Star Trek Enterprise Retro-Spective "Unexpected"

As always seems to be the case, I enjoyed "Unexpected" more this time around. After a few amusing malfunctions, a 'stealth' ship is detected riding in Enterprise's wake, siphoning plasma exhaust to replenish their teraphasic coils. That is causing the warp bubble to brush against the port nacelle and create the malfunctions. (okay...). So Trip agrees to go over and help them out. After 3 hours in the Xyrillians' decompression chamber, Trip is weirding out, but refuses to rest up before getting to work. He starts to freak out to the alien lights and sounds, as is finally ordered by Archer to take a nap. After a nap, he's okay. The woman engineer wakes him up, snacks on grass growing on the walls. feeds him their version of water (like ice cubes) by putting them in his mouth. Little sparks go off when they touch. He flirts, she flirts, then they get back to work.

Soon they get to the point where they have to wait. To pass the time, she shows him what is essentially a TNG era holodeck. In there, they see her homeworld, and ride in a row boat. While in there, they play a game, involving putting their hands in clear beads, reading each other's thoughts, and flirting some more. Then all seems good. They warp away, happily ever after. A short time later, Trip grows a nipple on his wrist. Yep, he's pregnant. After many gags (most of them not entirely unfunny), they figure out that it was the game with the beads. They find the Xyrillians again... Hiding in the wake of a Klingon battlecruiser. (comments below) Archer and T'Pol talk the Klingons into not destroying the Xyrillians, and convince them to bring Trip onto the Xyrillian ship (at the cost of Trip's dignity). They board the Xyrillian ship, the woman takesTrip's problem off him, the Klingons get holo-technology. Archer tries to talk nice to the Klingons, who thank him by threatening him. And everyone pretty much lives happily ever after.

Okay...

My first impression of this was not good. I mean, four episodes in, and we're resorting to 'guy gets pregnant' gags. I still have to say I'm not thrilled with that. But there you go. The TNG hologram is good (although I think it's odd that they need Trip to help them fix their advanced warp drive). Trip is funny. Phlox is funny. Archer is obviously enjoying himself. T'Pol has a great time giving Trip a bad time. The pregnant jokes are old, but not overdone. Overall, I'd say they pulled it off. But the Klingon ship. Oh, the Klingon ship. That was an early opportunity for the producers to score points with fans, and an early missed opportunity. They reused the K'Tinga model instead of John Eave's beautiful D-4 battlecruiser. Really disappointing. So disappointing.

Aside from that, the episode was cute, funny, not boring and not stupid. Not really memorable, but worth the time spent watching it. Not the most ringing endorsement, but it was okay. Worth a thumbs up.

Next Up: "Terra Nova"

Summary of Events Stardate 0510.25

Quick Start Play:



If you'd like to be able to jump right in to see if you like this game, you might want to try a few rounds of Simple Combat. The Simple Combat Game is a way for you to quickly resolve combat between vessels, or fleets of vessels. This is useful if you are playing a scenario or campaign that involves more than a few ships. Otherwise a simple scenario could take weeks to play through.



It is useful to keep a copy of the Simple Combat Template. This makes it possible to copy and paste the basics of your bit of 'paperwork', add however many ships you may need to, and change or insert ship names. Here is a very basic template (there are more in the files):



IKS rolls: o/d

USS rolls: o/d

Result:

IKS damage /15

USS damage /15



The first section is for points rolled (1d6 result times the appropriate multiplier), and how the points are allocated (offense/defense). The second "Result" section shows the calculated damage. In the case of basic AI ships, the damage potential is 15.. so you would indicate 5 points damage with 5/15. Pretty simple.



If you are playing a single player game, roll a 1d6 to see who 'wins the toss'. If you roll a 1-3, you do. Then you roll the 1d6 for your opponent first. Allocate available points according to this multiplier chart:



2 (DS) Defense Sat/(FR)Freighter X1

3 (FF) Frigate X4

4 (DD) DestroyerX6

5 (CL) Light Cruiser X8

6 (CA) Heavy Cruiser X10

7 (CC) Command Cruiser X12

8 (BCH) Heavy Battlecruiser X15

9 (DN) Dreadnought X20

10 (BB) Battleship X22

11 (CV)Carrier X25

12 (STB ) Starbase/ (BS)Base Station X50/75 (reroll, 50/50)



Here is an example of simple combat between the Klingon heavy cruiser Perseus and the Sha'kurian heavy cruiser Count: In this case, I won the toss, playing as the Perseus. That meant that I had to roll and allocate for the Sha'kurian first. (The point of all this 'coin tossing' is to add randomness to the gameplay in the single player game. It puts the luxury of being able to react to your opponent's first move on a totally random footing. And of course, whoever rolled second first time rolls first the next. Compare it to the coin toss to determine who receives the kickoff in a football game ) That first roll was a 6 (on a 1d6), for 60 points. Acting for the Shakurian, I decided to play it safe, putting it all on defense. As it turned out, the caution was unnecesary. The Klingon only rolled a 1.



IKS Perseus rolls:10 0o/10d

SRS Count rolls:60 0o/60d

Result:

IKS Perseus damage 0/25

SRS Count damage 0/15



For the next volley, the Klingon ship took its turn rolling first. It rolled a "3", for 30 points, and put them all on defense. It didn't save him because the Count rolled a 6.



IKS Perseus rolls:30 0o/30d

SRS Count rolls:60 60o/d

Result:

IKS Perseus destroyed

SRS Count damage 0/15



You'll note that the Perseus is able to take 25 points of damage. That is

because all of my play has given me a "Elite" rating. The increased available points is one of the benefits of that. For details, see "Experience Points: How to Get Them and What They Get You". If you want to take it a step further, you can capture ships using Simple Combat. You have to cause 10 points of damage to lower the enemy shields, then transport over. Ah, but to so that you have to lower your own shields. Do that by giving yourself (just for the 'transport' volley) 10 points damage. A bit tricky, with careful timing involved, but a great tactic. And of course, as new races are added to Fantasy Trek, there will be a few

necessary variations to these rules (i.e. Tholian Webs).



So what to do with all of this? As I said, the Simple Combat Game is ideal for extended scenarios involving many ships in combat. The latest is "Fifty Points" (details below)



Games in Play:



"Fifty Points"



Fifty Points remains on hiatus. I'm considering a few different things, including introducing random civilian ships, like the USS Gallipoli had to deal with. That would land each side with rescue operations to deal with, and possibly the civilian ships could be called upon to act as freighters. There is also the idea of possible rewards for making progress before other teams. I'm not going to start it back up just for the sake of starting it up.



"Head to Head Sector Assault"



Here are the rules for anyone who doesn't remember:



The goal is to conquer and hold all 5 systems.



In order to do this, you must conquer, then sufficiently defend the systems while denying your enemy access to those same systems. Reduce the enemy fleet sufficiently to prevent them from building a shipyard, and stop/destroy enough enemy convoys to deny random reinforcements sufficient to threaten your shipyards. You must also attain a minimum of 13 points (see 'Victory Conditions' below)



System Conquest:

Regardless of whether a system has been taken by enemy forces, you will face a random-sized enemy fleet upon first arrival in a new system. Roll 1d6 for size of enemy fleet, then subtract any applicable random fleet disadvantage (see below). Then use appropriate simple combat template. All surviving ships retain damage but can move and fight until destroyed. They can only be repaired by remaining in place for two turns (subject to random enemy attack each turn: (1d6: 4-6)) or by docking at shipyard for one turn. The system remains yours once you've defeated the initial fleet, but if left undefended, any attempt to conquer it will only be countered by a randomly generated fleet. You can (and should) choose to leave any combination of ships and/or a shipyard to defend it.



Open Space:

Enemy convoys will only be encountered in open spaces. Roll for encounter (3/6 chance). Then roll 1d6 for enemy escorts. 1-3= 1 CA escort. 4-6= 2 CA escorts. The random fleet disadvantage does not affect this. Random enemy convoy(s) must be stopped=at least 3/5 freighters destroyed or captured (5/15 damage and successful boarding party action), escorts destroyed or disabled (10/15 damage) in 5 volleys or less. Every convoy that is stopped decreases random enemy fleet size by one. This is the random fleet disadvantage. For every three freighters captured, your random fleet disadvantage is reduced by one. You will not encounter convoys in open spaces when you have conquered both adjacent systems



Enemy forces may be encountered in all open spaces (even between two conquered and held systems). Roll for encounter (2/6 chance), Roll for size of enemy fleet (use same method as in-system combat).



Shipyard:

Shipyards are recommended. They can only be built in systems that you hold (by destroying an initial assault fleet). Three starships must remain in system or open space area for three turns to build shipyard. During each turn 50% chance of random attack. (1d6: 4-6) LOS (line of sight) must be maintained to use or attack shipyard. Shipyard has X75 multiplier. Shipyard can construct replacement ships in 3 turns. While your fleet can not exceed 6 ships, additional ships built at shipyards do not count against this total. They cannot fight with full-sized fleets, but can supplement diminished fleets. The same rule applies to surviving random reinforcements. Since you must have a minimum of three ships to build a shipyard, it is recommended that you build at least one shipyard and at least two reserve ships just in case of unforseen losses. A fleet reduced to two ships and no shipyard to fall back would have little chance of victory.



If you want to register as a player, notify me through the Yahoo Group or a comment on the blogsite. I recommend keeping a record of your games played, as they add up to experience points that enrich your gaming experience.



Victory Conditions/Points-

Shipyards 5 (max)

Fleet size 6 (max)

Reinforcement capacity 6 (max)



You must conquer 5 systems and attain 13+ VC points



Turns 17 through 22



As predicted, things fell apart pretty quickly for the Feds, as we knew they would. Klingons had them from both directions, and the Feds simply had no way to come back. The only advantage that the Klingons had is my playing from the Klingon POV. which means that they had 35 damage potential as opposed to 15 for the Feds. So we'll run through it again. With a twist: space terrain. See Dev notes below for details. Anyway, here is the obit for the Feds this time around:



Turn 17)

(0510.15)

System 1: KSY1 idle.



System 2: KSY3 Turn 3 complete. KF2 (KCA IKS NaQjej KCA IKS Qaw'lu KCA IKS Qui'tu KCA IKS D'kerr KCA IKS Sompek KCA IKS Kandido) depart for open space.



System 5: KSY2 begin construct KCA IKS G'ker turn 1/3 contact? No contact. KF3 (KCA IKS G'tagh KCA IKS Kolikos KCA IKS Mek'leth KCA IKS Etlh) on site.



System 4: FSY2 begin construct FCA USS Roanoake turn 1/3. Contact? No contact FF2 (FCA USS Philadelphia FCA USS Orinoko FCA USS Hyperion FCA USS Sam Houston FCA USS Clyburn) on site.



Turn 18)

(0510.17)

System 1: KSY1 idle.



System 2: KSY3 idle.



Open Space (between 2 & 3) KF2 (KCA IKS NaQjej KCA IKS Qaw'lu KCA IKS Qui'tu KCA IKS D'kerr KCA IKS Sompek KCA IKS Kandido) arrives. Search for convoy: Contact? Contact. Ffr1-5, 2 FCA's. *lost toss KCA IKS NaQjej KCA IKS Qaw'lu KCA IKS Qui'tu KCA IKS D'kerr KCA IKS Sompek KCA IKS Kandido vs Ffr1-5, FCA USS Monitor FCA USS Merrimac. Ffr1-5, FCA USS Monitor FCA USS Merrimac destroyed. No damage to Klingons. Federation random fleet disadvantage at -2.



System 5: KSY2 begin construct KCA IKS G'ker turn 2/3 contact?. Contact 4 FCA's *lost toss KF3 (KCA IKS G'tagh KCA IKS Kolikos KCA IKS Mek'leth KCA IKS Etlh) on site. KSY2 KCA IKS G'tagh KCA IKS Kolikos KCA IKS Mek'leth KCA IKS Etlh vs FCA USS New Orleans FCA USS Biloxi FCA USS Pensacola FCA USS Destiny. FCA USS New Orleans FCA USS Biloxi FCA USS Pensacola FCA USS Destiny destroyed. No damage to Klingons.



System 4: FSY2 begin construct FCA USS Roanoake turn 2/3. Contact? Contact 3 KCA's *lost toss FF2 (FCA USS Philadelphia FCA USS Orinoko FCA USS Hyperion FCA USS Sam Houston FCA USS Clyburn) on site. FSY2 FCA USS Philadelphia FCA USS Orinoko FCA USS Hyperion FCA USS Sam Houston FCA USS Clyburn vs KCA IKS K'vett KCA IKS Kuda KCA IKS Korax. KCA IKS K'vett KCA IKS Kuda KCA IKS Korax destroyed. No damage to Feds



Turn 19)

(0510.17)

System 1: KSY1 idle.



System 2: KSY3 idle. Random attack? No contact



Open Space (between 2 & 3) KF2 (KCA IKS NaQjej KCA IKS Qaw'lu KCA IKS Qui'tu KCA IKS D'kerr KCA IKS Sompek KCA IKS Kandido) depart for System 3



System 5: KSY2 begin construct KCA IKS G'ker turn 3/3 contact?. Contact 1 FCA *lost toss KF3 (KCA IKS G'tagh KCA IKS Kolikos KCA IKS Mek'leth KCA IKS Etlh) on site. KSY2 KCA IKS G'tagh KCA IKS Kolikos KCA IKS Mek'leth KCA IKS Etlh vs FCA USS Custer. FCA USS Custer destroyed. No damage to Klingons.



System 4: FSY2 begin construct FCA USS Roanoake turn 3/3. Contact? Contact 1 KCA's *lost toss FF2 (FCA USS Philadelphia FCA USS Orinoko FCA USS Hyperion FCA USS Sam Houston FCA USS Clyburn) on site. FSY2 FCA USS Philadelphia FCA USS Orinoko FCA USS Hyperion FCA USS Sam Houston FCA USS Clyburn vs KCA IKS Kargan KCA IKS Kargan destroyed. No damage to Feds



Turn 20)

(0510.17)

System 1: KSY1 idle.



System 2: KSY3 idle.



System 3: KF2 (KCA IKS NaQjej KCA IKS Qaw'lu KCA IKS Qui'tu KCA IKS D'kerr KCA IKS Sompek KCA IKS Kandido) arrives. Contact: 1 FCA. *won toss. KCA IKS NaQjej KCA IKS Qaw'lu KCA IKS Qui'tu KCA IKS D'kerr KCA IKS Sompek KCA IKS Kandido vs FCA USS Damocles. FCA USS Damocles destroyed. No damage to Klingons. KCA IKS NaQjej KCA IKS Qaw'lu KCA IKS Qui'tu KCA IKS D'kerr KCA IKS Sompek KCA IKS Kandido depart for open space.



System 5: KSY2 begin construct KCA IKS SuvwI turn 1/3 contact?. No contact. KCA IKS G'ker complete joins KF3 KF3 (KCA IKS G'tagh KCA IKS Kolikos KCA IKS Mek'leth KCA IKS Etlh) on site.



System 4: FSY2 begins construct FCA USS Perseus turn 1/3 contact? No contact. FCA USS Roanoake complete. Joins FF2 (FCA USS Philadelphia FCA USS Orinoko FCA USS Hyperion FCA USS Sam Houston FCA USS Clyburn FCA USS Roanoake) depart for open space.



Turn 21)

(0510.17)

System 1: KSY1 idle.



System 2: KSY3 idle. Random attack? No contact



Open space (Between System 3 and System 4): KF2 (KCA IKS NaQjej KCA IKS Qaw'lu KCA IKS Qui'tu KCA IKS D'kerr KCA IKS Sompek KCA IKS Kandido) vs FF2 (FCA USS Philadelphia FCA USS Orinoko FCA USS Hyperion FCA USS Sam Houston FCA USS Clyburn FCA USS Roanoake) *won toss. FCA USS Philadelphia FCA USS Orinoko FCA USS Hyperion FCA USS Sam Houston FCA USS Clyburn FCA USS Roanoake destroyed. No damage to Klingons.



System 5: KSY2 begin construct KCA IKS SuvwI turn 2/3 contact?. No contact. KF3 (KCA IKS G'tagh KCA IKS Kolikos KCA IKS Mek'leth KCA IKS Etlh KCA IKS G'ker) on site.



System 4: FSY2 begins construct FCA USS Perseus turn 2/3 contact? No contact.



Turn 22)

(0510.18)

System 1: KSY1 idle.



System 2: KSY3 idle.



Open space (Between System 3 and System 4): KF2 (KCA IKS NaQjej KCA IKS Qaw'lu KCA IKS Qui'tu KCA IKS D'kerr KCA IKS Sompek KCA IKS Kandido) departs for System 4.



System 5: KSY2 begin construct KCA IKS SuvwI turn 3/3 contact?. No contact. KF3 (KCA IKS G'tagh KCA IKS Kolikos KCA IKS Mek'leth KCA IKS Etlh KCA IKS G'ker) on site.



System 4: FSY2 begins construct FCA USS Perseus turn 3/3 contact? Contact: 3 KCA's *won toss FSY2 vs KCA IKS Vengeance KCA IKS Hegh'Bat KCA IKS Cha'dich. FSY2 destroyed. KCA IKS Vengeance 10/35 damage. Hegh'Bat KCA IKS Cha'dich undamaged.



Turn 22)

(0510.18)

System 1: KSY1 idle.



System 2: KSY3 idle.



Open space (Between System 3 and System 4): departs for System 4.



System 5: KSY2 idle KCA IKS SuvwI joins KF3 KF3 (KCA IKS G'tagh KCA IKS Kolikos KCA IKS Mek'leth KCA IKS Etlh KCA IKS G'ker KCA IKS SuvwI) on site.



System 4: KF2 (KCA IKS NaQjej KCA IKS Qaw'lu KCA IKS Qui'tu KCA IKS D'kerr KCA IKS Sompek KCA IKS Kandido) arrive. KCA IKS Vengeance (10/35 damage) KCA IKS Hegh'Bat KCA IKS Cha'dich. Contact: 1 FCA *lost toss KCA IKS Vengeance (10/35 damage) KCA IKS Hegh'Bat KCA IKS Cha'dich vs FCA USS Jamestown. FCA USS Jamestown destroyed. No damage to Klingons



Shipyards 5 (max) 2

Fleet size 6 (max) 6+6

Reinforcement capacity 6 (max) 5



Klingons win with 19 VC points





Command College:



What Are Your Orders, Captain?



"Conflict of Interests" (TNG Era) Solution:



Exploring the ruins of an unidentified civilization, you discover a strange resin-like substance coating every artifact. Analysis reveals that the substance is biomatter. It might, your science officer suggests, be cellular residue of the population. Deep scans reveal that the residue could lead to a cure for a plague wiping out all life on a protected planet that is home to nothing but rain forests and insects. You are making preparations to test the biomatter when another ship enters orbit. The crew of the ship demands that you leave, claiming that the biomatter is in fact the only remains of a long-lost colony, and any disturbance would offend their religious beliefs.



You decide that you must respect the wishes of the alien culture. You withdraw from the area, leaving the site undisturbed. Your science officer and Chief Medical Officer use the tricorder scans taken of the biomatter to start looking for clues to curing the plague.



“What Are Your Orders, Captain?” will return next week



"Captain's Log"



"... a complete turnaround..."



(AOS Era)



Personal Log

Lieutenant Commander George Kirk



It's funny how one's perception of a people... of a planet, a society, a culture can do a complete turnaround thanks to the efforts of what appeared to be a three year old...



It was one of those incidents that you could miss if you happened to be looking away, or if you were checking travel documents, or just closing your eyes to wallow in the misery of your first exposure to Vulcan heat. As I was walking through Shi'kahr's main ground travel terminal, going from one flight to the next, I found my eyes drawn to three people moving swiftly through an otherwise slow-moving crowd. I couldn't help noticing (and I made an effort to not stare) because while they were obviously husband, wife and child, the man was a young, but very distinguished-looking Vulcan, while the woman was human. I've never heard of a human marrying a Vulcan, and this couple was obviously important. Diplomats. Politicians. Something like that. But what I was amazed to see, what completely changed my admittedly limited understanding of Vulcan culture, was a three year-old Vulcan child in a stroller smiling and laughing in a pleasant, sing-song voice. Oblivious, I suppose, to the impending reality of Vulcan stoicism, and whatever challenges a Vulcan/Human hybrid might face. The father looked as though he wanted to take his family out of the public eye as quickly as possible, and the mother seemed to be struggling to divide her attention between both of the men in her life. But the boy looked as if the world and the universe were nothing but safe, friendly playgrounds. I silently wished them all the good fortune they would certainly need in their unique life, and then resumed my hurried pace to the departure gate for the shuttle that would take me up to the Kelvin.



For next week. write a 100+ word log entry including the phrase "... no matter what it costs...". Post it in the yahoo group or on the blogsite's "comment" feature for a Command College Point.



Dev Notes:

I've done a great job of not looking after the day to day, week to week business while forging ahead with game development. Still in the testing and development stage is space terrain. Asteroid fields, nebula, black hole accretion disc. I only have rules for heavy cruisers now, but that'll change. Here are the rules so far:



Asteroid field



-heavy

--to hit: roll 6

--accident rate

volley 1 roll of 6 roll for damage

volley 2 roll of 5-6 roll for damage

volley 3 roll of 4-6 roll for damage

volley 4 roll of 3-6 roll for damage

volley 5 roll of 2-6 roll for damage

volley 6 roll for damage



-medium

--to hit: roll 5-6

--accident rate

volley 4 roll of 6 roll for damage

volley 5 roll of 5-6 roll for damage

volley 6 roll of 4-6 roll for damage

volley 7 roll of 3-6 roll for damage

volley 8 roll of 2-6 roll for damage

volley 9 roll for damage



-light

--to hit: roll 2-6

--accident rate

volley 6 roll of 6 roll for damage

volley 7 roll of 5-6 roll for damage

volley 8 roll of 4-6 roll for damage

volley 9 roll of 3-6 roll for damage

volley 10 roll of 2-6 roll for damage

volley 11 roll for damage



Nebula

temp 20% damage to simulate loss of shields

need 3-6 to hit



Black Hole Accretion Disc

need 3-6 to hit

--accident rate

volley 4 roll of 6 roll for damage

volley 5 roll of 5-6 roll for damage

volley 6 roll of 4-6 roll for damage

volley 7 roll of 3-6 roll for damage

volley 8 roll of 2-6 roll for damage

volley 9 roll for damage

volley 10 roll 1-3 to escape black hole.



Just to torture myself, I'm going to replay the Head to Head sector assault with random space terrain rules. Among other things, there will be systems incapable of supporting shipyards. That should add some spice to things.

As for Fifty Points, it is all talk and no action right now. Good thing nobody is paying a monthly fee for this :)

And much the same for June's calender image. Pencil has yet to touch paper. See you all next week…

Star Trek Enterprise Retro-Spective "Strange New World"

So far I've been pleasantly surprised by my retro-perspective of "Enterprise". "Strange New World" continues that, but not by the same degree as the others. Our crew has found their first 'Minshara' Class planet. That obviously is where Class M comes from in TOS. So they come down against T'Pol's recommendation. (Let me just say here and now that I didn't like that Archer continued to pick on T'Pol like that. Just as the First Officer has to respect the Captain, especially on the bridge, the Captain has to respect the First Officer. Especially on the bridge. But we are seeing Archer's character growing. I just didn't care for it. ) All seems well, and Trip, T'Pol, Mayweather, Cutler, and some poor guy who seems destined to be a red shirt in a later life spend the night to continue research and sleep under the stars. Mayweather tells a ghost story, and then we have a real dark and stormy night. A storm sets in, trapping our crew on the planet, in a cave for the night. Cue dramatic music. Soon everyone but T'Pol starts to see and hear things that aren't there. When I first saw this, way back, I stopped being interested. So...


Crewman Cutler hears T'Pol talking to someone who isn't there. Trip and Tucker see rock people. And our red-shirt-to-be runs out into the storm... and lives long enough to get beamed up. But he is sick, oh yes, quite sick. He beams up with pieces of trees and bushes embedded in his skin. Phlox removes all that but discovers remnants of a psychotropic compound in this blood. The compound is slowly breaking down, so we all breath a sigh of relief. Archer figures that if our increasingly paranoid landing party can avoid killing each other overnight they should be fine. But no. In what struck me as one of the episode's better moments, Phlox has to tell Archer he missed something, and the crewman may die. The same goes for the landing party. It was one of Phlox's best moments, and one of Archer's. But on with the show. Our crew is going increasingly nutty in the cave. Trip is starting to target rock people and shout and sweat. Finally, Archer and T'Pol pull a fast one on Trip. Medicine gets injected, and we're all okay. Even our future red-shirt is okay.

If that all seemed rather lacking in detail, it's because an hour after I watched it, I'd lost details. That pretty well sums up my opinion of the episode. While people are settling into their roles, and the episode wasn't a bad one, it was forgettable. The ghost story thing was fun, there were some fíne performances, but I don't see myself going back to it like I do many others. And before I forget, let me point out that while it is a fun and even understandable idea to bring Porthos down to the surface, it hardly seems responsible.

Thumbs up, but not with great enthusiasm.

Next up... "Unexpected"

Simple Combat Space Terrian Development

In an effort to further delay the weekly summary, as well as progress on Fifty Points and June's calender image, I've started to work out simple combat procedures for space terrain. Asteroid fields (light, medium, heavy), nebulas, and black hole accretion discs. I'm considering gas giants. These are all based on the benefits and hazards of each kind of terrain. Of course, these will also play differently for different classes of ships. I mean, obviously a frigate can dodge and weave through a heavy asteroid field more easily than a dreadnought. For the moment, I've worked up rules for a heavy cruiser, figuring for ten to eleven volleys (defining the length of time spent in the field) Here's what I came up with:



-heavy

--to hit: roll 6

--accident rate

volley 1 roll of 6 roll for damage

volley 2 roll of 5-6 roll for damage

volley 3 roll of 4-6 roll for damage

volley 4 roll of 3-6 roll for damage

volley 5 roll of 2-6 roll for damage

volley 6 roll for damage



-medium

--to hit: roll 5-6

--accident rate

volley 4 roll of 6 roll for damage

volley 5 roll of 5-6 roll for damage

volley 6 roll of 4-6 roll for damage

volley 7 roll of 3-6 roll for damage

volley 8 roll of 2-6 roll for damage

volley 9 roll for damage



-light

--to hit: roll 2-6

--accident rate

volley 6 roll of 6 roll for damage

volley 7 roll of 5-6 roll for damage

volley 8 roll of 4-6 roll for damage

volley 9 roll of 3-6 roll for damage

volley 10 roll of 2-6 roll for damage

volley 11 roll for damage



I've played it through a few times, and you definitely get the sense that as play goes on, the chase is speeding up, and as you speed up, the danger of an accident increases. And of course, throughout the density of the field makes it harder to hit your opponent, so you need to roll a 'to hit' number. To start, I took the IKS B'moth against the USS Escalante in a medium.



KCA IKS B'moth won toss

FCA USS Escalante



1)--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls:20 o/20d

FCA USS Escalante rolls:50 20o/30d miss

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: /35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



2)--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls:40 20o/20d miss

FCA USS Escalante rolls:10 o/10d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: /35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



3)--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls:50 10o/40d miss

FCA USS Escalante rolls:60 40o/20d miss

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: /35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



4) roll of 6 roll for damage--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls:50 30o/20d miss

FCA USS Escalante rolls:10 o/10d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: /35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



5) roll of 5-6 roll for damage--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls:40 20o/20d miss

FCA USS Escalante rolls:40 20o/20d hit

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: 1/35

FCA USS Escalante damage: 2/35



6) roll of 4-6 roll for damage--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls:40 20o/20d

FCA USS Escalante rolls:60 40o/20d hit

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: 21/35

FCA USS Escalante damage: 2/35



7) roll of 3-6 roll for damage--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls:50 50o/d miss

FCA USS Escalante rolls:10 o/10d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: 21/35

FCA USS Escalante damage: 2/35



8) roll of 2-6 roll for damage--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls:60 40o/20d hit

FCA USS Escalante rolls:20 o/20d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: 24/35

FCA USS Escalante damage: 23/35



9) roll for damage--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls:60 30o/30d miss

FCA USS Escalante rolls:60 40o/20d hit

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: 34/35

FCA USS Escalante damage: 28/35



10) roll for damage--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls: o/d

FCA USS Escalante rolls: o/d

results

KCA IKS B'moth destroyed

FCA USS Escalante damage: 28/35



The second one went much like the first one. A glorious end for the B'moth. I'll spare you the details.



For the third time, I had the B'moth go after a Fed Defsat (taking the place, of say, a sensor relay or something with minor defensive capability) inside of a medium asteroid belt with the Escalante in pursuit. The first go, which I've neglected to save, had the B'moth lowering shields to beam the defsat aboard, and being destroyed. For the second go, the B'moth destroyed the Escalante shortly after entering the the field. It was then a simple matter of disabling the defsat (15/35 damage), then beaming it aboard, and flying back out.



-medium asteroid field



KCA IKS B'moth won toss

FCA USS Escalante



1)--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls:60 60o/d

FCA USS Escalante rolls:20 o/20d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: /35

FCA USS Escalante destroyed



2)--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls: o/d

FCA USS Escalante rolls: o/d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: /35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



3)--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls: o/d

FCA USS Escalante rolls: o/d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: /35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



4) roll of 6 roll for damage--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls: o/d

FCA USS Escalante rolls: o/d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: /35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



5) roll of 5-6 roll for damage--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls: o/d

FCA USS Escalante rolls: o/d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: /35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



a)

KCA IKS B'moth rolls:40 20o/20d

FCA USS Escalante rolls: o/d

FDEFSAT rolls:5 o/5d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: 7/35 (temp)

FDEFSAT damage: 15/35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



defsat beamed aboard B'moth



b)

KCA IKS B'moth rolls: o/d

FCA USS Escalante rolls: o/d

FDEFSAT rolls: o/d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: /35

FDEFSAT damage: /35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



c)

KCA IKS B'moth rolls: o/d

FCA USS Escalante rolls: o/d

FDEFSAT rolls: o/d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: /35

FDEFSAT damage: /35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



d)

KCA IKS B'moth rolls: o/d

FCA USS Escalante rolls: o/d

FDEFSAT rolls: o/d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: /35

FDEFSAT damage: /35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



e)

KCA IKS B'moth rolls: o/d

FCA USS Escalante rolls: o/d

FDEFSAT rolls: o/d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: /35

FDEFSAT damage: /35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



6) roll of 4-6 roll for damage--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls: o/d

FCA USS Escalante rolls: o/d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: /35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



7) roll of 3-6 roll for damage--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls: o/d

FCA USS Escalante rolls: o/d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: 3/35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



8) roll of 2-6 roll for damage--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls: o/d

FCA USS Escalante rolls: o/d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: 5/35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



9) roll for damage--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls: o/d

FCA USS Escalante rolls: o/d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: 6/35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



10) roll for damage--to hit: roll 5-6

KCA IKS B'moth rolls: o/d

FCA USS Escalante rolls: o/d

results

KCA IKS B'moth damage: 3/35

FCA USS Escalante damage: /35



B'moth exits asteroid field with Fed defsat in hold



Next I'll have to adjust accordingly for different classes. That should be interesting.

Captain's Log Challenge 0510.14 "... do it the old fashioned way..."

"...do it the old fashioned way..."
(Pre-ENT Era)

Personal Log Jonathon Archer

Dad died ten years ago today, without seeing his engine fly. Despite what everyone says about honoring his legacy by making Enterprise a success, despite all of the dangers and detractors, I can't get past the fact that Dad will never see it happen. Trip tells me that Dad will be there with me. No, he won't. And I have to wonder if we had stayed on the course set by Dr Cochrane, would we already be at warp five? Would it have been better to do it the old fashioned way of building on our successes and failures, rather than following the guidance of Vulcan committees? Would we have gotten here faster? I went through hell getting Enterprise into spacedock, after it had been cancelled and condemned not once but twice, and there are still people who say that I didn't deserve her, that I didn't earn the center seat, that I only got it because of who my Dad is. Maybe I should be worried about not blowing it. Maybe we need to prove that we can move out of the Vulcans' shadow and start to risk a little. Maybe I need to worry about my own legacy. But for now- for today, I just wish that Dad could look into the night sky over San Francisco and see Enterprise finally being built.

Summary of Events Stardate 0410.14

Quick Start Play:

If you'd like to be able to jump right in to see if you like this game, you might want to try a few rounds of Simple Combat. The Simple Combat Game is a way for you to quickly resolve combat between vessels, or fleets of vessels. This is useful if you are playing a scenario or campaign that involves more than a few ships. Otherwise a simple scenario could take weeks to play through.

It is useful to keep a copy of the Simple Combat Template. This makes it possible to copy and paste the basics of your bit of 'paperwork', add however many ships you may need to, and change or insert ship names. Here is a very basic template (there are more in the files):

IKS rolls: o/d

USS rolls: o/d

Result:

IKS damage /15

USS damage /15

The first section is for points rolled (1d6 result times the appropriate multiplier), and how the points are allocated (offense/defense). The second "Result" section shows the calculated damage. In the case of basic AI ships, the damage potential is 15.. so you would indicate 5 points damage with 5/15. Pretty simple.

If you are playing a single player game, roll a 1d6 to see who 'wins the toss'. If you roll a 1-3, you do. Then you roll the 1d6 for your opponent first. Allocate available points according to this multiplier chart:

2 (DS) Defense Sat/(FR)Freighter X1

3 (FF) Frigate X4

4 (DD) DestroyerX6

5 (CL) Light Cruiser X8

6 (CA) Heavy Cruiser X10

7 (CC) Command Cruiser X12

8 (BCH) Heavy Battlecruiser X15

9 (DN) Dreadnought X20

10 (BB) Battleship X22

11 (CV)Carrier X25

12 (STB ) Starbase/ (BS)Base Station X50/75 (reroll, 50/50)

Here is an example of simple combat between the Klingon heavy cruiser Perseus and the Sha'kurian heavy cruiser Count: In this case, I won the toss, playing as the Perseus. That meant that I had to roll and allocate for the Sha'kurian first. (The point of all this 'coin tossing' is to add randomness to the gameplay in the single player game. It puts the luxury of being able to react to your opponent's first move on a totally random footing. And of course, whoever rolled second first time rolls first the next. Compare it to the coin toss to determine who receives the kickoff in a football game ) That first roll was a 6 (on a 1d6), for 60 points. Acting for the Shakurian, I decided to play it safe, putting it all on defense. As it turned out, the caution was unnecesary. The Klingon only rolled a 1.

IKS Perseus rolls:10 0o/10d

SRS Count rolls:60 0o/60d

Result:

IKS Perseus damage 0/25

SRS Count damage 0/15

For the next volley, the Klingon ship took its turn rolling first. It rolled a "3", for 30 points, and put them all on defense. It didn't save him because the Count rolled a 6.
IKS Perseus rolls:30 0o/30d

SRS Count rolls:60 60o/d

Result:

IKS Perseus destroyed

SRS Count damage 0/15
You'll note that the Perseus is able to take 25 points of damage. That is because all of my play has given me a "Elite" rating. The increased available points is one of the benefits of that. For details, see "Experience Points: How to Get Them and What They Get You". If you want to take it a step further, you can capture ships using Simple Combat. You have to cause 10 points of damage to lower the enemy shields, then transport over. Ah, but to so that you have to lower your own shields. Do that by giving yourself (just for the 'transport' volley) 10 points damage. A bit tricky, with careful timing involved, but a great tactic. And of course, as new races are added to Fantasy Trek, there will be a few necessary variations to these rules (i.e. Tholian Webs).

So what to do with all of this? As I said, the Simple Combat Game is ideal for extended scenarios involving many ships in combat. The latest is "Fifty Points" (details below)

Games in Play:

"Fifty Points"

Fifty Points remains on hiatus. I'm considering a few different things, including introducing random civilian ships, like the USS Gallipoli had to deal with. That would land each side with rescue operations to deal with, and possibly the civilian ships could be called upon to act as freighters. There is also the idea of possible rewards for making progress before other teams. I'm not going to start it back up just for the sake of starting it up.

"Head to Head Sector Assault"

Here are the rules for anyone who doesn't remember:

The goal is to conquer and hold all 5 systems.

In order to do this, you must conquer, then sufficiently defend the systems while denying your enemy access to those same systems. Reduce the enemy fleet sufficiently to prevent them from building a shipyard, and stop/destroy enough enemy convoys to deny random reinforcements sufficient to threaten your shipyards. You must also attain a minimum of 13 points (see 'Victory Conditions' below)

System Conquest:

Regardless of whether a system has been taken by enemy forces, you will face a random-sized enemy fleet upon first arrival in a new system. Roll 1d6 for size of enemy fleet, then subtract any applicable random fleet disadvantage (see below). Then use appropriate simple combat template. All surviving ships retain damage but can move and fight until destroyed. They can only be repaired by remaining in place for two turns (subject to random enemy attack each turn: (1d6: 4-6)) or by docking at shipyard for one turn. The system remains yours once you've defeated the initial fleet, but if left undefended, any attempt to conquer it will only be countered by a randomly generated fleet. You can (and should) choose to leave any combination of ships and/or a shipyard to defend it.

Open Space:

Enemy convoys will only be encountered in open spaces. Roll for encounter (3/6 chance). Then roll 1d6 for enemy escorts. 1-3= 1 CA escort. 4-6= 2 CA escorts. The random fleet disadvantage does not affect this. Random enemy convoy(s) must be stopped=at least 3/5 freighters destroyed or captured (5/15 damage and successful boarding party action), escorts destroyed or disabled (10/15 damage) in 5 volleys or less. Every convoy that is stopped decreases random enemy fleet size by one. This is the random fleet disadvantage. For every three freighters captured, your random fleet disadvantage is reduced by one. You will not encounter convoys in open spaces when you have conquered both adjacent systems

Enemy forces may be encountered in all open spaces (even between two conquered and held systems). Roll for encounter (2/6 chance), Roll for size of enemy fleet (use same method as in-system combat).

Shipyard:

Shipyards are recommended. They can only be built in systems that you hold (by destroying an initial assault fleet). Three starships must remain in system or open space area for three turns to build shipyard. During each turn 50% chance of random attack. (1d6: 4-6) LOS (line of sight) must be maintained to use or attack shipyard. Shipyard has X75 multiplier. Shipyard can construct replacement ships in 3 turns. While your fleet can not exceed 6 ships, additional ships built at shipyards do not count against this total. They cannot fight with full-sized fleets, but can supplement diminished fleets. The same rule applies to surviving random reinforcements. Since you must have a minimum of three ships to build a shipyard, it is recommended that you build at least one shipyard and at least two reserve ships just in case of unforseen losses. A fleet reduced to two ships and no shipyard to fall back would have little chance of victory.

If you want to register as a player, notify me through the Yahoo Group or a comment on the blogsite. I recommend keeping a record of your games played, as they add up to experience points that enrich your gaming experience.

Victory Conditions/Points-

Shipyards 5 (max)

Fleet size 6 (max)

Reinforcement capacity 6 (max)

You must conquer 5 systems and attain 13+ VC points

Turns 13 through 16

Things seem to be taking, as they always seem to, a turn for the worse for the Feds. On turn 13, A random Klingon fleet (KCA IKS G'tagh KCA IKS Kolikos KCA IKS Mek'leth KCA IKS Etlh) attacked and destroyed FSY1 in System 5. Then it built its own shipyard and started to push forward. In the meantime, the Klingon Second Fleet (KCA IKS NaQjej KCA IKS Qaw'lu KCA IKS Qui'tu KCA IKS D'kerr KCA IKS Sompek KCA IKS Kandido) is marching forward with minimum opposition. It doesn't look really really good for the Feds. but I've been wrong about such things before. There are just a couple of systems separating the lead Klingon fleet from the Federation fleet. Which, by the way, lost the USS Dallas to a tenacious, near suicidal Klingon attack. Here are the turn logs:

Turn 13)

(0510.03)

System 1: KSY1 random attack? no contact

Open Space: KF2 (KCA IKS NaQjej KCA IKS Qaw'lu KCA IKS Qui'tu KCA IKS D'kerr KCA IKS Sompek KCA IKS Kandido) depart for System 2

System 5: FSY1 random attack? Contact: 4 KCA'S. *lost toss FSY1 vs KCA IKS G'tagh KCA IKS Kolikos KCA IKS Mek'leth KCA IKS Etlh. FSY1 destroyed. KCA IKS G'tagh 30/35 damage. Other Klingons undamaged.

System 4: FF2 (FCA USS Philadelphia FCA USS Orinoko FCA USS Hyperion FCA USS Dallas FCA USS Sam Houston FCA USS Clyburn) begin construct FSY2. Turn 1: Contact? Contact: 4 KCA's. *won toss. FCA USS Philadelphia FCA USS Orinoko FCA USS Hyperion FCA USS Dallas FCA USS Sam Houston FCA USS Clyburn vs KCA IKS DoQ KCA IKS Cha' KCA IKS tiQ KCA IKS puQloD. KCA IKS DoQ KCA IKS Cha' KCA IKS tiQ KCA IKS puQloD destroyed. Feds undamaged

Turn 14)

(0510.05)

System 1: KSY1 idle.

System 2: KF2 (KCA IKS NaQjej KCA IKS Qaw'lu KCA IKS Qui'tu KCA IKS D'kerr KCA IKS Sompek KCA IKS Kandido) arrive in System 2. Begin construct KSY3 Turn 1 contact? No contact.

System 5: (KF2)KCA IKS G'tagh KCA IKS Kolikos KCA IKS Mek'leth KCA IKS Etlh begin construct KSY2. Turn 1 contact? No contact.

System 4: FF2 (FCA USS Philadelphia FCA USS Orinoko FCA USS Hyperion FCA USS Dallas FCA USS Sam Houston FCA USS Clyburn) continue construct FSY2. Turn 2: Contact? No contact.

Turn 15)

(0510.05)

System 1: KSY1 random attack? Contact: 2 FCA's. *won toss KSY1 vs FCA USS Wellington FCA USS Waterloo. FCA USS Wellington FCA USS Waterloo destroyed. No damage to KSY1.

System 2: KF2 (KCA IKS NaQjej KCA IKS Qaw'lu KCA IKS Qui'tu KCA IKS D'kerr KCA IKS Sompek KCA IKS Kandido) arrive in System 2. Continue construct KSY3 Turn 2 contact? No contact.

System 5: KF3 (KCA IKS G'tagh KCA IKS Kolikos KCA IKS Mek'leth KCA IKS Etlh) continue construct KSY2. Turn 2 contact? No contact.

System 4: FF2 (FCA USS Philadelphia FCA USS Orinoko FCA USS Hyperion FCA USS Dallas FCA USS Sam Houston FCA USS Clyburn) continue construct FSY2. Turn 3: Contact? Contact: 5 KCA's. *lost toss FCA USS Philadelphia FCA USS Orinoko FCA USS Hyperion FCA USS Dallas FCA USS Sam Houston FCA USS Clyburn vs KCA IKS Qon KCA IKS Poktarl KCA IKS KingeS KCA IKS LoS KCA IKS Iw. KCA IKS Qon KCA IKS Poktarl KCA IKS KingeS KCA IKS LoS KCA IKS Iw destroyed. FCA USS Dallas destroyed. FCA USS Philadelphia 9/15 damage.

Turn 16)

(0510.07)

System 1: KSY1 idle.

System 2: KF2 (KCA IKS NaQjej KCA IKS Qaw'lu KCA IKS Qui'tu KCA IKS D'kerr KCA IKS Sompek KCA IKS Kandido) Continue construct KSY3 Turn 3 contact? Contact: 1 FCA. *lost toss KCA IKS NaQjej KCA IKS Qaw'lu KCA IKS Qui'tu KCA IKS D'kerr KCA IKS Sompek KCA IKS Kandido vs FCA USS Little Big Horn. FCA USS Little Big Horn destroyed. No damage to Klingons.

System 5: KF3 (KCA IKS G'tagh KCA IKS Kolikos KCA IKS Mek'leth KCA IKS Etlh) continue construct KSY2. Turn 3 contact? Contact: 3 FCA's. *won toss. KCA IKS G'tagh KCA IKS Kolikos KCA IKS Mek'leth KCA IKS Etlh vs FCA USS Boston FCA USS Yorktown FCA USS New Amsterdam. FCA USS Boston FCA USS Yorktown FCA USS New Amsterdam destroyed. No damage to Klingons.

System 4: FSY2 Complete. FF2 (FCA USS Philadelphia-9/15 damage- FCA USS Orinoko FCA USS Hyperion FCA USS Sam Houston FCA USS Clyburn) remain on station to repair FCA USS Dallas Turn 1/1. Contact? Contact: 4 KCA's. *won toss FSY2 FCA USS Philadelphia-9/15 damage- FCA USS Orinoko FCA USS Hyperion FCA USS Sam Houston FCA USS Clyburn vs KCA IKS Kurn KCA IKS Mogh KCA IKS Gorkon KCA IKS Thok Mok. KCA IKS Kurn KCA IKS Mogh KCA IKS Gorkon KCA IKS Thok Mok destroyed. Feds undamaged,

Command College:

What Are Your Orders, Captain?

"Old Wounds" TNG Era Solution:

Coded signals have begun to come in on a frequency not used by the Empire for almost a hundred years. You've been ordered to investigate in the once hotly contested Donatu system. You find one of an increasing number of sleeper agents, planted in one-time hotspots in the conflict between the Federation and the Empire. Normally, these agents have been debriefed and released into the Empire. In this case, however, you have a dilemma. The agent in question was a senior officer, possibly behind the intelligence failure that some speculate was at least partially responsible for the military debacle that was the battle of Donatu Five. But years have done much to heal the wounds of that defeat, and the High Council has allowed the controversy to die.

If the agent that might be at the heart of the matter comes back in from the cold, back from the dead, as far as many are concerned, the controversy will rise again. Powerful families, seeking to protect ugly secrets, will obstruct the investigation, and relations with the Federation, already strained, may suffer with the reopening of this old wound. On the other hand, honor demands a full accounting of the truth, and the Empire may even gain an advantage over future potential enemies by examining the failures of the past.

You are the Commander of the ship and the mission. The agent's return, in fact his life, is in your hands. What are your orders, Captain?

You decide that you must meet privately with the agent before any other crewmembers do, just in case. But unless he has particularly damaging intelligence to impart, you will most likely turn him over to Imperial Intelligence. You feel that the Empire must be strong enough to live with its past, whether it is palatable or not. If some weak cowards fall as a result, so be it.

(TNG Era)

Exploring the ruins of an unidentified civilization, you discover a strange resin-like substance coating every artifact. Analysis reveals that the substance is biomatter. It might, your science officer suggests, be cellular residue of the population. Deep scans reveal that the residue could lead to a cure for a plague wiping out all life on a protected planet that is home to nothing but rain forests and insects. You are making preparations to test the biomatter when another ship enters orbit. The crew of the ship demands that you leave, claiming that the biomatter is in fact the only remains of a long-lost colony, and any disturbance would offend their religious beliefs.

What Are Your Orders, Captain?

Post your solution in the YahooGroup or through the blogsite's 'comment' feature.

"Captain's Log"

"...do it the old fashioned way..."

(Pre-ENT Era)

Personal Log Jonathon Archer

Dad died ten years ago today, without seeing his engine fly. Despite what everyone says about honoring his legacy by making Enterprise a success, despite all of the dangers and detractors, I can't get past the fact that Dad will never see it happen. Trip tells me that Dad will be there with me. No, he won't. And I have to wonder if we had stayed on the course set by Dr Cochrane, would we already be at warp five? Would it have been better to do it the old fashioned way of building on our successes and failures, rather than following the guidance of Vulcan committees? Would we have gotten here faster? I went through hell getting Enterprise into spacedock, after it had been cancelled and condemned not once but twice, and there are still people who say that I didn't deserve her, that I didn't earn the center seat, that I only got it because of who my Dad is. Maybe I should be worried about not blowing it. Maybe we need to prove that we can move out of the Vulcans' shadow and start to risk a little. Maybe I need to worry about my own legacy. But for now- for today, I just wish that Dad could look into the night sky over San Francisco and see Enterprise finally being built.

For next week. write a 100+ word log entry including the phrase "... a complete turnaround...". Post it in the yahoo group or on the blogsite's "comment" feature for a Command College Point.
Dev Notes:

Not the most productive two weeks in the history of Fantasy Trek, but I do have a good solid idea for the June calendar image (strap on your pointed ears, Romulan fans!), and a bit of an impoosible dream for July. Head to Head Sector Assault is running fine, and I actually have a few promising ideas to resurrect Fifty Points. And readers and players may have noticed my Star Trek: Enterprise Retro-spective. Feel free to comment.

Star Trek Enterprise Retro-Spective: "Fight or Flight"

The first time I saw this episode, I found it very simple and boring. I thought Hoshi was annoying, and I thought the worm was silly. That was several years ago.


Revisiting it now, I find myself much happier about it. Two weeks after returning Klaang to Qo'noS, the only first contact the crew has made is with a big worm nicknamed 'Sluggo'. Hoshi takes it for a pet, it doesn't make out, and as Phlox is trying to nurse it back to health, he's starting to think about feeding it to one of his bats. Dr Phlox is turning out to have this wonderful mad scientist element to him that I am really trying to enjoy.

As this is going on, T'Pol picks up a ship along their course. It turns out to be a derelict. Archer, Malcolm, and Hoshi (who gets claustrophobia in the EVA suits) head over to the ship. They find a crew, basically hanging on hooks and having bodily fluids sucked out of them. Hoshi freaks, reacts by screaming (in her own words) like a twelve year-old. They head back to Enterprise, where Archer lets T'Pol talk him into leaving the area. Fortunately, Archer's conscience gets the better of him and they fly back. There they figure out that the fluids are being harvested. They send a distress signal from the derelict and start looking around. That's when the bad guys show up. Then we find out that Malcolm hasn't got the targeting scanner running and can't defend the ship. Bad guys scan them to find out that they have valuable bodily fluids and set to capturing them. Enterprise is defenseless, and it looks bad until another bigger ship shows up, from the same species as the murdered crew. But the bigger ship thinks Enterprise did the bad deed. Finally Hoshi manages to talk to the captain of the bigger ship. Together they blow up the baddie. Hoshi feels better about herself, and we meet an 'Axanan' (Google 'battle of Axanar' for TOS context on that.) In the end, Hoshi puts Sluggo down on a suitable planet, and end of episode.

It would be easy to dislike this episode. Sluggo. Hoshi screaming like a twelve year-old. And this is the best and the brightest? No, it's not. They are the first ones out. They are paving the way for the legends that come later. Hoshi (the main focus of the episode) is a relatively weak-spirited character who is the kind of person who picks up pet worms that she can't take care of, is afraid of space suits, and screams when she sees dead aliens hanging on meat hooks. But that's just the point, and just why I liked this episode. Hoshi represented the crew, the ship and the show. It isn't perfect. It isn't TNG. Archer isn't as polished as Picard, the ship is a redo of the Akira (and left spacedock without working targeting scanners), and the opening theme irritated lots of people. There isn't even supposed to be an Enterprise NX-01. All that is true, but what we have with Enterprise is something other than another perfect, polished, boring series. We have a series about real people as they overcome obstacles and frailties. That, to my mind, is closer to Gene Roddenberry's vision that the jaded, far-flung Empire that Next Generation became. Another enthusiastic (if unexpected) thumbs up.

Next Up: Strange New World

Star Trek Enterprise Retro-Spective: "Broken Bow"

My wife and I recently made the fairly major investment of buying a used copy of the whole of "Enterprise" on DVD. It is interesting that, if I'm correct, Enterprise is more popular now than it was during its short original run on UPN. Considering that, as well as renewed activity in Trekdom (the reboot movie, Star Trek Online, the upcoming relaunch of StarTrek.com, as well as continued books coming out), I thought it might be interesting to watch the series from start to finish, "Broken Bow" to "These Are the Voyages..." and do a bit of a retrospective look at the series. Not as involved as a full-blown review, because there are lots of reviews out there already, but a discussion. A "retro-perspective", or Retro-Spective.

I'll start with the title. The words "Star Trek" were intentionally left out, to show that this was going to be different. And it was decidedly different. While it wasn't the first theme to have lyrics, (Gene Roddenberry wrote lyrics to accompany Alexander Courage's amazing theme for the Original Series in order to get writing credit, though they never made it onscreen), it was the first to air the lyrics with the theme. Many fans violently disliked this, but I didn't. I found it rousing and inspiring, and a great breath of fresh air. It is my second favorite Trek theme (right behind A. Courage's theme).

The first scene of "Broken Bow" changed the course of Trek history, pushing up, by decades, Earth's 'disastrous' first contact with the Klingons. That disaster was supposed to help to bring about the Prime Directive. We can only assume that Earth tried to interfere with the Klingon culture or their development. As it turns out, that still played a part, because while Archer's determination to return Klaang to Qo'noS was proper from a human point of view (and obviously served the greater good), the Klingons didn't like a human imposing their values on them. It is easy to speculate that Enterprise's first mission could be regarded from a historical perspective, as the start of more than a century of unremitting hostility due to a perceived lack of respect for Klingon values and culture. Certainly it changes the history books a bit, but that was always going to be a result of the temporal cold war. And for you canon-purists out there, just remember that canon was taking hits before TOS finished its three year run. (McCoy once made a reference to Vulcan being conquered. Later on in the series, Spock said that Vulcan has never been conquered. So I'd say it isn't worth worrying about). I could also point out that Enterprise takes place post-"First Contact", so some details can show how Zephrame Cochrane was influenced by people from the future, from an organization called Starfleet, on a ship called Enterprise. So a case can be made, I think. Indeed, that is addressed in the fourth season episode "Regeneration" (many of the series' detractors cite that episode as a major violation of canon, apparently without having watched the episode, but I'm getting way ahead of myself).

Back to "Broken Bow". The Klingon Klaang is carrying evidence back to Qo'noS that the Suliban are behind attempts to start a Klingon civil war, and he is being chased by members of the Suliban cabal when his ship crashes in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. He kills the Suliban, but is then confronted by a farmer named "Moore". Moore shoots Klaang, and that sets up the episode. According to the Vulcans, the Klingons were going to attack Earth because of this when the Vulcans agreed to return Klaang's corpse to Qo'noS. The only problem is that Klaang isn't dead, nor is he really dying. After some arguing, Captain Jonathon Archer essentially bullies the Vulcans into 'allowing' him to return Klaang to his home alive, with a Vulcan 'chaperone'. That is the mission.

Along the way, we have introductions to the crew. They are all experts in their field, all uniquely qualified to be aboard Earth's first warp five starship. And as with every series premiere, we see short scenes to tell us about the main characters. All of the characters struck me as interesting. For example, the concept of a 'space-boomer', a person who was born in space and spent most of his life in space is something never before explored in Trek. Otherwise, we've seen Vulcan science officers. We've seen alien crewmembers. Of course, there is the controversial idea of rude Vulcans as an obstruction to Earth and Starfleet. In this case, Jolene Blalock's performance as T'Pol made what could have been an annoying character an absolute joy to watch. Her chemistry with Archer and Tucker is unmistakable, and I knew right off that I was going to enjoy watching these characters as the series went on. And of course, the interaction between T'Pol and Archer's beagle Porthos was hilarious. She doesn't like dogs, she doesn't like their smell, but Porthos instinctively likes her. That was an absolutely true-to-life moment, and again, I knew I was going to enjoy seeing more develop as the series progressed. There are only two real issues that I have with the otherwise excellent "Broken Bow". There is an early, inexplicable reference to Klingon warbirds. No such thing, until they started to add them in various places following Enterprise's run. Star Trek researcher Richard Arnold blew that big time. And right at the end, Travis Mayweather warns Archer of a nearby ion storm along their course. Archer says "You can't be afraid of the wind." An ion storm presented a danger to the much sturdier, more advanced Constitution Class a hundred years later. The NX Class would probably be destroyed. So you should be afraid of that particular wind.

Enterprise was meant to harken back to the idea of a tough, lead from the front captain, a ship largely on its own, without a starbase to fall back on, and an untamed galaxy. Literally boldly going where noone had gone before. With "Broken Bow", it did just that. Humanity pushing the envelope, taking chances, doing what they were told was too risky. In short, Star Trek got back to "risk is our business". "Broken Bow" was, to me, probably the strongest Trek pilot episode. It gets an enthusiastic thumbs-up from me.

Next up: "Fight or Flight"

May Calendar Image: Tholian Attack