Region 2 "Best Electronic Newsletter" Award 2009
Volume I, Number 49  •  April 2012
CONTENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
•  Friday-Sunday, April 20-22: TrekTrax Atlanta
•  Sunday, April 29: Spring Dinner & Business Meeting

SAVE THE DATES:  DETAILS TO BE ANNOUNCED

•  Friday-Sunday, May 4-6: Outlantacon
•  Saturday, May 5: Away Mission to The Avengers
•  Friday-Sunday, May 25-27: TimeGate
•  Friday-Sunday, June 8-10: Sci-Fi Summer Con
•  Saturday, July 7: Away Mission to The Amazing Spider-Man
•  Saturday, July 21: Away Mission to The Dark Knight Rises


NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
•  TXA drops two guests, moves forward with convention
•  USS Republic wins two Region 2 awards for 2011
•  Personnel Records
•  Library Computer
•  Recent Chapter Event Photos

SIDEBAR
•  April Birthdays
•  Member Reenlistments
•  April Membership Renewals
•  About the Republic
•  For More Information
•  USS Republic Online
•  Our Member Benefits Program Partners
•  USS Republic & USS Atlanta Crew Rosters
•  News from TrekMovie.com
    Star Trek: Enterprise Was "Victim of Circumstance"
    Star Trek: Phase II "The Child" Online
    
Enterprise Crew "Still Working Out Kinks"
UPCOMING EVENTS
TrekTrax Atlanta

Friday-Sunday, April 20-22, 2012
Holiday Inn Atlanta Perimeter
4386 Chamblee-Dunwoody Rd
Atlanta GA 30341 (770) 457-6363
TrekTrax Atlanta is a science fiction convention based in Atlanta, Georgia, dedicated to Star Trek and hosted by the USS Republic, that places special emphasis on fan-based events, activities, programming and productions.  After a successful first convention in February 2011, TrekTrax Atlanta 2012 will be held April 20-22 at the Holiday Inn Atlanta Perimeter in the northern Atlanta suburb of Chamblee.  TrekTrax Atlanta has been endorsed by the Klingon Assault Group International as the National Klingon Konvention.  Confirmed guests include:

David Orange, best known as the "Sleepy Klingon" in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Morgan Gendel, author of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes "The Inner Light" (for which he won the Hugo Award) and "Starship Mine" and the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes "The Passenger" and "Armageddon Game"
Dr. Lawrence M. Schoen, author, publisher, psychologist, Klingon language expert and founder of the Klingon Language Institute who has published Klingon translations of Shakespeare's Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing, as well as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Tao Te Ching
Fan Guest of Honor Melissa Carter, a columnist for The Georgia Voice and The Huffington Post, member of the Atlanta Police Department GLBT Advisory Board, transplant survivor and a former co-host of the morning radio show The Bert Show on Q100 in Atlanta
Cheralyn Lambeth, a professional costumer formerly with Paramount Production Services' Star Trek Earth Tour and Star Trek: The Experience
Andrew Greenberg, a roleplaying game designer who has worked on games for Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Emmett Plant, a writer, composer and producer who has produced over twenty Star Trek audiobooks for CBS/Paramount
Michael Bednar and Michael Day from Starship Farragut, a Star Trek fan production based on the original series of Star Trek
Chris Coleman, Doug Harper, Randall Landers, Bill MacKenzie and Sara MacKenzie from Project: Potemkin, a Star Trek fan production set shortly after Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Jim Brucke, Renda Carr, Tim Carr and Keith Harris from Star Trek: Lexington, a Star Trek fan production set shortly after Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
il Troubadore: The Klingon Music Project, a four-person musical troupe from Indianapolis, Indiana, that performs original Klingon music and presents its original production "The Klingon Ballet" with belly dancers
"Nerd rock bands" One Hard Night and the New York Disco Villains
Keela & Katkith, hosts of the popular "Klingon Karaoke"
   
For 2012, TrekTrax Atlanta will present three concurrent tracks of programming: one dedicated to the Star Trek universe in general ("Main Viewer"), a second devoted to the Klingon Empire in particular ("Qo'Nos"), and a third specifically for costuming and makeup ("The Ready Room").  The convention will host a 24-hour gaming room for role-playing, board and card games, as well as a VIP champagne reception, a "Trekkies Got Talent!" talent show, writers workshop, dealers room, con suite, costume contest, 24-hour video room, live performances by il Troubadore, the New York Disco Villains and One Hard Night, "Klingon Karaoke," and the 13th annual Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant.  The convention will also partner with LifeSouth Community Blood Centers to host a blood drive.

The convention's full and complete programming schedule is online.

At-the-door memberships are $50 for the entire weekend, $30 for
Saturday only and $25 for Friday only or Sunday only.  Please visit the
TrekTrax Atlanta web site for full and complete information about the convention, including hours of operation and hotel location.
Spring Dinner & Business Meeting

6:00 p.m. Sunday, April 29, 2012
Stevi B's Pizza
Briarcliff Village Shopping Center
2080 Henderson Mill Rd, Atlanta GA  30345
(770) 938-3960
The Republic's 2011 Spring Dinner & Business Meeting
The Republic typically holds two business meetings a year, one in the spring and one in the fall, to set the chapter's course for the following six months.  At this year's spring meeting, we'll be focused primarily on discussing the previous weekend's TrekTrax Atlanta convention and hopefully rejoicing in its success.  We'll review the numbers, talk about what went right (and hopefully, very little discussion of what went wrong), review any feedback we may have received, and perhaps most importantly, discuss whether, after two years, we can or should plan on a third year.

Also on the agenda will be a discussion of upcoming events and activities planned specifically for the Republic for the next six months, an update on our
Year of the Phoenix campaign, preliminary discussions about the Republic's 25th anniversary next year and a reminder that Capt Eric L. Watts' third two-year term as the Republic's commanding officer concludes at the end of this year.  Members and friends who wish to be more involved in the Republic's operations and TrekTrax Atlanta are especially encouraged to attend.  As always, the Republic's many friends and guests are invited to join us; chapter membership is encouraged but not required.

We'll be gathering for this important dinner meeting at Stevi B's Pizza Buffet Restaurant in the Briarcliff Village Shopping Center at the intersection of Henderson Mill, Lavista and Briarcliff Roads near Northlake Mall in Atlanta.  Stevi B's Ultimate Pizza Buffet includes all of your favorites and many original Stevi B's creations, too.  Don't see what you're looking for on the buffet?  Tell any Stevi B's team member what you'd like on your pizza and they'll custom make it and deliver it straight to your table.  You can choose from any of their fresh toppings to create your own personal pizza masterpiece!  Visit their web site for more information on their complete menu.

We've booked their "party room" for our meeting and, because we're such an awesome group of Trekkies, everyone joining us for dinner will receive complimentary soft drinks---a $1.99 value!

Please arrive no later than 6:00 p.m. to enjoy your dinner and enjoy conversation with your fellow crewmembers.  The business meeting is scheduled to begin around 6:30 and will likely last about an hour or so.  This is your chance to give feedback on TrekTrax Atlanta, other recent events and activities, and to make suggestions for where you'd like to go and what you'd like to do as a member of the Republic in the next six months.  Please make plans to attend!

STEVI B'S WEB SITE
MAP AND DIRECTIONS
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

TrekTrax Atlanta drops two guests, moves forward with convention
The TrekTrax Atlanta executive committee announced earlier this month that our previously announced celebrity guests Todd Bryant and Spice Williams will not be joining us for our 2012 convention.

The TXA executive committee reviewed our preregistration numbers, analyzed our financial situation, evaluated our last-minute and at-the-door membership sales projections and reached the unfortunate but inescapable conclusion that we were unable to bring Mr. Bryant and Ms. Williams to the convention as we had hoped to do.  We wish to make it clear that our guests did not cancel their appearances with us. With great regret, we informed them of our situation and apologized for not being able bring them here as previously planned.

We know that many people planning to attend TrekTrax Atlanta will be disappointed to learn of this development.  However, we want to assure you that THE SHOW MUST GO ON and we remain committed to presenting a fun, rewarding, entertaining, educational, informational, recreational and immersive Star Trek fan experience to everyone in attendance.  We are still the National Klingon Konvention and we hope that everyone who had been planning to attend will still do so.

Thank you for your continued support and attendance!
USS Republic wins two Region 2 awards for 2011
No one was more surprised than USS Republic CO Capt Eric L. Watts to learn late last month that the Republic won two awards at the joint Region 2/Region 3 Summit, held March 17-18 in Hammond, Louisiana.  The Republic won the Second Place award for "Journalistic Achievement in Newsletter Production" (a.k.a. Newsletter of the Year), losing out to Jackson, Mississippi's USS Haise for First Place.  The USS Haise is commanded by Region 2's Awards Director.

The Republic also "won" a Perfect Reporting award "For Achieving A Perfect Reporting Record In Region 2."  Not exactly a First Place finish, as this "award" went to no less than 14 chapters in Region 2 for merely doing what, as the Republic was so harshly reminded by STARFLEET International in October 2010, is constitutionally required of all chapters... whether they like it or not.

Capt Watts is the Republic's newsletter editor and will retain the second place award certificate for himself.  The Republic's monthly status reports (MSRs) are submitted to STARFLEET by the Republic's executive officer, Cmdr Dave Churvis, who will be presented with the reporting award certificate later this month.

The USS Republic is one of 34 chapters in Region 2, which is comprised of Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and the Caribbean.  Region 2 is one of 20 STARFLEET regions around the world, which includes a total of 241 chapters.
Personnel Records
Congratulations to Cmdr Masibindi Mother Courage Miller, who received a grade of DISTINCTION for the STARFLEET Academy exam SFRT 103: HAND HELD EQUIPMENT from the School of IOLEE College of Firefighting & Rescue, completed on March 21, 2012.
STARFLEET Academy is a special collection of correspondence courses available to every STARFLEET member.  Over 60 Academy Colleges offer courses spanning all aspects of Star Trek and science fiction; some courses even cover non-sci-fi real world topics.  Each college offers dozens of different courses at varying levels of challenge from super-easy to really hard.  In total, there are nearly 1,000 different courses available.  Take a course today!
Something special going on in your life?  Submit your Personnel Record for publication in the next issue of The Republiqué!
Library Computer
After Star Trek's first season ended, series creator Gene Roddenberry wanted to include a younger cast member to appeal to teenage audiences.  Roddenberry interviewed Walter Koenig (above right) on the recommendation of director Joseph Pevney.  After casting Koenig, Roddenberry wrote a letter to Mikhail Zimyanin, editor of Pravda, informing him of the introduction of a Russian character, and an NBC press release announcing the character at the time stated that it was in response to a Pravda article.  Koenig always denied the "Russian origin" story and said the character was added in response to the popularity of The Monkees' Davy Jones (above left), and the character's hairstyle and appearance are a direct reference to this.  Roddenberry had previously mentioned, in a memo to his casting director, a desire to have someone reminiscent of one of the Beatles or Monkees on the show.

Davy Jones died on February 29, 2012, at age 66.  As of this writing, Walter Koenig, at age 75, is still alive.
Recent Chapter Event Photos
CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE
130th Atlanta St. Patrick's Parade  ||  March 17, 2012
Left to Right: Bianca Bury-Rodriguez, ENS1 Todd Dissinger, Mike Antol and USS Republic CO Capt Eric L. Watts gather to represent Star Trek fandom at Atlanta's 130th St. Patrick's Parade.
Not pictured: ENS2 Glenn Albertini, ENS2 K'La Albertini, ENS1 Nelson Barnhouse, ENS2 Russell J. Broomfield, ENS3 Barry Bynum, Cmdr David Churvis, Capt Michael Cowart, ENS3 Ken Cribbs, CDT2 Karl Dissinger, ENS1 Hal Doby, Ens Rob Gilliam, ENS3 Tasheka Gipson, Ens James P. Gronski, Ens Leslie C. Gronski, ENS3 Tracey S. Harwell, ENS3 Eddie Hines, Cmdr Brian Holloway, ENS1 Eric Lange, ENS1 Sue Lin Lange, Cmdr Masibindi Miller, Ens Karen Neal, ENS1 Mark A. Ozanick, ENS1 Elisa Roper, ENS1 Michael Shipley, Cmdr Dave Slaughter, ENS1 Jeff Trew, CRMN1 Jenilee Trew, ENS1 Joanne Trew, ENS1 Julianne Trew, ENS3 Richard Tucker, ENS1 Zannetta Law Tucker, ENS Leslie Williamson, ENS1 "Wolfy."
Above Left: Looking north from the Peachtree Road bridge over the Downtown Connector (Interstate 75/85).  This bridge is generally considered to be the border between Midtown to the north and Downtown to the south.  Above Right: Capt Watts stikes a pose with the Twilight Twirlers of Marietta.  Below Left: Looking south, in the direction of the parade, towards Downtown.  Below Right: Autos new and old followed the Republic down the parade route.
TrekTrax Atlanta Staff Meeting  ||  March 18, 2012
Above: About two dozen members and friends of the USS Republic attended a TrekTrax Atlanta staff meeting at the convention hotel on the day after the parade.  Curiously, about six times as many people turned out for the meeting than turned out for the parade.
Above Left: Director of Social Media Ken Cribbs, Director of Convention Operations Barry Bynum and Convention Chairman Eric L. Watts outline the convention's staffing needs.  Above Right: Volunteer staff members sit in rapt attention.

APRIL BIRTHDAYS

Monday, April 9
ENS1 Eric Lange

Saturday, April 14

ENS1 Elisa Roper

Sunday, April 15

Cmdr Dave Churvis

Monday, April 30

ENS1 Hal Doby

MEMBER REENLISTMENTS
These members renewed their SFI and chapter dues in March


Capt Michael Cowart

APRIL MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
These members' SFI and chapter dues expire in April


Cmdr Dave Churvis
Capt Matthew D. Ebeling
ENS1 Lea Hepler
CMDR Brian Holloway

ABOUT THE REPUBLIC
The USS Republic NCC-1371 was originally commissioned as a chapter of STARFLEET International on May 14, 1988, at the Dixie-Trek convention in Atlanta, Georgia.  As of April 19, 2012, the Republic crew includes 35 members who are active members of STARFLEET in good standing.
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.
Because the USS Republic is a duly commissioned chapter of STARFLEET International and is bound and governed by its Constitution and By-Laws, membership in STARFLEET is a prerequisite for membership in the Republic.  Combined annual dues for both groups are $25 per person and is collected by the chapter (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 and reenlist is on our award-winning web site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

USS REPUBLIC ONLINE

OUR MEMBER BENEFITS PROGRAM PARTNERS

CREW ROSTER
AS OF APRIL 19, 2012
USS ATLANTA CREW ROSTER
CRR Brian Ackley
Cheris Courtney
Ens Travis J. Heller
Ens JG Roderick Jennings

NEWS from
Star Trek: Enterprise Was "Victim of Circumstance"
By Anthony Pascale
April 12, 2012
Debating the reasons for the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise after four years on UPN is another favorite pastime of Trek fans.  In a new interview, show star Scott Bakula weighs in with his theory, saying the show was the "victim of circumstance."
Talking to Canada's Canoe News, Scott Bakula weighed in on why Star Trek: Enterprise never saw a fifth season:
I have to tell you, there were so many political things that happened in the time that we were on the air, with networks being bought and sold and studios changing personnel completely.  I never really felt like we had failed as much as we were victims of circumstance.  I felt like our show got better and better, and the overwhelming conversations I've had with people are like, "Oh man, that last season was the greatest.  You guys were just hitting your stride."  I said to the cast going in. "Please don't count on seven years.  We're on a network with completely different rules."  We made 98 hours of television, a huge success by most standards.
So there you have it.  It was all office politics.
REPRINTED FROM TREKMOVIE.COM
© 2012 SciFanatic Network

Star Trek: Phase II "The Child" Online
By Anthony Pascale
April 7, 2012
The Star Trek: Phase II episode "The Child" has been released.  This is the seventh episode from the popular fan series.  The episode has been adapted from a script written by Jon Povill and Jaron Summers for the original Star Trek: Phase II in the Seventies.  That script was later rewritten for use on Star Trek: The Next Generation.  Producer James Cawley approached Jon Povill to return the episode back to its origins on the original Enterprise.  The episode features Anna Schnaitteras the Deltan crewmember Isel and introduces the young Ayla Cordell as Irska (Isel's child).
Here is the official description:
While the Enterprise passes through a strange energy cloud, a mysterious light force enters the ship and impregnates Ensign Isel who, within days, gives birth to a baby girl, Irska.  The child grows up at a tremendous rate and while she appears to be human, it is feared she could endanger the ship after a strange alien spacecraft appears and puts everyone in jeopardy....
Mini-review
"The Child" is another strong outing for the Phase II crew.  The story is classic Star Trek, seeking out strange new life forms, and it has a message as well.  Povill's direction is solid, although (like most Phase II episodes) it feels a bit bloated and they probably could have shaved off five minutes to bring it more in line with standard original series running time.
The core team of actors for Phase II continue to improve, especially John Kelley as McCoy, who has much of the work in this episode.  Cawley himself provides one of his best performances as Kirk in this episode and Brandon Stacy's Spock is impressive.  The one thing that seems a bit out of step (and this is true for all of Phase II), the characters of Kirk and Spock seem more like members of an ensemble than the hero stars of the show.  Of the two guest stars, the young Ayla Cordell is surprisingly effective playing the rapidly growing and mysterious alien child.  As for Anna Schnaitteras, I felt she didn't really have the range to handle the heavy load required of her for this episode where her character is so central.
As usual, the production is top-notch and very professional.  With the lone exception of sound editing for the bridge sequences (they can't seem to get rid of that echo), every aspect of the production delivers what you would want from a Star Trek production.  Worth special note are the special effects provided by Tobias Richter, Juvenal Vique and Pony R. Horton.
While there are still elements of "Hey, let's all play Star Trek" for the series, Phase II's "The Child" still shows that it is the best of the fan productions.
REPRINTED FROM TREKMOVIE.COM
© 2012 SciFanatic Network

Enterprise Crew "Still Working Out Kinks"
By TrekMovie.com Staff
April 4, 2012
Talking to MovieWeb, Star Trek sequel co-writer/producer Alex Kurtzman offered this update on the progress for the sequel currently in production:
The movie is going unbelievably well.  J. J. as usual is crushing it, he's doing an amazing, amazing job.  I think as much as we put all of our love and effort into the first one, there's even more in this one and he is really, he's such an exacting and beautiful director.
What I watch him do, it's so amazing, he inspires everybody around him and he's been so utterly true to everything that we all have honored and loved about
Trek, so that's kind of where we're at right now.
While Kurtzman didn't reveal any plot spoilers, he did offer a glimpse into the journey that the cast has taken since the last film and where they are in the sequel, noting:
...the challenge is that you don't want to jump too far ahead and assume that just because they got together they're all comfortable with each other.  They're still all working out their kinks and still becoming the bridge crew that we remember from the series.  That's still very much alive and look, any good sequel is about the challenge that the group faces in order to become the unified team and I think that that challenge in this movie is going to be hopefully amazing.
Finally, Alex gave this assessment of the performance of Benedict Cumberbatch, who is playing the villain in the film:
He's incredible.  What he does with language is incredible.  His training is amazing and he's so magnetic, he holds the screen in any size frame, he really is a joy to watch."
The Star Trek sequel hits the big screen on May 17, 2013.
REPRINTED FROM TREKMOVIE.COM
© 2012 SciFanatic Network
USS Republic NCC-1371
B O L D L Y    G O I N G 
 B O L D L Y    D O I N G™
2902 Aspen Woods Entry
  Atlanta, Georgia  30360-2759
  www.USSRepublic.com
Commanding Officer, USS Republic
  Captain Eric L. Watts
Executive Officer, USS Republic
  Commander Dave Churvis
Commanding Officer, USS Atlanta
  Admiral W. Michael Henigan

The Republiqué Volume I, Number 49, April 2012.
Published monthly by and Copyright © 2012 USS Republic NCC-1371.
Captain Eric L. Watts, Editor.

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