NOW VOYAGER The Official Newsletter of the Kate Mulgrew Appreciation Society Volume I Number 1 [Hey online folks! Here it is! No photos, no cartoons, no graphics--but lots and lots of text! Enjoy!] EDITORIAL RANT I started this club because I've been waiting for Captain Kathryn Janeway my entire life, and Kate Mulgrew couldn't be incarnating her any better. Okay, so maybe that's a bit of an overstatement. But I've watched "Star Trek" my entire life--the original show went on the air three months before I was born, and I'm told that as a baby I sat in front of the TV looking at the ship whooshing out of the stars. Paul and I were both Trekkers a decade before TNG made it cool to be one, long before fans could hook up electronically and share resources outside of conventions. We started dating as a result of the L.A. press junket for "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," but that's another story... My favorite episode of TOS was "The Enterprise Incident." I loved the Romulan Commander, and it drove me nuts that while the Romulans had women out commanding ships, the Federation had only Uhuras and Janice Lesters running the consoles and wishing they could be Captains. But I loved Kirk's desire to explore everything, and I thought the effort to make the show relevant to the issues of its era was terrific. I can't say I was happy with all the characters on TNG, although I collected the action figures. Picard had a split personality--one week he'd be passionate while the next he'd be quoting regulations and barking orders. Plus we were left with two women in support positions whose pasts firmly anchored them to the male captain and first officer. DS9 made me feel a lot better on that count--it actually HAS a woman second-in-command, and a terrific one at that--but she's Bajoran, not Starfleet. Despite glimpses of Rachel Garrett, Norah Satie and Alynna Necheyev, we'd never really seen a woman of high rank with any dimension from what's supposedly our own future. Until Janeway. Who managed to earn the loyalty of a group which despises the organization she represents. Whose fierce devotion to her crew in turn has made her the most accessible, likable commanding officer we've seen in the Federation. Who, like James T. Kirk, isn't afraid to lead landing parties and confront the Prime Directive head on. Who can outplay all the senior officers at pool, get Torres to admit she was wrong, laugh off holodeck sleazeballs from Paris' imagination, drink Neelix's better-than-coffee, negotiate in lingerie with Romulans... Which brings us to Kate. Admittedly I primarily knew her from movie and stage roles before "Voyager," being a non-television watcher for the most part (although kind people have been sending us "Heartbeat" and "Cheers" episodes for which we are most grateful!) But I can't imagine anyone else playing Janeway; she IS Janeway. And based on the responses we got when we posted the first "Kate Mulgrew Appreciation Society anyone?" query online, we're not alone in our thinking. We were flooded with requests for information even before we had any; then people sent videotapes, scanned pictures, fan fiction, pleas for photographs... It seemed obvious that there was only one thing to do: start a fan club, which we could not have done without everyone who contributed to this newsletter and everyone who's reading it. We thank you. We praise you. And we beg you: Tell your friends! Take flyers to cons! Here's our editorial policy: We'll print whatever you say, provided it won't get anyone into legal trouble. You want to gush about how much you love the show? We'll eat it up. You want to nitpick? We're used to it, and so is everyone who reads the net. You want to spend three paragraphs babbling about how good Janeway looks with her hair down? You wouldn't be the first. You want to curse the writers, directors, and producers at Paramount? Be our guests, we've certainly done our share of that. You want to send us your fan fiction? We'd love it. So--in case this isn't absolutely clear--CONTRIBUTE! I never again want to write an editorial this long. Tell us what you're thinking! Keep the reviews and comments coming! This is your newsletter: call, tell us what you want to see. But NOT Mondays between 8 and 9 EST, please! Michelle REVIEWZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Disagree with what's written here? Good--COME WRITE FOR US! We need staff reviewers. This means that EVERY WEEK within seven days of seeing an episode, you send us a review--several meaningful paragraphs with plenty of Kate-watching. We also need someone to compile a running list of directors and guest stars for various episodes. Volunteers? You know where we are--and our address is in the masthead if you've forgotten! CARETAKER Set Phasers on Stunning! From the opening graphics to the characterizations to the theme music, "Star Trek: Voyager" signals a return to some of the best elements of the original Trek series and repairs a few faults on the way. It was an inspired idea to use Quark and DS9 as the takeoff point for the show. DS9 is one of the Federation's furthest outposts, and as U.S.S. Voyager left port I had a feeling that we were heading toward new concepts and leaving some things behind. Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) is a kind of captain we haven't seen for awhile. I was perfectly primed to hate her guts: having seen her in a series of largely forgettable parts, I was completely in favor of her being shown the nearest airlock. Well, kids, I was WRONG! I was too young not to accept Shatner, I got used to Stewart, and, well...Mulgrew walked into this role like she'd been born to play it. From the first, "At ease, Mr. Kim--before you strain something," to the Janeway Maneuver [hands high on hips, fingers out], she is every inch a starship captain. No more sitting around on the bridge while the younguns grab the glory. This is a captain in the best tradition of the British Naval history, upon which Gene based Starfleet tradition. The story is a concept played around with several times in the original series but not so maturely. To some extent, it was also flawed by the same problems. The Voyager crew gets transported into the 'Array' by a being so superintelligent that it seems to know that humanoid beings from all planets and cultures are always most comfortable in a rerun of "Green Acres." In the good old days, the information for the illusion would have been mysteriously drawn from someone's mind. I wonder which crewmember we can blame for this. Additionally, we're treated to the image of the crewmembers trapped in an enormous chamber while whirling alien coffee stir sticks get drilled into their chests (one wonders if the Caretaker ever heard of blood samples.) On the whole, I felt the story merely served to set up the odyssey to come and put the players in their appropriate places. The characters themselves are so well drawn that one tends to forget that "Caretaker" is an old overused plot of the Star Trek louvre. Janeway's original meeting with Mr. Neelix--"We are not interested in your....debris," was priceless and Neelix is himself the most interesting character since Quark (or Harcourt F. Mudd for the historically minded). His puppy-dog friendliness which belies a deep native cunning is going to be interesting as a contrast to Janeway's brisk authoritarian view of the captaincy. Harry Kim is the resident 'bright bouncy cadet type.' I've never liked that kind of role and I worry for him. Paris was very smooth as the 'Pariah with a chip on his shoulder.' I particularly like B'Elanna's not being good at handling the Klingon part of her genetic makeup. There's a lot that might be done with it. Tuvok will not be able to replace Spock; as such, Tim Russ has my heartfelt sympathy. At least, so far, he's managed not to consciously imitate Nimoy. The problem here is that Vulcans are 96% idiosyncratic. Russ's challenge will be not to become a caricature of himself. Which leaves the holodoctor, who has enough going for him to become one of the major stars of the show, and Chakotay, who is tough and mystical enough to be aprototype for "Clan of the Cave Bear." If Berman & Co. are careful (easy on the particles, Okuda), Star Trek: Voyager could take us well into the 21st. Century. --Richard Hanson These are the Voyagers of the Starship Ent..oops..wait a minute. This is not the Enterprise, this is not Picard and Co. but the brand new crew of the Starship Voyager. A new crew and a new ship. Gone is the name Enterprise, gone is the voice-over that many Trekkies have come to recite word for word. The opening sequence to the show was breathtaking. It was so unexpected, so different from TNG that it was refreshing. Trek hasn't got a good track record with premiere episodes. I don't need to remind people about "Encounter at Farpoint" - ACK! "Caretaker" was fresh, it was visually terrific. Not since the opening of DS9 had I been impressed with the opening of a show. The story and eventual mission: To track down a Maquis ship and to bring home an undercover Starfleet Officer. The adventure really starts when the Maquis ship goes into the Badlands pursued by a Cardassian ship. Voyager is sent in after it to find it only to find some trouble of mega proportions and find itself in the Delta Quadrant - 75 years away from their home. Here is where they will explore strange new worlds, new civilizations and boldly go where no one has gone before. Here is where they will find adventure and danger, here is the place for heroes to be made - hey, that can be the opening monologue for "Voyager" if one is required. The story unfolds and a member of each ship gets kidnapped which leads to adventure and mystery. Who is this crew? What makes them tick and what drives them along? Captain Kathryn Janeway: A woman. Well who would have thought it possible for the show to have a woman at the helm of a starship. The idea is not new - Gene Roddenberry submitted the idea to the buffoons of the network before TOS got off the ground - they hated it, out went the female captain. Janeway is tough, sensitive and is a hands on Captain. She is so different to Picard that comparing them is like comparing apples to oranges and that isn't right. She stands up to anyone which is a mark of strength. She is not afraid to show she is scared (as she did to Tuvok) and she cares for her crew. She is going to be a fine Captain. Kate Mulgrew is fantastic. I think she is an asset to the show. She is the Captain. Well done. Chakotay: The Indian Warrior. His decision to find the Cardassians is based on his belief that he wants to remain on his planet - his home. The Maquis was a way for him to defy the Federation and take on the might of Cardassia. He is a strong character and willing to step down and follow Janeway - a mark of a true warrior. Robert Beltran is going to be a real favorite of mine. Tom Paris: Paris is the Riker/Kirk model for Voyager. I am not impressed with this character although I can see the potential there. The actor has done a good job with what he was given. Time will tell whether Tom Paris will be different or a clone. Harry Kim: I am very impressed with this character and the actor. The naive Starfleet Ensign is on his first mission - how anyone could be so unlucky. He will grow in confidence and he will become an asset to the show. Tuvok: The Vulcan made a great first impression. He is strong, has a sense of humor although tries to hide it, is not a Spock clone by any means. Tim Russ has done his homework. He has studied Leonard Nimoy and he has studied how Vulcans behave. This is excellent. I feel Tuvok is going to be Janeway's sounding board. She will rely on him for advice. B'Elanna Torres: I am most unimpressed with this character. Very unimpressed. I was looking forward to seeing how this human/Klingon woman would pan out. I enjoyed watching Suzi Plakson in her role as K'Ehlyer. It is quite obvious that the actress hasn't done any homework on Klingons for starters and even less on acting. She hasn't done the character justice. Not a good beginning. Kes: Why do I get the feeling I'm going to hate this character? I don't know butthere is something there that doesn't quite fit. The jury is still out on the Ocampa woman with a life span of 9 years. Neelix: Neelix is the rogue - he is wonderful. I love the idea and Ethan Phillips is wonderful in the role. He doesn't remind me of anyone which is really refreshing. Neelix will become another favorite although I can's see what Kes sees in him. The Holographic Doctor: I am really impressed with Robert Picardo. He is so funny in the role that you have to overlook the possible problems of only having a hologram as a doctor. He has wit and is gruffy. Much like McCoy but with more grumpiness. Well that's the crew. It's going to be fun watching them try and get home. I'm hoping to go along for the ride. Join me. --Mary Draganis PARALLAX The second episode of "Voyager" kicks of with an excellent teaser--a great Doc scene and some humorous banter between Chakotay and Torres--and takes off from there. Though some might complain about the episode's resemblance to TNG's "Cause and Effect," the similarities pretty much end with the garbled voice transmission. Aside from being the historic "First Time Voyager Encounters a Quantum Singularity" episode, "Parallax" is one of the few Trek episodes to commence a story arch. The tension between the Maquis and Starfleet, aptly handled by Chakotay, is shown for the first time, as is the story arch concerning the holographic doctor's need for a name. Others include the promotion of B'Elanna Torres to Chief Engineer, the growing of food aboard Voyager (Kes sets up a hydroponics bay) to help conserve energy, and Tom Paris training to be a field medic. Captain Janeway's experience as a science officer, a point of contention on the Internet, also shines through. "Parallax" offers a strong showing by Roxann Biggs-Dawson and Kate Mulgrew, especially in light of the technobabble they had to deal with, as well as a healthy dose of humor and sarcasm from Robert Picardo. The producers should be thankful for this, since the "scientific" explanations of time delayed reflections and effect proceeding cause in temporal mechanics was pretty incomprehensible, as was the fact that the captain *had* to pilot the shuttlecraft (after all, she only pressed a few panels and had a heart-to-heart with Torres). Lt. Carey seems to be a retread of O'Brien, but I like him nonetheless and would be interested in seeing him in a recurring role. Theater buffs should be pleased with the excellent lighting on the Voyager set, reminiscent of Next Gen's third season, and anyone listening closely to the background music will have picked up the "Best of Both Worlds" theme during the scene where Janeway and Torres were attempting to land the shuttlecraft and a bit of TNG's main theme at the end of the episode when Voyager goes into warp. Best Line: "So how long do I have to stay in here?" --Torres. "Rest of the trip. Seventy-five years." --Chakotay. I just wish Kes would get a new haircut. --Jen Gartner Sometimes, You Just Have To Punch A Hole In It. The second episode of any new show is usually the first real episode after the pilot. It's usually here that we begin to see whatever problems or outstanding qualities a new show will have. In television it is not true that "only the good die young." "Voyager" is not an exception in this regard. Going back to review it with the benefit of hindsight, I see a number of qualities that have set it apart from the Trek shows that preceded it. We start out with the pushiness of Kes and Neelix at the senior officer's staff meeting. Clearly, neither of them are going to be content with being excess baggage--an important insight into both their characters. Janeway shows in the staff meeting that she is an expert delegator and a no-nonsense captain, concerned with the opinions and expertise of her officers, but aware that hers is the final responsibility. Kes begins her interesting relationship with the holodoctor and proves, right from the start, that she possesses more sensitivity than Troi was able to bring to a largely token role on the jolly ship Enterprise. We are also given glimpses into the characters of Paris and Tuvok, Chakotay and Kim. No one character is developed at the expense of our knowledge of the rest of the crew. This is rare in a show in its second episode . Halfway through, when the staff is discussing the problem of the singularity, we find the beginning of the "Janeway is too smart" whine of the testosterone brigade. Janeway informs the crew that she is going to begin her own analysis of the situation and orders a staff meeting to follow. Interestingly enough, at the meeting she admits that she hasn't been able to arrive at a solution. In fact, it is Torres who finds the initial solution to the problem, but Janeway [who IS an ex-science officer] makes the chauvinistic mistake of actually being able to understand what Torres is talking about. This leads me to wonder just how stupid a captain needs to be before being acceptable to all those Kirkheads and Picard buffs out there... The small bit where Torres and Janeway both come to the same conclusion at the same time concerning "WARP PARTICLES!!" is cute and memorable, although speaking personally, it may be somewhat lost on those of us who have been "particled" to death by Mr. Okuda. Better is the same situation turned on its head, when they simultaneously come to opposite conclusions about which Voyager is the real ship. But all's well that ends well. The groundwork for tension between Chakotay's people and the crew is well-laid here, and Janeway's being dead wrong about his motivations is proof that she'll be just as human and fallible as any of her predecessors. Chakotay's quiet way of dealing with the situation and his ultimately being right, as well as Janeway's being able to admit she's wrong, tells you a lot about these two. But Kate's a tough old space jockey. I didn't miss the point at which she politely declines to say whether or not she could handle serving under Chakotay if the situation were reversed. It's an important difference between her and the first officer, an important difference between her and anyone on the ship: Janeway IS the captain. And she tells us all we really need to know about her, right at the end. "Sometimes, you just have to punch your way through." I agree with Tom Paris. "I'm going to have to remember that one." --Richard Hanson TIME AND AGAIN "We Have Discovered the Problem and it's Us." In this episode, we get yet another "particle" from Okuda. This time it's polaric ions, and boy, they can be nasty! But some nice moments occur along the way. Kes shows us what it might really be like to be empathic in a tender scene between Neelix and herself which showed a sensitivity to the role that Sirtis was never quite able to pull off in TNG. The holodoctor becomes more amusing and acerbic with each passing episode and leaves us wishing we could all have our own anal-retentive computer programs. The "voyage of the damned," comment is next on my list of most quotable quotes for Voyager. In the riot following Paris and Janeway's time-fracture trip back to the planet, Janeway gets conked by a guard wielding a 'space-club.' (sorry, couldn't resist). Here is where the "Janeway isn't tough enough to lead an away team" myth probably originates. Students of higher Star Trek Nitpicking will recognize this as a close relative of the "No Captain Should Lead an Away Team" argument which has its origins in Picard's fondness for the big Lazy Boy Recliner on the bridge of the Enterprise. The fact is that the immortal James Tiberius Kirk made a career out of being stunned, knocked dramatically to his knees, and tortured by invisible particle beams on a weekly basis. Janeway got hit and fell down, to be sure, but she also got up again and all this without "Bones" there to make the scab disappear and without immediately jumping up and making love to the nearest alien of the opposite sex. The way the events of the story and the efforts of the characters just seem to keep making things worse is an old time-travel story technique. That this represents the bulk of the story makes this episode the weakest yet offered. That it follows hard on the heels of a story based on the event-distorting effects of a black hole gives the unfortunate impression that "Voyager" might be turning into "Dr. Who meets Lost In Space." But this is also a story about the tradition of the Prime Directive. Every starship captain has had to deal with it, and here we are given an opportunity to see Janeway's interpretation of this, the most important of the Federations ideals. Janeway's lecture to Paris on temporal mechanics will undoubtedly add fuel to the young but growing Coalition for The Advancement of Brain-Impaired Starship Captains, but since most temporal concepts have become old-hat to the average SF fan, I am left more amazed at Paris' wide-eyed density than Kate's expertise. Janeway's showdown with the saboteurs took me all the way back to the fun days of Kirk's 'Cowboy Diplomacy.' The scene was as tense as it could get and Mulgrew portrayed more real fear at the outcome than most of her predecessors. When the planetary policeman tells the nosy child to go get himself a "confection bar" we run smack into one of the worst problems that beset space-operas of all kinds. Obviously, people on other planets will have different names for things like candy bars, but the writers usually fall prey to the temptation to use this as an opportunity to remind the viewer that he's now in the world of the future. In the good old days of "Rocky Jones: Space Ranger," we used to sit breathlessly through dialogue like this: "Winky! Get on the Space Phone and call Space Central. Tell them will be at the Space Port in fifteen Space Minutes." The conclusion is obvious. I don't expect a screen with moving pictures to be called 'television,' but I get a little upset when the Cretorians refer to it as 'the moving picture box.' A little imagination please. If I've got a real beef, it's those great-big timepieces the planet's citizens all seem to own. Have they no concern over bulging pockets? Have they never heard of slimline wristwatches? Can you imagine what their keychains look like? Warp technology or not, these people are not ready for the Federation.I shudder to think of what these people might do with a concept like a pocket pager! --Richard Hanson This episode won't be remembered as one of the greats. Fortunately, it won't be remembered as one of the worst either. It had a fairly engaging plot, and a surprising ending (for me, anyway, but I'm easily duped). Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much meaningful character development. Paris doesn't particularly like kids. No big shock. But then, Paris flies in front of a gun to save little kid. What a turnaround! Janeway doesn't want to leave Paris when he's shot. Big surprise. Kes is turning into Voyager's Counselor Troi. I think we all saw it coming. The question is, is it too late to stop it? Some of the acting on board the ship was wooden, especially the scene where Kim, Torres, Chakotay, and Tuvok were looking at the "time-wave displacement" on a viewscreen. Everyone seemed very uncomfortable with each other, which I suppose is realistic since Kim doesn't know the others well, and Tuvok's presence might make Chakotay and Torres uneasy, but it made everyone look stiff. What was surprising, character-wise, is the bond that Janeway and Kes appear to share. Kes could "feel" Janeway's presence, and vice versa. We could see a really nice friendship develop there. It's really just too bad that Kes can be so annoying, with her empathic weeping and her feel-good platitudes. But, as Janeway has pointed out, the ship does need (paraphrasing here) an annoying counselor-type, so it might as well be Kes! We did get to see Chakotay actually commanding. This episode is a lot more fun if you end all of Chakotay's lines with "Chiquita." (He's got a lot of them!) [I see SOMEONE's been indulging in a little too much "Eating Raoul"... ;)] --Kay Helgesen The third installment of "Voyager" deals with two traditional Trek topics--time travel and commentary on our own society--rather well for a new series. The dialogue between Harry and Tom in the teaser is nice, letting the audience know that Ensign Kim has a girlfriend back on Earth to whom he plans on remaining faithful. The subplot dealing with Kes's emerging mental abilities manages to avoid the melodrama associated with Counselor Troi and segues nicely into another amusing Doc Zimmerman scene. The writers continue the excellent character development for Janeway, allowing the captain to be a good mixture of strength, smarts, and compassion. Kate Mulgrew's delivery of the line "I am a hostage" was a pleasant surprise, showing that Janeway is more than simply a synthesis of Kirk and Picard, and her chemistry with the rest of the cast shines through in Janeway's discussions with Chakotay, Kes, Neelix, and Paris. "Time and Again" also receives the historic quadruple whammy award for being the first episode of "Voyager" to deal with time travel, social commentary, violations of the Prime Directive, and the "it never really happened" complex. All of these together make for a somewhat confusing episode technically speaking, but the acting once again pulls the show through its weak spots. The Polaric Test Ban Treaty of 2268 very nicely parallels our own Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963, and the commentary on the possible dangers of nuclear energy is not as heavy-handed as Trek usually gets. Unfortunately, like "Parallax," the idea of the Voyager crew being responsible for an explosion that took place before they had ever reached the planet is nearly incomprehensible. Finally, the episode does make very good use of future technology, showing us that communicators are capable of functioning through temporal distortions and bringing back the armbands last seen in "Timescape" (TNG) used to disperse the effects of temporal displacement. Best Line: "It seems I've found myself on the voyage of the damned." --Doc Zimmerman Wondering who choreographed the awful fight scene that made the Power Rangers look impressive... --Jen Gartner THE CLOUD From the giant amoeba in the original Star Trek's: 'The Immunity Syndrome' to the economy-sized intergalactic jellyfish on TNG's: 'Encounter at Farpoint,' Star Trek writers have always reveled in the idea of encountering super-large beings to hurl at Federation starships. In this week's episode, Voyager gets to encounter a nebula with an attitude while Janeway embarks on a quest for caffeine and animal guidance. By now, most of the main characters are starting to sparkle, and grim as the plot may be, we're treated to some of the best lines yet. Neelix speaks for many of us in a conversation with Kes on the inadvisability of flying into unknown dangers. Kes: "These people are natural-born explorers." Neelix: "These people are natural-born idiots! Here they have a ship that's the rival of anything in the quadrant and what do they say? Duh, let's see if we can't find some space anomoly that will rip it apart!" These are followed closely by Janeway's "There's coffee in that nebula," and Chakotay's: "B'Elanna's the only one I've ever known who tried to kill her animal guide." I even cast one small vote for Paris's referring to a 'fin' as being a Scandinavian unit of exchange. And speaking of animal guides--Chakotay shows up in Janeway's quarters with his 'medicine bag,' saying he's never shown it to anyone before. Several minutes later B'Elanna says Chakotay's tried to help HER find a spirit guide too. Never shown anyone your medicine bag before, eh Chakotay? I'll bet you say that to all the female officers. Kidding aside, Janeway's interest in finding an animal guide seemed more like an attempt to get to know Chakotay better as well as a bit of needed therapy than it did a major religious shift on her part. I see her as trying to find alternatives to help her crew get through a trying time, not as some ditzy bit of fluff jumping onto whatever new social gimmick that comes along. I live in constant dread that we will be getting overdosed on holodeck episodes, but this one was okay, and at least gave us a few funny moments with Janeway hustling at the end. "Oh right! Pool's the one with the pockets." Personally, my favorite scene was the conversation between Janeway and Neelix about "going back into the belly of that beast." Neelix: "You know, I didn't sign on this ship to be a veterinarian." Janeway: "And I thought you were a man of unlimited talents." Once again, Mulgrew shows us that a woman can be captain without being either catty or cloying. She is brisk and businesslike and it's clear that the thought of anyone getting in her way or disobeying her orders never enters her mind. The 'dismissed' line is my pick for best quote of the episode, "...that's a Starfleet expression for Get Out." I don't think "The Cloud" has any special message for us (with the possible exception of kindness to nebulae). It is above all, a ripping good adventure that leaves us wishing it had lasted longer. --Richard Hanson PHAGE Imagine what would happen if you were part of a civilization that had perfected the art of organ transplants. Imagine what would happen if that civilization were infected by a supervirus which resisted all attempts at a cure. Imagine what would happen if you learned that you could use the organs of other beings to slow the progress of the virus. What would you do? An interesting problem that provides the setting for this week's "Voyager." Unfortunately, the moral implications of the plot are only given a light treatment and most of the episode seems devoted to an excellent chase sequence and a 'Chicago Hope' style substory of Neelix's difficulties in dealing with a potentially intolerable existence in what looks an awful lot like an iron lung. There are some excellent bits for the holodoctor in this episode and some potentially classic lines. As he bends over to adjust one of the doodads on Neelix's hololung, he seems almost gleeful as he says: "Don't worry, Mr. Neelix. I'm not going to kiss you." Neelix's reply of: "I'll try to contain my disappointment" is almost as good. Later, in a tip of the hat to the original Trek, the holodoctor's "I'm a doctor, not an interior decorator," is worth the price of admission. We learn a few more things. We learn that Tuvok has served under Janeway for the last four years. We learn that Neelix has a bit of a jealous streak, and we learn that Janeway isn't always right. There's a great bit on the bridge where Kate tells Tuvok to lock phasers on the enemy ship and fire. Tuvok tells her that the walls will undoubtedly start a ricochet effect resulting in Voyager's getting hit by its own phaser. "All right," says Janeway. "We won't try that." I was very touched by the scene in which Neelix begins to hyperventilate, and our acidic holodoctor attempts to console him. The holodoctor's frustration is obvious, what is less obvious is that he actually cares. Behind the constant carping about crewmembers not remembering to turn his program off is a growing humanness that I'm beginning to find more interesting than any other aspect of the show. Kes's interactions with him are always poignant. Her kindness and her obvious awareness of him as a person are a catalyst, making him more human all the time. I was very impressed by Kate Mulgrew's acting in the scene with Daleth and Motara in the transporter room. Presented with an intolerable decision, whether to kill the Sodalitan using Neelix's lung or to let him go, it seemed to me that all the frustrations of her command suddenly hit her. In a word, she loses it. Mulgrew dances between horror and pity at the plight of these tortured people and the sternness of a judge. When she uses the words: "any further attempts....will be met with the deadliest of force!," I realized that Voyager couldn't have a better actress to play the part of captain. Pity and threats, no melodrama, no phoniness. It was one of those rare moments in the cinema where you feel you're right there. More could have been made of the moral implications of "Phage," but as a whole, the episode worked. At worst it was a good adventure, in the same mold as but far superior to "Spock's Brain." At best, it gave us something to consider. In the words of the holodoctor: "Thank you. You've given me much to think about." --Richard Hanson At last, an episode devoid of time travel! The fourth Voyager episode is filled with fascinating story arches, a rather original life-or-death situations, and our first look at a new alien ship since the Kazon Ogla in "Caretaker". Exceptional performances are given by Kate Mulgrew, Robert Picardo, Jennifer Lien, and Ethan Phillips as their characters attempt to deal with the havoc wreaked by the organ-harvesting aliens. The usual dose of humor is still supplied by the doctor and Neelix, but this time it is used as a means to break the tension. The main plot involving the harvesting of organs was very original, and raises some interesting moral dilemmas. The episode poses the question: Is it morally right to commit murder in order to save a life? According to a sympathetic yet outraged Captain Janeway, the answer is an emphatic no. There is a medical theme running throughout "Phage" touching on areas such as organ donations, disease parables (perhaps the unstoppable phage is the Delta Quadrant's version of AIDS), and the consequences of prolonging life (certainly I wasn't the only one to note that Neelix's medical restraint bore a striking resemblance to the iron lungs of the polio era). The continuing story lines in "Phage" include the search for energy sources, the conservation of replicator energy through the use of a galley, the possibility of Kes replacing Tom Paris as a field medic, and most interestingly, the realization by the doctor that he is more than just an emergency holographic medical program. The chemistry between Jennifer Lien and Robert Picardo is great fun to watch, and it will be interesting to see Neelix's reaction to Kes spending so much time with Doc Zimmerman. Technically speaking, "Phage" had some major breakthroughs. The use of flashlights worn on the arms is an excellent idea, freeing up the hands of the Voyager crew to accommodate phasers and tricorders. The idea of holographic lungs was almost unprecedented--kudos to the writers! The "hall of mirrors" effect was also very well done, as was the reflecting phaser fire and the style of the alien vessel. The only point of contention in the entire episode deals with the infectious nature of the phage--the transporters normally screen out disease, but since the advanced nature of the aliens' medical technology could not contain the phage, it is doubtful that the transporters would be of much use. I feel certain that the technical consultants will perform an intricate dance around this subject to explain why the crew of Voyager does not become infected. Best Lines: "I'm a doctor, Mr. Neelix, not a decorator." --Doc. "I have a little accident. I lose a pair of lungs..." --Neelix . Wondering why the aliens, who can change lung structure, cannot fix their faces... --Jen Gartner EYE OF THE NEEDLE In "Eye of the Needle" we get a further look into the makeup of Captain Janeway. Her excitement at the possibility of a way home through the worm hole is refreshing in a Starfleet captain and has not been seen since Captain Kirk's days of service. Both Captain Picard and Commander Sisko are leaders who keep their emotions in check. Captain Janeway's ability to let her emotions through when they are needed to help boost crew morale and to keep them under control when the crew needs her leadership skills and determination to continue pushing ahead as an example to follow prove her to be both strong and compassionate. The developing relationship between Captain Janeway and Chief Engineer Torres is one example of this captain's ability to lead by example without being emotionless. The developing relationship between Captain Janeway and Ensign Kim is another example. This captain is not afraid to get close to her crew and to show them that this is the case. She is not threatened by her emotional side in the way the Captain Picard was. The natural progression of bonding and the resultant growth of trust and beginnings of intimacy keep us coming back for more. Kate Mulgrew does a fantastic job of portraying these character strengths. Her ability to take the viewer with her through this broad range of emotions is almost overwhelming and left this viewer teary-eyed at the end of "Eye of the Needle". Mulgrew presents a commanding presence that is not to be taken lightly and holds its own with strong co-stars. "Eye of the Needle" effectively set the ground work for yet further character development and the establishment of close crew ties. I am sure the Mulgrew will only gain breadth and depth as the series continues. --Siobhan Wolf EX POST FACTO Ex Post Facto: The Adventures of Tuvok Holmes. And another major character receives a bit of development in the continuing excellence of Star Trek: Voyager. Tuvok comes off as the perfect embodiment of Vulcan stoicism and logic in this take off of Edgar Allen Poe's *The Purloined Letter.* The solution to the mystery is right before our eyes through the entire episode in the little hieroglyphics at the bottom of the black and white scene where Paris allegedly kills Dr. Wren. And, of course, we never see it. Lots of little hints get dropped along the way; some subtle like Neelix's referring to the Numeri as "a remarkably covert society," some not so subtle, such as the over-vamping of Wren's wife. But the whole plot is remarkably fair to all us would be detectives, and stands out as one of the few honest mystery stories Mssrs. Pillar & Co. have yet offered. The captain's showdown with the Numeri will come as a great treat to her fans and a big disappointment to those die-hards who fear (or hope) that Kate just doesn't have the command capabilities of a Kirk or a Picard or even (heaven help us) a Sisko. I for one, sat a little closer to the edge of my recliner, as Paris and Kim beamed out of the shuttle craft and Janeway suddenly rose in the darkness, her face, lovely and terrible, to confront the Numeri. Could there be a woman more born to command. The opening conversation between Kes and the doctor and Chakotay's "old trick" used to handle the Numeri attack vessels were an example of how Voyager has risen above a problem that has plagued all the other Star Treks and even the much touted Babylon 5. In all of these shows, the characters seem to take turns with development. The necessity of focusing on different characters on a weekly basis is obvious, but the problem has usually been that every other character just seems to disappear. If this week, it's a Data story, Geordi never shows up. On Voyager, things are being handled differently. With each passing story, we get to know a little bit more about everyone. The result is a growing feeling that these characters are part of us, our family. Janeway's concerns over her crew are fast becoming our concerns. Sure, there are still little problems. Maybe having a species with feathers instead of hair is fine, but Mrs. Wren? No, no. Not a problem. With a show this wonderful, I'll forgive a lot more than this. --Richard Hanson Well, there were good character bits. Tuvok finally got to do something, I really liked the repartee between Janeway and Chakotay re: battle strategies (the cavalier manner in which they refer to Maquis and Starfleet affiliations hints that they've resolved something---and that there was something to resolve...still hard to tell what they have figured for when they return...). Doc had some good lines (I loved it when he told Tuvok he knows more about mind melds than Tuvok does...that he's a sort of composite of a bunch of Vulcan doctors too...). Tom Paris suffered nicely. Janeway shows a fierce devotion to all her crew that I appreciate---in "Neelix's Lungs" [chortle] she fought for the guy even though she barely knew him. And, uh, that's about it. Foremost, the bad film noir femme fatale was really badly done, and so horribly sexist as a stereotype...I dislike it that Paris's rueful "words of wisdom" to Kim are validated by the plot. And that plot...sigh. Tim Russ valiantly makes his analysis sound like it should make sense, despite the number of holes in the plot (whole fleets of starships...) It bothered me that we weren't shown the scene---would've taken but a moment---in which Tuvok asked Paris's permission for the meld. (The last meld we saw was Spock's rape of Valeris, so I'm especially touchy on this point.) This isn't a fatal problem---it's easy enough to assume that it happened anyway (it isn't as though Tom is going to have any major objections or anything). But still. And then they have Paris be a "sentimental idiot" at the end. This is apparently, irritatingly, going to be a consistent part of his character. It's a weird way of including in the worst of Next Gen sappiness... at least Tuvok stayed appropriately proper and impersonal: in that sense, it was like a parody of a sappy Next Gen tag. I wish the scripts (and direction...and casting of non-regulars...) lived up to the fine acting of the regular actors and the imaginations of fans. Sigh. --Patricia Gillikin In "Ex Post Facto" we get to see Captain Janeway's ability to lead in a controversial situation. Kate Mulgrew does a great job portraying the balance between Janeway's obvious concern for her crew members Kim and Paris with her confidence and command authority when dealing with the Numiri and Benari leaders. We see here a deeper level to the depth of Mulgrew's ability to portray Janeway's fire and intensity. Janeway's ability to remain in charge and not allow her vulnerability to become a detriment to her crew shows us that we are dealing with a Starfleet captain first and a woman second. The use of parallels to TNG here cannot be missed. Captain Janeway is operating much more in the command style of Captain Picard in this episode. Tuvok's investigation of the incident is reminiscent of Data and his fascination with mystery and intrigue. It is good to see that Captain Janeway's range of command style varies as appropriate for the situation at hand. The interlude on the bridge between Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay is well timed and serves to break the tension that has built without drawing the viewer's attention too far away from the seriousness of the situation. We see Janeway's trust building in her First Officer but, at the same time, she establishes that she is in complete control of her ship. The flexing of Chakotay's Maquis muscles leaves us anxiously awaiting more demonstrations of his talents. We are also assured that the two highest ranking officers are a well matched pair. All in all, "Ex Post Facto" was an entertaining episode. It was successful in establishing depth of command and breadth in character of our illustrious Captain and leaves us secure in the knowledge that no matter what lies on the path between Voyager and Alpha Quadrant, Captain Janeway will rise to meet the challenge. --Siobhan Wolf [ABSENT GREAT KATE PHOTO] This is Kate, not Kathryn...we think (alternate universe Janeway? Now THERE's a thought). Every single photo in this newsletter came from a web site, and they're all copyright Paramount Pictures. (We had other photos of Kate from movies and some GIFs of Janeway from TV, but we couldn't get those clear enough to print. Clearly we need both our own web site and our own scanner! Help anyone? Right now for pictures try the web: http://voyager.paramount.com http://www.ftms.com/st-voy/Cast.html http://umbc8.umbc.edu/~mpanti1/kate/kate.html THE KATE MULGREW FILM FESTIVAL COLUMN Have you got any of Kate's movies/TV? Want to review them or let someone else do so? Send us your Kate tapes, we'll take good care of them and send you ours! "Love Spell" Clar Productions Ltd, 1979. Videocassette: Continental Video, 1985. Cast : Kate Mulgrew (Isolt), Richard Burton (King Mark), Nicholas Clay (Tristan), Cyril Cusack, Geraldine Fitzgerald. Written by Claire Labine/Music by Paddy Moloney. Summary: Tristan is shipwrecked on the Irish coast. He is nursed by a girl named Isolt. He keeps a few dark secrets from her (his true identity and the fact he killed Isolt's cousin in battle). Tristan and Isolt start to fall in love. Before revealing his feelings Tristan goes back home to Cornwall. Once home, Tristan is commissioned by his uncle King Mark to go and set up a peace treaty with the High King of Ireland. The treaty will be sealed by the marriage of Mark to the King's daughter. Tristan finds out Isolt has kept a few secrets of her own ; she is the lady in question. On ship to Cornwall, Isolt takes matters into her own hands and fixes up a love potion for herself and Tristan. King Mark may ignore the affair out of affection for Tristan and Isolt, but the courtiers cannot. If this sound familiar, so much the better. The movie is retelling of the Tristan and Isolt legend. If like me, you are sometimes in need of a Arthurian or Celtic fix, this is your movie. The plot is a faithful retelling of the legend not watered down or abridged. I found Clay slightly miscast--a bit weak compared to Burton and Mulgrew. Well, epic legends can be an acquired taste. --Caroline Christian This is her filmography from the film archives on the web: Star Trek: Voyager (1995) 1995-???? [Kathryn Janeway] Camp Nowhere (1994) 1994 [Rachel Prescott] For Love and Glory (1993) (TV) 1993 [Antonia Doyle] Round Numbers (1992) 1992 [Judith Schweitzer] "Man of the People" (1991) 1991-???? [Lisbeth Chardin] Danielle Steel's 'Daddy' (1991) (TV) 1991 [Sarah Watson] Fatal Friendship (1991) (TV)[Sue Bradley] Heartbeat (1988) 1988-1989 (TV) [Dr. Joanne Springsteen Roots: The Gift (1988) (TV)[Hattie] Roses Are for the Rich (1987) (TV) [Kendall Murphy] Throw Momma from the Train (1987)[Margaret] Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985) [Fleming] Stranger Is Watching, A (1982) [Sharon Martin] Manions of America, The (1981) (mini) [Rachel Clement] Time for Miracles, A (1980) (TV) Kate Loves a Mystery (1979) Jennifer: A Woman's Story (1979) (TV)[Joan Russell] Love Spell (1979) Word, The (1978) (mini) [Tony Nicholson] Ryan's Hope (1975) 1975-1989 OUR WISH LIST We know: we make an awful lot of demands on people. But look at it this way: the more you do, the better we are! So, here's what we'd like to see in the next newsletter: volunteers, you know where we are, and if you tell your friends, your family, and people you meet on the street, just think what we can accomplish! 1. We need a club librarian. This person would be responsible for keeping and distributing the Kate Mulgrew film collection, meaning that people send you postage and you get the tapes in the mail. You also might be responsible for the Kate Mulgrew photo collection and eventually our entire "Star Trek" magazine collection; again, people tell you what they want to see, and you send it. Electronic access would be highly desirable/ 2. We need someone to archive fan fiction for all of our enjoyment. 3. We need someone to be the Official Kate Mulgrew Archivist. Go to the library, get on Lexis/Nexis, find every review of every performance she ever gave, find those old Soap Opera Digests, track down her elusive agent and get an accurate copy of her resume...and make this available to all of us? 4. We need a roving con reporter. Your primary responsibility would be to keep a running list of upcoming cons and who's going to be at them. You don't have to GO to every con; you just have to be in charge of getting reports out of everyone who did, making audiocassettes available, and transcribing the good ones. Plus you could keep a con photo file of and for members! 5. Apparently we are going to have a crossword puzzle in the next newsletter; anyone want to do a comic strip? 6. We need someone to take responsibility for the column below: WE ARE FAMILY Other "Star Trek" fan clubs we think you should know about; send SASE for information: ENVY Nana Visitor/Kira Fan Club c/o Kimberley Junius 1451 W. Springfield Street, Apt. D Upland, CA 91786-2951 OASIS Official Armin Shimerman/Quark Fan Club c/o Kathy Bayne 26 Dogwood Street Jersey City, NJ 07305 TREK COMEDY! FINALLY! We almost died when the doctor said he wasn't a decorator: our prayers had come true and we knew McCoy's sense of humor had been programmed into him somewhere! The doc has had some fantastic lines--his descriptions of being ignored, getting turned off, and needing better programming have been priceless--but almost everyone on the show has provided a good laugh somewhere: 1. Janeway: "There's coffee in that nebula!" 2. Doc: "A hologram that programs itself! Now what would I do with such a power? Create a family? Raise an army!" 3. Alien in "Phage": "You're not here." Doc: "Believe me, I wish I weren't." 4. Kes: "These people are natural born explorers." Neelix: "These people are natural born idiots!" 5. Paris: "You're right...we are demons. We eat children, and I haven't had my supper!" 6. Torres: "Paris, did you program this guy? He's a pig, and so are you." VOYAGER VOYEURS: INNUENDO ALERT! Dirty minds think alike, so this column was culled from at least a dozen individual reports. Every one took note of the many times Janeway put her hand on Tom Paris' shoulder (c'mon, kids, she served under his father...turn your warped perspectives to that!) Unforgettable moments: 1. Tom and Harry on the way to the holodeck the first time, beginning with the blindfold scene (did someone forget the handcuffs?) and Tom telling Harry he learned to break into bedrooms in prison (and what else did you learn in jail, Tommy?) Then that discussion of Harry's memory of being in his mother's womb, and Tom's reaction... 2. Kes: "I think she's wonderful. If I were the captain I'd open every crack in the universe and peer inside." 3. Kim: "How long should I keep it up, Captain?" Janeway: "Until I say otherwise!" 4. Tuvok's threats to produce a psychological profile on Janeway based on how darn well he knows her. Hmmm, and about that mindmeld business... But Janeway and Chakotay win the Innuendo Award, largely because of Robert Beltran and The Grin: 5. Although it's arguable that all the back-and-forth good-job smiles in "Parallax" should count, we'll start off with the undoubtedly unintentional but delicious double entendre from the end of the episode while J and C are walking around Voyager like proud parents. C says (with The Grin), "If things had been different and you had to come aboard my ship, would you have served under me?" J wisely refuses to answer--she pulls rank. [Meanwhile, we've already received some, ummm, interesting speculation as to how he'd serve under, over, behind, below, and on top of her...] 6. That breakfast discussion in "Phage" about all the rich, sensual foods J wishes she could have ("eggs benedict... asparagus... strawberries and cream") which C listens to with The Grin while she's not looking; of course when she invites him into her private dining room, he quickly does the "I've already had my vacuum-packed oatmeal" routine. 7. Every word of the first Bridge scene in "The Cloud," from "We talk to animals" (delivered with The Grin, it's hard to tell whether this is an important tribal custom or pickup line) through "Let me guess...your animal guide is a bear" (wasn't J's dog named Bear in the novelization of "Caretaker"?), until J says, "You've got a date!" (you can see The Grin at that even though the shot's of the back of C's head). Then there's the entire sequence in the Ready Room from "I've never shown this to anyone before" through the substitute drugs, right until B'Elanna breaks up the vision questing. But the immortal line from this episode is "Commander Chakotay...your stick..." 8. That throwaway exchange in "Ex Post Facto" about old Maquis tactics, in which J repeatedly belittles C even as he's saving the ship, ending with her putting her arm around him in begrudging appreciation of his tricks and him grinning, "I have more..." Yes, we do have the maturity of ten-year-olds. Our heartfelt thanks go to the members of the Robert Beltran Lust Society--contact rblleader@aol.com if you want to know more--for their assistance in this column. Siobhan--just say "I get it!" Karen-- it's all your fault. Janis--FIERY CHAKOTAY! Anyone who gets us photos of Kate at Grand Slam gets our undying gratitude and our entire sequence of Janeway-in-nightgown GIFs from "Eye of the Needle" in recompense... _________________________ RED ALERT! FIRE PHASERS! Have you noticed that this newsletter is aesthetically impaired? That we need artists, cartoonists, movie stills, grainy photos of Kate Mulgrew in high school? Well, you can HELP! Offer us your artistic talents, or the use of your scanner, laser printer, and desktop publishing software. Better yet, offer to assist with layout! _________________________ KATEWATCH DeAnn G. Rossetti has actually been in the same room as Kate Mulgrew...which is more than most of us can say. In fact, they went to the same college. One of the advantages of this is that DeAnn could call the nuns at Clarke to find out Kate's birthday from the alumni records, thus convincing me that Kate really is a Taurus and not a Leo like I'd expected--NOT that we take astrology seriously, Captain Janeway! Here's how DeAnn saw Kate. We the editors would like to remind you the readers that WE don't KNOW whether the Richard Burton story is true! Encounter with Kate by D.G. Rossetti Clarke College is a private liberal arts college in Dubuque, Iowa, a nifty Irish-catholic town that is on the end of the eastern 'hump' of the state, and therefore borders Illinois and Wisconsin (good beer, good shopping and good pizza were only a bridge away, in other words) with only the mighty Mississippi between them. It was founded in 1834 by 6 nuns and a priest who came over on a boat from Ireland. The buildings of Clarke are named after them. Until the year I entered Clarke, it was an all-women's college. They wanted to gain enrollment, so they opened enrollment up to guys under serious protest from the nuns and the students. My first year we had four male students; the rest of the college consisted of 800 women, 75 nuns and 3 male staff professors, all of whom had beards, and one of whom became a famous SF author, George R.R. Martin (who wrote the "Beauty and the Beast" TV series). I went to Clarke as a nursing major but became one of 12 Drama Department students within 6 months of my freshman year. The theater department at Clarke is an anomaly. Sr. Carol Blitgen, Ph.D., can drink any undergraduate under the table, and remain brilliant and insightful the whole time. She and the other instructors delighted in doing strong and controversial theater pieces, often shocking the general Clarke population as well as the nuns. The "Drama/Speech" Department, as it was referred to, won (and continues to win) American College Theater awards for everything from scenic and costume design to acting and direction. (All theater majors are required to build props, learn to run the sound & lights, and all within a budget) It helped that there was no athletic department while I was at Clarke, and we had some semi-famous drama alumni who would come back to give private talks to the current theater majors about 'the biz' and what to expect in the "real world." I actually didn't know who Kate Mulgrew was until Sr. Carol mentioned her in class, and told us what she had been doing since she left Clarke. She recounted how Kate, visiting after she'd gotten the role on "Ryan's Hope," dressed in a flowing cocktail dress and a veiled hat with a big brim, wearing sunglasses and sporting an 'aristocrat's lockjaw' accent, swept into her office and said, "Carol dahling, you have no idea of the layers of sh*t that have rolled off of me since I left here!" To which Carol responded, "Could've fooled me!" Actually, Carol is quite fond of Kate, and told us she'd done "Mrs. Columbo" (which led to a spate of late-night re-run watching), and a mini-series. Not more than a week later, Kate arrived with little or no hoopla, (Iowans don't do hoopla too well--we figure everyone's just a neighbor, only some dress better!) and immediately went to the newly-refinished art gallery that was having an opening of two local artists' works. One of the artists was a guy who created visual puns. He had a brown sack on a pedestal with Saint cards, rosaries and a big plastic cross with a fully agonized and bleeding Jesus on it, and the caption beneath this read "Sackreligious." I saw Kate, who I thought looked so tall and big-boned on TV as Mrs. Columbo, looking at a wall-plaque with a fish and small black bulges coming out of it, called "Bass Relief" (subtitled "dirty filthy little bass turds"). She was smiling beneath her hand, doing her best to look as if she were contemplating it instead of trying not to laugh out loud. As I got closer to her, I thought "My God, She's TINY!" I'm only 5'5", but I felt like Godzilla approaching Bambi. And as I came up next to her, my typical bravery in the face of strangers fell on its face, and I just stood there, trying to think of what to say that didn't sound totally stupid. She was wearing her hair in a bun and she had on a cream silk blouse and a dark brownish pair of slacks, and heels. She has a sprinkle of freckles across her nose, and flawless skin, and I'd bet she's not taller than 5'2", probably weighing all of 98 pounds. Her eyes are that pretty blue color that babies' eyes are. Her hair was a brownish-red, the kid that gets bright auburn or strawberry-red in the summer. As I was standing there, thinking of asking her what the name of her perfume was (I know, but I was really at a loss) she said, without turning, "It's amazing what people will do when they have too much time on their hands." She stifled a chortle, and moved to the next room. I bounced into the cafeteria, which is right next to the art gallery and ran to tell my friends that I just spoken to Kate Mulgrew! That Friday, we had a chance to sit in the lounge area of Mary Josita Hall and chat with her in person, and, again as usual, I was late, and rushed into the lounge, interrupting Kate as she was recounting what shows she had been in. She was wearing a purple knit outfit, and she had her hair down, sitting on the coziest sofa in the lounge, which was not used too often unless a female student had a male visitor. She was talking about the day she got the part on "Ryan's Hope," she was whisked away in a limo to the set, and that she got her SAG and AFTRA cards the same day, which is a rarity, I guess. She then told us about "Mrs. Columbo," and how she found the whole premise to be ridiculous--"How many times can he call me and tell me he's going to be late?"--because by the time she did her show, Peter Falk was sick of being Columbo, and wanted nothing to do with the series. She told us about auditioning for a role in a holocaust movie or mini-series that Rachel Ward got instead of her, and how she rolled her eyes when they told her that she didn't look "Jewish enough" and she replied, "Of course, Rachel Ward is just the essence of Judaism." She'd also auditioned for a video with David Bowie, and said he was everything you'd think a rock star would be. She said it was the oddest experience she had ever had, that she was in one room of his suite with the 'suits' who had 'girls' all over them, and the room was filled with smoke and liquor bottles, and they asked her all sorts of odd questions until she heard giggling and turned around to see Bowie coming out of the bedroom, naked, with a naked woman. She noted that they both had weird colors in their hair and party streamers coming off of them, and that she was glad to leave. She then told us about "Manions of America" and how she was thrilled at the chance to work with the director and with Richard Burton, who was old and ill from drink by then, but whom she said put in some stunning performances. He allegedly said to Kate, "Oh, monkey-face, let's run off to the islands and make love on the beach forever" in that staunch British accent of his. He'd already tried this on her mother, who had come to visit Kate on the set and who wisely rebuffed him with humor, as she was used to "men who get drunk too often and say too much." Kate said her next task was to have a baby with her husband and move with him to Seattle, where they were going to "reform" the Seattle Rep. We were all impressed, as Seattle sounded so far away and exotic compared to Iowa. I was fascinated and a little horrified by her tales of Tinsel town, but I knew that most of us were probably never going to make it that far, and for those that might, I asked, "What do you recommend for those of us who want to be professional actors, directors or writers...what can we do now that might give us an edge later?" She replied, "READ. Read everything you can get your hands on. Not just plays, mind you, but real literature, real art, and good poetry. Get to the nerves of the writing, and think about how the author made it to touch you, or thrill you or make you angry. THINK, self-actualize, and you will have the edge of understanding. Being educated is good, but understanding the human condition is better." She also advocated a renaissance-like apprentice system that she wanted to try in Seattle (I have no idea if she ever did), and she spoke of the importance of raising children with the arts. "Hopefully," she said as she grabbed her abdomen, "this little guy will be raised on the floorboards himself." It was an intimate and informal setting, and I really enjoyed listening to her, but was thrilled to death to hear her advocate reading, as I am a notorious bookworm. Her voice, by the way, was low, husky and rather Bacall-esqe, as I remember it, with only the Hepburn-heights we hear on TV coming out when she was excited. She stayed at Clarke for several days and came to watch rehearsals for the drama department children's production, which I was assistant directing. She was always warm, open, honest and looked you right in the eye when she spoke to you. You know, I wanted to see her and Columbo together...'cause she was so smart, and so clean, and so clever, and so quick, I wanted to know what SHE saw in HIM! --L. Morgan KATHRYN JANEWAY, FEMINIST HEROINE There was a flurry of discussion on this topic right after "TV Guide" came out with the line, "Let's get one thing straight: Kate Mulgrew is not a feminist." [Please note that Mulgrew was never actually QUOTED as saying this; we don't have any way of knowing what question she was responding to when the writer drew this conclusion, or exactly what she did say, and everything else I've ever heard her say about gender belies the statement.] But that's not really the issue anyway, is it? The big question is, is Janeway a feminist...and is it even possible to use that loaded term to discuss a 24th century woman? FROM CAPTAIN TO KATHRYN & BACK AGAIN by Janet E. Coleman You have to admire Janeway. She's tough--boy, is she tough! She doesn't even take any guff from the comic relief!--but she's all woman. It's as if Kate Mulgrew plays a double role. She has a nearly magical ability to shift between a forceful, strident, *tough* starship Captain and the lonely, lovely Kathryn Janeway, worried over her crew and yet forever separated from them by the invisible barrier of command. She can threaten Numiri with steely gaze and deadly tone like a mama panther whose cubs are in jeopardy; and she can appeal to a Romulan's love for his family, her own eyes glistening with unshed tears. But these changes are effortless and fluid, naturally coexisting. Not *two* roles, but a *double* one. They're all lost in space, but she's more alienated than any of her brood in this strange quadrant. The others can form new friendships and enmities amongst themselves, but Janeway doesn't have that freedom. She can shoot a mean game of pool, but she is doubtless aware the whole time that none of her crewmates can relax while she's on the holodeck with them. Her very hairstyle seems to be in on the act--it's perfect for this character. When she's in uniform, and her hair is drawn back in a severe, functional knot, she's very nearly masculine. Her movements are dynamic and rapid; she strides *at* things, and we've seen how she likes to stand *very* close to others when she speaks to them, invading their personal space, effectively forcing them to notice her, answer her, take her *very* seriously. Yet, when she lets her hair down...she *lets her hair down*. Wham!! She looks like a different woman. Her features seem softer, her energy more diffused throughout her body rather than practically leaping from her hands and eyes as it does on the Bridge. (And let us not forget her excellent taste in sleepwear - it seems the prerogative of starship Captains to have the coolest pj's on the ship!) It's been argued in certain nooks and crannies on the Internet that female Voyager fans admire Janeway simply because she is a woman. I had to consider this argument very seriously--I am, indeed, *very* pleased intellectually to see a woman Captain--before ultimately rejecting it. Would I still be on the cheering squad for a character I couldn't personally like? No. I genuinely respect and enjoy the character of Captain Janeway, with her knack of morphing between traditionally "masculine" and classically "feminine" traits, her dry wit, her tolerance for new ideas, her longing for coffee, her love for her dog, her determination to keep her promise to get her people home. She is more a *real woman* than literally *any* fictional character I could name. Real women *do* have to walk that line in order to compete, especially, of course, in high-profile, high-responsibility jobs. It's reassuring to have a glimpse of a future in which it's not only possible, but *normal*, to be a Captain and a woman simultaneously. That's what "Star Trek" has always been about - -to boldly show us where we can go--that we as a unified species will be all right after all. CAPTAIN JANEWAY, ROLE MODEL by P. Castillo After watching "Voyager" with my four-and-a-half year old daughter, I asked her whom she liked better, Captain Janeway or Captain Picard. Without much thought, she replied Captain Janeway. When I asked why, she told me because Captain Janeway had a newer space ship. In any event, my daughter's pick of Captain Janeway made me happy because Kate Mulgrew is one of the few strong female lead characters on television. Historically there has been a lack of strong female role models on television, especially in science fiction. I am concerned about the lack of female role models because of the power of television. Based on what she sees on television, my daughter can tell me that her favorite cereal is part of a balanced breakfast and what new toy Disney has out. The power of television scares me as too often television portrays women as subordinate to men. Television would prefer women to be seen solely as a sex object, rather than a leader of some company. I worry that my daughter may not view herself as capable of being able to achieve any position that she wants based on the television portrayal of women. Captain Janeway is refreshing since she is in control of a powerful starship and no one questions the fact that a woman can command such power. The show assumes that she got the job because of her skills. What is bothersome are the many posts that I read on the Star Trek news group that criticize Captain Janeway solely on her sex. For whatever reason, these persons view her as a threat to their masculinity. These posters fail to realize that the vision of Star Trek is the fact that people are judged for the abilities and not their sex or race. The fact that Janeway is the captain is because of her abilities. I know that Paramount wanted a female captain for this series. However, why should anyone doubt that in the 24th century that a woman could be a captain? Watching "Voyager" gives my daughter a person to model herself after. A woman who is control and has power. A woman whom others look to for support. A woman who is confident. Captain Janeway has the skills that I want my daughter to have so she can succeed when she grows up. The power of television is its ability to entertain as well as to teach. Many scientists and astronauts of today trace their interest in field to "Star Trek." So long as Kate Mulgrew stays true to the role that the writers of "Voyager" have given her, women 20 years from now will say in interviews that their role model from television was Captain Janeway. JANEWAY VS. RIPLEY: CLASH OF THE SCI FI HEROINES by Atara Stein Is "Star Trek: Voyager"'s Kathryn Janeway a feminist heroine? Most emphatically, yes! Since this issue has been much discussed lately, ranging from impassioned newsgroup debate on the Internet, to the now-notorious "TV Guide" statement, "Let's get one thing straight up front: Kate Mugrew is not a feminist," I've decided to take a different approach and compare her to my own personal favorite SF heroine, Ellen Ripley of the "Alien" films. Ripley and Janeway are both competent, assertive, confident natural leaders; both wield authority with flair, and neither will take any crap from anyone. Both are motivated by a powerful ethical sense; they will do what's right regardless of the "rules" or the consequences to themselves. Yet their differences far outweigh their similarities. I have to admit that Ripley is a delightful heroine to watch: Sigourney Weaver is gorgeous and sexy, and Ripley is courageous, scathingly sarcastic, aggressive, and fiercely determined. Watching her wield a flamethrower takes my breath away. What she is not, however, is a feminist role model. The chief and most important distinction between Ripley and Janeway, and the element that makes Janeway one of the very few genuinely feminist heroines around is that Janeway is not a stereotypically male and macho action-adventure or SF hero in drag. Ripley is. For all of the apparent innovation of making the "hero" of Ridley Scott's "Alien" (1979) a woman, the part was originally written for a man. Ripley's character in the three films of the series, which include "Aliens" (1986), directed by James Cameron, and "Alien3" (1992), directed by David Fincher, is deceptively feminist. The films appear to make a feminist statement by having the "hero" be a woman, but Ripley hardly serves as a feminist role model. Although the filmmakers' try to balance her "masculine" aggressiveness by playing up her nurturing side in "Aliens," Ripley ultimately demonstrates that the roles of warrior and mother are utterly incompatible. She informally adopts the orphaned Newt, a young girl whose parents were killed by the aliens. Although Ripley saves Newt's life, she twice inadvertently exposes her to danger, once when the Company representative Burke locks them in the lab with an alien larva, while Ripley is cuddling Newt, and the second time, when Ripley is battling the queen alien on her ship, opens an airlock, and almost sends Newt flying off into space along with the alien. She is saved at the last moment by the dismembered android Bishop. "Alien3" opens with the information that Newt has died in transit; Ripley's efforts at parenting were ultimately in vain. In fact Ripley seems to have an inadvertently deadly touch. Almost immediately after she goes to bed with Clemons in "Alien3," he is killed. Ripley is not going to be allowed to sustain any romantic or familial relationships; she's not the first woman who cannot balance a career and a personal life! Ripley's creators place her in situations in which she is forced to fluctuate between a stereotypically masculine macho toughness and a stereotypically feminine vulnerability. Either way her gender is always an issue; it is never taken for granted. In "Alien," Ripley is attacked by the android Ash, in a symbolic rape, as he tries to drive a rolled up girlie magazine down her throat. Both "Alien" and "Aliens" conclude with Ripley in a vulnerable state, in her underwear, about to enter hypersleep; in "Aliens" this hypersleep allows Newt to be killed and Ripley to be infected by the alien. In the second and third movie, Ripley is surrounded by hypermasculine men who cannot ignore her gender. One of the marines in "Aliens" asks the macho Vasquez, "Hey Vasquez, have you ever been mistaken for a man?" Her reply: "No, have you?" "Alien3" strands Ripley on a prison colony planet, a "Double Y Chromosome Work-Correctional Facility" inhabited by extremely aggressive male inmates who haven't seen a woman in years. Disparaging his men for cowardice, Dillon calls them, of course, "pussies." This is hardly an environment where gender can be irrelevant. Dillon tells Ripley, "You don't want to know me, lady. I'm a murderer and rapist of women," and Ripley coolly replies, "Well, I guess I must make you nervous." I guess she does, because she is later the victim of an attempted gang rape. The most devastating way the film's creators reinforce Ripley's female vulnerability, however, is her forced impregnation with an alien larva. She has been emotionally and physically raped, and she wearily tells the male alien, "I'm part of the family. You've been in my life so long, I can't remember anything else." Her only recourse is suicide; interestingly, as she plunges into a vat of molten lead, her arms outstretched in a Christlike pose (yes, this movie is subtle!), the alien larva begins to burst out of her chest, and Ripley actually caresses it with her hands before their simultaneous death. She truly is part of the family. Like it or not, she accepts the alien as her "child." In each film, Ripley is forced to adopt a leadership role, as other potential leaders are proven inept, or corrupt, or are killed. In each case, she has to prove herself, specifically because of her gender. In order to gain the respect of those she must lead, she has to demonstrate herself to be as tough, unfeeling, and stereotypically macho as they are. She gets her away with sarcasm, profanity, and violence. In the meeting with Company representatives in "Aliens," she snaps, "Did IQ's just drop sharply while I was away?" When one of the marines begins to panic during an alien attack, Ripley unsympathetically snaps, "Hudson, just deal with it. I'm sick of dealing with your bullshit." When she realizes that Burke is responsible for the deaths of the colonists, deliberately exposing them to the aliens, Ripley attacks him, yelling, "Well, I'm going to make sure they nail you right to the wall for this. You're not going to sleaze your way out of this one. Right to the wall!" At this point she matches actions to words, hurling him against the wall. Discovering that no weapons are available on the planet in "Alien3," Ripley comments "Then we're fucked." Trying to fashion some, she asks "Do we have the capacity to make fire? Most humans have enjoyed that privilege since the Stone Age." She calls the borderline retarded "85" (so nicknamed for his IQ) a "stupid little shit," and when Dillon won't comply with her request to kill her, she labels him a "fucking coward." "Alien" and "Alien3" further reinforce the ever-present awareness of Ripley's gender by having her undergo symbolic gender transformations. A lengthy scene in "Aliens" shows Ripley riding in an elevator, systematically arming herself with weapons, and strapping on ammunition belts. By the conclusion of the scene, she has become Arnold Schwarzenegger in drag (James Cameron directed both "Terminator" movies as well as "Aliens"). Wielding a flamethrower with all the panache and callousness of a macho action-adventure hero, Ripley wastes an entire nestful of alien eggs, actually pausing in her rescue of Newt to do so. In her final combat with the queen alien, Ripley must not only defeminize but dehumanize herself, climbing into the robotic-appearing loader, which transforms her essentially into a machine. "Alien3" similarly defeminizes Ripley's appearance (of course, the fact that Weaver is so stunningly gorgeous allows them to get away with it); her head is shaved, and she is wearing men's clothes. By continuously making Ripley's gender an issue, either by symbolically transforming her into a male or by emphasizing her particularly femininine vulnerabilities to rape and forced impregnation, the filmmakers make stepping outside of traditional gender roles for women a very unattractive prospect. The message is clear: Don't try this at home; if you do, you are, as Ripley would have it, fucked (in more ways than one). I am not at all denigrating Ripley's heroism. She is a hero in precisely the way Arnold Schwarzenegger is a hero in, say, "Terminator 2." Both the Terminator and Ripley battle a more powerful enemy, both have to combat corrupt institutional authority, both die heroically, and both symbolically adopt children--it is made very clear in "T2" that the Terminator is a better parent to John Connor than his own mother (another macho heroine) is! Much as I love all three "Alien" movies, and much as I adore Sigourney Weaver, an Ahhhnold clone does not a feminist heroine make. "Voyager"'s Janeway is an ideal feminist heroine and role model precisely because her gender is not an issue. No one questions her authority on the basis of her gender. Nor is she a Kirk or Picard in drag. She is competent, in command, assertive, firm, and, when need be, aggressive, without having to transform herself into an exaggerated simulation of a hypermasculine male. Janeway does not need to prove herself as Ripley does. While her officers make suggestions, her commands are never questioned. The fact that her gender is such a non-issue allows Janeway to wield power in a relaxed fashion and with a warm humor. She tells Ensign Kim, in the series premiere, "The Caretaker," "At ease, before you sprain something." In "The Cloud," when Neelix suggests it wouldn't be a good idea to use her replicator ration for coffee, Janeway says, "I beg your pardon," in a deadly whisper but later accepts his advice. Later, busy and getting tired of Neelix's pestering, Janeway says "Dismissed." When Neelix does not immediately comply, she says quietly, without losing her temper, "That's a Starfleet expression for get out." When Chakotay suggests a Maquis maneuver when the ship is under attack in "Ex Post Facto," Janeway allows him to implement his suggestion. She then goes up to him, remarking casually, "Not to belittle Maquis tactics, Commander,but this is a very old trick." He responds defensively, "It worked against those Starfleet runabouts," and Janeway replies, "You're lucky I wasn't commanding one of them!" She asserts her authority and puts Chakotay in his place coolly and with a light touch, and moments later, she warmly puts her hand on his shoulder as a means to congratulate him for a job well-done, while remarking, "That's one trick you won't be able to use again when we get back." That hand on the shoulder seems to be evolving as Janeway's characteristic gesture. Unlike Picard's trademark tug on the front of his uniform, a gesture that seemed to emphasize his authority, control, and distance, Janeway's hand on the shoulder during a difficult maneuver or as a means of quiet praise draws her closer to her crew. Mulgrew endows Janeway with an impressive emotional range. When she needs to, she projects a steely and decisive determination. She asks the Kazon commander in "The Caretaker," "Can we discuss this like two civilized . . ." When the Kazon power up their weapons, Janeway mutters fiercely, "I guess we can't" and immediately starts barking out attack maneuvers. In almost every episode, she is forced to make a serious decision and does so firmly and assuredly. It's not that she doesn't have doubts or fears, but once she makes up her mind, she follows through unhestitatingly, confident that her crew will comply. In "The Caretaker," Mulgrew shows Janeway's struggle with her decision to destroy the array and her ship's chance to get home along with it, but once she has made up her mind, she doesn't hesitate. Although Janeway readily uses force when necessary, she successfully employs other methods to get her way. In "Phage," Janeway reveals her "great sympathy" with the plight of the organ-stealing alien race afflicted with a deadly illness. Mulgrew conveys an entire spectrum of emotion in her speech: "I can't begin to understand what your people have gone through. They may have found a way to ignore the moral implications of what you're doing, but I have no such luxury. I don't have the freedom to kill you to save another. . .So I see no other alternative . . . but to let you go. Take a message to your people: If I ever encounter your kind again, I will do whatever is necessary to protect my people from this harvesting of yours. Any aggressive actions against this ship or its crew will be met by the deadliest force. Is that clear?" As the speech progresses Janeway displays deep sympathy, intense frustration, anger, and finally a fiercely deadly earnestness. Yet it is that apparent sympathy that convinces one of the aliens to use his medical knowledge to repair the damage he has done to Neelix. In "Eye of the Needle," Janeway goes where neither Kirk nor Picard has ever gone before. Needing a favor from the Romulan commander, hoping for his help in getting messages back to her crew's friends and families, Janeway appeals directly to his own sense of family. She actually gets a Romulan commander to acknowledge that the price of his mission may be too high in that it has taken him away from a baby daughter he has never seen. Now that is a feminist statement, but it's presented in a way that simultaneously subtly points to and minimizes the gender issues involved. A male Starfleet Captain would never start asking an enemy commander about his family, but concern for one's family is shown *not* to be merely a woman's issue. It is a human issue, and on that basis the Romulan Commander agrees to help his "enemies." My favorite Janeway scene so far takes place in the French tavern Paris has programmed into the holodeck ("The Cloud"). Janeway plays with two stereotypes on the part of her crew: one is that the Captain is somehow not really human and not capable of having fun, and the other is that a "good" woman would not know her way around a pool table. Janeway teaches her crew a lesson, but it's with her usual humorous touch. When Paris hurriedly intervenes between Janeway and the holographic gigolo who is making a pass at her, Janeway retorts, "You would have changed it, and I would have missed all the fun." With a feigned ignorance Janeway then asks, "Is this pool or billiards?" Paris responds dubiously, "Ah . . . pool," and Janeway says brightly "Right! Pool's the one with the pockets!" Carrying her pretended lack of knowledge further, Janeway asks Chakotay for his "stick," then blows all her crew away with a masterful display of pool-playing. Janeway breaks, numerous balls roll obediently into pockets, and she declares, with a demonic glint in her eye, "Solids!" Showing off even further, she calls, "Eight-ball into the side pocket," making her shot while conspicuously not looking at the pool table. The scene is obviously cliched, a fact the writers draw attention to by having the holographic tavern owner remark, "I saw that coming a mile away," but what distinguishes it is the gusto with which Mulgrew performs this role. Janeway is clearly having fun putting one over on her crewmembers, and Mulgrew is clearly having fun playing the part. The scene is not simply gratuitous though; Janeway has concluded that she must break down some of the distance between herself and her crew in a way Picard never does until TNG's series finale, when he finally sits down for a game of poker with his officers. Humankind had to be on the verge of extinction before he realized that he could relax and hang out with crew without undermining his authority. Although "The Cloud" opens with a moving personal log in which Janeway worries that she has to rise above her own concerns and be "larger-than-life" to her crew, she concludes the episode by reinforcing her connections to them rather than isolating herself. Janeway is a feminist hero precisely in that she is female (she wears lipstick on duty and fairly revealing nightgowns off duty), but her gender is never an issue. It is simply a given on this series that gender has no bearing on what a person can or can't do. Torres gets the Chief Engineer's position because she proves without a doubt that she is the most qualified, and her male rival for the position unquestioningly offers her his support once the decision is made. Although Kes has the nurturing qualities of a Deanna Troi, she also shows considerable toughness and backbone and is in fact braver than her lover, Neelix. It is actually a testament to the growing acceptance of feminist ideals (even among people who deny that they are feminists!) that Jeri Taylor was able to include three strong, interesting female characters on this series and that Taylor and Mulgrew between them have been able to create a strong, capable, competent, female captain who does not have to prove that she is tougher, more callous, more ruthless, and more macho than the guys are in order to earn their respect. Instead she is funny, sexy, sharp, confident, empathetic, full of life, and unquestionably firmly in command of the starship Voyager. Please, sisters, keep up the good work--don't let the bastards grind you down! I'll let Janeway have the last word as she insists upon the utter irrelevance of gender to her position. She tells Ensign Kim (as well as her viewers): "Despite Starfleet protocol, I don't like being addressed as sir. . . . Ma'am is acceptable in a crunch, but I prefer Captain." Amen! [Quick aside on Janeway's name: You all probably know that it was originally going to be Elizabeth Janeway, but they changed it to Kathryn after the Genevieve Bujold debacle. Interesting first choice. There's a noted feminist author named Elizabeth Janeway who wrote a book called _Man's World, Woman's Place_; she argues that women have been restricted to domestic activities for too long and need to circulate more in "outer space"--she means outisde the home, not outside the Alpha Quadrant, but I still don't think this is an accident. We'll have to ask Jeri Taylor, I guess. If you're interested: Janeway, Elizabeth. _Man's World, Woman's Place_. NY: Dell, 1971. Anyone want to write a book report for next month? Anyone want to take a crack at compiling some definitions of "feminism" at least? There's been a lengthy thread on Janeway and "Voyager" in both soc.feminism and alt.feminism on the Internet; anyone want to summarize? For the record: yes, Paul and I are both feminists and so is our one-year-old son Daniel... Michelle] BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS You know that in a matter of months, all the mediocre episodes people couldn't sell to Paramount will be out as mass-market Pocket paperbacks. We figured we should keep track of those. Meanwhile, here's what people thought of the novelization of the first episode...The first original novel is due out in April. Star Trek: Voyager #1: CARETAKER by L.A. GRAF Almost before the final credits rolled on Monday night, January 16th, Pocket Books had their novelization of "Caretaker" on the store shelves. For those of you who have never read a novelization of an actual movie or television episode, you are in for a treat. Reading a novelization is the next best thing to having the actual script with all stage direction included. Another nice thing about novelizations is that we get to find out about the scenes that ended up on the cutting room floor. Unlike other "Star Trek" novelizations, there were not very many extra scenes in "Caretaker. " The best part of the novels, and this one in particular, is that they give us the story behind the story. The novels let us see into the minds of the characters. We learn why characters act and interact the way that they do. "Caretaker" gives us Captain Janeway's thought processes and emotions behind all the decisions she makes. We get to see a lot which never is truly conveyed to the television viewer. For instance, in the novel we learn that in the beginning, Janeway does not like Paris at all, something that was not truly shown in the pilot. Additionally, in this novel we learn a little about Janeway's late first officer, conn officer, doctor and nurse. On the whole, I would recommend this novel, especially to those who did not have the opportunity to see the premiere. This is not to say that those who did see Caretaker would not enjoy reading it (I have seen it 5 times by now and have read the book twice). Besides, they put a couple of pages of pictures from the pilot into the center of the book. --Risa Kovac "A roar of scarlet light blasted through the tiny spaceship's bridge, and alarms screamed as if in surprise as the deadly tremor of a direct hit went rattling off down the ship's already battered frame." And with a bang a new legend is born, by L.A. Graf (the pen name used by authors Julia Ecklar and Karen Rose Cercone). When I first saw Caretaker on the stands, I didn't think I'd be interested in reading it, since I'd already seen the episode several times, but I bought it anyway because it had "Star Trek" on the cover (I'm kind of a obsessive about such things). And once I started reading it, I didn't regret my obsession. I know...you're all out there shaking your heads saying, "Why should I take the time to read a book that's the same story as the episode?" Well, for one thing, books aren't limited to two hours where everything has to happen in that time limit. While the novel does retell the story, there is space for some added dialogue and actions that help fill out the story and make it run more smoothly. There's also room to add a little humor (not side-splitting laughter, but just a lightening of tension) in an otherwise serious story. But the best reason to read this book is one of the great things about any book. The reader can actually see what a character is thinking and feeling. The authors are very adept at weaving these details into the story, never interrupting its flow while still letting us access these inner workings that give us so much insight into the reason for a character's actions and behavior. Chakotay is not the cut-and-dry, no-assembly-required renegade captain that he might have appeared to be for the first part of the TV episode. Through his memories of his past and his home world, the reader gets a feel for why he is so devoted to the Maquis' cause. Paris is a smart-aleck, but we also see the regrets and insecurity behind his devil-may-care attitude. When we see Janeway's memories we get a peek into the life of a starship captain, trying to balance the requirements of Starfleet and her personal life. There are even sections showing what goes into any of the holographic doctor's actions. Still not convinced you should read this book? Well, it's not necessary to read this book to understand the series, but it helps. This novel weaves the past and present of these characters together, giving them a depth and realism no single TV episode could give. When you finish the novel, the captain and crew are so real that you almost feel you know them, and you have to sit in silence for a moment and wish these voyagers well. --Gray Cougar I was quite impressed with the imagery used by the authors. The use of words such as "coruscating" (13) and metaphors such as "the stinging kiss of too-near fire"(14) inhanced my internal pictures without being overbearing. The character descriptions were excellent, particularly those of Janeway and Paris. Until I read this book I did not like Paris, but my opinion changed once I understood what was (according to Graf) going on in his mind. In fact I could sympathize with him in a lot of respects. The authors seem to have knowledge of psychology, but once again the information they gave did not detract from the story as a whole. Specific character interactions that appealed to me were Paris with Odo on DS9, Tuvok with Neelix, and Neelix with Kes. Speaking of Neelix, I can't help but like that spotted-headed creature. At first I expected him to be another Quark (whom I also like, but for different reasons), but Neelix is quite different. I was touched when he stayed with Paris to rescue the others from the tunnels, and his relationship with Kes is quite sweet. I didn't like the beginning at first; I think I had expected the story to begin on the Voyager itself. The details of the Doctor's Decision Tracks, VRM's, etc. added a different, somewhat lighthearted perspective to the scene of the wounded crewmembers. Another case in which a change in viewpoint added to the story were the dying thoughts of Stadi and Cavit. Specific aspects I liked included Janeway's preference of "Captain" rather than "sir" (I always thought that sounded pretty dumb anyway!), the lack of pretense regarding "You're the captain, you can't go on the Away Team" that we found so often on TNG, and the familiar Trek theme of "teach the new naive species HOW to fish." Dislikes included the use of "kiwis" to refer to New Zealanders, the bit of sexism about men letting themselves be enslaved, and the interaction with the Kazon which seemed just a little bit too easy, as if they had been enemies for a long time and had really gotten to know each other. I would suspect that encounters with new species would involve a lot more uncertainty in the beginning. Overall I really enjoyed both the story itself and the style of the book. At the end I experienced the good feeling I had hoped for, and in the future I will definitely give any book by L.A. Graf a try. --Angie Hall MAAAAAAAAAAIL CAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL! Ya ever wonder what everybody wrote home in "Eye of the Needle"? Hmmm. Here are a few ideas ... Janeway (to her boyfriend) - "I'll be home soon. Don't have kittens." Harry Kim (to mom) - "Please send my clarinet C.O.D.!" Chakotay (to a fellow Maquis) - "Okay, you win, there is *one* decent captain in Starfleet. The steak dinner's on me...in 75 years." B'elanna (to her father) - "Dear dad. Doing fine. Will be home in 75 years. Since that'll be 3/4 of a century that I won't have had the opportunity to fight with her, tell mom I'm gonna beat the *living hell* outta her when I get home!" Tom Paris (to the Alpha Quadrant subspace dating service) - "For a good time, hail USS Voyager, Delta Quadrant. Ask for Tom. Bipeds preferred, but will answer all communications within 70 light years." Tuvok (to his folks on Vulcan) - "Attention sirs. The Delta Quadrant is here. To describe it as beautiful would not be logical. Were it not a display of emotion, I would wish that you, too, were here. That, however, is not logical. See you when I get home, if I survive seven years out here..." Kes (to a med school correspondence course) - "Please send all available curricula ASAP. Go ahead and send the degree as well." Neelix (to all points in the Alpha Quadrant) - "You people have anything good to eat?" The Doctor (to his programmer) - "Attention, Dr. Zimmerman. If I might suggest an upgrade for the next emergency medical hologram, please endow any future versions of this program with the option to K.O. any rude or uncooperative patients. Thank you." Engineer Carey (to his family) - "Got edged out of chief engineer by a Maquis! But it was close. I lost by a nose." An unsigned letter from a bridge officer to the families of the deceased first officer and ship's doctor - "Don't EVER be rude to Paris! Bwah ha ha ha ha haaaaa!" -- Earl Green (earl.green@f1.n3822.z1.fidonet.org) COPYRIGHT VIOLATION CORNER [We weren't going to publish any fan fiction in this newsletter. Then Dee sent us this story--or, rather, Dee sent us a piece of this story, and we sent her annoying e-mail demanding that she finish it. It's completely irresistible. So here are the rules for fanfic if you want to see yours in print: Send us SHORT stories involving characters we know. Nothing that would get a rating higher than PG (welllll, DO SEND us the others, but we can't publish them!) Your work must be original, cannot have been printed elsewhere or posted to alt.startrek.creative or a.s.f.s., and had better not infringe upon Paramount's copyrights.] TRIAL AND ERROR by Dee Jones "Bridge to Janeway." The voice was unfamiliar. "Captain...this is the Bridge..." Janeway rolled over and shook her head slightly. "Yes?" She felt so tired; it seemed that she had just fallen asleep when the night crew called. "Sensors have picked up an M-class planet. They have also detected some areas that seem to contain large amounts of raw dilithium. We're not quite sure of the accuracy of these readings yetdue to heavy radiation in the planet's atmosphere, but we should be close enough within the hour for a better scan--if we have your permission to re-set coordinates." "Do it. Good work..." Janeway desperately tried to recall the woman's name, but settled for, "...Lieutenant. I'll be there shortly." She rolled backwards, listening to the quiet hum that usually lulled her to sleep. It seemed to intensify a small headache that she was rapidly becoming aware of... "Coffee. Coffee," she murmured, sliding out of bed and gliding as if by instinct to the replicator. She leaned her head into the wall and raised her voice. "Coffee, hot." Within fifteen minutes, her pace accelerated to the usual brisk walk, and soon she was striding through the still-darkened corridors. She would bypass the kitchen again this morning; if Neelix tried to get her to taste one more coffee substitute, especially today...she smiled at the thought of what she would do, and closed her eyes momentarily to see the look of terror on Neelix's face as she-- WHUMP! She collided with a tall figure and a dining tray at the hall intersection, and they fell forward with Janeway awkwardly straddling the tray and a food-covered ..."Commander! Oh! I'm so sorry..." She placed a hand on a clean part of his chest and pushed herself up, "I wasn't looking where I was going," brushing herself off as she stood, although it was apparent that Chakotay was wearing the contents of the tray. He looked up with a smile, appearing to be somewhat amused with the incident. "Good morning, Captain." He held out his hand and she took it and pulled him up, shaking her head at her own stupidity while he looked down at his sticky, smeared uniform. She did as well, and then they looked at each other and started to laugh. When she did so, however, she realized that she had taken most of the impact from the tray on the bridge of her nose, and while rubbing it could feel an indentation. "Are you all right? You seemed to have taken a blow off the port bow," he grinned. "Well, there doesn't appear to be a hull breach, so I'll just be on my way to the Bridge. If you're a few minutes late this morning, I won't notice." She winked at him and resumed her walk. The corridor lights were just beginning to brighten as she strode onto the Bridge. "Good morning, Ensign Long. What do we have here?" Her head was already turning towards the viewscreen. "Good morning, Captain. We're still getting a good amount of radiation interference, but from what I've got so far, there are several areas containing large amounts of raw dilithium--so much that if we could refine it, we could fully replenish our reserves." Janeway sucked in her breath with excitement. "What about civilization? Are we going to have to get ourselves an invitation to this feast?" "I'm afraid so, Captain. I've been trying to adjust hailing frequencies to compensate for the radiation levels. Should be--wait--it seems that they are hailing us. Trying to get a visual." The screen lit up, and Janeway's eyes widened at the sight of a leathery creature that bore a fair resemblance to Neelix, only hairless and with a better complexion. Before she could open her mouth to speak, he waved his arm and pointed to her. "Who is the ruler of this vessel?" His voice had an annoying wheeze. "I am responsible for this ship and the crew. I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager. How may I address you?" She became aware of the quiet crew shift change around her, and knew that Tuvok and Kim were at their respective stations. "I am King Daniff of the Drakur. Queen- Janeway? What is your business with us? We do very little trading. Or have you come to tour our splendid kingdom? We are famous all throughout he galaxy for our natural beauty, and of course, our hospitality is legendary. I myself am a legend among my people--I have obtained leadership four times now!" The intensity of his wheeze, and his gestures, were markedly increasing, and Janeway winced as he spoke. She waved her hands as if to cut him off, and interrupted. "King Daniff, we are very interested in something your planet has to offer us. I prefer that you call me Captain, and if you don't object..." "Oh! Such humility! To allow yourself to be addressed by your first name! I'm sure your people love you for it!" he grandly interjected, waving and yelling to someone she couldn't see. "Did you hear that, Fira? Maybe you could take lessons from her! We might be able to keep power longer this way, and..." "King Daniff," Janeway cut in, trying to keep her irritation out of her voice, "I would appreciate your accepting a small...delegation to your kingdom. If you were to offer a tour, we are looking for..." she gritted her teeth as he interrupted her again. "Whatever you are looking for, I'm sure you'll see it here! And of course we are unsurpassed in--" "Many areas, no doubt, all of which you'd like to show us, I'm sure. Now I'm going to go choose my delegation, and I'll be in touch with you shortly," Janeway blurted out quickly, and waved her hand impatiently to end the transmission. She turned and strode towards her ready room. "Mr. Tuvok." She nodded her head, and they went in together. She tapped her comm badge. "Commander Chakotay, please see me in my ready room." "Standing outside your door now, Captain." The doors opened and he walked in with a trace of a smile that disappeared entirely when he saw her expression. She sat down behind her desk and fought an urge to rub her sore nose, instead drumming her fingers on the table. "Gentlemen, I need you to go down to this planet and see if there's any way we can convince these Drakur people to part with some of that dilithium, and how hard it will be for us to obtain and refine it. And be very careful; from Daniff's comments, it would appear that their political structure is not very stable. If you feel that there is any danger, I want you back up here immediately, where we can approach them from a safer vantage point. Any questions?" "Captain, the heavy radiation may make transportation and communication difficult. I would suggest that you maintain a constant lock on our comm badges. We will not be able to beam back without them; our sensor readings would be too distorted otherwise." Tuvok crossed his hands in front of him. "And I do not believe that you would want to beam any Drakur here by accident." Janeway's eyes widened again. "Certainly not. I'm not sure we could fit such dramatic egos aboard this ship, and heaven help us if they should meet up with Neelix. Speaking of which, I suppose we should inquire as to whether he's heard of these 'famous' Drakur. Commander, that's your assignment. Let me know when you're ready to beam down. I'll be," she said, touching her nose lightly, "in Sickbay for a few moments. " "Please state the nature of the medical emergency," the doctor barked. He arched his eyebrows at the sight of the Captain. "What did you do to your nose?" Janeway shook her head. "I collided with a serving tray. I'm not sure what damage it sustained, but my nose is throbbing and my head hurts terribly." "I'm sure it does. Stay there." He briskly went to a station and returned with a few items. "Captain?" Kim's voice rang out. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Daniff is hailing us and is insisting on speaking to you personally." Janeway sighed. "Put him on screen in my ready room. I'll be right there." She turned to the doctor . "I'm sorry, I'll just be a few minutes--I'll turn off your program if you want. But I will be back: pain is a great motivator." In her ready room, Janeway stared at the monitor with her arms crossed. "Just what, exactly, is the problem?" she asked. Her headache definitely was getting worse. "Why are we not to be honored with your presence? Who are these men that you try to send in your place? Are they high-ranking officials of your court? We will not be subjected to entertaining your servants!" Daniff growled and wheezed. Janeway drew herself up and almost glared at the screen. "Mr. Tuvok is in charge of my people's security. And Commander Chakotay is my first officer." She paused. Daniff looked confused. "That means if something should happen to me, he would assume control of the ship. That is why he is called Commander. Close enough to having me there?" She sincerely hoped she would not have to meet this overreactive creature face-to-face. "Oh! Yes! But of course you would send security to protect your Commander. You wouldn't want anything to happen to your partner. I just couldn't bear to live without my Fira! Of course we'll take good care of him, we are famous for..." Janeway shook her head and waved her hand at him in attempt to stop his misinterpretations. "Captain. We're ready to beam down as soon as we can get coordinates," Chakotay's voice broke in. Janeway heaved a sigh. "You stay put," she said, pointing to Daniff on the screen, and tapping her comm badge, "Mr. Kim, please put our King through to transporter room three. He has some important information to give Mr. Tuvok." "Transferring now, Captain." As soon as Daniff's face disappeared, Janeway put her head into her hands. "The way that creature twists everything that is said to him, I'd feel lucky if he would just turn us down and send us on our way," she muttered. Holding her head back up and marching out the door on her way to Sickbay, she added under her breath, "But somehow I don't feel lucky." It took much of Chakotay's patience and Tuvok's reiterations to finally convince the Drakur to take them to the dilithium "Caves of Canar" as the Drakur called them. The King had fussed a great deal, and his soldiers seemed quite surly and not fully cooperative. They had flown over in two small cutters. En route the guards had started to taunt one another. Eventually they engaged in a zig-zag race which made both Chakotay and Tuvok appreciate Tom Paris all the better; Tuvok even made reference to the trip being the "worst shuttle service" he had ever received. Once they got to the caves, the guards brought the cutters to an abrupt stop. They were hurriedly escorted to the front of the caves, but the guards stopped and waited outside. "You're not coming in?" asked Chakotay. The Drakur narrowed his eyes and wheezed, "We never go in! We would not want to anger our Canara! To see a Canara would be bad luck!" "Superstition." Tuvok stated, and flipped open his tricorder. "The strongest readings are coming from the cave in the middle. I suggest we start there." "Agreed." Chakotay said, shrugging a pack and starting forward. The guards followed slowly behind them again, and stopped when they went into the cave. "I will keep scanning as you collect the samples," Tuvok said, walking ahead of Chakotay and going around a corner. "Not too far." Chakotay raised his voice. He bent over and began to unpack the test equipment. Suddenly a shrieking sound battered the cave walls. The hair on the back of his neck prickled. "Tuvok!" he yelled, grabbing his phaser and jumping around the corner. To his horror, a large lizard-like creature had Tuvok in its jaws. Tuvok's face twisted in pain as he tried to fight the creature with his free hand. Blood was trickling down his uniform. Without hesitation, Chakotay fired; the creature dropped Tuvok and shrieked again. Its tail snapped toward Chakotay. He dodged it and fired. This time the creature fell to the floor, jerked and lay still. Chakotay threw down his phaser and leaned over Tuvok. "Chakotay to Voyager! Emergency! Beam Tuvok directly to Sickbay! He's been..." He was unable to finish his sentence as a guard's weapon slammed into his head, knocking him away from Tuvok. "Murderer!" The guards screamed and wheezed. One kicked the comm badge off Chakotay's heaving chest. "You will pay for this!" They circled around him, closing in with their fists and feet, so that Chakotay never saw Tuvok disappear. Janeway was smiling at Kes. "You've done a great job here," she said, rubbing her nose. "I feel as good as new. And I think it would certainly be possible that if your medical skills continue to improve, you could be included on some of our away teams in the future." She slid off the table where she had been sitting. Kes stood next to her, positively beaming. "Thank you, Captain. That would mean a great deal to me. I like the challenge." "That's why all of us here are on board this ship, Kes. We like a challenge. Good work. And Doctor, may I compliment you on your skills as an instructor." She nodded her head in his direction. "You may, although I'm not sure this is what my original programming was designed to do, I seem to be making the best of it." Janeway nodded her head again, stepped back into the hallway, and strolled leisurely down the hall in the direction of the bridge. She felt so much better. She would feel good as new once they were no longer in orbit around this insensible planet, but hopefully that would be soon... "Captain!" It was Kim's voice, urgent. Her head snapped back and her body stiffened. "What is it, Mr. Kim?" She tried not to sound worried, but she knew something was wrong. ""Tuvok's been beamed to sickbay. There's been some kind of accident. We can't locate Commander Chakotay, he is not responding to our attempts to reach him." Janeway had already turned and started to run back to sickbay. "You get those Drakur right now and find out where he is and what the hell happened down there!" She paused upon entering the sickbay, for she could not believe what she saw. Tuvok lay under the stasis field on the operating table; his blood-soaked uniform had been cut and thrown to the floor. The doctor was barking orders to Kes and they seemed unaware of her presence. Janeway's hand went up to her mouth as she shook her head, giving a quick gasp while she tried to find her voice. "What happened to him?" she choked out. "You should not be in here," the doctor hissed, not bothering to look at her. "He has been severely bitten by some creature that had very, very sharp teeth. We have a lot of work to do here, and you can't help." He continued working quickly. Kes looked up briefly and met Janeway's eyes. "We'll take care of him for you, Captain," she said soothingly. Janeway nodded her head in appreciation. "I'll be on the Bridge." She walked out slowly, head down in thought. Idly she ran her hand along the corridor wall. If this is the shape that Tuvok is in, she wondered, what has happened to Chakotay? With that thought she picked up her pace and went rapidly down the corridor to the Bridge. She entered just as Daniff's ugly face came on the viewscreen. He pointed to Janeway. "You! Traitor! Who would send your men to murder what is most dear to us! Most sacred! And to think we trusted you--this is treachery of the highest order! And it will not go unpunished!" He gesticulated wildly. Janeway spoke very slowly. "We are not murderers. We were not warned of any danger involving this expedition. I have a wounded crewmember aboard my ship and one who is missing. Where is Commander Chakotay?" "The murderer is awaiting his trial and sentencing. We will let you know the verdict so that you may mark your history with this terrible event, and see that we cannot be trifled with!" With that last remark, Daniff ended transmission. Janeway whirled and faced Kim. "Hail them non-stop until they respond, or at least until I get back from Sickbay," she snapped. "I'm going to see it Mr. Tuvok is any shape to give us some answers." When she reached the lower decks, she paused for a split second before entering the medical facility. This time, though, the picture was calmer. The doctor was at his console, and Kes stood next to Tuvok. "Oh! Captain, I was just coming to see you," Kes smiled. "Yes! Because the patient here won't take any pain medication and he needs to get some rest! See if you can reason with him; I can't," pouted the holograph. Janeway walked over to see Tuvok looking at her from eyes that were struggling to stay open. "We can manage our pain, Captain." he whispered. She took a good hard look at him. "Mr. Tuvok. You are to take whatever medication the doctor wants you to. That's an order." Tuvok looked at her, with almost a sense of relief. "As you wish, captain," he whispered again. "I know you wish to question me; unfortunately I will not be of much help. I am unable to recall any events that happened once I entered the cave. Commander Chakotay was with me then, but it is my understanding that he did not beam aboard." "You're right, Tuvok," she said, gently touching his shoulder, "he didn't." She had started back down the corridor and was so deep in thought that she did not notice Kes behind her until the young woman spoke. "Captain, Chakotay is in grave danger." Janeway stopped, turned and looked at her. "How do you know that?" Her forehead knotted with worry. She stared at Kes. "I know, Captain. And I also know that you are the only person who can save him." Janeway leaned forward and grasped Kes by the shoulders. "Kes, what are you talking about?" She frowned for a moment. "I've heard you have certain... powers. I guess I'll have to trust in that." Janeway paced with her hands clasped tightly behind her back as Kes spoke. "Captain, Neelix has told me about these people. They live for drama and chaos in their lives." "Well, they're going to have a lot of it very soon unless they release Chakotay." Janeway growled. "I have an idea. If you were to pretend that Chakotay was your husband, they would be bound by their custom to let you see him. " Janeway's eyes widened, and she stopped for a moment. "Pardon me?" Kes repeated her previous statement, but Janeway had her eyes narrowed and did not appear to be listening. She put her hand on Kes's shoulder. "You're sure of this? That if I make some sort of...dramatic appeal, they'd let me beam down...then I'd be able to beam him back with me." She marked off several paces and then whirled back. "But I'm sure they'll have thought of that possibility as well, and they'll take my comm badge from me when I arrive. So..." "So you're going to have to let down your hair," Kes said with a smile. Janeway blinked. "Because?" She reached back and began undoing her hair as Kes removed her own comm badge and walked behind the captain. The Ocampa leaned forward and placed the communicator on Janeway's uniform at the back of her neck. "Because they won't be looking for it here," she smiled again. "Your hair looks very pretty like that, Captain. Have you ever thought..." "We'll discuss hairstyles another time, Kes." Janeway hit her comm badge. "Mr. Kim! Report!" "No response yet, captain." "Have you tried a coded beam on the frequency Daniff used earlier?" "Doing so now." Janeway turned to Kes. "I'm going to dismiss you now, Kes. I need to go to my ready room. But thank you for your help." She marched down the corridor, muttering under her breath as if she were rehearsing a speech. Kim looked up when Janeway entered the Bridge. "Captain, we have a response. But it's not Daniff." "I don't care. Put it through to me--" She pointed at the ready room as she quickly crossed to it. When she entered, the screen flickered, and a rather irritated-looking female Drakur appeared. "Don't tell me," the creature spoke, "you must be Queen Captain Janeway with the very long title." "That's right. And you are?" "Queen Fira. Daniff is busy with your murderer, and I am in charge of communications for now. So why do you bother us again?" She crossed her arms impatiently. "Queen Fira. But of course--how could I forget your name? Daniff spoke of how he could not live without you. Which is why," Janeway recited, looking down and twisting her hands, "I must beg you to let me see Commander Chakotay. I cannot go on without him. He means everything to me--surely you know how it is to be separated from the one you love, from your mate! Please, show me some kindness. Let me come see him." She held her hands out towards the screen. "Oh!" Fira wheezed heavily. "Your mate! Well, had I known, we would have sent for you sooner! Imagine! Traveling the galaxy together--how romantic--how bold! I'll send the coordinates right away! How could I refuse a plea to see your husband for one last time?" The screen went blank. Janeway pushed back her chair and stood up, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking her head with determination. "Last time? I don't think so." She went onto the Bridge and saw Tuvok leaning on his console. "This is ridiculous. You are supposed to be resting." "I am quite comfortable in this position, now that the doctor has treated me according to your orders." He was his usual unruffled self in manner, if not physically. She walked up to him and put her face close to his. "You are under strict orders to go sit in that chair and watch the Bridge until I come back." She pointed to her seat. "And I had better not hear that you got up unless you went back to sick bay. Understood?" She would have given him a smile if her headache wasn't closing back in on her. Tuvok nodded his head and started down the steps. "I would advise against going down to the planet at this time, Captain." "I would advise it as well, but I don't feel I have a choice. Now, Mr. Kim. I want you to come to the transporter room with me. Maintain a constant lock on my comm badge. I've got one here," she flipped her hair aside, "that I'll activate if my other one is removed. When I give the word, I want to be back here immediately. There won't be a second chance on this one." A musty, stale scent stung her nose as she appeared in a small room with several guards and a scowling Daniff. She had barely taken a breath before he came towards her and briskly picked the comm badge off her chest. She made no attempt to stop him, instead giving him an icy stare that did little to hide her contempt. He waved the badge at her. "Security reasons. You'll get it back when it's all over." He wheezed. "Surely you know all about security, Captain?" His sneering face was close to hers, but she did not blink. "I want to see Chakotay." It was a command more than a request. Daniff wrinkled his nose and waved his fist at the guards. "Go on, let the lovebirds meet in the nest one last time. Just don't get too sentimental." He turned to leave, his wheezing could be heard even after he left the room. One of the guards pushed Janeway towards a locked door. Realizing that they had no interest in being civil to her, she silently followed their lead and tolerated the light pushing. She was led down a corridor full of prisoners crowded into small, barred cells. Some of them shouted when she passed, seeming to want to provoke the guards. Occasionally a guard would return the verbal abuse, or swing his weapon toward the bars. They stopped at a cell containing two guards and a figure slumped into a corner. Janeway gripped the grate with her hands as the door was opened. She had never seen Chakotay like this. He was propped against the stone wall, covered with bruises. He was wearing the same clothing as the rest of the prisoners--a leather vest with a number on it, and a pair of cloth drawstring pants. His feet were bare. He looked up slowly at the new arrivals. She saw from his eyes that he was tired, but not afraid; but his expression changed when he saw her to one of alarm. He started to get up, but she darted in, put her hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him back down. "No, no. And don't talk--not yet." She was kneeling next to him now, taking in his injuries both visually and tactically, running her hands over him, causing him to wince frequently. "Captain...I don't think anything is broken, although..." he sucked in his breath through his teeth as she went over his knees, "I have to give them credit for trying." His voice was hoarse. Janeway cast an angered look around the room which the guards did not seem to notice. Satisfied, she drew closer to Chakotay. She cupped her hand around his face and drew it next to hers. "Listen to me," she said in a low whisper. "There's a comm badge hidden under my hair at the back of my neck. If you can reach around to activate it, we'll go back right now." She felt his face curl into a smile beneath her hand, and held her breath as he slowly raised his arm. She could almost feel the pain and stiffness in his body, and his face twitched with another grimace. They were so engrossed that they did not see the guard approaching. With a swift kick, he threw Chakotay back into the wall. Janeway jumped to her feet but the guard quickly pinned her into the wall with his hands and gave her a leering smile. "So sorry, sweethearts, but it's time for the murderer to stand trial." He emitted a sound that was probably a laugh, and then took a set of shackles from his belt and clamped them over Janeway's wrists. Another guard did the same to Chakotay and sharply yanked him to his feet, causing Chakotay to groan with pain. "Let's go, traitors," wheezed one of the guards. Janeway walked next to Chakotay with a worried look on her face. He was concentrating on keeping his strength to walk, and looked sideways at her without speaking. They came to a stairway. The two guards ahead of them started up and she and Chakotay followed, but he wobbled and fell forward. The guards behind them quickly slapped him across the back. "Get up!" Janeway took a quick, sharp step and placed herself in front of the guards. One step above them, she looked down on them with a hard, unyielding glare. "You will not," she said with a voice that could cut nails, "touch him again." She stared at them for a split second longer, until they cast their eyes down. She climbed in front of Chakotay, knelt and caught his hands in hers, gently pulling him forward. "Come on." she said quietly, and they started again. The courtroom was filled with Drakur, and the smell that had bothered Janeway before now was stifling, making her headache almost unbearable. They were led to a railing and their shackles were chained to it. On pedestal-type steps in front of them was Daniff, wearing an expression that was almost wicked, with an ugly, satisfied smile on his face. He gestured around his head with a large metal staff, and the room became silent. The smile disappeared from his face as he pointed the staff towards Chakotay. Chakotay opened his mouth to speak but it was covered quickly by one of the guards, who hissed at him, "If you speak, you die." "You are charged with the most sacred, most serious crime one can commit. A crime against all Drakur! Against our planet! Murderer of Canara! For this, the most horrible of deeds, you are to pay with your life!" Daniff almost choked with emotional wheezing as he raged at Chakotay, and swung the staff wildly. Janeway tugged on the chains restraining her, making a clanging noise. This drew his attention to her. "I thought this was going to be a fair trial." She spoke loudly, and looked around the room. "A trial where I would be able to speak in the defense of my Commander." "A trial is fair when justice is done! We have the Canara, this man's weapon and his confession! He is a murderer, and his life is his only penance!" yelled Daniff. A slow smile returned to his face and he pointed the staff at Janeway. "But it is touching that your love has brought you here in an attempt to save him. Foolish of course, but how brave." Janeway saw other Drakur nodding their heads in agreement, and could feel Chakotay's stare. Now was not the time to explain. "And for that, I will grant you the right to be with him at his death! Death by..." here he closed his eyes and swung the staff in a wide circle. The room hung in expectant silence. A joyful look came upon Daniff's face as he yelled, "Death by hanging! Now!" The room echoed with yells, cheers and applause, as Janeway and Chakotay silently looked at one another. They were practically paraded in front of the entire Drakur populace as they were taken to a large courtyard that seethed with fervor. Chakotay did not seem to notice the crowd, and drawing in closer to Janeway, spoke with a hushed voice. "Somehow all this seems to have been a ploy for the Drakur to enact some new drama into their lives." She looked at him and nodded her head. "Agreed. And they will not forget the last act on this one". He was curious, and arched an eyebrow. "And your plan?" They were walking closely together now, not noticing the rapid growth rate of the crowd, nor the intermittent fighting that had started to erupt for lack of space. "Commander, as a convicted prisoner, I believe you will be granted a last request. If they will not honor it for your sake, then they will for mine. I'm here because they think you're my husband--" she tried to ignore the look of astonishment on his face "--and we must be allowed our final goodbye. It's the only way they'll free our hands. " "What type of final goodbye?" He was looking so intently at her that he almost fell over the steps leading up to the hanging platform. She cocked her head to one side. "Improvise." The guards now were pushing them up the steps, and Janeway was looking into the crowd for Daniff. She saw him being carried on a metal platform through the crowd. When he reached them, the platform stopped. He raised the metal staff and miraculously the crowd's roar died away. The air was thick with expectant silence. He seemed to be enjoying himself tremendously, and leaned over towards them. "Any last words?" he wheezed loudly. "Yes." Chakotay knotted Janeway's fingers in his, their shackles clinking together. She looked up at him but remained silent; his voice was now surprisingly strong. "You have spoken of justice, and it is in the name of justice that I make this last request. You have seen," he now looked back down at Janeway, "how this woman has proved her love for me by coming to try to save me, no matter what the danger or consequences; and so I ask now that our hands be undone so that she may see my love in return." He broke his gaze from hers and stared at Daniff. "I would be happy to die," he turned back to Janeway and let his voice became hoarse, "if I could just hold her, and kiss her one more time." The silence in the air was deafening. Janeway stared wide-eyed at Chakotay, whose face showed a trace of the humor she had come to expect from him. They turned their heads towards Daniff, who let out a heavy wheeze, then raised his hands. "It may be done!" he shouted, and the crowd once again broke into applause and cheering. The guards removed their shackles. Janeway saw the rope being lowered behind Chakotay's head. Taking his hands, she drew him in close to her. "You had better make this good, Commander," she murmured, "because this is your only chance." He put his arms around her back and slid them up towards her shoulders, under her hair, gently searching. While he did so she ran her hands up his arms over the bruises lightly, taking her time traveling up to his neck, then his short thick hair. Suddenly he gave her the grin that she had been waiting for as his fingers pressed the comm badge. Her hands went his face, and she said in a low tone, "Janeway to Voyager." She could barely hear Kim's reply as the crowd was now chanting, "Kiss! Kiss!" but she could make out the word "ready." With a smug smile, she pulled Chakotay tightly to her. He said nothing, gazing at her earnestly while she slowly raised her face to meet his. "Energize," she whispered, as their lips met...and they faded from the square. Ensign Kim could not believe what he was seeing materialize in front of him. His mouth dropped open at the spectacle. Tom Paris, striding through the transporter room door, had to choke back a laugh. As soon as the transport was complete, Janeway extracted herself from Chakotay's arms and began putting her hair back up. "Good show, Commander." Her voice had a slight edge to it. Chakotay stood in place, folding his arms across his chest; he appeared to be feeling much better. "I'm glad you liked it, Captain," he said straightfaced. She nodded her head briskly and turned to leave, then saw Kim staring at her. She put her hands down on the console across from him, leaning over it into his face. "Mr. Kim, surely you've seen stranger things in space than this." As she moved away, Paris whispered to Kim, "I sure wish she'd been at MY trial..." He stopped and straightened as Janeway whirled to him. "I don't know who you think you're amusing, Mr. Paris, but it's certainly not me. Now get back to conn and take us out of here--warp three." "Yes, ma'am." He gave a half-salute and left. She turned back to see Kim shaking his head. "Ensign, please report to your station. And Commander, I'm ordering you to sickbay immediately." Kim nodded, moving past them and out the door. Chakotay edged behind Janeway, picked the comm badge off her back, and handed it to her. "Don't forget this." He handed her the communicator, flashing a smile, then became serious. "Thank you for coming after me." She placed a hand on his arm. "Commander, if I were you, I'd be more careful. First your life belongs to Tom Paris, and now," she had a dangerous look on her face, "it belongs to me." He watched silently as she strode away from him, giving Tuvok orders over the communicator, heading for the exit while she finished tying up the hair that still cascaded across her shoulders. Chakotay cleared his throat. "Captain?" "Yes?" She turned warily to her first officer. "I like it better down." He gave her the same sly smile as he had on the planet the moment before their departure. Janeway hesitated for only an instant before pushing the last strands into place. "You'd better get to Sickbay, Chakotay," she said carefully. "I want the doctor to make sure you're all in one piece." He grinned and followed her through the doorway. END CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE DEPARTMENT We could not have started this club without the assistance of Kimberley Junius, who has been running ENVY so spectacularly for the past several years. We plagiarized everything from her column headers to her editorial asides. Kimberley--you are an inspiration. We take the blame for everything that sucks about this endeavor, but everything that works was probably your idea. (And you know what I owe you--next con we can negotiate collection! --Michelle) Gentle readers: We threw this newsletter together in two weeks. You may therefore find a higher number of editing errors than you would prefer, plus inconsistencies in spelling, grammar, layout, and lord knows what else. All we can say is that next time we'll have two months instead of two weeks so it can only get better! (Copy editor anyone?) Reviewers: you did a truly incredible job working under our ridiculous time constraints. And we really did a hack job editing you and laying you out. Next time, we promise visuals, we promise spell checking, we promise no snide comments about Tom Paris inserted into the middle of your carefully worded prose (unless you're REALLY asking for it). Please keep them coming. RBLS and a.s.f.s. regulars--you know who you are: thanks for everything, especially for keeping us laughing and making us remember that sex makes Star Trek worthwhile--or do we mean the other way around? Dee: Didn't I promise you a good time? Now where's the next one...hidden in the AOL mailbox? 2 a.m. deadline... Kate: We loved every word you said to Tom Snyder about morality and religion. And we love you even if you DID tell TV Guide you're not a feminist. (Just don't do it again... :D) Just to clear up some things people keep asking us about... No, we don't know Kate Mulgrew personally. We're not related to her and we don't know anyone in her family. We've never met her, never spoken to her, never even written to her directly. We cannot say for certain that she knows that we exist, although her publicist does. We have no clue what kind of car she drives nor who designs her clothes. We know nothing about her love life (nor do we care to). We can't tell you where she lives or what her phone number is, nor can we tell you how to get onto the set to meet her. We can't reveal "Voyager" plot secrets, nor can we offer you spoilers outside those available in public press releases. We don't know anything you dont, except maybe her birthday (April 29). We're sorry if this comes as a big disappointment, but we're a fan club, not a direct line to the goddess herself. If you want to talk to Ms. Mulgrew, write to her c/o Paramount Pictures, 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood CA 90038. WHO WE ARE AND WHERE WE ARE NOW VOYAGER c/o Michelle Erica Green and Paul Anderson 15613 Ambiance Drive North Potomac, MD 20878 301-926-8162 tigger@cais.com, thepooh@aol.com REAL MASTHEAD NEXT ISSUE! You have our heartfelt permission to circulate this first issue anywhere you want--make more photocopies, post it on the net, spread the word. This is the ONLY issue, however, that we will have this policy with. And this is the LAST issue anyone who didn't pay dues will receive! Copyright reserved for the individual authors, except for material which is otherwise the property of Paramount Pictures and its licensees. Those of you reading this via e-mail: you're missing the photos! You're missing the cartoons! You're going to be missing the crossword puzzle! What's $7 out of your life, really? We are: tigger@cais.com (Michelle and Paul) thepooh@aol.com (Michelle) anderp@spaceworks.com (Paul) sa5@cu.nih.gov (Kay) intendant@aol.com (Cheryl) bajorfemme@aol.com (Kimberley) tommyparis@aol.com (Tom) mbshaw@ucdavis.edu (Matt) wilson@athena.hood.edu (Missy) missy@darklair.com (Missy) cchristi@acs.bu.edu (Caroline) cortese@netcom.com (Janis) scarletwit@aol.com (Ari) wrfbuny@cris.com (Krys) michael@umbc.edu (Michael) cmdrselok@aol.com (Jen) selok@strauss.udel.edu (Jen) kira@jolt.mpx.com.au (Mary) sailorcw@ix.netcom.com (Andrew) mpanti1@gl.umbc.edu (Michael) sting007@aol.com (James) thebajoran@aol.com (Annette) archer34@aol.com (DeAnn) jrz@psuvm.psu.edu (Joe) nananut@aol.com (Maureen) ejs115@psuvm.psu.edu (Siobhan) kpw@efn.org (Kyle) captjanwy@aol.com (Risa) fj505@cleveland.freenet.edu (Jerry) preacher@mit.edu (Terry) ataras@aol.com (Atara) blanche@du.edu (Blanche) kaabrown@indiana.edu (Kathy) kareneff@astro.ocis.temple.edu (Karen) plr8551@aol.com cardizem@aol.com (Dee) jlowers@delphi.com (Jane) cforest@aol.com (Christopher) jeanne21@aol.com (Jeanne) moodyblu@umcc.umich.edu (Matthew) anitag@utdallas.edu (Angie) plaag@gamma.is.tcu.edu (Joel) bn737@freenet.carleton.ca (Janet) peirsant@aol.com rblleader@aol.com (Karen) cbstone@phoenix.princeton.edu (Christopher) jrz3@psuvm.psu.edu (Joe Zimmerman) dalcowfn@ix.netcom.com (Emilio) russkerE@aol.com (Russ) kedinal@midway.uchicago.edu (Karen) jmanders@willamette.edu (Jon) rassilon@aol.com (Josh) sorren@mit.edu (Josh) lepcast@aol.com (Peter) emerald@dartmouth.edu rbolady@aol.com (Becky) mujle@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu (Jennifer) aa772@freenet.carleton.ca (Karen) rhanson@ix.netcom.com (Richard) oracle@eskimo.com (Jerry) jd32@umail.umd.edu (Jane) gt3834a@prism.gatech.edu (Jill) cmarti12@itc129.be.ford.com (Chris) mclemens@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Elizabeth) cmzmasek@artsci.wustl.edu (Christian) schmidt@primenet.com (Bill) aaront@norden1.com (Aaron) gcarroll@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu (Gerry and Susan) rvw@netcom.com (Robert) leonardll@aol.com (Larry) treehouse2@ix.netcom.com (Ed) moondog@primenet.com (Ralph) xtrem2dmax@aol.com (Jacob) mike@mailserv.phoenix.net (Mike) delaney@j51.com (Richard) penningt_l@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz (Lana) clevy@husc.harvard.edu (Carla) robokid2@aol.com andreahaag@aol.com (Andrea) zilyar@aol.com (Liz) thp9z@poe.acc.virginia.edu (Trevor) GG-MEE@ix.netcom.com (Mary) dee@primenet.com (Saxton) scheong@idirect.com (Steve) sac35652@saclink1.csus.edu (Kevin) z004790b@bcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us (Steve) roh@coventry.ac.uk (Trencher) rmartin12@aol.com (Richard) dl145@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Brian) 71573.2027@compuserve.com (Joe) gini@ix.netcom.com (Virginia) radke@krypta.snafu.de (Marco) drasmuss@julian.uwo.ca (Denyse) roy_green@his.com (Linda and Roy) jchrist911@aol.com (Jennifer) lukej@db.erau.edu (John) nguyen@omega.uta.edu (Tr) horney@english.engin.umich.edu (Ben) br407@freenet.carleton.ca (Dwayne) s0195571@hawkmail.monmouth.edu (Shawn) stefan@mercury.owl.de (Stefan) lauralee@princeton.edu (Laura) caralec@mcs.com (Carollina) kaess@badlands.NoDak.edu (Ryan) eahg231@ea.oac.uci.edu (Robyn) wwlee@io.org (William) ricknpam@ix.netcom.com (Pamela) petersm@peak.org (Marguerite) hutch@wam.umd.edu (Linda) sashi@feith1.feith.com.feith.com (Sashi)