Month: May 2021

Posted in: Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: May 31-June 6

Written by TardisCaptain
It’s BBQ season. Are you ready?

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes twitter account for the week of May 31st through June 6th.

May 31
“But I think it’s important that we remember the heroes who aren’t with us.” Archer- Home, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #WeAreStarfleet

June 1
Rene Auberjonois born on this date in 1940. @reneauberjonois https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Rene_Auberjonois #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #StarTrekENT #WeAreStarfleet

“I don’t like mobs. In my option, if you need one to get what you want it’s not worth getting.” Odo- Bar Association, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #WeAreStarfleet

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is released on this date in 1984. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Trek_III:_The_Search_for_Spock #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet

“That green-blooded son of a bitch! It’s his revenge for all the arguments he lost.” McCoy- Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Stardate: 8210.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet

June 2
Happy Birthday to Anthony Montgomery. @MrAMontgomery https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Anthony_Montgomery #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #WeAreStarfleet

“If you want to be an effective captain, you’ve got to set your personal feelings aside and listen to what other people have to say.” Mayweather- Horizon, Date: January 10, 2153 #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #WeAreStarfleet

Happy Birthday to Zachary Quinto. @ZacharyQuinto https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Zachary_Quinto #StarTrek #WeAreStarfleet

“If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains – however improbable – must be the truth.” Spock- Star Trek (2009) #StarTrek #WeAreStarfleet

June 3
“We don’t have to stop being individuals to get through this. We just have to stop fighting each other.” Janeway- Scorpion Part II, Stardate: 51003.7 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #WeAreStarfleet

June 4
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is released on this date in 1982. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Trek_II:_The_Wrath_of_Khan #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet

“Just words.” Kirk “But good words. That’s where ideas begin. Maybe you should listen to them.” David Marcus- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Stardate: 8130.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet

June 5
“Among humans friendship is sometimes less an emotional response and more a sense of familiarity.” Data- Legacy, Stardate: 44215.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet

June 6
Happy Birthday to Jason Isaacs. @jasonsfolly https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Jason_Isaacs #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #WeAreStarfleet

“Rules are for Admirals in back offices. I’m out there trying to win a war.” Lorca- Lethe, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #WeAreStarfleet

Posted in: My Creations, Role Playing Games, Star Trek

Homebrewed Stats for Starships Part IV

Written by TardisCaptain
Hornet Class
The cover to the Hornet Class Starship blueprints

Past Entries:

Homebrewed Stats for Starships

Homebrewed Stats for Starships Part II

Homebrewed Stats for Starships Part III

I’ve had a chance to scan in a few more homebrewed stats from different tech resources. These are starships for FASA’s Star Trek Starship Combat Simulator. We finish up the Federation destroyers and move into some unusual starships.

Thunderbolt-Class-IX-DestroyerDownload

Off the top of my head, I’m not certain which source I used for this starship. I recognize the artwork, but not the book. I’ll have to see if I can find it so I can give it proper credit. It is another member of the upgraded Saladin family.

Warlord-Class-VIII-DestroyerDownload

This also came from the same source as the Thunderbolt. It is also another variant of the upgraded Saladin class. This type of kitbash was very popular in the original source material.

Adamant-Class-XIV-DreadnoughtDownload

This design came from the fan-made Starfleet Prototype: The Journal of Innovative Design and Ideas. Even though it was listed as “Issue 25 2291-2292”, I don’t know if any others of this journal was released. It is a very well detailed book which has other designs that I have homebrewed, or would like to homebrew.

Guam-Class-XIII-Through-Deck-CarrierDownload

Found in the Starfleet Dynamics (another excellent fan-made tech publication), the Guam Class was one of the few deck-carriers I had seen. Since FASA’s sources was lacking carriers, I converted this one over and added it to my book.

Hornet-Class-X-Fighter-CarrierDownload

This starship came from a set of blueprints (also fan made) that I had found on one of my convention trips. I miss the days of going to a con and walking away with another resource book, tech manual or set of blueprints. Again I thought the idea was unique and converted it over.

Another set scanned and uploaded. Keep sending me your feedback. I’ve been enjoying talking with those that enjoyed these types of homebrewing and designs.

Posted in: Humor, Science Fiction

Don’t Forget Your Towel

Written by TardisCaptain
Towel Day 2011
A hoopy frood that knows where his towel is.

“What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.”

“Hey, you sass that hoopy Ford Prefect? There’s a frood who really knows where his towel is.”

Today (May 25th) is Towel Day for fans of Douglas Adams’ series “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” It was started by fans just after Douglas Adams passed away in 2001. I’ve been a fan of this series for quite some time after I saw the first BBC mini-series on PBS Utah (KUED Channel 7) back in the 90’s. The photo posted above was taken in 2011 and I had several co-workers get the reference, while others I had to educate on a book they should be reading.

I really enjoyed the 2005 movie (I saw it at a special sneak preview arranged by I-Sci-Fi), especially when Douglas Adams would make small changes to the story for each media the story was released in. If you go and read the book (I did a re-read several years ago) and compare it to the BBC mini-series, the audio-drama, the text based computer game, the DC Comic series and the 2005 movie, they all have slight changes. All made by Adams.

Why? I found it funny. It was the odd-ball type of humor that was part Monty Python, part Weird Al and part Phule’s Company all combined like a slice of lemon wrapped around a gold brick. Speaking of which, I wonder if I can get Zaphod Beeblebrox to mix me up a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster to celebrate.

Posted in: Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: May 24-30

Written by TardisCaptain
Never attend a Klingon gender reveal party.

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes twitter account for the week of May 24th through the 30th.

May 24
Happy Birthday to Doug Jones @actordougjones https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Doug_Jones #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #WeAreStarfleet

“This ship bears the name Discovery. Never has that been more fitting, or more prescient. She has carried us into the future, and it will be our privilege to make that future bright. Let us begin. Together.” Saru- People of Earth, Stardate: 865211.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery

May 25
“I suppose it has thorns.” Miranda “I never met a rose that didn’t.” Kirk- Is There In Truth No Beauty?, Stardate: 5630.7 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet

May 26
“I happen to disagree with his decision but he is my commanding officer and I follow orders.” Riker- Second Chances, Stardate: 46915.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet

May 27
“I’m a doctor, not a counter-insurgent. Get a hold of yourself. You’re not just a hologram, you’re a Starfleet hologram!” The Doctor- Basics Part II, Stardate: 50032.7 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #WeAreStarfleet

May 28
“Sooner or later, you’re going to have to adapt.” Dax- Bar Association, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #WeAreStarfleet

May 29
“You’re down there, right now, with Vulcans, Andorians and Tellarites, getting ready to sign the Charter. The membership is going to grow. Dozen, eventually hundreds of species. A United Federation of Planets.” Daniels- Zero Hour, Date: February 14, 2154 #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #WeAreStarfleet

May 30
Happy Birthday to Colm Meaney. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Colm_Meaney #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #StarTrekDS9 #WeAreStarfleet

“It’s not you I hate, Cardassian. I hate what I became because of you.” O’Brien- The Wounded, Stardate: 44429.6 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet

Posted in: Reviews, Role Playing Games, Science Fiction

Re-watch of the Planet of the Apes

Written by TardisCaptain
Planet of the Apes DVDs
Planet of the Apes DVDs

I just finished watching all five of the classic Planet of the Apes movies using the Legacy Collection of DVDs. I had originally started this watch through several months ago when I was prepping for the Apes Victorious entry in the Character Creation Challenge.

I remember watching the different shows when they were shown on the mid-Saturday movie time slot on KSTU (back when they were still channel 20 on the dial). They were show in different order, but I just remember being enthralled by the thought of a “planet of talking apes”. This was what science fiction was, the whole “What If” scenario. Sometimes and idea pops up and says “What if there was a planet populated by talking apes?” Not only did this make for an entertaining series of movies, but a good set of comic books as well. I’ve always felt that this would be an excellent world to conduct role-playing sessions in. That was part of the reason I was interested in Apes Victorious when I saw it on DriveThruRPG.

The disks in this Legacy Collection included the following.

Planet of the Apes (1968)- The original movie that started it all. Several astronauts returning from a long journey crash land on a desolate planet. After several days of traveling through wastelands they discover mute humans being hunted by intelligent apes. These apes are divided into several categories. The warlike gorillas, the chimp scientists and the orangutan leaders. I still enjoy watching this film when I can. The ways that the actors are still able to portray their art through the makeup still astounds me.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)- A second set of astronauts searching for the first group find the planet. Following the path (and meeting the same characters from the first movie) our heroes discover that a race of mutant survivors with physic powers live under the surface of the destroyed city. While some of the special effects look a little dated, the plot works. This was originally going to be the end of the series.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)- Three apes (two of which we know from the earlier films) use one of the spacecraft used by humans and accidentally get sent back to the current time. The apes are treated like celebrities until human fear of their unborn child takes over. It was good to see Ricardo Montalban. The way the apes got back into the past seemed a little “whoops how do we get out of this corner we’ve painted.” but otherwise a good film.

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)- The child of the two talking apes returns to see what is happening to the other apes that are trained by the humans to do subservient tasks. How far can they be pushed? An interesting uprising film. The ending was a little weird, but I understand that they changed it at the last minute.

Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)- Set a few years after the events of Conquest, Caesar is trying to create a community with apes and humans living side by side. But what happens when old grudges arise from both inside and outside of Ape City? This was an interesting ending to the series. I thought I had recognized singer Paul Williams as one of the orangutans.

Behind the Planet of the Apes (1998)- A very good behind the scenes documentary hosted by Roddy McDowall showing the legacy of the five classic films and the impact that they have had on society. It also talks about the animated series, the TV series and the merchandising.

This DVD set is an excellent resource if anyone wants to role-play in this universe. I only wish that it also contained the TV series and animated series. There are also a series of comics from Malibu Comics and Boom Studios that would also be invaluable for Ape Masters (Game Masters). Proof that there are more stories to tell in the Planet of the Apes universe.

Posted in: Cosplay, Star Trek

Latest cosplay project: Admiral Picard uniform variant

Written by TardisCaptain
Cosplay Project step 1
Cosplay Project step 1

It’s been a while since I’ve put together any type of new cosplay. There hasn’t been any events where I could cosplay at (with the pandemic and everything). I’m also a little self conscious about trying to cosplay with my glasses and gut. I know that my friends and other cosplay enthusiasts would try to tell me that those two items don’t really matter in cosplay. But I’m my own worse critic when I look in the mirror. So I’m using this project as a motivator to get a new cosplay finished and to lose some weight in the process. In the past I have cosplayed Star Trek (several Starfleet uniforms, Angosian soldier), Star Wars (Imperial Officer, Rebel Commando) and my favorite, Arthur Dent from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (a robe, pajamas, copy of the guide and (of course) a towel). I may have to do that one again for a convention.

I started with the decision to put together an Admiral’s uniform from one of the new Star Trek series on Paramount+, Star Trek: Picard. This is the uniform used by Starfleet in the mid 2380’s. I thought that the red with the gold stripes looked really sharp. The sleeves were also quite interesting as well. As we see different admirals wearing different styles of uniforms, I’m taking the opportunity to make my uniform a little more unique. That will be revealed later.

Step one has been completed. Some friends had purchased their mid-2380’s uniforms from a site called FanRek and they really liked them. I saw the shirt portion of the admiral’s uniform there (and at the time they were having a 20% off sale for Mother’s Day) so I pulled the trigger and made the purchase. The shirt arrived in ten days which shocked me. I thought it would have taken a few weeks more. This made for a very pleasant surprise when the packaged arrived. I’m modeling the shirt in the above photo. It appears to be made out of a nylon type fabric (I don’t know my fabrics by heart) so I will be wearing an undershirt with it. But for the test photo it felt fairly comfortable. In the past, most of my uniform tops had been hand made by friends. However schedules had been very hectic so I decided to try this company.

For step two, I’m going to get a new set of rank pips and combadge. I have a set already on my 2370’s uniform (grey top with division colored undershirt). However I didn’t want to add to the wear and tear of the two shirts by swapping the pins as needed. I didn’t see anything special on the episodes for pants or boots. So I am going to continue to use the black pants and black boots that I have used in previous cosplay.

Step three is going to be the additions to the cosplay that I want to make. I’m not ready to talk about it now because it may change as I try to put it together. But it would logically fit in with the theme of the uniform style. Yes photos will be posted as things come about.

For future cosplays I have a few ideas. I’d like to do a hybrid of a TOS/TNG style Klingon uniform. We’ve seen a few Klingons with bellies and I’ve got a good cloak that would work this with cosplay. From Babylon 5 I’d like to assemble an Centarui Ambassador (like Londo Mollari). Besides being able to have a belly, I could have some creativity with the flamboyant jacket. As I’ve always been fascinated by pirates, that is also on the list as well.

I’m actually looking forward to this.

Posted in: Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: May 17-23

Written by TardisCaptain
When you find out your favorite NBA team has the best record in the league.

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes twitter account for the week of May 17th through the 23rd.

May 17
“Good tea… nice house.” Worf- The Survivors, Stardate: 43152.4 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet

May 18
“Going out with phasers firing may seem heroic, but in the long run, it is merely foolish.” Tuvok- Learning Curve, Stardate: 48846.5 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #WeAreStarfleet

May 19
“Labels do not make arguments.” Spock- I Mudd, Stardate: 4513.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet

May 20
Happy Birthday to John Billingsley. @JBillingsley60 https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/John_Billingsley #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #WeAreStarfleet

“Once again, I’m struck by your species’ desire to help others.” Dr. Phlox- Dear Doctor, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #WeAreStarfleet

May 21
“James T Kirk.” Lucsly “The one and only.” Sisko “Seventeen separate temporal violations. The biggest file on record.” Lucsly “The man was a menace.” Dulmur- Trials and Tribble-ations, Stardate: 4523.7 #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #WeAreStarfleet

May 22
“A library serves no purpose unless someone is using it.” Mr. Atoz- All Our Yesterdays, Stardate: 5943.7 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet

May 23
“Know your enemy and know yourself and you will always be victorious.” Portal (quoting Sun Tzu)- The Last Outpost, Stardate: 41386.4 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet

Posted in: Music

Thank you 103.1 The Wave

Written by TardisCaptain
103.1 The Wave
At the 103.1 The Wave KLO-FM offices.

One of the standard marketing techniques that radio stations use to attract listeners is to run promotional give-a-ways. Last week I was lucky to win one of these promotions. KLO-FM, aka 103.1 The Wave, was running a contest for listeners who heard an audible clue to call in an be lucky caller number seven.

The week before the prize was a $100 gift card and the chance to win a Las Vegas trip (that would have been nice). On the Thursday before the contest ended, I was caller number six in one of the entries. At first I was excited because usually when you try to call in on one of these promotions, so many people are calling in that all you get is a busy signal. So when it started ringing I got excited. The person answering the phone (it wasn’t Andrea even though the audio clip happened during her show) said “I’m sorry you are caller number six.” Dang it.

The next week 103.1 The Wave was running a contest for Mother’s Day at Lagoon, an amusement park in Utah that first opened in 1886. If you heard the audio clue of every mom ever (she was threatening to turn the car around if the kids didn’t settle down) and was caller number seven, you could win a family pack of four tickets. This prize had a higher value than $100 by far plus taking my family to an amusement park was something we badly needed. So I listened for the annoyed mother. Surprisingly enough, on the second day of the contest the I was actually able to make it through. The phone rang and Chet Tap (the morning DJ) asked me who I was. After responding (and we follow each other on Facebook so he knows about my attempt to win the week prior) he told me that I was once again caller number six. Gah!!! At least he played the recording on the radio before talking to the lucky winner.

Wednesday work duties prevented me from calling in. But Thursday I waited for the audio clues again and made my attempt. Busy signal, busy signal, busy signal. What the heck, let’s give it one more try. Ring. What? Ringing? Chet Tap comes on the phone again and I’m expecting to hear, “caller number six”, but instead he said “Finally. You made it as caller number seven.” Woot!!!!! After taking my information I dragged my wife downstairs so she could hear me win on the air. She’s excited because we haven’t been to Lagoon in a few years so this was a great Mother’s Day gift for her. The photo above is when I went down to the offices to pick up the passes. Yes I asked for permission to remove my mask and no one was near me while I was taking the photo.

I listen to the radio for a good chunk of the day, about 8-10 hours. In the car while driving or when working. In fact I’m listening to 103.1 The Wave while I’m writing this blog post. The music can play in the background without dragging my attention from what I’m working on. I also like the randomness of the music plus the structure of the regular shows (80’s at 8, Sets with Andrea, Mister’s Theme Park and especially the punk/industrial/goth themed Unrest on the Seventh Day). I found 103.1 The Wave just after it launched in 2016 and loved that they focused on just playing the music. I had felt abandoned by the local alternative radio stations. Either the format was dropped by their management or the DJs became so annoying that I had to stop listening. Sure, there were the local rock stations that were good, but they just didn’t scratch the itch of the alternative music from the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s. I’ve estimated that about 98% of the songs played on The Wave don’t give me the urge to reach over and change the radio station. If they could drop “The Reason” by Hoobastank that number would probably rise to 99.9%. That song is like nails on the chalkboard. The rest of the time I’m listening to an old favorite, a song I hadn’t heard in a long time, or music that I just won’t hear on the other stations.

So thank you 103.1 The Wave, not only for the Lagoon tickets for Mother’s Day, but just being a soundtrack in my life. The music is great and the DJs make the station enjoyable. Keep it going.

Posted in: Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: May 10-16

Written by TardisCaptain
I don’t know if I like this update to Microsoft Word.

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes twitter account for the week of May 10th through the 16th.

May 10
“Perhaps to be a Teer is to see in new ways. I begin to like you, Earthman… and I saw fear in the Klingon’s eye.” Maab- Friday’s Child, Stardate: 3497.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #WeAreStarfleet

May 11
“There are always other solutions. You have said so yourself, many times.” Picard- Sarek, Stardate: 43917.4 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet

May 12
Happy Birthday to Jennifer Hetrick. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Jennifer_Hetrick #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #StarTrekDS9 #WeAreStarfleet

“When it comes to choosing between science and profit I’ll choose profit every time.” Vash- Q-Less, Stardate: 46531.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #WeAreStarfleet

Happy Birthday to Eugene Cordero. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Eugene_Cordero #StarTrek #StarTrekLowerDecks #WeAreStarfleet

“It’s creative estimating. When you get an assignment, you exaggerate how long its gonna take, then you’re a hero when it’s done early.” Rutherford- Temporal Edict, Stardate: 57501.4 #StarTrek #StarTrekLowerDecks #WeAreStarfleet

May 13
“Just beyond the next planet, just beyond the next star…” Archer (hologram)- These Are The Voyages, Stardate: 47457.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #WeAreStarfleet

May 14
“Speak softly, governor. Those who cannot hear an angry shout, may strain to hear a whisper.” Odan- The Host, Stardate: 44821.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #WeAreStarfleet

May 15
(on being in a war) “Maybe this is one experience that can’t be shared. It’s too.. hard to.. describe how I feel to someone who didn’t see what I saw.” Neelix- Jetrel, Stardate: 48832.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #WeAreStarfleet

May 16
Star Trek Into Darkness premiered on this date in 2013. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Trek_Into_Darkness #StarTrek #WeAreStarfleet

“You don’t rob a bank when the getaway car has a flat-tire.” Dr. McCoy- Star Trek: Into Darkness, Stardate: 2259.55 #StarTrek #WeAreStarfleet

Posted in: My Creations, Role Playing Games, Star Trek

Homebrewed stats for Starships Part III

Written by TardisCaptain

Past Entries:

Homebrewed Stats for Starships

Homebrewed Stats for Starships Part II

I received quite a bit of feedback on my last batch of starships that I have converted to FASA’s Star Trek Starship Combat Simulator. So I’ve sat down and scanned a few more into PDF formats. Once again, these are from the original documents that I created back in the early 90’s with a photocopier and cutting and pasting the images into the documents and then photocopying that document.

Most of these entries are destroyers. In my first entry I selected several ships at random. Starting in my second blog post I started going in order of what I had in the book. I tended to follow the organization that was in the three Starship Recognition Manuals. I’ve got a few more destroyers in the next batch then we will be onto some of the dreadnoughts.

Starranger-Class-X-CruiserDownload

In the original source for this starship, it was called the Ranger Class Cruiser. However FASA already had a Ranger Class. So I renamed it to Starranger. Many years later I’ve noticed that there have been several published designs (both licensed and fan-made) that use the “Ranger Class” name.

Behemoth-Class-IX-DestroyerDownload

I’m not certain what source I got this starship from. In 20/20 hindsight I should have referenced them when I created the document. I thought it was an interesting concept on the Saladin/Hermes family design.

Saladin-Class-VII-DestroyerDownload

And speaking of the Saladin Class, here it is directly from the Starfleet Technical Manual. When I created this document, I had no idea that Saladin was a real historical figure. I created a backstory for the name and entered it into this starship description. If I was creating this document now, I would update it to properly represent it’s namesake.

Shenandoah-Class-V-DestroyerDownload

This was definitely from a fan-made technical manual. It was probably one that I had borrowed from my fellow Treknologist, Dennis Hollinger. I’ll have to ask him if he remembers which book this was from and post it in a future blog entry.

Siva-Class-VII-DestroyerDownload

Another member of the Saladin/Hermes family. I believe this was from one of the Starfleet Academy tech books. I’m still unpacking things so I’ll see if I can track this one down. I know I’ve seen other (better) drawings of the Siva class.

That’s it for this round. I’m also planning to set up a page where all of these can be found in one location. More on that soon.

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