| CONTENTS |
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UPCOMING
EVENTS
•
Saturday, April 9: Spring Sci-Fi
Charity Putt-Putt Challenge
• Saturday, April 16: Away
Mission to Super
• Saturday, April 23: Spring
Dinner & Business Meeting
• Saturday, May 7: Away
Mission to Thor
• Friday-Sunday, May 13-15:
Outlantacon/Gaylaxicon
• Friday-Sunday, May 27-29:
TimeGate
• Saturday, June 4: Away
Mission to X-Men: First Class
• Friday-Sunday, June 10-12:
Sci-Fi Summer Con
• Saturday, June 18:
Away Mission to Green Lantern
• Saturday, July 23: Away
Mission to Captain America
NEWS
& ANNOUNCEMENTS
• ENS1 Sue Lin Lange Named
2010 Member of the Year
• Captain Eric L. Watts
Reelected Commanding Officer
• Lt. JG Dave Churvis Appointed
Executive Officer
•
Personnel Records
• Recent Chapter Event
Photos
SIDEBAR
• January Birthdays
• Member Reenlistments
• January Membership Renewals
• About the Republic
• For More Information
• USS Republic Online
• Related Sites
• Our Member Benefits Program
Partners
• Crew Roster
•
News from StarTrek.com
—
Orbiting 80, Nimoy Looks
Back... and Ahead (Parts I and II)
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UPCOMING
EVENTS
Spring
Sci-Fi Charity Putt-Putt Challenge
Sponsored by KAG Atlanta and Sci-Fi Summer
Con
A charity event benefitting Bread of Life Food Ministry
12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday, April 9,
2011
Malibu Grand Prix Theme Park
5400 Brook Hollow Parkway, Norcross GA 30071
(770) 416-7630 |
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Members
and friends of the USS Republic, KAG Atlanta,
Stargate Atlanta and the IKAV Nemesis at
the 2008 Fall Sci-Fi Charity Putt-Putt Challenge
in Norcross.
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Let's
join our Klingon friends from KAG
Atlanta at the Malibu
Grand Prix Theme Park in Norcross for this fun-filled
fundraiser benefitting Bread
of Life Food Ministry,
a community food bank in Lawrenceville.
We had a lot of fun at this event the last four years and
have been challenged by KAG Atlanta to do it again!
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Malibu
Grand Prix is on Brook Hollow Parkway in Norcross,
just west of I-85 at Indian Trail-Lilburn Road |
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Bring
at least two canned food donations per person
for a free 18-hole round of putt-putt per person (a
$6.99 value)! |
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All
other attractions at group rate prices! |
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Prizes
to the winner and person donating the most canned
goods! |
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Republic
shirts or Star Trek costumes encouraged but
not required! |
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All
local fan clubs and fan groups are challenged and
welcomed to attend and participate! |
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This
is a "family-friendly" event! |
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There
may be some fun semi-fabulous prizes for the winner! |
For more information about the Putt-Putt challenge, please
contact Sci-Fi
Summer Con
chairman and KAG Atlanta Quadrant Commander Chris
Jones. On behalf of the command and crew of
the USS Republic NCC-1371, we hope to see you there!
Q'pla!
MAP AND DIRECTIONS
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Away
Mission to Super
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Time and Location To Be Announced |
 When
sad-sack loser Frank (Rainn Wilson) sees his ex-addict wife
(Liv Tyler) willingly snatched by a seductive drug dealer
(Kevin Bacon), he finds himself bereft and wholly unable to
cope. But soon he decides to fight back under the guise
of a DIY superhero called Crimson Bolt. With a
hand-made suit, a wrench and a crazed sidekick named Boltie
(Ellen Page), the Crimson Bolt beats his way through the mean
streets of crime in hopes of saving his wife. The rules
were written a long time ago: You are not supposed to molest
children, cut lines or key cars; if you do, prepare to face
the wrath of the Crimson Bolt!
Make plans now to join the USS Republic on its "away
mission" to see this action/adventure comedy. Theaters
and showtimes have not yet been announced, but save the date
and plan on an early evening showing.
WATCH
THE SUPER MOVIE TRAILER HERE |
Spring
Dinner & Business Meeting
7:00
p.m. Sunday, April 23, 2011
China
One International Buffet
5975 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs GA 30328
(404) 303-6118 |
All
members and friends of the USS Republic are invited
to join us for our annual Spring Dinner & Business
Meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 23. This
will be an especially important meeting with at least three
important business items on the agenda for discussion:
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The
current and ongoing situation regarding the Republic's
status and relationship with STARFLEET International,
as previously discussed at the Mid-Summer Business
Meeting last August and in CO Capt Eric L. Watts'
"State of the Chapter" address to the
membership at the Christmas Party in December;
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A
report on the Republic's
very first full-scale Star Trek convention,
TrekTrax Atlanta, held in February, as well as plans
for 2012; and |
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Chapter
events and activities being planned for the next three
months and beyond, including fan tables and/or room
parties at Outlantacon, TimeGate and Sci-Fi Summer
Con. |
 This
is an especially important meeting for anyone who is interested
in the future and general welfare of the USS Republic.
Please
join us at the China One International Buffet restaurant
in Sandy Springs, on Roswell Road just a quarter mile north
of I-285, next to Lowe's. Their 100-item buffet,
featuring Chinese, Japanese and American cuisine, includes
seafood, meat, vegetables, dim sum, sushi, hot bar and cold
salad bar, ice cream, cookies, cakes, fresh seasonal fruits
and more for only $9.99 per person. Soft drinks
are free!
Of course, it's not all business... you'll also be able
to enjoy the company of your fellow shipmates and have a
lot of fun as we celebrate our recent successes and chart
our course for the future. Please mark your calendars
now and plan to attend!
RESTAURANT
DETAILS
MAP & DIRECTIONS
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Away
Mission to Thor
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Time and Location To Be Announced |
 This
epic adventure spans the Marvel Universe from present-day
Earth to the mystical realm of Asgard. At the center
of the story is the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a powerful
but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient
war. As a result, Thor is banished to Earth, where he
is forced to live among humans. When the most dangerous
villain of his world sends its darkest forces to invade Earth,
Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero.
Make plans now to join the USS Republic on its "away
mission" to see this highly anticipated movie—the
latest in Marvel Studios' series of films featuring members
of the classic Avengers. Theaters and showtimes
have not yet been announced, but save the date and plan on
an early evening showing.
WATCH THE
THOR MOVIE TRAILER HERE |
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Outlantacon/Gaylaxicon
Friday-Sunday,
May 13-15, 2011
Holiday Inn Atlanta Perimeter
4386 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Atlanta GA 30341
(770) 457-6363
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Outlantacon
is an Atlanta-based event for the "Queer Geek"
audience. In 2011, Outlantacon will be playing
host to Gaylaxicon, the national GLBT convention for the
queer audience.
Gaylaxicon, the annual GLBT convention event, makes its
return to Atlanta in 2011, following a very successful first
visit in 2007. They'll be featuring all the usual
Outlantacon goodies, just on a bigger scale. Look
for their own special versions of Family Feud, Project
Cosplay (a big hit at Outlantacon 2010), live entertainment,
etc; plus all the usual Gaylaxicon events like the Chocolate
Symposium, Gaylactic Jeopardy!, and of course, the
Gaylactic Spectrum Awards.
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Commanding
Officer Capt Eric L. Watts diligently works the
USS Republic's recruitment table at last
year's Outlantacon. This year, he's an
official guest!
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Among
Outlantacon's more than twenty guests are roleplaying and
computer game designer Andrew Greenberg, who worked
on the Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star
Trek: Deep Space Nine RPGs and the Star Trek: Starfleet
Academy computer game; longtime Friend of the Republic
Melissa Carter, a cohost on Q100's morning radio
program The Bert Show and a self-proclaimed "out and
proud" Star Trek fan; and our very own Captain
Eric L. Watts, who will be seated as a panelist on
all of Outlantacon's Star Trek programming events.
The USS Republic will once again have an official
presence at Outlantacon which may include a fan table and/or
a room party. Be sure to attend the Republic's
Spring Dinner & Business
Meeting on April 23 (details above) if you are interested
in helping with either one, or contact
the Captain if you're unable to attend.
Outlantacon memberships are $50 until April 30. Children's
and at-the-door rates are not listed on their web site. For
more information about Outlantacon's guests, programming
events, hotel and memberships, please visit their web
site.
OUTLANTACON
WEB SITE
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TimeGate
Friday-Sunday,
May 27-29, 2011
Holiday Inn Atlanta Perimeter
4386 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Atlanta GA 30341
(770) 457-6363
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TimeGate
is an annual science fiction/fantasy convention that focuses
on Doctor Who and Stargate but also includes
programming on a wide range of other sci-fi/fantasy interests.
So if you're into Stargate SG-1, Doctor
Who, Stargate Atlantis, Torchwood or The
Sarah Jane Adventures—or if you're excited about the
new show Stargate Universe—this is the convention
for you! But if not, we'll also have Star Trek,
Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars, Heroes,
literary, horror and comics programming, too, along with
many other topics.
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Members
of the USS Republic enjoy a group dinner
at last year's TimeGate. Clockwise from
left: ENS2 Julianne Trew, Capt Michael Cowart,
ENS2 Eric Lange, ENS1 Sue Lin Lange, "Wolfy,"
CO Capt Eric L. Watts, ENS2 Joanne Trew.
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TimeGate's
nearly two dozen guests include Melissa Scott, author
of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novel Proud
Helios and the Star Trek: Voyager novel The
Garden, and Heidi Arnold, a sequential artist
and illustrator who drew "Inalienable Rights"
in Uchu, the third volume of Star Trek: The Manga,
published by Tokyopop.
The USS Republic will once again have an official
presence at TimeGate which may include a fan table and/or
a room party. Be sure to attend the Republic's
Spring Dinner & Business
Meeting on April 23 (details above) if you are interested
in helping with either one, or contact
the Captain if you're unable to attend.
TimeGate memberships for persons age 13 and up are $40 until
May 6 and are $50 at the door. For more information
about TimeGate's guests, programming events, hotel and memberships,
please visit their web
site.
TIMEGATE
WEB SITE
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Away
Mission to X-Men: First Class
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Time and Location To Be Announced |
 X-Men:
First Class, following the classic Marvel mythology, charts
the epic beginning of the X-Men saga. Before Charles
Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender)
took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young
men discovering their powers for the first time. Before
they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working
together, with other mutants (some familiar, some new) to
stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In
the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal
war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men.
Make plans now to join the USS Republic on its "away
mission" to see this highly anticipated prequel to the
first three now-class X-Men films. Theaters and
showtimes have not yet been announced, but save the date and
plan on an early evening showing.
WATCH
THE X-MEN: FIRST CLASS MOVIE TRAILER HERE |
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Sci-Fi
Summer Con
Friday-Sunday,
June 10-12, 2011
Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter NW
6345 Powers Ferry Road NW, Atlanta GA 30339
(770) 955-1700
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 Now
in its eleventh year, Sci-Fi Summer Con is for fans, friends
and anyone interested in science fiction, fantasy, horror
and comics. The Republic has had an official
presence at this convention for the last several years,
including our 20th anniversary celebration three years ago
and our very own Captain Eric L. Watts being named
last year's Fan Guest of Honor. Sci-Fi Summer
Con is Atlanta's only annual convention devoted exclusively
to all forms of science fiction and fantasy.
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Crmn
Jessica Curtiss, Cmdr Dave "Grizzly" Slaughter,
CO Capt Eric L. Watts and Ens Eddie Hines at the
Republic's recruitment table at last year's
Sci-Fi Summer Con.
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Sci-Fi
Summer Con has not yet announced any Star Trek-related
guests for this year's convention, but we'll be sure to
announce them in a future issue of
The Republiqué if and when they do.
The USS Republic will once again have an official
presence at Sci-Fi Summer Con which may include a fan table
and/or a room party. Be sure to attend the Republic's
Spring Dinner & Business
Meeting on April 23 (details above) if you are interested
in helping with either one, or contact
the Captain if you're unable to attend.
Sci-Fi Summer Con memberships for persons age 13 and up
are $20 until May 20 and are $35 at the door. For
more information about TimeGate's guests, programming events,
hotel and memberships, please visit their web
site.
SCI-FI
SUMMER CON WEB SITE |
Away
Mission to Green Lantern
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Time and Location To Be Announced |
 In
a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful
force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace
and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A
brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order,
each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers.
But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy
the balance of power in the universe, their fate and the fate
of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first
human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds).
Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns
have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the
infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly
the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination
and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has
ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow
pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively),
if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage
to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key
to defeating Parallax… he will become the greatest Green Lantern
of all.
Make plans now to join the USS Republic on its "away
mission" to see this summer's only movie from DC Comics. Theaters
and showtimes have not yet been announced, but save the date
and plan on an early evening showing.
WATCH
THE GREEN LANTERN MOVIE TRAILER HERE |
Away
Mission to Captain America: The First Avenger
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Time and Location To Be Announced |
 Born
during the Great Depression, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) grew
up a frail youth in a poor family. Horrified by
the newsreel footage of the Nazis in Europe, Rogers was inspired
to enlist in the army. However, because of his frailty
and sickness, he was rejected. Overhearing the boy’s
earnest plea, Col. Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) offered
Rogers the opportunity to take part in a special experiment…
Operation: Rebirth. After weeks of tests, Rogers was
at last administered the "Super-Soldier Serum" and
bombarded by "vita-rays." Steve Rogers emerged
from the treatment with a body as perfect as a body can be
and still be human. Rogers was then put through
an intensive physical and tactical training program. Three
months later, he was given his first assignment as Captain
America. Armed with his indestructible shield and battle
savvy, Captain America has continued his war against evil
both as a sentinel of liberty and leader of the Avengers.
Make plans now to join the USS Republic on its "away
mission" to see this highly anticipated movie—the
fourth and latest in Marvel Studios' series of films featuring
members of the classic Avengers. Theaters and showtimes
have not yet been announced, but save the date and plan on
an early evening showing.
WATCH
THE CAPTAIN AMERICA MOVIE TRAILER HERE |
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NEWS
& ANNOUNCEMENTS
ENS1
Sue Lin Lange Named USS Republic 2010 Member of the
Year
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This
past December, CO Capt Eric L. Watts recognized the
outstanding service and contributions of several loyal and
dedicated members during the USS Republic's Christmas
Party & Awards Ceremony.
Ens Barry Bynum and Ens Ken Cribbs were presented,
in absentia, framed certificates of appreciation for
their service to the Republic as TrekTrax Atlanta's
Director of Convention Operations and Director of Social Media
& Press Relations, respectively. Lt. JG Dave Churvis
was also presented a framed certificate of appreciation for
his service to the Republic as TrekTrax Atlanta's Director
of Registration. In addition to their individual responsibilities,
these gentlemen also (along with Captain Watts) comprise the
TrekTrax Atlanta executive committee. Lt. Churvis was
also recognized for his additional service to the Republic
with regard to the laborious task of compiling and converting
nearly two years' worth of Republiqué newsletters into
text documents that could be submitted to STARFLEET as long-overdue
Monthly Status Reports.
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CO
Capt Eric L. Watts presents ENS1 Sue Lin Lange with
the USS Republic's prestigious Member of the
Year Award for 2010 at TrekTrax Atlanta in February. The
solid wood plaque features the Republic's logo
in full color and Ensign Sue's name engraved on a
satin-finish silver plate.
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The extraordinary
contributions of two Republic members during 2010 very
nearly resulted in a tie for this year's prestigious Member
of the Year Award. Captain Watts informed the membership
in attendance that two members had attended most of the Republic's
events and activities during the year, that two members had
consistently brought several members of their families with
them to those events and activities, that one of these two
members had gone above and beyond the call of duty by single-handedly
organizing and hosting the Republic's Summer Pool Party
in August and the other had also gone above and beyond the
call of duty by single-handedly organizing and coordinating
the Republic's presence in the Dragon*Con Parade in
September, that one of these members was the very first person
to purchase a Guardian of Forever membership to TrekTrax Atlanta
and that the other purchased Guardian of Forever memberships
for her entire family. Although the results were clearly
very close, the USS Republic's 2010 Member of the Year
Award was presented to ENS1 Sue Lin Lange, who was
unable to attend the Christmas Party in person but who heard
the announcement and presentation over the phone in real time.
Captain Watts also acknowledged the runner-up, ENS2
Joanne Trew, who was present.
Previous winners of the Republic's Member of the Year
Award include ENS1 Zannetta Law (2007), ENS1 Hal
Doby (2008) and ENS2 Joanne Trew (2009). |
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Captain
Eric L. Watts Reelected Commanding Officer
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To
no one's surprise, Capt Eric L. Watts announced at
the USS Republic's Christmas Party & Awards Ceremony
in December that he had been reelected as Commanding Officer
of the Republic for a third consecutive term. Captain
Watts once again ran unopposed for the office but nevertheless
received one mail-in ballot.
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Capt
Eric L. Watts, the USS Republic's 13th and
longest-serving Commanding Officer, will not run for
reelection upon the completion of his current term.
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Captain
Watts was first elected Commanding Officer of the Republic
in May 2006 following the resignation of the Republic's
previous CO, Capt Matthew D. Ebeling. Then-Commander
Watts completed the remainder of Captain Ebeling's two-year
term and was previously reelected for two-year terms in January
2007 (for 2007-2008) and December 2008 (for 2009 and 2010). Commander
Watts was promoted to Captain by STARFLEET in December 2006
and received the STARFLEET International Commanding Officer
of the Year Award in 2007.
Captain Watts is the 13th Commanding Officer in the Republic's
nearly 23-year history and as of January 2011, is now her
longest-serving captain, having surpassed the four-year, seven-month
term of Admiral Kelly S. Hilliard from March 1992 to
October 1996.
Captain Watts also informed the membership in attendance that
he would most likely not be a candidate for the office again
following the completion of this new term, which is due to
expire on December 31, 2012. He cited several reasons
for this decision, which included his belief that after six
and a half years, it will be time for someone else to lead
the chapter and the membership, as well as his aspiration
that in two years' time, TrekTrax Atlanta will have grown
to become an annual event large enough to preclude his ability
to simultaneously lead the chapter effectively. He encouraged
each member to evaluate their own hopes and desires for the
Republic's long-term future and to consider a position
of future leadership. |
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Lt.
JG Dave Churvis Appointed Executive Officer
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At
the USS Republic's Christmas Party & Awards Ceremony
in December, Capt Eric L. Watts announced that effective
January 1, 2011, Lt. JG Dave Churvis would assume the
office, as well as the newly assigned duties and responsibilities,
of Executive Officer of the USS Republic.
Captain
Watts wanted to make it clear to the membership in attendance
that this appointment was in no way whatsoever a reflection
on the service of Cmdr Brian Holloway, who had held
that position since late 2006. Captain Watts thanked
Commander Holloway for his many years of service to the chapter,
but said that a change was necessary in order to help the
Republic move forward. Captain Watts had discussed
the matter earlier in the month with Commander Holloway, who
agreed with the Captain's reasons and decision to make the
change.
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Lt.
JG Dave Churvis
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Cmdr
Brian Holloway
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At the
same time that Captain Watts was first elected Commanding
Officer in May 2006, Adm Mike Henigan was elected Executive
Officer (XO), a position which he held for only a few months
before he and six other members of the Republic transferred
their memberships to the USS DaVinci in Columbus and
prepared to launch their own new chapter, the USS Atlanta.
Following those transfers, the only member remaining
on board who held the necessary credentials to hold the office
of XO was the previous Commanding Officer, Capt Matthew
D. Ebeling. Captain Ebeling, who had recently resigned
from the office of CO, was understandably unable to assume
the position of XO. The continued absence of an XO would
have placed the chapter's status with STARFLEET in jeopardy,
so Captain Watts asked his longtime friend, fellow Dragon*Con
programming director, Star Trek: Phase II colleague
and Charlotte resident Brian Holloway, who held the rank of
Commander with STARFLEET and was a former member of Charlotte's
USS Hornet, to join the Republic and assume
the position of XO.
Commander Holloway has served the Republic admirably
for the last four years, representing the chapter at numerous
conventions, Region 2 events and on the set of Star Trek:
Phase II in upstate New York. However, the XO position
has heretofore been mostly ceremonial, with no real responsibilities
indigenous to the position. Recent developments in the
Republic's relationship with STARFLEET have made it
necessary for the XO to assume actual administrative responsibility—a
duty that Commander Holloway, due to his residency in North
Carolina, distance from Atlanta and other real-world obligations,
is simply unable to take on.
In his new position as the Republic's Executive Officer,
Lt. Churvis will be responsible for the timely submission
of the chapter's Monthly Status Reports (MSRs) to STARFLEET
via the STARFLEET online database. MSRs have been a
long-running point of contention between Captain Watts and
STARFLEET and is the issue that caused the current dispute
between the two. As part of its dispute resolution process,
Republic has agreed to once again submit MSRs to STARFLEET.
However, because only the chapter's Commanding Officer
and Executive Officer have high enough security clearance
to access this part of the online database, it was necessary
to promote Lt. Churvis to the position of chapter XO in order
to grant him this access.
Captain Watts wishes to thank Cmdr Brian Holloway for his
loyal, dedicated and continuing service to the Republic,
and also thanks Lt. JG Dave Churvis for taking on the responsibility
of submitting the Republic's future MSRs to STARFLEET.
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| Personnel
Records |
| • |
 Please
join ENS1 Mark A. Ozanick for "Bravo! A
Night at the Opera" with the Atlanta Freedom Concert
Band at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 3, at the First Presbyterian
Church of Atlanta at 1328 Peachtree St NE in Atlanta. Musicians
from several regional cities will join the AFCB for
this concert, which will include works by great opera
masters including Mozart, Puccini, Verdi and Wagner. Ensign
Mark plays both bassoon and clarinet with the AFCB.
Admission is only $10. For more information
about the band or this concert, please visit their web
site. |
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Recent
Chapter Event Photos
CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE
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Christmas
Party & Awards Ceremony
|| December
19, 2010
Front row: Adm Kelly S. Hilliard and Adm Mike Henigan
of the USS Atlanta; Ens Richard Tucker, ENS3
Renardo Hunter, CO Capt Eric L. Watts. Back
row: ENS1 Tony Cade, Capt Michael Cowart, ENS1 Zannetta
Law, Ens Tracey Harwell, Cmdr Dave Slaughter, ENS2
Joanne Trew, ENS2 Jeff Trew, ENS1 Mark A. Ozanick,
Chris Jones, Lt. JG Dave Churvis.
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Above
left: CO Capt Eric L. Watts presents Certificates
of Appreciation to Ensigns Barry Bynum and Ken Cribbs
in absentia.
Above right: Capt Watts presents Lt. JG Dave Churvis
with a Certificate of Appreciation.
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Above
left: Capt Watts presents the 2010 Member of the
Year Award to ENS1 Sue Lin Lange, who listened to
the presentation from Florida on the phone, held
by Cmdr Dave Slaughter.
Above right: ENS2 Joanne Trew, ENS1 Tony Cade.
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Above
left: Ens Richard Tucker, Capt Michael Cowart, ENS3
Renardo Hunter (seated); ENS2 Jeff Trew, Ens Tracey
Harwell.
Above right: ENS1 Mark A. Ozanick (right) graciously
hosted the 2010 Christmas Party in his beautiful
home in Decatur.
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BELATED
JANUARY BIRTHDAYS
Sunday, January 9
Ens Thomas Dempsey DVM
Tuesday, January 18
Ens Matthew T. Duncan
Wednesday, January 19
Ens Tasheka Gipson
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MEMBER
REENLISTMENTS
These members renewed their SFI and chapter
dues in December
Ens Lee Cox
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JANUARY
MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
These members' SFI and chapter dues expired in January
ENS3 Russell J. Broomfield
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ABOUT
THE REPUBLIC
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The
USS Republic NCC-1371 was commissioned as a chapter
of STARFLEET International on May 14, 1988, at the Dixie-Trek
convention in Atlanta, Georgia. The Republic was
decommissioned by STARFLEET in November 2010 and is currently
operating as an independent organization with 46 members
(as of March 27) who are also active members of STARFLEET.
The Republic plans and coordinates an active schedule
of events for its members, frequently partnering with
other local science fiction groups in the Atlanta area
for joint activities, but does not hold meetings on a
consistently fixed date each month.
Membership in the Republic continues to include
membership in STARFLEET International. Annual dues
are $25 per person for both groups (family discounts are
available with certain conditions and restrictions). Membership
in the Republic includes access to our YahooGroups
message board, voting privileges in chapter elections
and a personalized laminated membership card which entitles
the member to discounts and rebates on products and services
offered by our Member Benefits Program partners. Additional
information on Republic membership and how to join
is on our award-winning web site.
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FOR
MORE INFORMATION
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USS
REPUBLIC ONLINE
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Matt Ebeling
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"Wolfy"
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NEWS
from
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| Orbiting
80, Nimoy Looks Back... and Ahead (Parts I and II) |
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By
StarTrek.com Staff
March 23-24, 2011
|
| Leonard
Nimoy, to quote an old friend of his, has lived long and
prospered. He’s enjoyed success as an actor, producer,
director, photographer, show host, voiceover artist and
more. He’s a husband, father and grandfather. But
there’s no denying that, for better or worse, he is Spock,
the half-human / half-Vulcan he portrayed on the original
Star Trek, on Star Trek: The Next Generation,
in a half-dozen TOS features and, of course, in Star
Trek (2009). He’s beloved by countless millions
of people around the world for his performances as the green-blooded
one, and it’s a legacy with which he is quite comfortable. Nimoy
will turn 80 on March 26, and in advance of his big day,
he granted the better part of an hour of his time to an
exclusive, career-encompassing interview with StarTrek.com. |
Let’s start in the present, go back to the past, and then
look to the future. You still attend the occasional
convention. Why? Is it kind of a thank-you to
the fans at this point? |
Nimoy: That’s exactly what it is, a thank you. I still
feel an obligation to be out there for them, to tell them
the Star Trek stories and to bring them up to date
on what I’m doing. There’s still a lot of interest.
I don’t know when I will stop doing this. I
think there is an end in sight. I will not go on doing
it indefinitely, but I am scheduled for three or four events
for this year. |
Star Trek aside, what other roles / performances
/ projects in your career are you particularly proud of
and / or fond of? We’d suggest such works / projects
as Alien Voices, A Woman Called Golda, Three
Men and a Baby, your "Ballad of Bilbo Baggins"
song… |
Nimoy (laughs at the mention of "Bilbo Baggins"):
Apparently, the best known of all those is the "Bilbo
Baggins" recording. I enjoyed doing that. It
was a lot of fun. It’s a song aimed at kids. It
was about 30 years before its time. We were way ahead
of the cycle on the Hobbit stories. It was much, much
later that the Rings trilogy was produced as films.
I know that “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins” has had
a very active life on the Internet. I get a kick out
of that. I think it’s wonderful. You’re right.
I’d say A Woman Called Golda is something I’m
extraordinarily proud of. I’d say Never Forget,
which was a television movie that I produced and starred
in for TNT. It was a true story about a Holocaust
survivor who fought an organization that was intent on denying
the Holocaust ever existed. I thought it was a very
important project and we did get a Cable Ace nomination
for it. I have some wonderful experiences along the
way. I was on Broadway for 16 weeks in Equus. That
was a Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play. I
toured the United States in my one-man show called Vincent,
which was about Vincent Van Gogh, and I thought it was a
valuable piece of work. So I have been given opportunities
to do some very interesting projects and I’m very happy
about it. |
OK, let’s talk Trek. When we saw you in your
LLAP (Live Long and Prosper) t-shirt at the Official Star
Trek Convention in Las Vegas last August, we had to smile
and chuckle. You’re really, truly, deeply at peace
with Spock’s place in your life, aren’t you? |
Nimoy: Oh yeah, I’m very comfortable with it, sure. |
Take some of our newer fans back to the 1960s. What
was the reaction to Spock at the time the show debuted?
Did people get the character or was he just a total
anomaly to the viewing audience at the time? |
Nimoy: Well, I think it caught a lot of people by surprise.
I must say that I was somewhat surprised by response,
but I understood it. I understood that it was about
the character that people were responding to. The
mail told me a lot about what people were responding to.
Certainly, the network was totally caught off-guard.
The people at NBC, the network that was running the
show, had actually asked Gene Roddenberry to eliminate the
character or to keep him in the background, because they
were concerned that the character was not a positive character.
In fact, in some of the earliest promotional materials
that they put out to potential advertisers, they had retouched
the photographs of me as Spock to take off the pointed ears.
They actually took off the pointed ears in the photographs. And
it was explained to me that they were concerned that the
character looked devilish and that a “devilish” character
might have a negative connotation, particularly in the Southern
states, where people might be uncomfortable having a devil
on their TV set. |
What happened was quite the opposite of what the network
expected. The Spock character became the breakout
character on the show and the mail for the Spock character
and myself was enormous. The network then asked for
a lot more of Spock, rather than less of Spock, and we had
to go through a major adjustment in the production to get
the Spock character built up to the level of demand. |
There are early episodes where we see you show emotion,
even smile. How long did it take you to “find” the
character? |
Nimoy: Well, there was a smile in the first pilot. I
was directed to smile. Being the good guy that I was,
I did what the director told me to do. I was working
with Jeffrey Hunter, who was the captain of the Enterprise
at the time, in the first pilot, and we were on this strange
planet where a certain kind of strange plant was growing.
I was to reach out and touch one of the leaves of
this plant, which gave off a certain kind of eerie sound.
The director said, “Why don’t you smile when you hear
that sound, as though it’s a pleasing sound.” I thought,
“OK, I’ll do that.” It was a long time after that
before I ever smiled again on Star Trek (laughs).
It happened only under very special circumstances.
But it took a while to find the character. It
wasn’t until we made the second pilot, really, that I got
a total grasp and was able to make my own decisions, frankly,
about how the character should function in certain circumstances.
I did what I was asked to do on that first pilot and
that’s why you saw a smile. |
Had The Motion Picture tanked, how much, if any,
of what subsequently transpired do you think might have
happened anyway? |
Nimoy: No, I think not. I think you’re right. The
feeling was, after that first movie, there was something
to be done with Star Trek, that the first movie hadn’t
done what was available to be done, that there was still
an audience, still an interest, but that it didn’t satisfy
the audience in terms of content. And it cost too
much. So, when they approached Harve Bennett with
the idea of doing a second Star Trek film and asked
him if he could do a Star Trek film for less, he
said something like, “I can do two movies for the price
you paid for that first one.” That was intriguing,
and I think he actually did Star Trek II for even
less than that. I think he did it for maybe a third
of what the first film cost. I wasn’t privy to those
conversations, but my understanding, my sense was that they
felt that it was worth making a second film at a much, much
lower cost to see if there was anything left in Star
Trek. And frankly, when I heard about it, when
they came to me with the idea of doing that second film,
I thought they were just trying to squeeze one more movie
out of the franchise. I thought that it would be the
end of Star Trek and that’s why I accepted the idea
of Spock dying at the end of Star Trek II. |
Star Trek: The Motion Picture actually rose from
the ashes of Star Trek: Phase II, the series that
Paramount aborted when it became clear from Star Wars
and Close Encounters of the Third Kind that sci-fi
movies could be huge moneymakers. Phase II
has been in the news again recently with stories about how
involved you might or might not have been… |
Nimoy: It's being reported that Mr. Roddenberry offered
me a contract to appear as Spock in two out of every 11
episodes of Star Trek in the '70s when there was
a new series contemplated. This is true and (it’s)
also true that I turned down the offer. I didn't feel
comfortable being hired on as a part-time player. |
That's interesting. Was that Roddenberry's choice
or was that Paramount trying either to keep costs down or
hoping they'd entice you with a less exhausting schedule?
|
Nimoy: Since Mr. Roddenberry is gone, we'll never know.
He was also hired to develop a series for me at Universal
in 1971. It was called Questor (The Questor
Tapes). When it was time to cast it, he chose
Robert Foxworth instead. |
Moving on to Star Trek II, what do you remember most
about the reaction—fan, critical, cast, yours—to
Spock dying? |
Nimoy: It was very touching, very touching. I vividly
remember the day we filmed the death scene. It was
a very somber, emotional experience. I was very sad,
concerned. When we came up with the idea of doing
a mind meld on Dr. McCoy, on DeForest Kelley, I was asked
if I could say something in that mind meld that would give
us a hook for the future, in case there was a possibility
of continuing. And I came up with the word “Remember,”
which I thought was broad enough and interesting enough
that we might be able to use it as our hook in the future.
And it worked. But at that particular moment
in time, there was a real sadness. There’s an understanding
that, “Look, who knows, something positive might come out
of all this,” but we really were playing a very serious
death scene and everybody was quite moved by that. |
Star Trek III was your first feature as a director.
How at home were you behind the camera? Did
you feel like you had training wheels on? And how
satisfied were you with the finished film? |
Nimoy: I was very comfortable shooting the movie. I
did feel that I was being quite controlled, I guess is the
word. I was made to justify everything that I did
and explain everything that I was doing, which took a lot
of energy. And I resented it. It bothered
me that I was being so carefully monitored because I really
felt that I knew what I was doing. I thought the script
was workable and did what it had to do, which was to find
Spock and get him back on his feet. I thought it was
an interesting idea, the whole idea of the Genesis planet
evolving and Spock’s remains evolving with the planet. It
may not have been as much fun a film as some would like,
but I thought it did the job. It did it what it set
out to do. Maybe, in retrospect, we might have found
a better story or construct, to get that job done. But
we got the job done and the film was OK. At the box
office, it did what was becoming the pattern for Star
Trek films. It was about the same as was expected,
so it was OK. It was not a gigantic runaway hit, but
it was not considered a failure. And it was strong
enough that they decided to go ahead and make another one
after that. |
Star Trek IV was the most successful of the TOS features
on several levels. Did you just have a sense that
the film could tap the zeitgeist? |
Nimoy: Yeah, I was very, very confident with that film.
I made a big commitment to the development of that
story. I stayed on the lot for the entire time. When
Star Trek III was finished, even before it opened,
Jeffrey Katzenberg, who was the head of production at the
studio, called me and said, “We’d like you to make another
one.” I said, “I need to have some more freedom. I
felt too tightly controlled on this last film. I need
to have some freedom to explore some ideas and do my own
movie.” And he said, “The training wheels are off.
Make your own film. Give us your own image of
what the film should be.” I spent a lot of time on
it. I did a lot of research. I did a lot of
reading. I did a lot of traveling. I went to
the East Coast to meet with various scientists and to talk
about what they were interested in as possible ideas to
explore in the future. It was all very helpful and
it all found its way into that movie in one way or another.
|
But I did not let myself get distracted by going off and
doing a lot of other kinds of work during that development
period. I was on the lot most of the time and at the
desk working or talking or exploring or reading or trying
to develop the story. The whole whale thing presented
itself excitingly, but it presented certain challenges,
too, because there was not a lot of good humpback whale
footage available to us. So it became a matter of
whether or not we could create that footage successfully
with miniatures and digital images and (real) footage and
so forth. So there was a lot of work to be done, but
once the ideas fell into place it became very exciting.
When the script was done, between myself and Harve
Bennett on the story, and Harve and Nick Meyer doing the
screenplay, I was very, very excited. I thought, “We’ve
got a very strong film here.” |
Also, Ned Tanen was now the head of production at Paramount. Jeff
Katzenberg and Michael Eisner had gone to Disney. So
Ned Tanen was the person who read the script and gave us
the green light. He called me and said, “Let’s have
lunch.” And during that lunch he said, “I would
make this film even if it wasn’t a Star Trek movie,”
because he felt so strongly that the script was a tight,
successful and exciting story. I really had a great
time making that movie. |
Star Trek V was, for all intents and purposes, William
Shatner’s movie, so let’s move on to Star Trek VI.
Was it time to say goodbye? And were you satisfied
with the justice the story did to the franchise and cast?
|
Nimoy: I had some other wishes for Star Trek VI.
I had some other hopes that weren’t realized. I
thought the film served its purpose, again. It didn’t
create any problems for us, but it didn’t quite accomplish
what I’d hoped. |
Which was? |
Nimoy: I had a very interesting conversation with Gene Roddenberry
in which we’d been discussing the idea of this movie being
about going into the Klingon territory, into the Klingon
Empire. I came up with the idea that since Nixon,
who was a known conservative, was the person who could go
to China to make a deal, who were obviously not conservative—they
were a very deeply red Communist country—that Captain
Kirk would be the ideal choice to go to the Klingon Empire
to deal with them to create a détente between the Kingon
Empire and our side, the Federation. That idea intrigued
Nick Meyer and he wrote a very workable screenplay, but
what I was hoping for was that once inside the Klingon Empire,
we would find out something about the Klingons that would
surprise us all. Why are they so angry? Why
are they so hostile? Why are they so warring?
Why are they so bent on conflict and paranoia and
suspicion? What’s going on in their minds? What’s
inside that Empire that we don’t know that would surprise
us? We never quite got to that. We never quite
did. We did do an interesting story about the political
faction within the Klingon’s structure, but we didn’t quite
get to that amazing revelation about what the Klingons were
really all about. |
To be continued in Part III, next issue. |
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