The Borg and The Q

First of all, I want to start out by saying that I totally meant to post this last week, but my brain got distracted by something, I don’t really know what… Yeah, that’s kind of how my brain works, focusing, focusing, Ooo shiny! Distraction, wait what moment, refocus, what the heck just happened moment. Anyway, this post is about the two races (civilizations, societies, whatever you want to classify them as) I mentioned in my last post, Civilizations of Star Trek. So forget your apathy towards the universe because resistance is futile. This post is about the Q and the Borg.

The Borg

Lower your shields and surrender your ships indeed. The Borg are a technologically advanced race. Essentially cyborgs, the Borg are a collection of species that have been turned into cybernetic organisms. Their minds are linked together in a hive mind and each Borg member is a drone to serve the Collective. The Borg use a process called assimilation to force other species into the Collective through injection of microscopic nanoprobes. The Borg Collective’s ultimate goal is the attainment of “perfection” through the forcible assimilation of diverse sentient species, technologies, and knowledge. Because of this the Borg are among the most powerful and feared entities in the galaxy. Borg drones don’t engage in any activities except their duties and regeneration (their way of recharging themselves). Drones are identified by designations instead of names and their designation generally described their position within a group. The Borg believe themselves to be superior in their way of life and don’t understand why other species would resist assimilation. The Borg ignores other alien species until they begin to pose a potential threat or become a suitable candidate for assimilation. Drones would begin to assimilate small groups of individuals without warning, while larger populations, like starships or an entire culture, would receive an announcement of their purpose.

"We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."

The Borg generally didn’t open communications with others, but if they did they chose a single drone to speak for the Collective (hive mind and all so it worked for them). The Borg have a queen, the Borg Queen, but the nature of her role is a bit murky. As far as religion, the closet thing they have to one is a near-reverence for particle 010 (Omega molecule that is highly unstable and is believed to be the most powerful substance known to exist; the explosion of one molecule could destroy all of subspace within several light years). The Borg consider the particle to be an expression of perfection (even though one molecule destroyed 29 Borg vessels and 600,000 drones).

What makes the Borg so strong and near impossible to defeat, is their technology. The Borg’s technology is a combination of technologies assimilated from other cultures and technology developed within the Collective in order to overcome obstacles to its goals. If there is a problem it couldn’t solve, the entire Collective would work in concert to consider all possible solutions and use the one determined to be most efficient. By using the unique skills of each drone for a task, the Collective could engineer new technologies at an astounding pace. Their speed is so quick when adapting that they could modulate their shields and weapons to be effective against most ships and energy weapons in seconds. Borg ships are usually common geometric shapes, the most common being the Borg cube and Borg sphere. The ships were highly decentralized and without a clear bridge, engineering, or living areas. Their ships could analyze opponent’s weapons systems and adapt defenses within seconds. If the ship was hit, the ship would begin repairing itself.

The Q Continuum

The Q Continuum is an extra-dimensional plane of existence inhabited by the Q, however you could use the Q Continuum as a way to refer to the Q society itself. The Q is an immortal race that isn’t absolutely omniscient or omnipotent. The Q possess the ability of instantaneous matter-energy transformation and teleportation, as well as time travel. They can move entire asteroid belts and stars, creating alternate timelines, and can affect universal states of nature such as the gravitational constant (gravity). The only time a Q is ever seen to be unable to do something was when their powers were reduced or revoked by the Continuum. The Q claim they have always existed and have no explanation as to how they first came into existence. The Q Continuum is a highly ordered society and the result of eons of evolutionary stagnation. In their “new era,” the Q engaged in constant dialogues of discovery and other universal issues. Since that era, the Q never faced the unknown again. To them, everything possible has been done, and their omniscience had become boring. Members of the Q no longer felt the need to even speak to each other because everything has been said. The Q became apathetic towards the universe.

The death of a Q was said to cause chaos in the Continuum. When one of the Q killed himself to end the stagnation in the Continuum, the Continuum entered a massively destructive civil war. The two factions constructed weapons that could compromise the immortality of a Q. When the weapons were fired in the Continuum, massive damage to subspace occurred and some stars in normal space went supernova. Subspace eventually became so damaged that the Q outside of the Continuum lost their powers and immortality. Eventually a new Q was born and a cease fire was called. The damage was restored and the Q went back to being near omnipotent and invincible.

Q

Q is a member of the Q (confusing I know). He is considered to be obnoxious, interfering, and a pest. While he demonstrates superior capabilities, his mindset is unlike what Federation scientists expected for a powerful being. But under all his irritating personality, Q seems to have a hidden agenda that generally have the best interests of humanity at their core. The Federation first encountered Q when he appeared on the USS Enterprise-D. He warned the crew that Humanity should return to their home star system or be destroyed. When the crew resisted, he put Humanity on trial with Captain Picard and his command crew as representatives. Q accused Humanity of being a “dangerous, savage child-race.” Eventually, Picard was able to convince Q that Humanity had evolved beyond its old savagery. Q continued to appear to the crew of the Enterprise-D, usually with some new adventure that the crew would rather find themselves and not brought to them, or thrust upon them. Q is an interesting reoccurring character and I can always count on something interesting to happen when he’s around. Q is one of only four characters to appear in all three Star Trek series based in the 24th century; Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager.

The Borg and Q are two of my favorite adversaries in the Star Trek universe. The Borg because they are near impossible to beat. Q because shenanigans and I can usually count on a few one liners when he is around. What's next for me in regards to Star Trek? I don't know. At some point I'll give my opinion on Deep Space Nine and Voyager, and eventually the films. I have a whole year to recognize the 50th anniversary of Star Trek. So for now, Sanders out.

Civilizations of Star Trek

In my first post of the week, I started out by listing a few different species that are found in Star Trek. There are many species in the Star Trek universe, some humanoid, some not so humanoid. While I’m not about to go through all of them, I am going to touch on a few key races that are often seen and referenced throughout the various shows and movies. Most (okay pretty much all) of this information is pulled from the Star Trek wiki, Memory Alpha.

Vulcans

Ok, first of all, I love the Vulcans, even though their constant logic gets old and annoying after a while. The Vulcans are known for their logic and stoic nature. The Vulcans were once an extremely violent and emotional people (even by Earth standards) who waged almost constant warfare on one another. Paranoia and homicidal rage were common. They believed in a variety of gods, such as war, peace and death. As their level of technology improved, the Vulcans eventually reached a point where their violent nature threatened species extinction. In an effort to avoid this fate, a Vulcan named Surak developed a new philosophy. Surak maintained that the root cause of all the problems on Vulcan lay in the uncontrolled outpouring of the people's emotions. His followers swore to live their lives by an ethical system devised by Surak and based purely on logical principles. Emotions were to be controlled and repressed. Although this new philosophy spread rapidly across Vulcan, a minority, many of whom were known as "those who march beneath the Raptor's wings", rejected Surak's ideals. A destructive war began including the use of atomic bombs and among the victims was Surak himself. . Eventually, however, those who opposed logic left Vulcan and founded colonies elsewhere – most notably on the planet Romulus, where they founded what eventually became the Romulan Star Empire.

While the Vulcans do come across as cold and unfeeling. They do have emotions, very strong intense emotions. Unchecked Vulcan emotions are far more intense, violent, and passionate than the emotions of many other species, including humans. The Vulcans blamed their explosive emotions for the cycle of wars that nearly destroyed them. Instead, they focused their mental energy on mastering their emotions. Vulcans are honest, they are known for their high degree of honesty, and don’t like to lie, but if they have a logical enough reason, they will lie but don’t actually consider it to be “lying.” The essence of their logical society is in arriving at the truth through logical process.

Klingons

The Klingons are a humanoid warrior species that originated from the planet Qo’noS (Kronos). The Klinongs are one of the major powers of the galaxy and are a proud, tradition-bound society that values honor and combat. Their aggressive culture makes them an interstellar military power to be both respected and feared. The Klingon Empire was founded some time in the 9th century by Kahless the Unforgettable, who performed many heroic feats including the unification of the Klingon people when he killed the tyrant Molor. Kahless came to be revered in Klingon society to the point of near-deification, and many aspects of Klingon culture came to revolve around an emulation of Kahless' life. The warrior ethos had been an important aspect of Klingon society since the time of Kahless, but the warrior aspects became much more dominant beginning in the early 22nd century. Previously, Klingon society was regarded as socially balanced, but over time, the warrior caste gained greater prominence, to the point where the Klingons widely came to be regarded as a "warrior race." Because of their aggressive outlook, the Klingons generally had poor relations with other races after they began to move out into space. Because the worlds of the Klingon Empire were resource-poor, the Klingons developed an intense belief in the need for expansion and conquest in order to survive. The Klingons' relationship with Humans and the Federation was rocky at best.

Klingon society was extremely complex. Before its decline in the mid 22nd century and again in the late 23rd century, Klingon society was based on a feudal system organized around traditional Great Houses of noble lineage, to which various parts of the population owed fealty. The Great Houses are traditionally represented in the Klingon High Council, which is led by a Chancellor. Ritual was a very important element in Klingon society. While the Klingons were not a religious people as such, they did believe that deities existed at one time. However, Klingon warriors supposedly slew their gods, as they were considered to be more trouble than they were worth. Klingons did not believe in fate; however, they did appear to believe in some form of luck. Once a Klingon died, the spirit was considered to have exited the body, leaving behind a worthless shell to be disposed of. In the Klingon death ritual, it was traditional for those on hand to howl into the sky, as a warning to the afterlife that a Klingon warrior was about to arrive.

Ferengi

The Ferengi are a warp-capable humanoid species from the planet Ferenginar. Ferengi civilization was built on a caricature of free enterprise, where earning profit was the sole meaningful goal in life, superseding all other endeavors. The Ferengi governing body, known as the Ferengi Alliance, was formed over a period of ten thousand years, beginning with the establishment of a system of currency, to their purchase of warp technology, and finally to its state in the 24th century. The Ferengi culture was centralized around the concept of greed and profit earning. As Quark once put it, "There is nothing beyond greed. Greed is the purest, most noble of emotions." Finally, the 10th Rule of Acquisition states that "greed is eternal." However, the Ferengi managed to avoid many of the worst aspects of an evolving culture and their social history was notable for the absence of atrocities such as slavery or genocide, a distinction the Ferengi felt made them morally superior (though their definition of "slavery" clearly did not extend to their treatment of women). Ferengi culture slowly grew out of its early stages by introducing a remarkable economic system that developed from early bartering systems to become one of the leading cultures in interstellar commerce. Unlike most other cultures who frequently idolize warriors or politicians, businessmen were the pillars of Ferengi society for millennia. This tendency led to the slow merging of business and political fields in Ferengi culture and that influence was evident in the near-universal application of the Rules of Acquisition, as both a personal and financial code of ethics. The Rules of Acquisition provided advice that all good Ferengi followed, in order to lead a profitable life. For example, the first Rule of Acquisition was "Once you have their money, you never give it back." In addition to the Rules, the Ferengi also recognized the Five Stages of Acquisition: infatuation, justification, appropriation, obsession, and resale. They also recognized these traits in other species; Earth's Wall Street was regarded with near-religious reverence by Ferengi. Despite their profit-based culture, the Ferengi were also known to love and care for their family to the extent that these sentiments could even take precedence over pursuit of profit.

Ferengi society and culture was highly misogynistic and patriarchal. As such, laws and cultural norms reflected and deeply institutionalized such misogyny and discrimination. Ferengi women were referred to as "females." They were barred from most aspects of society, such as not being allowed to earn profit or to travel. They were not even allowed to wear clothes and were expected to be undressed at all times. "Thinking about things", as Quark once put it, was not something neither expected nor desired by females. Neither was having opinions or political views. They further were not allowed to have any claim to the estate of a husband should the marriage end, as all females were generally required to sign a waiver of property and profit, giving up any such claim. Marriage, like everything else in Ferengi culture, was a business contract, signed between the prospective groom and the bride's father, in which the father leased his daughter to the groom for a set period (usually five years) for an agreed fee, paid on the birth of a son. Pregnancies were considered rentals under Ferengi law. Ferengi females were not allowed to wear clothes, leave their homes without male escort, or speak to males they were not related to. Their role as caregiver to the male children of a family was strictly defined. Mothers were expected to teach their children the Rules of Acquisition, and to soften their male children's food by chewing it for them. Because of this, Ferengi males were often very protective and loving of their mothers, and this was even reflected in the Rules of Acquisition; Rule 31 was "Never make fun of a Ferengi's Mother." By the late 24th century, females made up 53.5% of the Ferengi population and some Ferengi began to realize that exclusion of females from business represented a significant loss of profit opportunities. In the latter half of the century, Ishka – Quark's mother – and Grand Nagus Zek led a movement aimed at reforming cultural traditions that had excluded women, starting by giving females the right to wear clothing. The idea was that giving females that right allowed them to have pockets. Once they had pockets, they would likely want to fill them with latinum, so they were going to need jobs. After they started earning latinum, they were going to want to spend it, which meant Ferenginar would expand its workforce and consumer base at the same time. Initial progress toward this goal seemed less than promising, but by 2375, with the ascension of the progressive Rom to the position of Grand Nagus, the likelihood of further reforms seemed inevitable.

There are many other aspects to these three cultures as well as many other species that have cultures just as intricate as the ones I chose for this post. I am planning to do a post on Q and the Q Continuum (mostly about Q) and I might through the Borg in there as well. Live long and prosper. Sanders out.

Starfleet General Order 1: The Prime Directive

To continue with the Star Trek theme, today is about one of my favorite concepts in the Star Trek universe, the Prime Directive.

The Prime Directive upholds one of Starfleet's most important principles: noninterfernce with other cultures and civilizations. The Directive is so important to Starfleet that officers swear to uphold the directive, even at the cost of their own lives or the lives of their entire crew.

The Prime Directive states: "No starship may interfere with the normal development of any alien life or society."

Interference with a society could be: 

• Providing knowledge of other inhabited worlds (even if individuals or governments in the society were already aware of such)
• Providing knowledge of technologies or science
• Taking actions to generally affect a society's overall development
• Taking actions which support one faction within a society over another
• Helping a society escape the negative consequences of its own actions
• Helping a society escape a natural disaster known to the society, even if inaction would result in a society's extinction
• Helping a society escape a natural disaster known to the society, even if inaction would result in a society's extinction
• Interfering in the internal affairs of a society

However, there is a bit of a double standard to the Prime Directive. Prime Directive primarily applied to societies that had little to no actual knowledge of other worlds and space-faring civilizations. But it also applied to the internal affairs of societies which knew extensively of other worlds (for example, interference in purely internal affairs by Starfleet was not permitted in the Klingon Civil War). Human colonies were excluded from its coverage all together, and by virtue of joining the United Federation of Planets member planets were subject to its laws, regulations, and authority. Basically, the closer ties a civilization had to the Federation or Earth the greater amount of interference in that civilization that was tolerated by the Prime Directive.

Some actions are clearly forbidden by the Prime Directive when it did apply to a society. Others are subject to interpretation. Commanding officers in Starfleet are given great discretionary powers regarding how and whether the Prime Directive would apply to specific situations. This promoted debate among command crews about whether the Prime Directive would (or should) apply, and how best to balance competing ethical priorities. If a decision was made by the commanding officer that could potentially be a violation of the Prime Directive, the conclusions and rationale would need to be recorded and justified to Starfleet through the ship's or station's logs. Anyone found to have violated the Prime Directive (including through claiming an unjustified exception or having a weak rationale regarding actions otherwise constituting a violation) could result in punishment ranging from a formal reprimand all the way to arrest and court martial.

There are a few exceptions, but these exceptions don't completely void the Prime Directive. It [the Prime Directive] was only suspended to the extent minimally necessary to address the matter at hand (e.g., answer a hail, provide rescue assistance). Also, actions were to be handled in a way that attempted to minimize the interference resulting from the limited suspension. For example, the attempted "repair" of prior cultural interference was not, itself, to be done in a way that would lead to even greater interference.

• The society already knew of and contacted the Federation (e.g., seeking assistance; treaty matters)
• The society sent a general distress call to any space-faring cultures who might pick it up
• A material injustice involving a Federation citizen would occur absent the interference
• Compliance with specific (and valid) orders that could not be followed if the Prime Directive fully applied (e.g., ancillary to a war with the Federation; first contact missions; diplomatic missions; trade negotiations)
• The society hails or attacks a Federation vessel
• Rescue missions
• The society is in diplomatic discussions with the Federation
• The society was previously interfered with by Federation citizens, whether or not in violation of the Prime Directive (e.g., prior to the Prime Directive being in force; accidental interference)
• The society was previously interfered with by non-Federation citizens (e.g., Klingons) in a manner that would have violated the Prime Directive had it been done by Starfleet personnel
• The society had been contacted by Starfleet but, upon recommendation by the contact/survey team, the planet was nonetheless subject to the Prime Directive as though such contact had not occurred

While it does seem like it would be very easy to justify breaking the Prime Directive, you have to keep in mind that Star Trek takes place well into the future. Ideas and concepts are different and humanity itself has evolved in a way that makes the Prime Directive work to its full potential and purpose. Yes, there are some flaws and beliefs regarding the degree of flexibility that applies to the Prime Directive varies from captain to captain. Captain Kirk, noted that the Prime Directive was intended to apply only to living, growing civilizations and felt it was appropriate to interfere where societies had been enslaved or were in a state of total stagnation. He also attempted at least once to interfere in the internal affairs of a civilization when he believed that higher ethics compelled or justified such actions. Meanwhile, both Captains Picard and Janeway were prepared to watch whole societies perish from natural causes rather than interfere – even when others were seeking to prevail upon them that Starfleet's role should permit actively saving societies rather than passively watching them die. 

The Prime Directive plays its role well in Star Trek. I always find it interesting and enlightening to watch a captain and their commanding officers debate about whether their actions would violate the Prime Directive or not. There are moments when I do in fact wish they said, "Screw the Prime Directive, I'm going to do this anyway." But there are also moments when I see what they see and can see the possible consequences to their actions. The Prime Directive is a beautiful thing and something I wish our society had the capacity to process and uphold. Sanders out.

"The Prime Directive is not just a set of rules; it is a philosophy... and a very correct one. History has proven again and again that whenever mankind interferes with a less developed civilization, no matter how well intentioned that interference may be, the results are invariably disastrous."

– Captain Jean-Luc Picard 

To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before

Klingons. Vulcans. Ferengi. Betazoids. Androids. Romulans. And of course humans. These are some of the species found in the Star Trek universe. On September 8, 1966, the ship and her crew that are now considered iconic, graced the channel that is NBC for the first time. Star Trek is now one of the largest media franchises. The franchise has come a long way since that first episode. 50 years,12 movies (a 13th on the way) and 5 (soon to be 6) spin-offs later, not to mention the various books, comics, action figures, and video games, Star Trek is alive and thriving. The original series was one of television's first multicultural casts and the show itself has influenced the science world outside of the show. But what is Star Trek really? To me it's not just a show that geeks and nerds watch and geek or nerd out on the science and technology. It's not just a show that has various creatures and various ships. To me it is about the journey that the crew takes through space and how they handle themselves when faced with something that is attacking them or that they just don't understand. While I'm still making my own rounds through the various spin off shows, for now, these are my thoughts on what I have seen so far in no real particular order.

All the Captains: I feel like I should mention that the Kirk shown is a much older Kirk, which is the one thing about this picture I don't like, but I wanted to show the captains with their respective ships, and in Sisko's case, station.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Captain: Jean-Luc Picard

Star Ship: USS Enterprise-D (my favorite version of the Enterprise)

In Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) I am constantly floored by the amount of diplomacy that the Enterprise-D crew shows. Their crew is made up of various types of people and creatures. Their Chief Operations Officer, Lt. Commander Data, is an android. Their Chief Engineer, Lt. Commander Georgi La Forge, is blind and uses a visor to see in his own way. Their Chief Security Officer, Lieutenant Worf, is a klingon. To round everything out, their counselor, Deanna Troi, is a betazoid/human. TNG's crew is diverse and each member brings something different to the table. Whether Data is trying to understand and mimic human behavior and actions, or Worf making sure that his son is reminded of thier Klingon heritage, TNG has an orderly yet easy going feel to it... Until Picard puts the ship on red alert or Q makes himself known or well anything that isn't normal or harmless happens. TNG is set further into the future than the Original Series or Enterprise, so the Federation and Star Fleet have everything figured out and regulated, which in turn gives TNG a more orderly feel and more protocol stuff when dealing with other civilizations.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Captain: James T. Kirk

Star Ship: USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) [yes, I do need to put that number]

Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS), the one that started it all. The show takes place when humans have been cruising the galaxy for a while now but still like a small child trying to learn everything they can. The Prime Directive has been created by now and is in place, as well as the United Federation of Planets. It has a "we're sorta making this up as we go along" feel to it, but still orderly as far as how Kirk runs his ship. While it took me a while to warm up to Kirk (I had been used to Picard for a long time), I enjoy watching the TOS crew and seeing the adventures they have and of course, Bones going "Damn it Jim, I'm a doctor not a [insert whatever here]." While the special effects are cheesy (hey, 1966), the story lines are great and Gene Rodenberry created a universe that is amazing and more than I could ever come up with from scratch.

Star Trek: Enterprise

Captain: Jonathan Archer

Star Ship: Enterprise (NX-01) [See why I put the number now]

Set 150 years BEFORE Kirk's voyage, Star Trek: Enterprise (ENT) shows the first vessel capable of long-range exploration of the galaxy. The Enterprise doesn't have deflector shields or phasers, but it does have a phase cannon and a somewhat working transporter. Since this is the first time humans have actually left Earth to explore the galaxy, everything that was known in past spinoffs doesn't exist in this one. There isn't any United Federation of Planets. There isn't a prime directive. In the first episode, humans have only had contact with the Vulcans and don't know what a Klingon is. While I do catch myself groaning, "Ugh, humans." a lot of the time. I find it very interesting to see the reactions of the ENT crew whenever they come across a new species or a concept that is so very foreign to them. In the other shows, humans know more or less what's out there and, in some cases, know how to handle themselves, while in ENT, humans are adapting on the fly. Archer's crew are the only humans that can go where they go at the moment, so by extension, Archer and his crew are the first humans that these species, and cultures, and societies come in contact with. The overall meaning of each episode is so deep that there are moments when I can barely wrap my head around it. It's not some deep philosophical meaning that I try to understand it's that they, Archer and his crew, are the first. They are the very first to do everything that they do, to experience everything they experience, to see everything that they see. Sure they trained for years at Starfleet, but in the far depths of space, there aren't any human space stations or places to just fill up to refuel. There aren't vast files of translation software to easily translate new languages; they have a linguist and advanced (but still basic) translation program to help them decipher languages. They don't have a book that says, "What do if you encounter THIS in space." They don't have the visitor's guide to the galaxy. All they have are themselves, their ship, the Vulcan star charts that while helpful, are really not that helpful, and their instinct. They wake up everyday and have to think, 'I wonder what I'll encounter today and how I'll deal with it.' Ok, maybe they don't think that, but they are making everything up as they go along, while flying blind and hoping they don't blow up (both metaphorically and literally) or completely break down. They are the first, and while I really wish they would figure out the Prime Directive thing already, the fact that they haven't got everything figured out and written down for them is what makes it great. TNG used to be my favorite, now I'm thinking ENT is.

While I've only seen a little bit of TOS and ENT, I have seen a lot (but not a large chunk) of TNG. I'm planning on watching the first few episodes of Voyager and Deep Space Nine at some point as well as tackling the movies one day. So for now, Live Long and Prosper, Sanders Out.

Nothing Good Happens After 2 AM

Or so they say... It's not 2 AM now though. It's Monday. I'm still working on this essay for lit. I have the required 500 words but I'm still working on it to round it out. I have a few more points to make that my argument is sold. Anyway, I have some random song from Love Never Dies stuck in my head. Gustave singing, "Mother please I'm scared/ Something something something something/ Someone strange and mad, taking me and something me." Yeah I can't remember all the lyrics but that's what I've got in my head (Is there music in you head/ Have you followed where it lead/ And been graced with a taste of the beauty underneath). Still, this wasn't going to be post filled with Love Never Dies references. Strange really, I've been making Star Trek references all weekend. In fact, I've been sounding like a Star Fleet officer in my head lately. I'm not sure if I sound like one now, but if I do I find that unsurprising. If anything, I tend to hear Data in my head as I think my thoughts, if that makes any sense. Sometimes it's Picard, sometimes it's Kirk or Riker. But it's usually Data, maybe even LaForge at some moments... Anywho, I've developed a deep fascination with the USS Enterprise's... string for lack of a better term. I love the USS Enterprise-D in ST: TNG. But I also like the USS Enterprise that Kirk captained in ST: TOS. I've been watching The Original Series lately. I've retracted my earlier judgment on Captain James T. Kirk and I can now say that I like him. I "grew up" watching ST: TNG and I'm used to Picard's way of doing things but Kirk has a different quality to him. However, to compare the two would be like comparing a Philly to a Hoagie, both sandwiches yet very different. Anyway... It's now almost 1 AM and I still have to finish this paper. My hair is out of my way and I'm getting back to work. Sanders out.