey there, You left? Really? I hadn't noticed.... :) :D

Hey there, I am...scared...on so many different levels. Just... Scared.

Hey there, See what going overseas does? I used to be over you....bah....getting old and loosing my touch.

Hey there, I'll be generous and say the expression "I will be with you, always, even until the end of time" seems to apply. :D

Strategy was key to the successful outcome of any campaign. Without this key element, while an objective might be achieved, it would likely cost more in resources than necessary. When discussing the most valuable resource to the Republic, people, strategy was something that simply could not be ignored. It was the only way it had been able to survive for all these generations. Yet in something of fiction come to life, the tales of elders about the second coming was quite possibly coming true. Long before the contagion had spread throughout the Republic, science and technology had been growing by leaps and bounds. Exploration past the confines of their single planet had actually been achieved. Telecommunications and instant data networks had closed the gap from one continent to another. All people were coming together under a unified body. Historians had stated that their culture was about to break through to a place only fairytales could have imagined. Then it came. The Lexipub Observatory, used for mapping of deep space, projected back images that were simply too outlandish to comprehend. Energy discharges from two objects of some kind. Clearly not a natural phenomena, other satellites were trained on the items. As explosions and energy discharges continued to be recorded, the Republic Space Station was able to actually able to see the continued array of lights as they moved closer. One seemed circular in nature, with two long barrels connected to it. Apparently gray in complexion, it contrasted heavily with the greenish colored "wing" it was exchanging energy with. The ability of scientists to get a good view of this second object vanished when, without warning, it seemed to explode. Then they came. The gray colored object moved closer, clearly emitting and venting gases. Then something that would change their world forever happened. The RSS picked up a high band transmission from the object. Information about what, at the time, was considered classified information had since become folklore in their society. As their people had already determined by this stage, the gray ship was in fact a spaceship with approximately forty lifeforms aboard, survivors of a crew of seventy-five. Led by a Captain Jay R. Wright, they explained to the leaders of the time that some type of intergalactic war was going on. The thought was so outlandish that some in the room supposedly openly laughed when they heard it. That might have had to do with the recent release of a theatrical film about just a fictitious topic. As described, Captain Wright and his ship named the Richmond were part of an alliance that were defending itself from a group of peoples called the Rumuleans. Simply put, their little war had ventured into the Republic's corner of the cosmos. Strangely enough, when news about the arrival of aliens was made public, it was greeted with enthusiasm. Most academics had theorized that life existed outside of their own. After the good Captain Wright had explained the nature of their society, Republic leaders had agreed to help in any way they could to repair their apparently seriously damaged space ship. It was supposed to take, according to salvaged records, a single ewo. One dero had passed without incident. Engineers and scientists attempted to help the Richmond crew refine an ore known as k'lia, or as they called it dilithium. In addition, apparently a majority of the craft had been flooded with ioa. Republic healers had developed treatments for ioa exposure when power supply systems went down. According to what Captain Wright had supposedly stated, they surpassed their own technology and so were applied. The second dero was the first sign of issues. Workers assigned to the Richmond and working with crew in hospitals started developing "strange uncontrolled" movements within their nervous systems. Initially appearing similar to a disease discovered a generation ago, treatment was started and assumed it would work. However, when all of those affected died two deros later, the damage had been done. As was discovered by the end of the ewo, the disease itself was airborne in nature. Referred to as a mutated version of "hydrocephalus" by Richmond healers, a lack of understanding about the nature of the contagion had resulted in measures being taken that actually allowed it to spread. Aeronautical trips planet wide were shutdown on the eighth dero; though when five craft had crashed into buildings due to pilots feeling the effects of HP, as it had been come to be called, most weren't traveling anyway. Panic soon turned to chaos as societal structure started to break down. What seemed to only hurt maters was the clear lack of concern by Captain Wright and his peoples...that is until one of them fell ill on the twelfth dero. It was ironic they were planning to take their space ship home the day the pandemic struck them. As their healers, the only ones among them who had shown any compassion and attempted to aide the citizens of the Republic, stated later was that a person among their crew had apparently brought an illness with them that our civilization had never before seen. Mixing with native sicknesses, it changed into what was ravaging the planet. Scientific and healer analysis eventually developed a way to stop the spreading, though the damage was already done. While some had apparently an immunity to the pandemic, as time moved on individuals seemed to survive longer than those previously. By the end of the third ewo, those infected were estimated to survive five or six dero before falling dead where they stood. By the time the method of keeping the disease from spreading was ready, over sixty percent of Republic citizens were infected or deceased planet wide By the time a cure was discovered on dero twenty-six, one third of the planet's population was dead and another infected. Exactly what transpired next remains, even generations later, cloudy. On dero twenty-eight, as news of limited medicine available to healers started to become known, a section of the Republican Guard lead by Sub Admiral N'ero'io of the Eastern Dufen region activated reserves of the CVO Division. While the security forces had been mobilized several deros earlier, the emergency replacements had not. Under what some believe to have been falsified orders used to justify his actions, N'ero'io proceeded to try and seize control of two of the four facilities within the Republic that had started making the cure. When a forty mega-yu explosion was detected half a dero into the fight, mixed reports made it on the news. Some said the government had launched a projectile in desperation, to eliminate the Sub Admiral. Some stated that Lieutenant Commander Dunham, new leader of the Richmond people, had launched the attack. Meanwhile others had believed N'ero'io, in his rage and possibly due to a sibling's death due to the contagion, had decided if he could not control the cure no one would. By the next dero, open civil war for the first time in over fifteen generations broke out. At the start, Lieutenant Commander Dunham attempted to remain neutral with his still half repaired space ship in orbit. One might have expected the rage of many against these creatures. When a one mega-yu projectile was fired at the hospital where most of the Richmond crew were being treated, most understood that neutrality was simply not an option. With all but apparently ten of their crew deceased, Republic officers took control of the Richmond. Whether this act was by treaty or force still remains a closely guarded secret. The repairs would take over sixty-two deros to complete, in large part due to a lack of resources. Many hoped the space ship might be used to end the war. However, unknown to most was that the last of the mega-yu weapons had been used to destroy the single rebel medicine facility developing the cure. The intended effect was seen fifteen deros later when the Great Contagion War was over. The enemy had simply...fallen dead where they stood. Of course, the toll on the Republic was great. At least ten percent of the planet now featured such high ioa levels that no one would be able to visit it for generations. Even now, most remained untouchable for fear of a slow death. Of the three hundred and fifty billion Republic citizens, less than one billion survived. By this point, Lieutenant Commander Dunham and his crew had all perished. Whether those that had not fallen ill to the illness had been executed remains an open question. Most historians had seen that the Richmond's mission may well have been to hurt the Republic. On the verge of making astounding scientific advancement, it was possible the humans and their allies were concerned about another power developing in space. So the Richmond was landed, where it sat being learned and studied. Concerns about other space ships visiting were eliminated by learning of a compound common in Republic energy production that, when released in space, created a type of void for telemetry. Never again bothered, the Republic had slowly started to rebuild...generation after generation. Until now.

Hey there, Since it will soon start taking place in different places around the world, just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Here is hoping that 2007 brings whatever you are seeking! :P

Hey there, After attending the big 30th Anniversary Convention they had years ago, my observations. Would I pay for a Gold Package? Not so much. Would I possibly pay for the 2nd or 3rd level of packages once they are available? I'd seriously look into it. From what I have seen, getting regular day passes at events like this is a very dangerous thing...unless you don't mind sitting in the back watching stick figures move on a stage. A large part of it will be what are you going there for. Personally, I collect some of the autographs and have since I was young. I'd like to get some of the folks there, like to see some of the people I haven't seen before, etc. Now, if it's your first major convention, you may want to do everything all the time. On top of this, keep in mind that I want to spend time with my friends...one of the reasons for even going. So...will I get convention tickets? Yes. Will likely wait until March 2007ish though when they release the non-Gold packs.

Hey there, Was wondering what people thought of the recent episode (Exodus Part 2) of Battlestar Galactica? Personally, I don't think I've ever seen television that good before. I don't know how they could ever think to top that performance.

And to think I actually voted for him....

Hey there, Seems CBS might be doing something many long time Trek fans have been talking about for decades...redoing all the TOS exteriors with modern day CGI. From www.trektoday.com:

Hey there, A long time ago, a friend gave me a book about special effects of the shows...and I swear it mentioned they had actually used models. I'm not certain about that though....

Hey there, I do when you do it on a somewhat regular basis for four months. ;)

Hey there, I'm sorry, but I'm going to repeat some of what I said in another thread. ;) Having lived for six months in New Zealand, simming on Reaent and Aegis at 3:00pm and 4:00pm in the afternoons, I honestly must question realistic feasibility of such a venture. For quite a few months, I would visit STSF.NET at (by American standards) odd hours of the day and never found any activity. Now, what do I mean by this? When someone looks at our message boards, the counter at the bottom of the main screen indiciates that a guest has viewed them recently. You can even see what they are/were looking at/last clicked to see. If there was large interest in the forum at these times, there would have been guests looking at it. And I'm sorry...I can't go for the "They don't know we're here" excuse. We're linked at Startrek.com folks, so if they can't find us there they likely never will. :( In addition, having been part of the founding administration of two simming organizations now, I have seen attempts at a "Academy/Advanced sim hybrid" in the past. They do not work. The idea is a great one, don't get me wrong. However, it puts in place serious complications and quality control issues. What's more, there begins to be a blur between who is an advanced player and who is not. Case and point, does someone on this hybrid have the right to try and join another advanced sim in the fleet even though they have not gone thru a standard Academy graduation process? If such a thing was going to happen, a regular Academy training sim would need to be in place. In the same light, phase two of the approval process for an advanced sim would also need to be underway so that once people graduated from that Academy they would have a place to play. And along the same lines, what exact "time zone" are you going to use for the benchmark? Within the continental United States, Eastern Standard (-5:00 GMT) is used. That makes it somewhat reasonable for people across the country to find a game that fits there schedule. My best guess would be likely something similiar to 0:00GMT (London). It is within one or two hours of most European countries. However, adding a sims in the time zone isn't going to cover the other side of the globe sitting at 12:00GMT. Such a sim might (note that word) also be somewhat feasible for some within the United States who have odd work schedules or don't work at all due to age (sims at 5:00pm in the afternoon ET essentially). So...being perfectly honest...if people are saying there is a need...really need to narrow down "from where." I'm not saying why we can't, I'm just saying that this is not as cut and dry as it seems.

Hey there, Actually, to me, "Doomsday Machine" featured some of the best special effects of TOS. I thought the Constellation looked alright when compared to effects of the day (and in the rest of the series). "The Ultimate Computer" could use a serious upgrade. The potential was there, and in fact they were using AMT plastic models for the other ships, but it was just impossible (I believe) to get the effects realistic given what was supposedly happening. A battle sequence featuring five ships? A little much in the late 1960s. Bloody hell, it wasn't until the late 1970s that ILM made it look somewhat realistic in Star Wars.

Hey there, Earlier? Aren't most of them already running around 2:00pm the following day for you? Are there people interested in games at earlier times? Yes. However, are there enough to support games on a consistant weekly basis (regardless of GM status)? No...I honestly don't think so.

Hey there, From what I'm understanding, they are going to update the exterior ship & battle sequences with modern CGI. Case and point, Doomsday Machine redone with modern graphics could take a great episode and turn it into an amazing one. It could work, might not work, don't know. But at least they are trying something...

Hey there, Answer 1: I can personally attest that there currently doesn't seem to be a need for an Academy running GMT+12:00. On numerous occassions, while living in that timezone, I came into the rooms (and looked on the boards) and there was no activity. Answer 2: I would not have a problem running an Academy during the day (believe most would agree), you would just have to match my current salary and benefits package. :D

Hey there, All might not be lost. According to a report online today, MGM is indeed looking at it's options. On the other side of the coin, it seems that Sci-Fi Channel might have cancelled the show due to licensing fee increases by MGM. Essentially, it was costing them too much to show the thing. The fact ratings aren't in the top five nationwide didn't help...but were not the primary factor apparently. Supposedly contracts between MGM and Sci-Fi Channel would prevent another network from showing SG-1. However, looks like one of several things could happen. First, MGM might lower it's fee and the network could reconsider. Second, specualtion is that MGM could turn it completely Internet based. This isn't out of the question...with people spending a few dollars to download each episode, they'd be making easily $4 million dollars per week just within the U.S. market. Third option is that they are looking to turn it into a series of television movies or something similiar.

Hey there, It has been confirmed that Stargate SG-1 will not return on Sci-Fi for an 11th Season. However, that said, there are plans to do something. Reportedly, serious talks have been going on about a film. It is possible this is a leadup to that. In the same light, I'm not certain that we've seen the last of SG-1. What is sad is that this was the first time in quite a few years all actors and the like were already signed for another season. Some complaints I've heard (and believe) about lower ratings deal with Sci-Fi itself. They've moved BSG, the show is now up against such things as Monk and they're even making things worse. You realize the second half of the season for Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis won't be seen until March 2007? True...shows will go on their traditional "break" in September but won't return until after the entire season of Battlestar Galactica has been seen. Why? The network wants to have "original programming year round." With a setup like this, I think many of the shows are doomed to failure. When will new ones be on? When won't they? Have to wait and see what happens. Sadly, I don't think the network has anything better to replace SG1...so...why cancel it?

Apparently it is going to be about a young Kirk and Spock...