FNN Edition 10
Star Fleet News
Headlines
Space Station Sierra-18 Falls
MOLLIE MATTS
Managing Editor
Stardate 20902.01
FNN has learned that one of the Federation’s most remote outposts, Space Station Sierra-18 – which is located on the Federation border with the Romulans, Klingons, and Cardiassians – has fallen to the Romulan Navy.
SS-18 was a key intelligence asset to the Federation during both the Federation/Dominion War and the Second Federation/Romulan War. There are very few details about the station’s capture, but the Romulans will undoubtedly try to use the outpost to gain a foothold in that sector.
FNN received unconfirmed reports of the fall of the station two days ago, but today Star Fleet confirmed the reports. Lieutenant Commander Ashley Allen, Public Affairs Officer for the 2nd Battle Group, acknowledged that the station had fallen into enemy hands, but denied to comment any further.
Cadet Dies At Academy Holiday Party
MOLLIE MATTS
Managing Editor
Stardate 20902.01
Less than an hour into Star Fleet Academy’s annual holiday party, the major news is not that William Gillenwater, the Academy’s former superintendent, has been reassigned, but that one of the Academy’s cadets has died.
Shortly after Vice Admiral Thrawn announced that Commodore Gillenwater was being promoted to Rear Admiral and assigned to command the USS Yellowstone, a female security cadet fell to the floor. By the time medics arrived on scene, there was nothing they could do for the cadet – whose name the authorities have not released - and she died at 18:50 on Stardate 20901.05.
Star Fleet’s Criminal Investigations Division is investigating the matter, but they have not determined a cause of death. Gillenwater’s replacement is Captain Daniel Meacham, the Academy’s Dean of Testing.
Promotions Given at Academy Christmas Party
KEVIN AVERY
Fleet News Editor
Stardate 20902.01
After the surprise visit of the CinC at the annual Christmas Party several academy instructors and workers were surprised with a promotion. Lieutenants [Junior Grade] Halpert, Gelnik, and Temnit were all promoted to full Lieutenant. In addition Lieutenant Abigail Taylor was promoted to Lieutenant Commander.
The highlight of the promotions however took place while Fleet Admiral Benestad was on stage. It was during that time that now former Superintendent Gillenwater was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. With the promotion came a new mission for Gillenwater.
To replace Rear Admiral Gillenwater, long time Academy worker Daniel Meachem was promoted to Captain and given the job. Also, Lieutenant Commander Esperensen was promoted to fill the vacant Dean of Evaluations position.
The FNN would like to wish luck on the new administration of the Academy.
Star Fleet Cadet Collapses at Annual Christmas Party
KEVIN AVERY
Fleet News Editor
Stardate 20902.03
At the annual Christmas Party, held yearly by Star Fleet Academy officials, a female cadet was reported to have collapsed and died.
Cadet Jennifer Womac was in her final year at Star Fleet Academy and was near graduating with a degree in Star Fleet Security. He death came as quite a surprise, and is currently being investigated as murder by Star Fleet Criminal Investigative Services.
“We are looking in to this matter fully and cannot comment further on an ongoing investigation” Said Senior CID Field Agent Thomas DiLucca. Star Fleet Academy has issued a statement calling the death a tragedy and that they will support the CID team in any way possible so they can determine, how and why, Cadet Womac died.
From the Editor
Story Retraction
RACHEL CHRISTIE
Editor-in-Chief
Stardate 20902.03
On Stardate 20902.01, the Federation News Network released a story titled "Klingons Attack Carraya System" in which a story was misfiled. Due to a production mishap, the article which was intended to update the situation in Carraya was accidentally replaced with an older story the FNN ran on Stardate 20709.01. The intended article will run in the next edition of the FNN.
The Federation News Network regrets its error.
FedSpace News
Headlines
Why Do You Love Star Trek / FedSpace?
VERNON IGNOFFO
Opinions Editor
Stardate 20902.01
Since this is the month of lovin’ I bring to you the reasons people gave for why they love Star Trek and Fedspace!
Roger, who plays Brooks on the Copernicus said: The reason I love Star Trek is it shows us a united world in the future to which we go up among the stars visiting the different life/beings that is out there. The reason I love FedSpace is that I can play a person in that world and expand who I am as a person within a community who love Star Trek which makes it all the more fun, interesting and at times exciting!
CJ, who plays Norton on the Copernicus said: Why do I like Trek...well I have a very analytical intelligence style, and because of this I excel in math and science. I've also always had a particular liking to science, and have been interested in astronomy and astrophysics ever since I can remember. Trek hails from that same train of thought, I relate to trek, somewhat and understand it. Fed Space I'm new to so I don't have a lot of info to base my likes on here, but from what I've seen, everyone is nice, and open to everyone. Plus the system this is based on makes it feel like we're part of the Federation.
Monique, who plays Hoshi on the Sheridan said: I'm a returning player. When I first came to the site, I loved FedSpace because it was a way to combine Star Trek with writing and interacting with people all over the world. I reached a point, where I couldn't combine the game with RL. Since I couldn't stop with RL, I had to stop playing on FedSpace. Now, I feel comfortable enough with RL to return to Federation Space. Why I returned? I missed it. I had stopped writing completely, but I found, writing is addicting. Meeting people on FedSpace, or MSN is wonderful too.
I didn't realize it at first, but there is a lot to learn about the English language. I once looked at my first post, and I saw a great deal of mistakes in the grammar. Things I don't do wrong anymore. (Ok, maybe I still have some.) Why I love FedSpace? I don't know. What I do know, is that I'm addicted to it...
Mike, who plays Wong on the Enterprise said: The reason I love Star Trek is that it provides a future for mankind where we have managed to escape destroying ourselves and the Earth, as well as acknowledging the likelihood that we are not the only or most intelligent life in this big universe of ours. It's a opportunity for us to manifest the best parts of human nature and downplay the worst. Fed Space is all that and more. It's the opportunity for me to explore and express my perceptions within this fantasy universe while developing my very modest writing skills and getting to know an infinitely diverse group of likeminded people from around the world.
Amanda, who plays ch’Thane on the said: Two things if I were to be honest: first the escapism. It can transport someone away to a place that is alien and familiar, new and old. Second, the brighter future it offers. I know the darker aspects are popular with most fans, but knowing what is possible in a positive light is comforting. Why I love FedSpace? Community. A lot of people here come from different backgrounds, but the fact we can all come together in one place for a common love of a show and creativity is absolutely amazing to me.
Andrea, who plays Nielson on Sierra-18 said: FedSpace I love the community and the creative environment, and the fact that it's a lot of fun! And I love Trek because it's a scifi that delves into many more aspects of story development - characters change over time depending on what happens to them, there are larger stories that last throughout. It's not just "oh look, aliens! Lets shoot them!". A lot of thought has been put into it as a series as a whole, so it makes it really captivating and interesting.
John, who plays Zenteal on the Copernicus, said: Cause I like the fact that poverty and everything else is eliminated the need for things is gone and replaced with the need of achievement for yourself.
Jeremy, who plays Komoscov on the Enterprise, said: Because Star Trek provides me with a sense of adventure. Why do I love FedSpace? I guess I would have to say it's the feeling of actually being in a Star Trek episode, and that I am surrounded by people who are hopefully interested in combining the love of Star Trek and wanting to tell a good story. That and it becomes a little bit addictive after a while.
Jacob, who plays Tokat on the Ticonderoga, said: I've always been interested in science-fiction and such, so it's kind of hard to pinpoint exactly what it is about Star Trek that drew me to it. When I was younger, I always enjoyed watching the creative ways that the crew of the TNG's Enterprise-D came up with to escape the dangers they faced that episode. With the advance of VOY and DS9, I was hooked. Sadly, the only Star Trek series I'm not overly fond of is TOS. Why do I love FedSpace? -- I found FedSpace on a whim. I have participating in forum RPs for about 3 years, and one day I was bored out of my mind as all my other RPs were running slow. I asked myself, "Why not a Star Trek RP?" ... a simple google search to the effect of "Star Trek Online RP" yielded a promising result. Months later, here I am. And what is it that held me here? An incredibly active community, intriguing plotlines, and excellent overall organization. My hat's off to President Beckett, the GC's, CO's, and all the GM's.
20 Questions
LCdr Fran Katezenjammer
VERNON IGNOFFO
Opinions Editor
Stardate 20902.02
This month we get to learn more about Clive Saunders, currently playing Lieutenant Commander Fran Katzenjammer on the USS Sheridan.
Age, Sex, Location?
33, Male, Poole in England. Home of the second largest natural harbor in the world, Red Squirrels, and more pubs than you can count.
When did you start playing on FedSpace?
Only two years ago, back in October of 2006.
What brought you to FedSpace?
To be honest, I was surfing the net one afternoon for something to do, and I’d already come across several other RPG sites, but something about this one just seemed to leap out of the screen and scream; Play with us!
Tell me a little about the process of developing your character.
There’s a process involved? :) Okay, serious time. I started playing with an Andorian male, but I got fed-up with him, as he was too much like me in real life. And before you ask, I can supply pictures of me painted bright blue. So, I changed to a Human female because I figured you couldn’t get a more different character from me in real life.
I chose engineering as my department as again, in real life I am an engineer. When I changed character, there seemed little reason to change departments, as that would have left a gaping hole in the ships organizational structure.
What surprises have happened that caused your characters to develop differently then you had envisioned?
Where my original character was based on me, my original plan was to act out how I would play the character if it was, actually me. This didn’t work out too well; especially as I had a couple of run ins with GM’s which inadvertently ended up with them becoming upset. So by creating Fran, the plan is this time to be a more balanced character that has a chip on both shoulders and gets on better with others.
Do you think it is easier or more difficult to play someone who is based on yourself like your first character, or has a different gender like your current character?
To play someone based on yourself is very easy. You simply have to think how would I deal with the situation you’re presented with. The disadvantage is that I think, you’re more likely to go ga-ga as I see RPG’s as a form of escapism from the real world.Now I’m playing a character of a different gender, I have to really think; “Is this what a girl would do in this situation?” as opposed to just blundering straight in and messing things up.
Do you feel there is any disconnect between you and other players based on geographical location?
Yes and no. Yes there is the obvious time difference, but to be honest, it’s not really been a problem for me. The site server time is about seven hours behind GMT, so I know that for example, 7pm in the UK is midday site time. I’m working all week 8-5 so if I leave a post, there’s usually something new to read and react to when I get up or when I come home in the evening.
What would you most like to do on the site?
I only run a couple of rated NPC’s. One on Sheridan, and one on Darwin. I’d like to help out with other stuff like GM’ing and the like, but I don’t really have the time or after some days at work, the willpower.
If you could choose, what Trek species would you be?
I’ve dressed up as so many different aliens at conventions, but my favorite has always been Andorian. That’s why I started as one.
So far, what is your favorite part about being a member of FedSpace?
Meeting new people online, and being creative when writing.
If you were President for a day, what would you change?
Celebrate First Contact. On April 5th at 4pm, all Federation starships and facilities are to come to a complete and total stop (with the exception of skeleton crews), and all personnel are required to partake in a toast with REAL Tequila to Zefram Cochran.
If you could name your own ship, what would you name it?
Well, my first car was called the USS Bedpan because it ran poo, but I have been toying with the idea of a fan-fiction thing for a couple of years with the USS Fleming, an Olympus class frigate.
What was it about Star Trek that made you like it?
I don’t know really, it’s always just been there in my life. But then again, I’ve never been one to follow sports or soap operas and the like. I used to watch the original series back in the early 80’s on our old black and white valve set, then as each incarnation arrived, and we got colour, I just accepted it as the continuation of what could be.
It wasn’t really until I started working though that it all took off for me as then I had money and could buy all the books and models and videos so I didn’t just have to wait for the BBC to give me my next dose. Now however with the demise of Enterprise, but with the distant hope of the new movie (when it gets here), I’ve moved onto the fan made series.
Phase II, Starship Farragut, Hidden Frontier and Starship Intrepid for example, these maybe the future of Trek.
Who is your favorite character?
I’ve been best likened to Chief O’Brien in real life, but pretty much, I like them all in different ways, so choosing just one would be quite hard.
What piece of Star Trek Technology would you most like to see today?
The Replicator. Anything has to be better than the coffee machine I have to suffer with at work. :)
What do you spend your time outside of FedSpace doing?
I spend most of my waking day sitting at a bench performing tedious repetitive tasks for peanuts mostly, but my free time is split between reading, watching movies, listening to music, model making, watching & listening to science fiction fan made downloads, learning magic tricks, airsofting, wargaming, s-f conventions, and driving up and down the south coast of England visiting friends. And Sleeping.
What person would you most like to meet in real life?
Not one person really, it would be nice to meet anyone from the game so faces can be put to names and the best thing about face to face meetings are the ideas which can be bounced back and forth which could be used to make the games even better.
What character would you most like to meet in real life?
Any of the Sheridan crew really. They’re the ones I’ve spent most time with, and I could quite happily get on with any of them. Except Artz. No one likes Artz with the exception of one of my NPC’s, but we won’t go there. :D
If you could have any super power what would it be?
This goes back a few years. One morning a work colleague walked in and announced that he’d had a dream the night before, and everyone from work was there, but we all had these amazing super powers.
Mine was the ability to control… Paper! :S So it’s been an ongoing joke ever since then that I am “PAPERMAN!” Able to tear strips of anyone in a single sentence. The only problem was, the work colleague who had the dream was actually put away in a mental facility soon afterwards.
If there was something you would want everyone to know about you, what would that be?
The best description of me I heard was “He’s never grown up, he’s just got taller.”
Thanks to Clive for granting us the time for this interview. If you are interested in being interviewed, please send an email to Vernon Ignoffo at the.cute.birl@gmail.com.
Trek News
Movie News
New Movie Trailer
RACHEL CHRISTIE
Editior-in-Chief
Stardate 20902.01
Most likely the biggest movie news since Sunday, February 1st, is the release of a new trailer for the upcoming Star Trek movie by JJ Abrams. Airing during the American Super Bowl, the new trailer has already caused a fair amount of chatter on the internet. Several websites early on Sunday managed to broadcast a leaked version of the trailer prior to its official broadcast.
There are a few new clips thrown in compared to the prior trailer, but as far as movie trailers go it doesn’t really reveal much about the new film.
If you haven’t yet seen it, click here to watch it. You can also see stills of the new trailer here.
Review
Star Trek Lives!
Author: Jacqueline Lichtenberg, Sondra Marshak, and Joan Winston
Pages: 274
Series: TOS
Reviewer: Rachel Christie
Rating: 3.5/5
Description:
“Much have I traveling in the realms of gold…” ~Keats
In the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, where tribute is paid to man’s efforts to go where no man has gone before – there in the halls that celebrate man’s reaching for the sky, the moon, the stars – there among the memories of the Wright Brothers at Kittyhawk and the Apollo astronauts leaving footprints on the face of the moon – there beside Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis is Star Trek’s starship Enterprise.
No higher tribute could be paid to the spirit of Star Trek… Star Trek Lives!
Review:
I didn’t realise when I originally bought this book that it would be a non-fiction book. Written in 1975, the book takes a look at how Star Trek has created such a large audience and it’s impact on the large fan base it created. To do this, the authors come up with several concepts – or “Effects” as they call them – that have drawn people into the show. They illustrate these concepts with stories that both fans and stars of the show have shared with them, and through their own personal anecdotes.
Admittedly, I wasn’t taken in by their attempt to deconstruct the show – I’ve read lots of material written about these concepts before, and this book hardly hits on the tip of the iceberg. I felt a lot of the time they were grabbing at straws to substantiate their points.
However, their anecdotes and personal experiences about the show make this book a worthwhile read! My favourite chapters in the book recount one of the author’s time serving as a committee member at the first New York Star Trek convention. The response to the convention alone was overwhelming, but to read how Star Trek fans really jumped in to help out without even being asked was really cool. Seeing Gene Roddenberry’s reaction to the whole show was probably the best thing in the entire book – it’s nice read about someone who was so moved by the fans reaction to their creation.
The other part I really enjoyed was the recounting of one of the author’s visit to the set of the Original Series. A lot of people take for granted all the hard work put into television shows perhaps glossing over the actual work that goes on on set in favour of recounting seeing their favourite stars, but the author really did tribute to the hard work and long hours that was put into the show. One thing that made me curious though, is that in other writing about Star Trek I’ve read states there was a tension between several of the cast members. I’m not sure if it wasn’t obvious (the author states how the main stars often played practical jokes on one another), or if perhaps this animosity was put aside while the author was around.
All in all this book was really interesting and fun to read. If anything I recommend it for anyone wanting a glimpse at the “behind the scenes” world of Trek.
Quote
A Matter of Time
"To try or not to try. To take a risk or play it safe. Your arguments have reminded me how precious the right to choose is. And because I've never been one to play it safe, I choose to try."
- Jean-Luc Picard
From TNG, Season 5 Episode 9, A Matter of Time
Trek Trivia
As a new section here on the FNN, we'll be asking 10 Star Trek trivia questions. Some may be easy, some may be difficult. Think you know some or all of the answers? Submit them to the Editor-In-Chief. Each month we'll post the Top 10 Scoreboard and Top 10 All Around Champs, along with the previous month's answers and new trivia questions. Good luck!
This Month’s Questions
1. True or False: Spock served aboard the Enterprise longer than Kirk, McCoy, or Scotty.
2. Name the colony where Data was created.
3. Who was Quark’s most steady customer?
4. Who was Harry Kim engaged to before Voyager was lost?
5. In The Voyage Home, who was assigned to convert the cargo hold of a bird-of-prey into a whale tank?
6. True or False: Rom almost murdered Quark once.
7. An M-Class planet is one with:
- A) An oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere
- B) No oxygen in its atmosphere
- C) Predominantly nitrogen atmosphere
- D) No atmosphere
8. Who is Kirk’s son?
9. Name the species pictured on the right.
10. Who says: “You will be absorbed. Your individuality will merge into the unity of good. And in your submergence into the common being of the Body, you will find contentment, fulfillment. You will experience the absolute good.”
Last Month’s Answers
1. How many people were aboard the Enterprise when Pike was captain?
- 203
3. On what planet did B'Elanna Torres grow up?
- Kessik IV
4. In Wrath of Khan, what kind of ship was the Kobayashi Maru?
- Third-Class Neutronic Field Carrier
5. Where is Star Fleet Headquarters located?
- San Francisco
6. Who was William Riker's captain prior to Picard?
- Robert DeSoto
7. How many planets are in the Talos star group?
- 11
8. Identify the species pictures on the right.
9. Who sponsored Chakotay's entrance to Star Fleet Academy?
- Hikaru Sulu
10. Which Star Fleet captain did Kang once face in the Azure Nebula?
- Hikaru Sulu
Last Month’s Top 10
Since the Editor-in-Chief managed to stump everyone, she gets the points!
1. Rachel Christie
All Around Champs
| Rank | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Christie, Rachel | 9 |
| 2. | Macleod, Laura | 8 |
| 3. | Daher, Joseph | 6 |
Joke of the Month
Top 10 Reasons Why Riker Won't Shave
VERNON IGNOFFO
Opinions Editor
Stardate 20902.02
10) Hopes his beard will draw attention away from his constant silly smile.
9) He and Worf are having a beard-growing contest.
8) It helps hide the faint, hereditary birthmark on his chin that proves he's a werewolf.
7) Hopes to look scarier to hostile aliens.
6) Star Fleet has bridge personnel hair quotas and he's trying to make up for Picard.
5) He thinks Troi finds it sexy.
4) Didn't trust himself to pick up a can of shaving cream because the temptation to go and spray it at Wesley was too great.
3) Wants to look more like his hero, Ming the Merciless.
2) Every time he does, Q makes his beard grow back in five minutes as a gag.
1) Picard won't let him fire up his photon blade.
Science News
Astronomy Pic of the Month
In 1976, NASA's space shuttle Enterprise rolled out of the Palmdale manufacturing facilities and was greeted by NASA officials and cast members from the Star Trek television series.
Source: NASA
Headlines
International CES Coverage
VERNON IGNOFFO
Opinions Editor
Stardate 20902.01
The International Consumer Electronic Show is the biggest electronic convention in the world with over 1 billion square feet of show space. It is the premier outlet for all the new technology to emerge in 2009 and futuristic designs companies hope to create in the future. There are hundreds of booths, thousands of new products, and over a hundred thousand people in attendance it is impossible to see it all in just four days. In addition to the newest generations of laptops, netbooks, graphics cards and smart phones there are leaps in technology that boggle the mind. Here are my picks for the best products introduced at the 2009 International CES.
One of the sweet products to come is the GD910 watch phone made by LG. This sleek, elegant looking watch will double as a cell phone with a 1.4 inch touch screen. The watch phone with full internet access, an mp3 player, a 2.0 megapixel camera and voice sink promises to wave in a new era of small, powerful phones. It is due to be released in Europe in the near future and should be released to the US before the end of 2009.
Samsung came out strong this year with some awesome products, but two really stand above the crowd. They have a new blue ray player, the BD-P4600 which comes out the first half of this year. This not only plays your awesome blue ray movies but also streams Netflix and Pandora, plays multimedia off of flash drives and can eject a disk un under 1 second. However, the most talked about product Samsung brought to the CES is the newest 1080p LCD TV that measures just 7mm thick. It isn’t currently known when this TV will be released for purchase. With its low power consumption and sleek, thin design it is a major hit for those always looking to have the coolest product on the block.
NVIDIA has unveiled the 3D vision for GeForce, the world’s first home 3D system. As NVIDIA stated in their introduction speech “the 3D Vision combines high-tech wireless glasses, a high-power IR emitter and advanced software to create a stereoscopic 3D experience for hundreds of existing PC games.” If you upgrade your monitor to a list of currently supported ones (don’t worry, it’s a long list) then you can begin enjoying your PC games in high definition 3D.
Origami is for making paper swans right? Wrong! Asus computers has introduced an awesome Origami Folding Laptop concept. As described “The screen is opaque and the clever bit is that when two displays are placed back-to-back or stacked one on top of the other, the displays combine into one as the laptops communicate with each other wirelessly.” By placing the screens of two of the laptops touching you can seamlessly file transfer and even share desktops.
However, my favorite moment was when the gamers took over on January 10. A group of people with access to 500 liters of liquid nitrogen and helium were able to overclock an AMD Phenom II quad-core processor to 6.5 ghz! They cooled it down to -232oC. Once it was chilled, they clocked it at the world record 6.5 gigahertz EACH core. They ended up with a 45,474 3Dmark05 score.
Overall, though the show had less attendance than previous years, it showed the world that Mac choosing not to attend MACWORLD in order to ensure they would be at CES was a good decision. It is still the number 1 trade show in the world.
Technology News
Teleportation For Real?
MOLLIE MATTS
Managing Editor
Stardate 20902.01
Though we take transportation for granted here on Fed Space, it is something that scientists in real life have been struggling to achieve. And a team of scientists from the University of Michigan and the University of Maryland that comprise the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) have taken an important step into making teleportation possible.
Already physicists had been able to exchange information between photons if they were right next to each other. However, the JQI experiment marks the first time that information has traversed a significant distance – 1 meter – between two isolated atoms.
Unfortunately for us trekkies, these scientists don’t believe that this will ever be able to allow people to be transported over distances. However, it does have practical applications, including greater processing speeds for computers.
Read more here: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1874760,00.html.
This Month in Astronomy History
First Animals in Space
RACHEL CHRISTIE
Editor-in-Chief
Stardate 20902.01
It wasn’t monkies, it wasn’t dogs… the first animal in space was actually.. fruit flies! On February 20th, 1947, a V-2 rocket was launched from the White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico. Also inside the rocket with the fruit flies are several vials containing rye seeds and cotton seeds. The flight reaches an altitude of 60 miles. The rocket’s payload is later retrieved intact.
