Volume 17, Issue 6

Publication of the U.S.S. Chesapeake Star Trek and Science-Fiction Club July, 2008

WillTrek XIsufferasaresultofthis?Noonewilleverreallyknow,butmanyTrekkersthinkthatanimportantchancetopromotethefilmwillhavebeenmissedatthisyear’sComic-Con. bInrelatednews,forthefirsttimeever,a

Star Trekmovieisgoingtogetattrulyglobalpremiere.Star Trek XIwillpremierein46countriestheweekofMay8,2009.AllofthepreviousStar TrekfilmsopenedtogeneralaudiencesfirstintheUnitedStates(andCanada)withtherestoftheworldgettingthefilmdays,weeksandsome-timesmonthslater.Forex-ample,Star Trek: The Wrath of KhanpremieredintheU.S.onJune4,1982,butdidnotopenintheU.K.untilthefollowingmonth.NemesisopenedinNorthAmericaonDecember

13,2002,butitdidn’tpremiereintheU.K.untilJanuary3,2003. InadditiontoopeningintheU.S.andCanadaonFriday,May8,thefilmwillopenin22othercountriesonthesameday,includ-ingBrazil,Italy,MexicoandthePhilippines.

Eventhoughtherewon’tbeanyclipsfromStar Trek XIatthe2008Comic-ConinSanDi-ego,California,therewillbefourpromotionalpostersthatcanbejoinedintoonebigflyerfeaturingfourcharactersinthemovie. ThosefourcharactersareEricBama(up-perleftpicture)astheRomu-lanvillainofthefilm;Uhura(upperright);Spock(lowerleft);andJamesT.Kirk(lowerright). Paramount’sdecisiontokeepbackpromotionalfootagefromTrekaswellasthenewTransformersandGI Joefilmsiscausingconcernamongfans. Lastyear,MarvelComicsProductionsshowedclipsofIron Man,whichiscurrentlythebiggest-grossingfilmof2008.Itiswidelybelievedthatfanswhosawthatpreviewspreadthegoodwordaboutwhattheysaw,whichhashelpedthemotionpicturesinceitsrelease. AccordingtoJ.J.Abrams,whoishelmingtheTrekfilm,theeffectsarenotreadytobeshown.Hesaidthatthemulti-layeredspaceshotsandeffectswouldn’tlookasimpressiveastheIron Mansimplershotsanyway.

ThenextmeetingoftheU.S.S. ChesapeakeStar TrekandScience-FictionClubwillbeheldonSaturday,July26,attheHardTimesCafelocatedinCollegePark,Maryland. We’llgettogetherfordinnerat5:00p.m.,immediatelyfollowedbyourclubmeeting,whichwillstartnolaterthan7:00p.m. We’llfindoutwhatfellowclubmembers

havebeenupto,thenalsocatchuponthere-centShoreLeaveconventionaswellasdiscussthelatestnewsaboutStar Trek andothersci-fitelevisionshowsandfeaturefilms. Doyouneeddirectionstogettothismonth’smeeting?Pleasedownloadthismonth’sInsert,whichcanbefoundinourYahoo!Group.

In thIs Issue:Art Credits 3Captain’s Log 2Club Members InsertfrontComing Events 6Directions to Meeting InsertfrontMeeting Minutes

InsertbackReflections 4Science Trek 3Wayne’s Worlds 5

Back to Hard Times for our July club meeting

Star Trek XI movie posters promote film at Comic-Con

ThelogofortheStar Trek XImotionpicture.

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15

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gathering,thistimeputoninhonorofthe15thanniversaryofDeep Space Nine.Severalmembersandguestscameby,sothankstothefolkswhowentoutandgath-eredourrefreshmentsthatevening! Thenatmidnight,ShoreLeaveshowedthatnight’sseasonpremiereofStargate Atlantis,whichwasagoodideaconsider-ingtheirbiggestguestwasDavidHewlett,whoplaysgeekyscientistRodneyMcKayonthatshow.(Youcanstopdroolingnow,Ann.) OnSaturdayandSunday,wereturnedtoourmainrolesasthe“panelmen”whilewediscussedeverythingfromtheupcom-ingStar Trek XImovietotheSciFiChan-nelhitEureka.Nevertheless,theweekendhadanumberofhighpoints. OneofthosewastheplacementoftheLostpanelintheprestigiousHuntroom,whichisreallythefronthalfofthemainauditoriumseparatedfromthebackhalforValleyroom. WewereinthemiddleofourusuallyrowdyyetthoughtfuldiscussionofBattle-star GalacticawhenInoticedguestMarkSheppard(whoplayslawyerRomoLan-pkinontheshow)walkpasttheroom.Ashedid,Iwonderedifhe’drealizewewerechattingabouthisprogramandstopbyforaminuteortwo. Toeveryone’ssurprise,heenteredtheroombecausehe’dheardsomeoneinsidesaytheword“Caprica”andtoldusmanybehind-the-scenesstoriesofhistimeontheshow.Bythetimethepanelwasover,healsoencouragedeveryonetowatchthefinalepisodesoftheserieswhentheyairontheSciFiChannel. Ofcourse,Sheppardwasn’tthefirstguesttodropinononeofourpanels.AtarecentFarpoint,JeffreyCombsvisitedourdiscussionofAndorianssincehereallyenjoyedplayingShranonEnterprise,andGaryGrahamgaveourpanelonNow and AgainsomediscourseonwhyhisshowhadbeencancelledbyCBS. Continued on page 6 COMSTAR, page 2

Copyright2008 U.S.S.Chesapeake

NCC-9102,anot-for-profit organization.

Allrightsreserved,including

reproducingpartsofthisdocument.

Checkoutourclubwebsite:www.

usschesapeake.org

Theopinionsexpressedinthispublicationdonot

necessarilyrepresentthoseoftheentireclub.

“Star Trek,”“Star Trek: The NextGeneration,”“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,”“Star Trek:

Voyager,” and “Star Trek: Enterprise,”

aswellastheterms“starship”and

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Allrightsreserved.Absolutelyno

infringementontheserightsis

intended.

CAPTAIN’S LOG: Best Shore Leave ever?

Oldenemiesmeetforthe first time at Shore Leave30.

WeinterruptmyongoingreviewsofthenewStar TrekcomicsbeingproducedbyIDWPublishingtobringyouanimpor-tantnewsbulletin:Thisyear’sShoreLeaveconventionwasaBLAST! Long-timeclubmembersmay

rememberthatIusedtoregularlylogmyimpressionsafterattend-inglocalconventions,butIstoppeddoingthatafterwebecamesoengrossedinhostingpanelsthatIoftendidn’thaveachancetotakeinthewholeconexperience.AtShoreLeave30,however,I

wasabletotakeinsomeoftheotherac-tivities,andI’mpleasedtosaythatoverall,itwasaterrificconvention! Lastyear,IwasonsomanyFridaynightpanelsthatIwasn’tabletotakein“WorldEnoughandTime,”whichwasthenewestepisodefromStar Trek: New Voyages/Phase II.Iwasn’tabletoseethat“fanfilm”untilmonthsafterward,anditprovedtobethe“goldstandard”forTrekindependentproductions. Thistimearound,theconschedul-ingwentmyway,andWayneandIwereabletowatchthetwo-part“BloodandFire,”whichwaswrittenanddirectedbyDavidGerrold.Theproductionfeaturedagrown-upPeterKirk(lastseenasachildinthefirst-seasonClassicTrekepisode“Operation:Annihilate!”). NowayoungsecurityofficerontheEnterprise,PeterisinlovewithafellowmalecrewmanwhentheshipencountersadangerousStarfleetvesselcarryingthegrandmotherofTashaYarfromTNG(andplayedbyDeniseCrosbytoboot). Sincethefirstpartof“BAF”won’tbeavailablefordownloadinguntilsometimeinOctober,Iwon’tgiveawaytoomuchmoreexcepttosaythatwhiletheshowisn’tquiteupto“WEAT”standards,it’sstilllightyearsaheadofmostotherfanproductions! Alongwithourusualbevyofpanels,Fridaynightalsofeaturedourusualsocial

instantaneous,thankstothespeedoflight.Understandingmighttakesometime,butthemessageitselfwascommunicatedalmostinstantlybyvirtueofthelimiteddistanceseparatingthesenderandthereceiver. Akeyfactorthe“moreadvanced”commu-nicationmethods—sendingaletterviapost,forinstance—haveincommonisthattheyarenon-instantaneous.Thereisatimelagbe-tweenwhenthemessageisissuedandwhenitisreceived.Wegainedfidelityofthemessageatthecostoftransmissiontime. Thetelegraphchangedallofthat.Present We’rereachingbacknearlytwocenturiesforthestartofthepresent.Theyear1809markedtheinventionofthefirstcrudeelectrictelegraph. Despitethesenderhavingtotranslate(eitherpersonallyorthroughaproxy)intoanelectricalsignal,thankstothatspeedo’light(abitover1.8trillionfurlongsperfortnight,orabout186,282milespersecond),thesignaltravelledtoitsdestinationnearlyinstanta-neously. Overthepasttwocenturies,wehumanshavebecomeaccustomedtoournear-instan-taneouscommunications.Thetelephoneshrunktheworld,andnowInstantMessaging(IM)carriesonincyberspace. Thinkabouthowamazingthatwouldbetoyourancestors.NomorewaitingmonthstohearfromyoursweetheartinCaliforniapan-ningforgold…justpickupthephone(andrememberthetimedifference,whichisjustanartifactoftheEarth’srotation). Byharnessingthoseelectronsandpho-tons,wehavegainedtheadvantagesoflightspeedintermsofhowfastwecancommuni-cate.Ofcourse,westillhavethetrade-offofspeedvs.fidelity.Witnesshowdigitalcom-municationscantravelfurtherthananalog(thankstoregenerationofthesignal),butlistentoadigitalCDversusananalogone,andthere’ssomethinglostintranslation. We’realsoreachingthelimitofthespeedoflight.NexttimetheRedskinsareplaying,turnontheTVandturndownthesound,thenlistentoSonny,SamandWhat’s-His-Face.They’llbetellingyouthingsyouwon’tseeforanothersecondorthree.Thatis Continued on page 6

COMSTAR, page 3

SCIENCE TREK: Past, present, future

ARt CReDIts:trekmovie.com 1 newvoyages.com 2images.google.com 3,4,5,6scifi.comInsertfrontshore-leave.com

Insertback

Wehavegainedtheadvantagesoflightspeedintermsofhowfastwecancom-municate.

Thismonth’scolumncouldbesubtitledmanythings(notallatonce):“Communica-tionthroughouthistory…andthefuture;”“Theartoftalking:then,nowandwhen;”or“Canyouhearmenow?”Ponderthat,andthis(courtesyofYahoo!Answers):Ifyoushoutoutloud,doesyourvoicecarryonfor-everintospace? ThebestanswerwasaDavidism.Theexperimentalsolutionwas:“IshoutedinmyHoovertube,andthenoisecameouttheotherend,sosounddoestravelinavacuum.”Mostanswersweresomevariationof“no”withanexplanation.However,thereareregionsinspacedenseenoughthatsoundwavestravelprettywell.Asforyourvoiceintospace,well,theairgetsprettythinprettyclosetoourplanet,sono,yourvoicewouldnotpropagateveryfarintospaceifatall. Alternately,wecanjustaskDavid:“Ofcoursesoundcantravelinouterspace.Itjustdoesn’tgofirstclass.”(Bonuspointsforthefirstpersontotellmethesourceofthatquote.) NowthatI’vethoroughlyconfusedyouaboutthismonth’stopic,let’sgetbacktoit.Past Throughoutmostofhumanhistory,communicationswerecarriedoutbyvoiceandgesture,neitherofwhichtravelsveryfar.Beyondsightdistance,a“signal”wouldhavetobereceived(byanotherperson),under-stood/translatedandrepeated.Notaveryefficientsystem.(Whodoesn’trememberthetelephonegame?) Othermethodsofcommunicationdevel-opedovertime:smokesignals,beads,stonetablets,papyrusandpostalletters.Despitethesemethods’abilitytotravelfurtherdis-tances(thoughsomewithassistance),theybetterconveyedtheoriginalmeaning(atleastuntilthereceivingpartyhadtotranslateandunderstandthemessage). (Digression:Bytranslation,Idonotmeansimplyfromonelanguageintoanother,butratherfromoneperson’smindtoanotherviaaverbalorwrittenmedium.Understanding,then,isprocessingthetranslatedmessagesothereceivercomprehendsitsmeaning.) Whentheonlymethodofcommunica-tionwasvoice(withinhearingdistance)orgesture(withinsight),communicationwas

REFLECTIONS: What he left behind

COMSTAR, page 4

Summer,1996.Science-fictiontelevi-sionwasatanall-timehigh(thoughitwouldsoongethigher),andgenreTVwasatitspeak.Therewerestillgenreshowsonnetworktelevision.ABChadLois & ClarkandSabrina, the Teenaged Witch(Yeah,Iknow,butitWASagenresit-com.).NBChadThird Rock from the Sun(Iknow,Iknow...seeSabrina),Dark SkiesandThe Pretender.TheclosestCBSgotwasEarly EditionandTouched by an Angel. TherewerenogenreshowsonwhatwasformallyknownasTheWB,sinceBuffy, the Vampire SlayerwouldnotdebutuntilJanu-aryof1997.UPNhadStar Trek: Voyager,The Burning ZoneandHomeboys in Space,whichhadJamesDoohanasanoccasionalgueststar. Thegenrenetworkthen,asnow,asithasalwaysbeen,wasFOX.SaywhatyouwantaboutFOX,despiteallthewhiningaboutthemnotgivingshowsenoughtimetofindanaudience,atLEASTtheyrecognizegenrefansandgivethemwhattheywant.They’vealwayshadtheirfingeronthepulseofthegenremovement.FOXhadThe X-Files,Slidersandoneofmypersonalfavorites,Millennium. SyndicationhadBaywatch Nights,whichwasDavidHasslehoffandbeachbumsmeetThe X-Files;youhadtoseeittobelieveit.Poltergeist: the Legacy, The New Adventures of Sinbad, Hercules, Xena: Warrior Princess, Babylon 5and,ofcourse,theclassicStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.TheSciFiChannelhadyettostartanyoriginalprogramming,un-lessyoucountSightings(arealityshowaboutextra-terrestrialsightings)andMystery Science Theater 3000. Atthetime,genrefanswerethinkingthatitcouldn’tgetanybetter,buttheyweresowrong!Thenwordcamedownfromonhigh.FromaundistinguishedtrunkinMajelBarrettRoddenberry’sbasementcameastartlingdis-covery.Uponre-examiningitscontents,Majelcameacrossvariousworksinprogress.GeneRoddenberry’smindapparentlydidnotendwiththecreationofStar Trek.Hehadpitched,displayedandauctionedideasforseveralnewtelevisionshows.Unfortunately,thenetworkshadstoppedlistening. Inthattrunkwereoutlines,notes,thebeginningsofvariousshowideasandatleastonefullscript.Thevariousandsundryseriesideaswerepackedawayandforgotten.That

is,untilMajelsuddenlydecidedtotakealookandrealizedtheenormouspotentialofsomeofGene’screationsinthattrunk. “I’vealwayshadthehabitofrunningaroundafterGene,gatheringuppapersinboxes,”MajelRoddenberryreveals.“Therewerehundredsofboxes.Icameacrossonescript,andIthought,‘Thisisawfullygood!’” The“awfullygood”one,asMajelputit,turnedouttobeafullscript,whichwaswrit-tenin1976forashowcalledBattleground Earth.ThiseventuallybecamethesyndicatedshowEarth: Final Conflict.Roddenberryhadwrittenthepilotscript,whichwasadaptedandbroughtuptodatetoaccommodatethetimes.Eventhoughitwaswritten32yearsearlier,thescriptheldupremarkablywell. TribuneEntertainmentquicklyinkedadealwithMajeltodevelopseveralprojectsbasedonGene’sunproducedmaterial. “Itookitalltovariousagencies,”Majelsaid,“butsettledonCAA.TheyintroducedmetoDavidKirschner.”DavidKirschner,theformerheadofHannaBarbera,sharedexecu-tiveproducerstatuswithMajel. “MyagentscalledandsaidtheywerehandlingtheRoddenberryestate,”Kirschneracknowledged.“IwasoneofsixproducerstomeetwithMajel.Theothersweremajortelevi-sionplayers,butsheandIgotalongverywell.” EventhoughitmeantconstanttravelandharshCanadianwinters,Majelrelishedherroleasexecutiveproduceronaseriesshestillconsideredherlatehusband’s. “Ihadneverworkedbehindacamerabefore.Ilikeit!Ilikeitmorethaninfrontofthecamera.Ihavesomuchtogainfrommypositionnow.I’veneverhadabettertimeinmylife.AndIgettoactontopofit.Idoloveacting.I’minincessantmeetings.I’maflyonthewall,learning.I’mnotawriter,andIhavemanyobligationsinotherareas.Eachtimeasubjectcomesup,Ikeepasking:‘IsthisthewayGenewouldhavedoneit?’” Overthenextfewmonths,wewillexam-inethetwohitshowsthatemergedfromthetrunk,Earth: Final ConflictandAndromeda.Itstillamazesme,andperhapsitshouldn’t,butGeneRoddenberryhasbeenabletohaveanimpactonscience-fictionandgenretelevisionevenafterhewasburiedandinhisgrave. Conn Officer Lorenzo Heard

Majel(left)andGeneRoddenberryonthesetofStar Trek: The Next Generation.

doesn’ttakelongbeforeLt.GordonandBat-mantakeDentundertheirwing,andhalfofthesyndicateinGothamisinjail. TheJokercan’tstandthat,soheretaliatesbyattackingGotham’selectedofficials,takingdownthepolicecommissionerandajudge.HisnexttargetsareDentandRachelDawes,BruceWayne’sformergirlfriend,andthemayor.Lt.Gordonisapparentlyacasualtyintheprocess. TheJokerliestoBatman,tothecity,toHarveyDent,tocriminalsononeboattryingtoleavethecityandtoaboatfilledwithregu-larcitizensontheother. Alongtheway,heblowsupahospitalandtheMajorCrimesUnitinpoliceheadquarters.HealsotriestotakeoutHarveyDentinatraf-ficshowdownthathadusbothgaspingandcheeringinthetheaterIattended. DentiscorruptedbytheJokerandbe-comesTwo-Face,asifhavingtheJokerafterpeoplewasn’tbadenough.Intheend,evenBatmancan’tescapetheJoker’scorruption,andhetakesthefallforthedeathsofpoliceofficerskilledasaresultofHarveyDent’sac-tions,turninghimfromherotovillaininthecity’seyes,hencethetitle,“The Dark Knight.” Themusic,effectsandactingwereevenbetterthanBatman Begins,inmyopinion.Thepacingdidslowattimes,butthatjustmadetheactionsequencesseemfaster. ChristianBalewasathisbroodiest,andIlikeBatmanlikethat. I’vereadthisinmanyotherreviews,butletmeaddmytwocents:IfHeathLedgerdoesn’tgettheOscarforhisportrayalastheJoker,thentheJokerwasright...thisworldisnothingbutanarchy. Isthisaworthysequeltothewell-receivedBatman Begins?Definitely.Isitviolentandprobablynotappropriateforkids?Ithinkso.Doesthatstopitfrombeingagreatmovie?Notatall.Butbepreparedforsomegraphicviolence.AndevenBatmandoesthingsheverylikelywouldneverdointhecomics. TheDarkKnightisbreakingallkindsofrecords,andthat’sagoodthingforsci-fiandcomicsgenrefilmsofthefuture.Takeachance,andyoumightbeahugesuccess.Butplease,don’thaveoneofyourstarsdie.Afterthismovie,that’ssopasse. Chief of Security Wayne HallCOMSTAR, page 5

WAYNE’S WORLDS: My Dark Knight review Nextmonth,I’llconcludemythoughtsonStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.Thistime,IneedtotalkaboutThe Dark Knight. AsalifelongBatmanfan,oneofmychiefcomplaintsabouttheJokerwasthatIalwaysfelthewasbeingrestrained. EveninBatman: The Animated Series,theClownPrinceofCrimewastonedbacktomakesurethekidswouldn’tgetscared. Ican’tsaythathappenedinThe Dark Knight,thesequeltoBatman Begins. ThankstoaterrificscriptandanamazingperformancebyHeathLedger,theJokerhasneverbeensobrutal,socunningandsode-structive.Infact,duringthe150-minutefilm,itbecamelessabouttwomenincostumesandmoreabouttwogod-likebeingsfightingoutgoodversusevilonauniversalscale. TheJokerislessCesarRomeroandmoreLoki,thenorsegodofmischief.Literally,ev-erythingandeveryonehetouches,hecorrupts,deceivesanddestroys. Andisn’titalwaysagoodvillainthatmakesaheroseemgreater? Ofcourse,somefolksaremissingthepointentirely.Forexample,theWashington PostrecentlyrananarticlesayingthatpeopleactuallyliketheJokermorethanBatmanbecausetheJokerwearsbrightercolorsandisfunnierthanthedark,broodingBatman.NevermindthattheJokerwouldkillyou.Noonecaresaboutthat,apparently.(Thatswish-ingsoundisthepointgoingoversomereview-ers’heads.) From this point on, serious spoilage hap-pens, so please don’t read further if you haven’t yet seen the film. Themoviepicksupwherethefirstfilmleftoff,withtheJokermostlyrobbingbanks,includingthosethathavemoneyfromGoth-am’scrimesyndicate.Inthefirst10minutes,welearnjusthowlongoneusuallystaysasoneoftheJoker’shenchmen.Lifeinsurancewouldbeagoodinvestment. Citywide,Batman’sinfluenceisbeingfeltasmanycriminalsareactuallyafraidattheveryhintofBatman. ThatlastsuntiltheJokergetsthebrightideaoftakingoverthemob,onepieceatatime. HarveyDent,recentlyelecteddistrictattorney,alsoishelpingtocleanupcrime.It

Oneofthepromo-tionalpostersforThe Dark Knight.

(Ofcourse,thenwillbenowwhenIseeyou,butnotnownow,becausenowisnow,rightnow.Mybrainhurts.)Web Notes• http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid =20080526054925AAulBUS (Theanswersareoutthere!);•http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventions/ a/telegraph.htm (Didyouknow?);• http://itotd.com/articles/286/furlongs-per-fort night/ (Youhadtoknow,didn’tyou?);and• http://www.space.com/spacenews/business monday_041115.html (Iknewthatlaserwouldbegoodforsomething). Second Officer Phil Margolies

continued from page 3becausetheradiosignalisbeamedfromthestudio,tower-to-tower,untilitreachesyourradio. TheTVsignalgoesuptoasatelliteingeosynchronousorbitandcomesbackdown(aminimumof26,199mileseachway,alotfurthertogo).Astronautsonthemoonhaveabouta1.2-seconddelay,whilecommunica-tionswithMarsvariesfromabout3.3minutestonearly23minutes.WhenVoyagerI,ontheoutskirtsofthesolarsystem,couldsendasignalhome,ittookabout13hourstoreachEarth. Nextmonth,we’llexplorethethirdphase:Thefuture.Seeyouthen!

COMING EVENTS

JULYJuly 26 ...................................... ThenextmeetingwillbeonSaturday,July26,attheHardTimes

CafelocatedinCollegePark,Maryland.We’llgatherat5p.m.fordinner,followedbyourmonthlymeetingnolaterthan7p.m.

COMSTAR, page 6

SCIENCE TREK: Past, present, future ... concluded

MarkShepparddidn’tcarrythissignaroundwithhimatShoreLeave...buthecouldhave!

continued from page 2 ButthebiggestpaneloftheweekendcameonSundayafternoon,whenourDS9anniversarydiscussionstartedat2p.m.anddidn’tquituntiltwoandone-halfhourslater! Theconversationmovedfromchar-acterstocontinuitytoconsequencesoverthattime,andwhileweweresuretoremindpeopleofothereventsgoingonastheconventionwounddown,westillhadanicecrowdwhenwefinallywrappedthingsupat4:30. Atthatpoint,oneofthepeopleonhiswayoutsaidtheDS9gabfestwasourbestpanelever!Butthenagain,sodidayoungwomanaboutour24discussion.AndsodidsomeoneatourSG-1event… Iwasalsoabletositinonafewoftheguests’talks,andIhadtobeamusedbyDavidandKateHewlett,whokepttheaudience(andeachother)laugh-ingthroughouttheirappearances.Also,PocketBooksfolksincludingouroldbud-dyMarcoPalmierigaveusarundownon

upcomingnovelsandothertomesheadedourwayoverthenextyearandahalf. Thedealer’sroomswerefullofwonderfulstuff,butforsomereason,nothingenam-oredmesomuchthatIwaswillingtopartwithanyhard-earnedquatloos.Ialsotookalookattheartists’room,andwhiletherewerefunkythingslikedogsandcatsdrawnwithbutterflywingsandthelike,Ididn’tseeanythingthereworthbiddingon,either. Ididn’tquitemakeittothemasquer-ade,butIunderstandthereweren’talotofentrants,thoughtheonesIdidseewalkingthroughthehallwayslookedgreat!OneguydressedasRobintheBoyWondercouldhaveleapedrightoutofthecomics,andIhopehegotaniceprizeforhisefforts. Iknowsomefolkshadproblemswiththeirhotelroomsandauditoriumseating,butthereyouhaveit:greatguests,funpan-els,fanfilmsandcoolsurprises!AllthataddeduptoaterrifictimeatShoreLeave.Wasitthebestoneever?Iguesswe’llfindoutforsure…atnextyear’sconvention! Captain Randy Hall

CAPTAIN’S LOG: Best Shore Leave ever? ... concluded