TALON'S EDGE: January 1999

*TALON'S EDGE*
January 1999
E-mail: uss.aquila@juno.com

IN THIS ISSUE: * UN-classified * Bulletin Board * Briefing Room * Video Viewpoints * Helping Hands * Cadet Corner * Chaplain's Corner	EDITOR/SUBMISSIONS: Captain Glenna M. Juilfs DISTRIBUTION: Commander Rob Langenderfer DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE: February 28, 1999 SUBSCRIPTIONS: one (1) 32c stamp = 1 issue

	UN-CLASSIFIED ADS


BULLETIN BOARD
Click on the blinking star for information about Area Meetings
ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
For information on Activities & Events click on the little boy

BRIEFING ROOM
SHIP'S LOG
The 93rd meeting of the USS Aquila was held on December 12, 1998 at the Barnes & Noble bookstore on Mall Road in Florence, KY. The meeting was called to order at 4pm by the Commanding Officer, Captain Glenna Juilfs. There were 5 members in attendance (Nelson Charette, Sam Hearld, Glenna Juilfs, Rob Langenderfer, & Erin Pence) Members who attended the Membership Drive at the Showcase theatre were: Friday Dec. 11: Nelson Charette, Rob Langenderfer, Aimee Weber, Linda Widener, Tamara Widener. Saturday Dec. 12: Nelson Charette, Glenna Juilfs, Erin Pence, Linda Widener. Meeting Highlights: -Certificates of Merit, Captain's Citations, and Promotions were handed out to those present to receive them. Others will be handed out at the January meeting. -Upcoming conventions include Slanted Fedora in Dayton, Millenicon-2 in Blue Ash, Camp Dover in New Philadelphia, Marcon in Columbus, and Tranquility Base in Cincinnati. (For more information see the Activities & Events section). (NOTE: the next TranBase meeting will be on January 30, 1999) -No Aquila New Year's Eve party this year. -Need to schedule another League meeting at Tammy Borchardt's -There will be a Celtic/Klingon wedding at Marcon. -Puck & Squark will be renewing marriage vows at Dover. -Would like to schedule a Video Party at Rob's during the cold weather. -It was announced that Dave & Jennifer Woodard are really Klingon spies who have been surgically transformed to pass as humans! The meeting was adjourned.

BRIEFING ROOM

SHIP'S LOG

The 93rd meeting of the USS Aquila was held on December 12, 1998 at the Barnes & Noble bookstore on Mall Road in Florence, KY. The meeting was called to order at 4pm by the Commanding Officer, Captain Glenna Juilfs. There were 5 members in attendance (Nelson Charette, Sam Hearld, Glenna Juilfs, Rob Langenderfer, & Erin Pence)

Members who attended the Membership Drive at the Showcase theatre were: Friday Dec. 11: Nelson Charette, Rob Langenderfer, Aimee Weber, Linda Widener, Tamara Widener. Saturday Dec. 12: Nelson Charette, Glenna Juilfs, Erin Pence, Linda Widener.

Meeting Highlights:
-Certificates of Merit, Captain's Citations, and Promotions were handed out to those present to receive them. Others will be handed out at the January meeting.
-Upcoming conventions include Slanted Fedora in Dayton, Millenicon-2 in Blue Ash, Camp Dover in New Philadelphia, Marcon in Columbus, and Tranquility Base in Cincinnati. (For more information see the Activities & Events section). (NOTE: the next TranBase meeting will be on January 30, 1999)
-No Aquila New Year's Eve party this year.
-Need to schedule another League meeting at Tammy Borchardt's
-There will be a Celtic/Klingon wedding at Marcon.
-Puck & Squark will be renewing marriage vows at Dover.
-Would like to schedule a Video Party at Rob's during the cold weather.
-It was announced that Dave & Jennifer Woodard are really Klingon spies who have been surgically transformed to pass as humans!
The meeting was adjourned.

VIDEO VIEWPOINTS
Striving Toward A New Era: The Third Season of Star Trek: Voyager By Rob Langenderfer
Well, with the airing of "Basics, Part II", reviewed in the second part of the second season of Star Trek: Voyager, the Kazon/ Seska/ Chakotay plotline was eliminated, Michael Piller stepped down as head of the writing staff, going off to do other projects, and Jeri Taylor took over as the head of the writing staff. Taylor was disappointed with how the Kazon plotline had turned out, and she was determined to try some new approaches and new things during the third season. (Actually several episodes aired as part of season three were filmed during the recording block for season two, but that doesn't play into this analysis.) The first episode to follow "Basics, Part II" was "Flashback", an episode written to acknowledge the 30th anniversary of the Star Trek franchise. This episode brought back George Takei as captain Hikaru Sulu of the Excelsior and Grace Lee Whitney as Commander Janice Rand. Although Whitney let the side down with her mediocre acting, her performance was compensated for by Michael Ansara's superb turn as Commander Kang. This episode seemed to meet with a lot of flack from fans; negative views that I feel were unwarranted. I though it was a good fun, enjoyable story as Janeway and Tuvok attempt to discover what memories are plaguing Tuvok. The story definitely holds your interest, and Janeway's little discussion of Kirk's era makes one wish for those classic days of the Original Series again. This is an episode that Tammy Borchardt and other Classic-only fans would really appreciate. There is a plothole in the fact that it is never explained adequately how Sulu appears to see them at one point in the story. The resolution of the plot about Tuvok's memory seems to be a bit too swift as well. This story doesn't really have a hard-hitting theme, but every once in a while, it is good to have a story that just allows you to relax, like this one does. "The Chute" is a very interesting story that is very heavy on theme. In some ways it is one of the more depressing stories from the series, but it is ultimately redemptive as it shows Harry and Tom Paris attempting to remain true to each other and resist the depersonalization and brutality that is going on around them. It is not an episode that one will want to watch many times because of its extremely grim setting and tone (at least I wouldn't), but it is a story that I hope to catch at least once more to be able to suck all of the meaning and texture out of the fine script. "The Swarm" is another really good story. It is extremely touching and very well done. The Doctor must face the ramifications of losing his memories and this Alzheimer's allegory story is well handled by both Robert Picardo as the Doctor and Jennifer Lien as Kes. As someone who was in the final stages of losing my grandmother to that disease at the time that I saw this episode, could really relate to it. It is a very sad story, and it is not one that you would want to watch when you've had a bad day, but it is ultimately very meaningful. Unfortunately, this story is never really followed up on, and later episodes would suggest that the Doctor recovered his memory. "False Profits", the episode with the 2 Ferengi from the ST:TNG episode "The Price" who ended up in the Delta Quadrant and end up taking control of a planet, has a few funny moments, but it really isn't that good of an episode. Some of the humor falls flat, and it doesn't really explore any interesting issues of do much of anything productive. "Remember" is quite a good story in which Torres relives the memories of an alien who participated in a Nazi-like extermination of a group of dissidents on her planet. The fact of this horrible occurrence has been left out of the planet's history. The ambiguous ending of the story disappointed me, but an INTERNET poster said that it was attempting to parallel the delusions of people who claim that the Holocaust never occurred. That is a valid perspective, but I still felt cheated from an adequate closure of the narrative. This is an episode that will definitely hold your interest, but like "The Chute"; it is a very depressing story. Still, its point is certainly valid. History must never be forgotten or whitewashed or the lessons learned from it will be lost. "Sacred Ground" is a very thought-provoking episode in which Janeway must go through a religious ritual that forces her to question her faith in science in order to save Kes's life. It is a very good story. In some parts, it is somewhat confusing and surrealistic, but to some degree that adds to the ultimate strength of the story. It is good that Star Trek, often seemingly very skeptical towards the value of religion in the past, has done a story like this. This is a story that is really fresh and interesting. Don't miss it. "Future's End, Parts I and II" are a really fun romp into the 20th century in which Voyager crewmembers fight to save the future from th e misguided plans of an unscrupulously greedy software tycoon, played by Ed Begley Jr. The plotline with Tom Paris and the young astronomer well as she really is the eyes and ears of the viewer entering into what appears to her to be a situation that could only happen in a science-fiction movie. This is a good story. This season in general Voyager seems to have found a very good balance of different types of stories: sad, poignant stories and fun, entertaining stories with humor. "Warlord" is a story in which Kes is possessed by a power-mad alien warlord. Kes fights to free herself through the story. Jennifer Lien does a fine job in what really are two separate roles. This isn't the greatest story ever done, and it doesn't match up to most of the work done this season so far, but it will hold your interest. "The Q and the Grey" is a very good story in which John DeLancie returns in a nice performance as Q. Suzie Plakson does a fine job as Q's wife. This story doesn't have quite the same philosophical bent as some of the better Q stories, but it also has the great sense of fun that makes all the Q episodes so entertaining. There has never been a truly bad Q episode yet thanks to the zest with which DeLancie plays the character. This story has some excellent costumes and sets as the Q Continuum is beset with a civil was following the actions that occurred in the second season Q episodes "Death Wish" in which a member of the Q was permitted to commit suicide. The story has some great comedic moments between Q and Janeway, although I do hope that Q appears in one of the TNG films. Picard and Q had sparks flying between them that Sisko and Janeway could never match. "All Good Things..." certainly left the door open for future encounters. The situation with Guinan and Q has never been explained. (I hope that Michael Piller (who is writing the script for the ninth film) picks up these loose plot threads because they seem like they would provide wonderful new territory to explore.) "Macrocosm" was a story that I barely remember anything about, and from what little I do remember, it seemed to be very standard action-adventure fare with very few elements that were in any way special or recommendable. With the conclusion of this story, Voyager's third season had reached its halfway mark. The series seemed to be at its highest peak and finally fulfilling some of the potential present in its characters and its premise. The Doctor had been given a good story as had Janeway, Kes and Torres. Harry had been given a chance to develop in "The Chute" as had Tom and Tom was given plenty of fun in the two-parter "Future's End". The series would continue in this strong vein throughout the rest of the season as it continued to strive toward excellence.

VIDEO VIEWPOINTS

Striving Toward A New Era: The Third Season of Star Trek: Voyager
By Rob Langenderfer

Well, with the airing of "Basics, Part II", reviewed in the second part of the second season of Star Trek: Voyager, the Kazon/ Seska/ Chakotay plotline was eliminated, Michael Piller stepped down as head of the writing staff, going off to do other projects, and Jeri Taylor took over as the head of the writing staff. Taylor was disappointed with how the Kazon plotline had turned out, and she was determined to try some new approaches and new things during the third season. (Actually several episodes aired as part of season three were filmed during the recording block for season two, but that doesn't play into this analysis.)

The first episode to follow "Basics, Part II" was "Flashback", an episode written to acknowledge the 30th anniversary of the Star Trek franchise. This episode brought back George Takei as captain Hikaru Sulu of the Excelsior and Grace Lee Whitney as Commander Janice Rand. Although Whitney let the side down with her mediocre acting, her performance was compensated for by Michael Ansara's superb turn as Commander Kang. This episode seemed to meet with a lot of flack from fans; negative views that I feel were unwarranted. I though it was a good fun, enjoyable story as Janeway and Tuvok attempt to discover what memories are plaguing Tuvok. The story definitely holds your interest, and Janeway's little discussion of Kirk's era makes one wish for those classic days of the Original Series again. This is an episode that Tammy Borchardt and other Classic-only fans would really appreciate. There is a plothole in the fact that it is never explained adequately how Sulu appears to see them at one point in the story. The resolution of the plot about Tuvok's memory seems to be a bit too swift as well. This story doesn't really have a hard-hitting theme, but every once in a while, it is good to have a story that just allows you to relax, like this one does.

"The Chute" is a very interesting story that is very heavy on theme. In some ways it is one of the more depressing stories from the series, but it is ultimately redemptive as it shows Harry and Tom Paris attempting to remain true to each other and resist the depersonalization and brutality that is going on around them. It is not an episode that one will want to watch many times because of its extremely grim setting and tone (at least I wouldn't), but it is a story that I hope to catch at least once more to be able to suck all of the meaning and texture out of the fine script.

"The Swarm" is another really good story. It is extremely touching and very well done. The Doctor must face the ramifications of losing his memories and this Alzheimer's allegory story is well handled by both Robert Picardo as the Doctor and Jennifer Lien as Kes. As someone who was in the final stages of losing my grandmother to that disease at the time that I saw this episode, could really relate to it. It is a very sad story, and it is not one that you would want to watch when you've had a bad day, but it is ultimately very meaningful. Unfortunately, this story is never really followed up on, and later episodes would suggest that the Doctor recovered his memory.

"False Profits", the episode with the 2 Ferengi from the ST:TNG episode "The Price" who ended up in the Delta Quadrant and end up taking control of a planet, has a few funny moments, but it really isn't that good of an episode. Some of the humor falls flat, and it doesn't really explore any interesting issues of do much of anything productive.

"Remember" is quite a good story in which Torres relives the memories of an alien who participated in a Nazi-like extermination of a group of dissidents on her planet. The fact of this horrible occurrence has been left out of the planet's history. The ambiguous ending of the story disappointed me, but an INTERNET poster said that it was attempting to parallel the delusions of people who claim that the Holocaust never occurred. That is a valid perspective, but I still felt cheated from an adequate closure of the narrative. This is an episode that will definitely hold your interest, but like "The Chute"; it is a very depressing story. Still, its point is certainly valid. History must never be forgotten or whitewashed or the lessons learned from it will be lost.

"Sacred Ground" is a very thought-provoking episode in which Janeway must go through a religious ritual that forces her to question her faith in science in order to save Kes's life. It is a very good story. In some parts, it is somewhat confusing and surrealistic, but to some degree that adds to the ultimate strength of the story. It is good that Star Trek, often seemingly very skeptical towards the value of religion in the past, has done a story like this. This is a story that is really fresh and interesting. Don't miss it.

"Future's End, Parts I and II" are a really fun romp into the 20th century in which Voyager crewmembers fight to save the future from th e misguided plans of an unscrupulously greedy software tycoon, played by Ed Begley Jr. The plotline with Tom Paris and the young astronomer well as she really is the eyes and ears of the viewer entering into what appears to her to be a situation that could only happen in a science-fiction movie. This is a good story. This season in general Voyager seems to have found a very good balance of different types of stories: sad, poignant stories and fun, entertaining stories with humor.

"Warlord" is a story in which Kes is possessed by a power-mad alien warlord. Kes fights to free herself through the story. Jennifer Lien does a fine job in what really are two separate roles. This isn't the greatest story ever done, and it doesn't match up to most of the work done this season so far, but it will hold your interest.

"The Q and the Grey" is a very good story in which John DeLancie returns in a nice performance as Q. Suzie Plakson does a fine job as Q's wife. This story doesn't have quite the same philosophical bent as some of the better Q stories, but it also has the great sense of fun that makes all the Q episodes so entertaining. There has never been a truly bad Q episode yet thanks to the zest with which DeLancie plays the character. This story has some excellent costumes and sets as the Q Continuum is beset with a civil was following the actions that occurred in the second season Q episodes "Death Wish" in which a member of the Q was permitted to commit suicide. The story has some great comedic moments between Q and Janeway, although I do hope that Q appears in one of the TNG films. Picard and Q had sparks flying between them that Sisko and Janeway could never match. "All Good Things..." certainly left the door open for future encounters. The situation with Guinan and Q has never been explained.

(I hope that Michael Piller (who is writing the script for the ninth film) picks up these loose plot threads because they seem like they would provide wonderful new territory to explore.)

"Macrocosm" was a story that I barely remember anything about, and from what little I do remember, it seemed to be very standard action-adventure fare with very few elements that were in any way special or recommendable. With the conclusion of this story, Voyager's third season had reached its halfway mark. The series seemed to be at its highest peak and finally fulfilling some of the potential present in its characters and its premise. The Doctor had been given a good story as had Janeway, Kes and Torres. Harry had been given a chance to develop in "The Chute" as had Tom and Tom was given plenty of fun in the two-parter "Future's End". The series would continue in this strong vein throughout the rest of the season as it continued to strive toward excellence.

HELPING HANDS Cmdr. Linda Widener, CMO
SAGE (Salvia officinalis) Garden Sage, Spanish Sage, Greek Sage An evergreen shrub growing to 3 feet tall with oval velvety leaves and small flowers. Found worldwide. Often added to turkey dressings this time of year, sage is highly effective in healing sore throats. Sage can also be used as an internal antipersperant, reducing or eliminating body odor. It is often used as a treatment for flesh wounds and as a food preservative. Diabetics use sage in their diets to help regulate blood sugar levels. Crushed leaves are rubbed over cuts for flesh wounds, used as a seasoning in foods, or made into a tea. GINGER (Zingiberis officianale) An aeromatic rhizome with long sword-shaped leaves and fragrant white flowers. Tropical Asia. Used to relieve dizziness, vertigo, motion sickness, and nausea. Also helpful to improve digestion and to relieve gas, indigestion, and cramps. Ginger helps to relieve the aches of arthritis and muscle pain. It can also be used to control dandruff. One of the best all-around herbs, you can spice foods with ginger or dissolve in hot water and drink as a tea. Infuse the root in a steam for inhalation. Or use the oil as a massage.

HELPING HANDS
Cmdr. Linda Widener, CMO

SAGE
(Salvia officinalis)
Garden Sage, Spanish Sage, Greek Sage

An evergreen shrub growing to 3 feet tall with oval velvety leaves and small flowers. Found worldwide.

Often added to turkey dressings this time of year, sage is highly effective in healing sore throats. Sage can also be used as an internal antipersperant, reducing or eliminating body odor. It is often used as a treatment for flesh wounds and as a food preservative. Diabetics use sage in their diets to help regulate blood sugar levels. Crushed leaves are rubbed over cuts for flesh wounds, used as a seasoning in foods, or made into a tea.

GINGER
(Zingiberis officianale)

An aeromatic rhizome with long sword-shaped leaves and fragrant white flowers. Tropical Asia.

Used to relieve dizziness, vertigo, motion sickness, and nausea. Also helpful to improve digestion and to relieve gas, indigestion, and cramps. Ginger helps to relieve the aches of arthritis and muscle pain. It can also be used to control dandruff. One of the best all-around herbs, you can spice foods with ginger or dissolve in hot water and drink as a tea. Infuse the root in a steam for inhalation. Or use the oil as a massage.

CADET CORNER Cmdr, Erin Pence, CCC
AQUILA TRIVIA QUIZ
A = Answers must begin with the letter "A" -The "a" in USA -Why most people sneeze -Add, subtract, multiply, divide -Any extraterrestrial -An Alien Life Form Q = Answers must begin with the letter "Q" -An immortal being -Female ruler or singing group -Not noisy -Attacked a windmill -A dangerous assignment with a reward U = Answers must begin with the letter "U" -Needed when it rains -Looks somewhat like a horse -A country in South Africa -Most people wear them -Break a mirror I = Answers must begin with the letter "I" -All politicians, some twins, but no snowflakes. -Rookie doctor. -It seems to be kicking Sicily. -Room-to-room electronic yelling mechanism. -Former Russian window treatment. L = Answers must begin with the letter "L" -A term of endearment -A type of flower -Hates to work -A dead language -Three brothers on TV A = Answers must begin with the letter "A" -National song -A red fruit -The fruit of an oak tree -Killed Cleopatra -A Star System
ANSWERS (no cheating!): America, Allergy, Arithmetic, Alien, ALF Q-contiuum, Queen, Quiet, Quixote, Quest Umbrella, Unicorn, Uganda, Underwear, Unlucky Identical, Intern, Italy, Intercom, Iron Curtain Love, Lily, Lazy, Latin, Larry Anthem, Apple, Acorn, Asp, Antares

	CHAPLAIN'S CORNER
Click Here to read the Chaplain's Corner

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TALON'S EDGE

January 1999

E-mail: uss.aquila@juno.com

BULLETIN BOARD