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TALON'S EDGE |
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October/November 1999 |
E-mail: uss.aquila@juno.com |
IN THIS ISSUE:
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EDITOR/SUBMISSIONS: Captain Glenna M. Juilfs DISTRIBUTION: Commander Rob Langenderfer DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE: November 28, 1999 SUBSCRIPTIONS: one (1) 33c stamp = 1 issue |
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BULLETIN BOARD | |
| Click on the blinking star for information
about Area Meetings |
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| For more information on Activities & Events click on the little boy |
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| October
9-Crystal Paynter (1986) 12-Nelson Charette (1959) 15-Mark Lenard 17-Stephen Pence (1971) 17-Dustyn Pence Jr (1988) 22-Brian Widener (1981) | November
2-Steve & Heather Blair-Collins 5-Armin Shimmerman 11-Heather L. Blair-Collins 13-Whoopi Goldberg 17-Hannah Baudendistel (1998) 19-Terry Farrell 21-Alexander Siddig 25-Ricardo Montalban 25-Glenna Juilfs (1947) 28-Rob Langenderfer (1974) |
| BRIEFING ROOM |
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SHIP'S LOG9909.11. |
The 102nd meeting of the USS Aquila was held on Saturday September 11, 1999, at the Barnes & Noble bookstore on Mall Road in Florence, KY. There were 11 persons in attendance. Tamara Borchardt, Nelson Charette, Jamie Cole, Sam Hearld, Glenna Juilfs, Rob Langenderfer, Patrick McMullen, Erin Pence, Stephen Proffitt, Greg Turner, & Vanessa Turner.
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS:
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 VIDEO VIEWPOINTS
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| Thoughts on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Sixth Season, Part One
By Rob Langenderfer |
The fifth season of Deep Space Nine ended with the Cardassians and the Dominion in command of the station. Sisko and most of the crew (save Kira, Odo, Jake, Quark, Rom and Leeta, who actually were all not a part of the crew in the technical sense) were off to a starbase to aid the Federation in its fight against the Dominion.
The season premiere "A Call to Arms" was a solid enough story if I recall correctly. However, very little of it really made much of an impression. The second story "Rocks and Shoals" had a real punch to it, however, as the crew has crash-landed on a planet and must survive assaults from the Jem'Hadar. The interaction between the Jem'Hadar and their Vorta superiors really is the element that makes this story special, and we are shown how the allies of the Dominion are not connected to each other in a seamless garment. There is the strong possibility for divisions among them. That is a concept that the series would exploit time and again over the remaining episodes of the series.
The next episode "Sons and Daughters" featured the return of Worf's son Alexander as he struggles to find his way on a Klingon ship with his father. It was a very interesting story, with some good moments for Worf and General Martok. It's possibly the best episode in the initial stories of this season, and it will hold your interest throughout.
The next three episodes largely deal with the situation on the Deep Space Nine situation itself during the occupation and with the eventual re-taking of DS9 by Sisko. These stories are interesting and exciting, yet there is a point where it can be clearly seen that all of the episodes were not written by the same person. It is a definite weakness as Odo's seeming indifference to everyone's plight while he is in the Great Link and his spur to action (and regret for his past indifference) is never convincingly portrayed. If the same writer had penned all three stories, these difficulties might have been avoided. That is the most definite instance where it helps to have the same writer (such as Joe Straczynski with Babylon 5 and Jack Pullman in the TV miniseries I, Claudius) writing all of the stories. Consistency of character and plot in a storyline as closely connected together as these are is of paramount importance. Unfortunately DS9 let all of us down on this point. Where this does not destroy the impact of these stories, it does dilute it, and we can only wonder at what might have been.
The next story "You Are Cordially Invited" also suffers from problems in scripting. It features Worf and Jadzia's wedding ceremony and the various problems that occur that are connected with it. The usually reliable Ronald D. Moore creates a great conflict between Dax
and Martok's wife Sirella, portrayed very well by Shannon Cochran. However, Moore tries to juggle too many balls in the air and has a lot of material about how Worf and his friends must go through these harsh Klingon rituals. In all the chaos, the plotline of Dax and Sirella is largely forgotten and never convincingly resolved. This was another lost opportunity.
On the other hand, the next story "Resurrection" never had any potential to begin with. This boring Mirror Universe story never had very much to push it along. It brings back Vedic Bareil from the other universe, but he isn't able to move it beyond a standard and predictable "redeem yourself at the last moment" plot. The Mirror Universe story in the seventh season is even more pointless. They probably should have ended these tales after the one in season four, which teamed Jake up with a duplicate of his mother from the Mirror Universe and was the last one to truly be interesting.
"Statistical Probabilities" featured a very interesting and refreshingly different plot in which Bashir interacts with a bunch of genetically engineered mutants. In inspiring them to learn about the Federation war effort, Bashir inadvertently contributes to their decision that the best course of action for the Federation to take would be to surrender to the Dominion! This story has plot twists and turns aplenty. This isn't the greatest story ever done, but at least it is something new. The mutants return in another story later in the series.
"The Magnificent Ferengi" is an OK story. With a couple of exceptions, Ferengi stories have never been my cup of tea. This story has a couple of funny moments, but it really isn't all that good. When they try to duplicate its sense of fun in the 7th season Mirror Universe story, they pretty much completely fail (not helped by the fact that the Mirror Universe has truly worn out its welcome by this time).
"Waltz" pits Sisko up against an insane Gul Dukat. We see the roots of Dukat's prejudice against the Bajorans. The rationale that he seems to firmly believe is the same type of philosophy that inspired many imperialists in history (with the British Raj in India and British possessions in Africa being the most famous examples). In the course of an hour we can see how sometimes the most dark of deeds and feelings can seep out of seemingly benevolent intentions. This story provides some acting moments for both Avery Brooks and Marc Alaimo, and it provides some important lessons for everyone who watches it. Some people consider this episode to be a total classic. I wouldn't go that far, but it certainly does have a strong impact.
"Who Mourns for Morn" is a pretty forgettable episode. It has a couple funny moments, but very rarely has an episode evoked so little in the way of a reaction from a viewer. This is not a terrible episode, but after the previous tale, this story about Morn having supposedly died and left a big inheritance to be fought over by various gangsters with Quark thrown into the mess, does not carry anything in the way of an impact.
"Far Beyond the Stars" reverses the trend and stands as a truly spectacular and memorable episode of the series. Directed by Avery Brooks, this tale introduces the viewers to the character of Benny Russell (played by Brooks) who is a black science fiction author of the
1950s who has invented a story about a space station with a black commanding officer named Sisko! This is a wonderful story that features Kira, Worf, Quark, Odo, Dukat and Damar without their make-up. To date, it is the only episode of any Star Trek series set in the 1950s. It also features Brock Peters in a dual role. The novel of this episode (which is the only DS9 novel that I have read so far, a situation that may very well change soon as I only have a little over half of the last season's episodes still to watch) is also well worth reading, and it adds a lot of interesting additional material to the story. This story tackles head-on the problem of racism in America, and the author's epilogue to the novel merits examining on that question. Don't miss this story. It is one of the best DS9 episodes ever done, and it also serves as a precursor to one of the most powerful scenes in all of DS9 in the final part of the 2-part story that begins the seventh season of
Deep Space Nine.
With this episode, the midpoint of the sixth season of DS9 has been reached. As many of its producers have noted, Deep Space Nine has always suffered from a sort of "middle child syndrome" in the Star Trek universe, being sandwiched between TNG and Voyager and never really given much of a chance to stand on its own. Unlike its predecessor, however, DS9 was growing stronger as a series the longer it progressed, and while TNG was visibly wearing out throughout its seventh season, Deep Space Nine was becoming stronger. It was truly sad that it had to end after seven seasons. However, as it was, Deep Space Nine promised many more wonderful tales in its last season and a half.
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CADET CORNERCmdr, Erin Pence, CCC |
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| The Miracle of a Brother's Song
Submitted by Greg Turner |
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Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling. They found out that the new baby was going to be girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sang to his little sister in Mommy's tummy.
He was building a bond of love with his little sister before he even met her. The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen, an active member of the Panther Creek United Methodist Church in Morristown, Tennessee.
In time, the labor pains came. Soon it was every five minutes, every three, every minute. But serious complications arose during delivery, and Karen found herself in hours of labor. Would a C-section be required? Finally, after a long struggle, Michael's little sister was born. But she was in very serious condition. With a siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushed the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee.
The days inched by. The little girl got worse. The pediatric specialist regretfully had to tell the parents, "There is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst."
Karen and her husband contacted a local cemetery about a burial plot. They had fixed up a special room in their home for the new baby-but now they found themselves having to plan for a funeral. Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister. "I want to sing to her," he kept saying.
Week two in intensive care looked as if a funeral would come before the week was over. Michael kept nagging about singing to his sister, but kids are never allowed in the Intensive Care. Karen made up her mind, though. She would take Michael whether they liked it or not! If he didn't see his sister right then, he may never see her alive.
She dressed him in an oversized scrub suit and marched him into ICU. He looked like a walking laundry basket, but the head nurse recognized him as a child and bellowed "Get that kid out of here now! NO children are allowed!"
The mother rose up strong in Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed right into the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line. "He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!" Karen towed Michael to his sister's bedside. He gazed at the tiny infant losing the battle to live. After a moment, he began to sing. In the pure hearted voice of a 3-year-old Michael sang: "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray." Instantly, the baby girl seemed to respond. Her pulse rate began to calm down and become steady. "Keep on singing, Michael," encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes. "You never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." As Michael sang to his sister, the baby's ragged, strained breathing became as smooth as a kitten's purr. "Keep on singing, sweetheart!!" "The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my hands..." Michael's little sister began to relax as rest, healing rest, seemed to sweep over her. "Keep on singing, Michael." Tears had now conquered the face of the bossy head nurse. Karen glowed. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. Please don't take my sunshine away...."
The next, day.... the very next day ... the little girl was well enough to go home! Women's Day Magazine" called it "The Miracle of a Brother's Song." The medical staff just called it a miracle. Karen called it a miracle of God's love!
Never give up on the people you love. Love is so incredibly powerful.
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CHAPLAIN'S CORNER  |
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| "God, are you real?" Submissions by Pamela Fields & Christina Snodgrass | ||
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The little child whispered, "God, speak to me"
And a meadowlark sang But the child did not hear So the child yelled, "God, speak to me" And the thunder rolled across the sky, But the child didn't listen. The child looked around and said, "God, let me see you" And a star shone brightly, but the child did not notice. And the child shouted, "God show me a miracle" And a life was born, but the child did not know So the child cried out in despair "Touch me God, and let me know that you are here" Whereupon God reached down and touched the child. But the child brushed the butterfly away, and walked away unknowingly. Often times, the things we seek are right underneath our noses. Don't miss out on your blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect. 
A Thought went up my mind today- That I have had before- But did not finish-some way back- I could not fix the Year- Nor where it went-nor why it came The second time to me- Nor definitely, what it was- Have I the Art to say- But somewhere-in my Soul-I know- I've met the Thing before- It just reminded me-'twas all- And came my way no more- -E. Dickinson | ||
| Click Here to read more Chaplain's Corner | ||
VETERANS DAYNovember 11 |
The Veterans Day National Committee (VDNC) was established by Executive Order in 1954 when Congress made Veterans Day an official national holiday. The committee is composed of the nation's major veterans service organizations and chaired by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Each year, a month before Veterans Day, a package is mailed to schools across the country containing a Veterans Day poster, teacher's guide and letter from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs encouraging educators to involve students in Veterans Day observance programs. This year, the package also included the announcement of a poster art contest among high school students to select the art for the Veterans Day 2000 national poster. State Directors of Veterans Affairs are co-sponsoring the contest with the VDNC and coordinating it in each state. The winning posters selected in state competitions will be sent to Washington, D.C., by May 1st where the VDNC will select the national winner. By the way, don't forget to take a look at the VA Veterans Day web site at http://vaww.va.gov/pubaff/vetsday/index.htm, particularly if you are participating in or planning a local Veterans Day observance. Facility pulic affairs officers have been sent a Veterans Day speech and other materials to help VA employees respond to Veterans Day observance requests.
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