Star Trek

All posts tagged Star Trek

As a reminder, we are MUCH more active on our Facebook page than on this website. So why not visit us there?

That said, I felt it was about time to report on what’s been happening with the ship since our last post. We needed to change the date of our April activity (Cooking with the Kelly), so that’s now going to be on April 22nd. So far, the rest of the activity dates haven’t changed.

Speaking of activities, be sure to join us this coming Saturday for our First Aid Kit/CPR training night. (Details on our Facebook “Logistics Chat”.)

The other big thing this year has been our participation in the Seventh Fleet 25th Anniversary BINGO challenges. Before I get into those details, think about that a minute. It’s rare for a club to last two years, and yet the Seventh Fleet (and the Kelly) have both lasted over a quarter of a century. That must mean we’re doing something right. In fact, friend of the Fleet, Larry “Dr. Trek” Nemecek sent in a special video to the members of the Seventh Fleet. You can view it here. In the video he mentions how we get along. Well we as a club and as a Fleet truly believe in the Seventh Fleet motto: We Do Not Stand Alone. The other thing to remember is that the only real “ships” in this club (and the Fleet) are the friendships we make along the way. That said, let’s get back to the Seventh Fleet 25th Anniversary BINGO.

Many of these BINGO challenges can be done on your own, but we are also creating opportunities to complete them at our activities. There are twelve of them which can be done throughout the year. When you do them, take a photo and show it to your Senior Officer or a member of the Command Staff. You can also email the photo to: bingo@seventhfleet.org or post it on your social media with the hashtags: #7thFleet25 and #WeDoNotStandAlone. There are two levels – regular BINGO (five activities) and Blackout (all twelve activities).

I’ve detailed the activities below. (You can also see this list in our most recent issue of the Communique.) I’m also including photos where I can of those who have completed some of these challenges:

Seventh Fleet 25th anniversary BINGO challenges:

  • 45th Rule of Acquisition

The 45th Ferengi Rule of Acquisition is “Expand or Die”. This challenge is to recruit a new member into the Seventh Fleet (any chapter, not just the Kelly – though we’d LOVE it if you recruit for the Kelly). Get a photo with the recruit receiving their orders, meeting the officers, etc.

  • Allamaraine

Play any officially licensed Star Trek game. This can be a tabletop game, card game, even an electronic or online game such as Star Trek Online or Timelines. Admiral Stark has also said that Artemis will count IF it is done at an event such as SaltCon or FanX. Take a photo of you playing the game. Here are some photos of Kelly members completing this challenge.

  • Best Served Cold

Participate in a “Haagen-Dazs Challenge”. This is a long-standing tradition in the Fleet, and while traditionally it’s built around a trivia challenge, it can be anything. Take a photo of the ice cream being passed from one person to another. (Also, it’s “participate in”, not “win” the challenge, so the same photo can be used for both people!)

  • Directive 927

“Always help those in need”. This challenge is to participate in a Fleet- or Chapter-sanctioned charity event. Take a photo at the charity event.

  • Do You Trust Me?

In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Gillian Taylor asked Captain Kirk this question just before she ordered her pizza. This challenge is to eat a slice of Gillian’s favorite pizza: mushroom and pepperoni with extra onions. Take a photo of you eating the pizza.

This is one we did during our February “Game Night” activity. Others have completed this challenge separately. Check out the photo below of four Fleet members doing this challenge at our Kelly RPG last night (for some of us, this is our second time)…

  • Ex Astris Scientia

“Ex Astris Scientia” is the motto of Starfleet Academy. This challenge is to either take or teach a Seventh Fleet Academy course.You can come up with one of your own or choose one that’s already been made. Either way, you’ll need to contact Commodore Marla Trowbridge since she’ll either give you the materials or approve it. Take a photo giving or taking the course.

  • GCEP

GCEP stands for the Galactic Cultural Exchange Project. For this challenge, attend the activity of another club. That club can be a different Seventh Fleet ship or something else entirely. Joint ship activities with another ship count. Fleet activities such as Fleet Day and conventions do not count. Take a photo at that activity.

We have invited other Fleet members to join us at the 2023 Las Vegas Star Trek convention so they can complete this challenge.

  • Quark 2000

“Hear all, trust nothing”. The Quark 2000 is supposed to be the best replicator ever. For this challenge make a dish from the Kelly Kookbook or any Star Trek recipe book. Take a photo. Since our April activity is all about doing a recipe from the Kelly Kookbook, you can complete this challenge with us then.

  • The Scorch

In Strange New Worlds, the lower decks personnel participated in Enterprise Bingo (on which these challenges are based). One of those was to sign the oldest piece of non-replicated hull on the Enterprise. The Seventh Fleet version of that is to sign a special banner. Get a photo of you signing the banner. The banner will be at Fleet events like Fleet Day as well as public events, such as FanX.

Check out photos below of those who have completed THE SCORCH at the 2023 Admiral’s Banquet…

  • The Sky’s the Limit

The very last line in Star Trek: The Next Generation was when Picard joined the Senior Officers’ poker game. This challenge is to play a poker game with members of your Star Trek family. Take a photo of the poker game.

This is another one we completed at our Game Night activity. Check out some more photos!

  • Universal Translator

For this challenge, watch a Star Trek episode or movie in a foreign language (i.e. not English). Take a photo.

  • You Never Brought Me Tea

In the episode where Janeway visited Tuvok’s memories of him bringing Captain Sulu tea, she said this line. For this challenge, create a new Merit Sheet and turn it in. It does NOT have to be a knowledge-based or trivia-based merit sheet (heck, we have several service and leadership merit sheets you can repeat!), but if you do make a knowledge-based one, there will need to be a minimum of 10 questions. Include an answer sheet. Take a photo of you holding your submission.

What’s Next?

One last thing that Admiral Stark said as he was introducing these challenges is to always remember rule #1 – Have Fun! I mean, isn’t that what we’ve all joined a Star Trek club for… to meet people with similar interests and have fun with each other. That’s what I hope the Kelly does for you.

I look forward to seeing you at our next activity.

Fun will now commence

Seven of Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, “Ashes to Ashes”

I realize that we haven’t updated this Website very often. The truth is, we are much more active on Facebook. So, before I get into what the USS Kelly has in store for 2023, you might want to check us out over there. (Link to Facebook)

Upcoming Events

This year, we’ve been able to plan out our activities a little better than we have in the past. To that end, let’s list them…

  • January 18 – Admiral’s Banquet (Seventh Fleet annual winter event)… more on this later
  • February 18 – Game Night at Fiiz
  • March 18 – First Aid Kits
  • April 15 – Kelly Kookbook night
  • May 20 – Share your Favorite Trek Scene
  • June 24 – Fleet Day (Seventh Fleet annual summer event)
  • July 14-16 – Kelly Kampout
  • August 3-6 – Star Trek Las Vegas convention
  • September 16 – Star Party at U of U
  • October 21 – Mad Hatter (hats only costume contest)
  • November 18 – Clarke Planetarium

It’s been a long time since the Kelly has gone to a convention in force, and we’ve made it our goal this year to do so. The plan is to go to the STLV:57 convention this August. Since that is a large expense, we plan to do things that are much cheaper for our monthly activities. More details on the individual events will follow, and of course will also be on our Facebook page.

So, whatever money you would have spent on a larger event, set it aside for the convention.

Report on the Admiral’s Banquet 2023

As you may have noticed, we’ve already had our first event of the year. Per tradition, we joined with other ships of the fleet for some food, fun, and a report on what each ship has done last year (or is planning this year). See the photos below.

Additionally, this year marks the 25th anniversary of Starfleet Command’s Seventh Fleet. Think about that a moment. 25 years of this larger organization of clubs. Some of those clubs are newer, and some (like the Kelly) were there when the Fleet was formed.

How many clubs do you know that last even 5 years?

There is a reason we have stayed together so long, and it is simply this: Star Trek is a common interest, one that we use as an excuse to get together. If you look at the members of the Fleet, you will find other people who share interests of yours that aren’t Star Trek (for example, Admiral Stark and I actually met in a Doctor Who fanclub… that no longer exists). We all know that the Galaxy-class Enterprise is made up – but we love it nonetheless. The only true “ships” in these clubs is our friendships. That is the reason the Seventh Fleet’s motto is “We Do Not Stand Alone”… because we don’t. We stand together, with our friends.

As part of the Fleet’s 25th anniversary celebration, the Admiralty board have created a 25th Anniversary Bingo – a list of 12 items we can do. Those events, and how to mark that you’ve done them, will be posted on our Facebook page. One of those things, titled THE SCORCH, is to sign a special banner the Admiralty created for the event with your name, ship, and rank. Here’s mine:

Of course the other point of this is to simply have fun. Below are some photos of us at the Banquet, and I don’t know about the rest of my crew but I, for one, definitely had fun.

Today we held our monthly Senior Officer’s Meeting, or SOM. Because of our current small crew roster, we’re including all members in the planning stages for our upcoming activities. Those attending today’s Kelly Planning Meeting were:

Captain Jill Bogler
Lt. Cmdr. Dawn Woods (XO)
Lt. Scott Hollinger (Chief Tactical Officer)
Lt. Melissa Andrew (First Contact officer)
Crewman John Saffell
Adm. Dennis Hollinger
Lt. Cmdr. Kacie Stevens (USS White Buffalo)

For now, our Tactical department is the only functioning department we have. If you are in Tactical or Security, you will report to Lt. Hollinger and work on your rank advancements with him. If you are in another department, you will generally work with Lt. Cmdr. Woods. Eventually we will build back up to having fully functional departments with their own departmental meetings. Until then, we have a lot of work ahead of us. So… how do we do this?

Step One: Build Excitement
How do we build excitement? By making sure we have fun activities and keeping people informed. If we are having fun and show it, then excitement will build naturally. As part of this effort, I have made it my goal to keep the USS Kelly Website current and actively post on it.
We talked about our Facebook page, and the possibility of using other social media as well. I am going to postpone using other social media until we are in the habit of keeping our Facebook page and Website updated.
Additionally, please check out the Activities Calendar of this Website. It is a Google Calendar, which is easily able to transfer activities to your personal Google Calendar.

We planned our upcoming activities for the next few months. We are excited to be able to meet in person again now that a lot of the restrictions have been lifted…

  • Game Night, May 15, 2021, 4-7 pm – Bring a board and/or card game to play, a snack to share, and your own dinner to eat (a grill will be available). This will be held at Commander Wood’s home (see calendar and/or Facebook event for details). Note: There will be a Zoom Meeting in tandem with this event for those who are not comfortable meeting in person yet.
  • Simulator Mission, June 2021 – the Alpine School District in Utah County has opened up their space simulator again. These events are useful for those going for Command ranks and are a ton of fun. This will be in June – details TBD.
  • Kelly Kampout, July 9-10, 2021 – We are reviving the famous Kelly Kampout! Details TBD, but will most likely be held in the Ogden area. We are inviting other ships to join us.
  • Fleet Day, Aug 7, 2021 – Hosted by the USS Ticonderoga, this will be the annual Fleet Games in a park. Details TBD. Watch for updates on the Fleet Facebook page or the Ticonderoga’s Website.
  • USS Kelly 35th Anniversary, Sept 25, 2021 – Details TBA. Be on the lookout for updates.

Other dates of note:

  • June 3, Woman in Motion – this Nichelle Nichols documentary will stream on Paramount Plus June 3, 2021.
  • June 4-7, KAG Virtual Convention – the Klingon Assault Group virtual convention.
  • Aug 12, Lower Decks – Lower Decks season two will stream on Paramount Plus starting Aug 12, 2021.
  • Sept 16-19, FanX Convention – the annual FanX convention in Salt Lake City. No Star Trek people have been announced… yet.

We are also introducing something new to the Kelly: Show and Tell. This is pretty much what it sounds like.
Do you remember being in elementary school and showing something off to your classmates that you were really excited about? Well, we’re doing the same thing for the first few minutes of every activity. This could be something as simple as the new toy you found at the thrift store, proof of winning a game at a convention that you were excited about, or even your new camera drone. It doesn’t matter if it is Star Trek or even sci-fi at all, just as long as you are excited to share it with your fellow crewmembers. Just remember to keep it family friendly.

Step Two: Promotion/Advertisement
The Seventh Fleet wants all of the ships in the Fleet to have a promotional banner. Unlike the flag of the past, this is going to be printed. Some of the design elements are static – so as to be uniform with the other ships – but the rest is completely up to us.
Admiral Hollinger has been working with former Captain Nada and the senior officers to come up with a design. This is still in the works. We already have the base for the banner – we just need to finish the design so we can get it printed out.

Other things that were discussed for promotion is getting new club t-shirts, and uniforms. I, like a lot of us, have outgrown the uniforms I currently have. Getting a new one will take money and, honestly, that’s one thing I’ve placed on the back burner for me now. (This pesky thing called “real life” keeps wanting to interfere.)

Well, that’s about it for now.

Live Long and Prosper,
Captain Jill Bogler-Patterson

There are many ways to be creative – artwork, writing, music, working on our favorite television series, etc. We’d love to see your submissions!

To that end, I am going to post a story written by a former member of the USS Kelly. I know he would want to share it with you.

LATINUM TOE, or The Spy Who Stunned Me (a Seventh Fleet Tale) by George Bogler

Quirm smiled to himself. This hand would be the one to make him rich. The one that would give him respect in his new employer’s eyes. He had spent the last two hours carefully cheating, winning just enough to be considered a mediocre player. Now it was time for the kill. the chips on the table represented over 100 bars of gold-pressed latinum, and it was all his.

Trivoy smiled to herself. this hand would be the one to make her rich, as well as giving her the opportunity she had come looking for. The chips on the table represented over 100 bars of gold-pressed latinum, and she was holding four Jacks. It was all hers, yet as much as she looked forward to winning, she also would be very happy to wipe the self-satisfied smirk off the ugly face of the loathsome Ferengi across from her. He had joined the game when she had, two hours ago, and had won only a hand or two. However he had gotten lucky somehow & won the last three hands. Each time his gloating got more insufferable.

The Englishman sitting next to Trivoy signaled for a waitress. “Vodka martini,” he ordered in a suave, but halting voice. “Poured, not replicated.”

The betting had progressed around the table, by the time the Englishman’s drink arrived. The waitress was bumped while serving the drink and her bare arm brushed against Quirm’s ear. “Watch what you’re doing, you clumsy fe-male,” he barked.

The Englishman raised an eyebrow.

“It’s your bet, Ferengi,” grumbled one of the other players – a Bolian.

“Very well,” replied Quirm. “I’ll see your slip, and raise you two strips.”

The Bolian debated a moment, then tossed his cards to the table. “Beaten by the damn Ferengi,” he cursed.

“The bet is to you, Miss Pursuit,” prompted Quirm.

“Right,” answered Trivoy. “Your two strips, and two more.”

The Englishman covered the bet.”Call.”

Trivoy laid down her four Jacks. “Well played, Madam,” the Englishman conceded as he displayed his two pair: tens and eights.

Quirm was the only one left. He was positively cackling as he lay down his cards one at a time, prolonging his victory: one, two, three, and finally four Kings. As he started scooping up the chips, the Englishman stood and moved directly behind the Ferengi. “I wouldn’t celebrate just yet, Quirm,” he said, then grabbed the Ferengi’s ears and pulled hard.

The ears came off, revealing circuitry and wires leading into Quirm’s real, though only slightly smaller, ears. The Englishman explained. “He’s been receiving transmissions from a spotter. Someone was positioned in the room in such a way as to see everyone’s cards. He probably would have been roving to seem less suspicious.”

Shortly thereafter, Trivoy finished giving her statement to Security and noticed the Englishman at the bar. “Thank you for exposing that Ferengi cheat. I would have been wiped out if he had won that pot.”

“Think nothing of it. It was the least I could do.” He gave Trivoy a warm smile.

“Nevertheless, I am grateful. Can I buy you a drink, Mr…”

“Bondkirk,” he replied. “James T Bondkirk.”

From Star Trek, the Original Series, we learn that Vulcans believe in a concept called Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations, or IDIC. The Vulcan symbol is actually the symbol for IDIC – a triangle intersecting a circle and creating a gem. Completely different, yet when combined together they make something beautiful.

This concept is something I think gets lost, especially in today’s politically charged climate.

Now, we all have different opinions, and sometimes those opinions are at odds, but we also have a love of Star Trek – otherwise we wouldn’t be in this fanclub, would we? The thing we need to remember is that 1. our clubs are a place to come together, not to tear each other apart, and 2. politics has no place in our clubs because of how divisive it can be.

That said, we need to remember Gene Roddenberry’s himself wrote about diversity in TOS:

“We’ve each learned to be delighted with what we are. The Vulcans learned that centuries before we did.”
“It is basic to the Vulcan philosophy, sir. The combination of a number of things to make existence worthwhile.”
– Kirk and Spock, “The Savage Curtain”

IDIC represents the belief that beauty, growth, progress, etc. result from the union of the unlike – even opposites. In other words, that we are better together than we are apart.
(See this article about IDIC from Women at Warp, a Roddenberry Podcast.)

So, whether we meet in person or on social media, please remember that we are all fans of Star Trek. The Great Bird of the Galaxy himself would agree that it’s better to build one another up than to tear each other down.

We had a lot of news at our last Tactical Meeting/RPG night. First, Jill reported on the progress the Seventh Fleet Acquisitions team has made toward creating a Monopoly-type game based on Starfleet Command’s Seventh Fleet. She was able to show the graphics she has been putting together with help from various members of the Fleet (most notably, Captain of Engineering Ross Trowbridge of the USS Rendezvous). Our own Michael Frogget of the Engineering brought examples of 3D printed pieces for the games. (I’m sensing a theme here…)

Jill also showed us the new USS Kelly lending library. If you are working on a rank advancement, you may need access to reference materials you don’t currently have. Well, others do!
Active members will soon receive an invitation to a website called Lend Items where they can create a free login. We are using this as a library program, as it has the capability to automatically remind us when the books are due back.
Once Jill gets the loan-able items loaded into the program, you can see it in the lending library. (This will eventually include media other than books, such as DVD sets of the Star Trek shows.) Then you can log into the USS Kelly lending library and reserve an item. Make arrangements with Jill to check it out and pick it up. When it is due back, you’ll receive an e-mail reminder!

Next we went over our upcoming activities…

  • October 26th, 7:00 pm – Mad Hatter. This is basically a Halloween Hat party. Bob Patterson will host at Bob & Jill’s home. Start time is 7:00 pm. Bring snacks to share while we watch family friendly Halloween movies.
  • November 16th, 7:00 pm – Kooking with the Kelly. Back when the Kelly was young(ish), Commander Ruth Burns created a cookbook with Star Trek themed recipes in it. This has now been digitized, thanks to Commodore Marla Trowbridge. For this activity, we will be cooking a recipe from the cookbook together. You are also encouraged to bring side dishes/deserts/etc. also created from the Kelly Kookbook. (Jill will be providing a Warp Core Breach.) More details to come.
  • December 14th, 7:00 pm – Christmas Dinner. This annual event is simply going to be going to a restaurant. We may also be doing a White Elephant gift exchange. If you know a place that we can hold this, please get in contact with the Senior Staff (Captain Nada, Admiral Hollinger, Lt. Commander Jill Bogler-Patterson or Melissa Andrew) as soon as possible. We need to get this booked before all the places are taken.
  • January 25, 2020 – Admiral’s Banquet. This will be hosted by the White Buffalo. More details as they come.
  • February, date and time TBD – Lasertag. We are looking at doing Lasertag, and have someone in mind to run it. We are waiting to hear more. If this doesn’t pan out, then we’ll move our proposed March activity to February.
  • March – 3D Printing class. Do you want to know more about 3D printing and how it is used in business, the medical field, costuming, and more? Well so do we! We’re looking for someone to spearhead this event so we can all learn how to create our own 3D models.

Last but certainly not least, we were finally able to present the promotion certificates that we’ve waited so long for…

So after all of that, what did we do at the last USS Kelly role-playing game? I’m glad you asked!
Our current mission: escort two representatives away from the docks. Unfortunately, we ran into some local law enforcement – and their pets. We spent the entire gaming session fighting our way out of trouble.
Eric’s character rushed headlong into trouble because she is a little nuts – and she was tired of being shot in the back. Michael’s character kept trying to heal us and keep us out of trouble. Richard’s character kept attacking anything that was attacking us. Jill’s character was able to charm one of the Bandit Leaders into spilling the beans on the whole operation, including who hired them and why as well as the paper trail leading all the way to the head of the corrupt government usurpers.
I guess “fighting” our way out of trouble worked. Mostly.

I have never understood the thought that if you like Star Trek you can’t like Star Wars (and vice versa). After all, one of Star Trek’s guiding principles is IDIC – Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.

For example, when I was little my dad & I watched Star Trek (TOS) reruns every week when they came on TV. It was something we enjoyed together, and one of the best memories I have of him. Then, when I was in grade school this strange space movie came out in movie theaters. I don’t remember a whole lot from the first time I saw that movie, but I just HAD to be Princess Leia for Halloween.

Now, several years later, I enjoy both franchises and many others: Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica (both versions), Harry Potter, the DC television series (Arrow, Supergirl, etc.), the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Iron Man, Avengers, Doctor Strange, etc.). And I’m not the only one.

What other shows/movies do you enjoy apart from Star Trek? Somewhere among our crew you can find those who enjoy sci-fi, fantasy, anime, mystery, and many other genres. In fact, a few months ago we held an activity where we shared some other, non-Star Trek series that we enjoy. Together we enjoyed episodes of: Stargate, The IT Crowd, The Dragon Prince, Robocop (series), Babylon 5, and The Devil is a Part-Timer.

So with that in mind, we’d like to share a link with you. This is something our own Admiral Hollinger found on You Tube.

Remember in the original Star Wars movie where Darth Vader faces off against Obi-Wan Kenobi? It’s sort of just… there. Well, a group called FXitinPost redid it with current visual effects technology and a couple of actors filling in the more… energetic scenes. Check it out!

Does Star Trek or Star Wars have the greater influence on popular culture? That question was asked over the weekend at the FanX court (sponsored by a local law office), and our own Ensign Richard Blanck was part of that debate. His report is posted below, edited by yours truly…

– Jill

Ensign Blanck’s log Star date 73090.7. 

While attending this year Salt Lake City FanX (ed. note: Sept 2019), I happened upon usual venues I visited. I visited the Seventh Fleet Borg alcove display, Dr. Trek ( Larry Nemecek) and his booth, food vendors, Kyber Lightsaber shop, and other events and displays going on at Fanx.

Then I came upon Fandom court in the heart of the convention – a court of fandom law where fans of many different types of genres can come and plead their case before a judge and a jury panel of their peers. I usually move on to the next venue or panel, but then I read what the last case of the of the convention would be. Star Trek vs. Star Wars- Which franchise had the greater impact on pop culture.

After I signed up to litigate for team Star Trek, I endeavored to get as many of my fellow Fleet members involved as I could. I immediately went back to our base to see if anyone else way available to litigate with me. Unfortunately for me, all members we away or were going to be engaged in other events at time. I concluded that the only logical thing to do was to take the case on myself and hope my knowledge of Star Trek was sufficient for the case at hand. Then I found out that after litigating a previous case I forfeited my chance to litigate for team Star Trek.

Undeterred by that news, I commenced an intense search for all things Star Trek. I used all the sources I could find to strengthen my case against Star Wars, including gathering information from Dr. Trek. I spent the rest of the time at FanX compiling information. After I returned home I used the rest of the night to put my information into a legal format. I returned the next day to FanX ready to plead my case, though whether I had a chance to litigate was up to the court. I arrived early to the court to see if the team was full and it happen to have one spot left which was award to me.

Our Star Trek team consisted of people very knowledgeable about Star Trek: Mr. Andrew Sigrist, Mr. Justin Hegstrom, Miss. Heather Protzman, and myself.  We had 40 minutes to prepare our case as a team. With our combined knowledge on the subject of Star Trek we felt very confident in our ability not only to litigate the case, but win it. On on the Star Wars side of the case we heard a lot of chatter and not a lot of substance in their case planning.

The opposition started first in the case with their open statement that quote “We will show you through popularity, merchandising, monetary gain, and fan base, that Star Wars and not Star Trek has had the greater influence on pop culture.” 

We started off in our opening statement to the jury that “We will show through technology,  invention, influence on people, change of society norms and many other influences that Star Trek had on not just pop culture, but culture in general. And we will show that Star Trek influenced many of our favorite sci-fi shows, including Star Wars. We will show you by all this that Star Trek and not Star Wars has had the greater influence on  pop culture then Star Wars”.

Star Wars started off their argument with the first definition of pop culture you find on google which stated “modern popular culture transmitted via the mass media and aimed particularly at younger people.” they continued their argument by stating statistics, fan base size, merchandising, source material, and overall popularity and monetary base.

Our opening argument completely ignored playing the “who is more popular” game with Star Wars. We stated that pop culture is more then just fan base and how much money a franchise has, but how it has influenced pop culture as a whole. We tried using our vast arsenal influence, tech, and other examples. Unfortunately, this was objected to every time we started down that road and the judge was sustaining every objection Star Wars called out. We closed out our remarks and yielded the floor to Star Wars.

While the opposition continued on their crusade of who is more popular, Justin asked us to find the “real” definition of pop culture. We regrouped for round two and opened our argument with the actual meaning of pop culture from the Cambridge Dictionary which stated that pop culture in “music, tv, cinema, books, etc., that are popular and enjoyed by ordinary people, rather than by experts or very educated people”. (On a side note, half of the opposition team left for other panels at this point, including their two best debaters, not waiting to hear us enter in the new definition of pop culture.)

The court allowed us four examination and cross-examination opportunities. We continued on our warpath to show that Star Trek has had the greater influence and effect on culture, and society in general. We threw everything at them. The first comic convention in May of 1972, first woman in command, first minority in command, women’s rights, first interracial kiss on television, I.D.I.C. (Infinite Diversity In Infinite Combinations), inspiration of people to become what they had thought to be unachievable. People became astronomers, astronauts, scientists, inventors, actors and actresses, engineers, and more.  The technological achievements and inventions that came from Star Trek are now used in every day life: cell phones, smart phones, iPads, the ion drive, tricorders, tractor beams, diagnostics beds, replicators (a.k.a. 3D printing), the hypo-spray, cloaking devices, voice interface computers, transparent aluminum, bluetooth headsets, google glass, portable memory, focused ultrasound technology, biometric data tracking, GPS, automatic doors, big screen displays, real time universal translators, teleconferencing, and the v.i.s.o.r. (a.k.a. bionic eyes).

After many back and forth examinations and rebuttals on both sides the judge called for closing statements from both sides. Star Wars was first and tried to close with the popularity and monetary/fan base angle. We gave our closing statement on the basis of change, invention, inspiration, technological creation and advancement, changes in society, influence it had on people, and that the inspiration of many sci-fi shows and movies came from the genius of Star Trek – including Star Wars. We closed our statement with a quote: “Star Trek softened up the entertainment arena so that Star Wars could come along and stand on Star Treks shoulders”.

The jury deliberated for 15 minutes and found that Star Trek has had, and continues to have, a greater influence on pop culture than Star Wars. Therefore Star Trek has the greater impact and influence on pop culture and society in general.  And with that I close this log entry.

Since the USS Kelly’s new spirit guide is the elephant, we thought we’d go over some interesting fact about them. All of the following information below on the African elephants, including the photos, are courtesy of the National Geographic website.

  1. African elephants are the largest mammals on Earth.
  2. Elephants are fond of water, and enjoy showering themselves by sucking water into their trunks and spraying it all over themselves.
  3. An elephant’s trunk is actually a long nose which is used for lots of things other than breathing and smelling. They will trumpet, drink through their trunk, and grab things – especially food.
  4. The trunk alone contains about 10,000 different muscles.
  5. Elephants use their tusks to dig for food and water, and also to strip bark from trees. Males also use them in battle.
  6. Elephants eat roots, grasses, fruit, and bark – about 300 pounds of it per day.
  7. Elephants don’t sleep much, and they roam great distances while foraging.
  8. Elephant mothers are pregnant for about 22 months – that’s nearly two years!
  9. Baby elephants shed their first set of teeth and tusks, just like humans lose their baby teeth.
  10. Elephants make powerful low-frequency rumblings to communicate over long distances.
  11. An elephant’s brain has a very similar structure to humans.
  12. When an elephant dies, their family grieves. They may even revisit the bones of their deceased for years, touching them with their trunks. Not many animals do that.

Remember, our next activity will be going to the Hogle Zoo to view these majestic animals. We will be going on Saturday, September 21st. Time TBD.

The next USS Kelly activity is going to be the Seventh Fleet Games, held this coming Saturday, August 17, 2019 at Heyburn Central Park in Heyburn, Idaho. Directions to the park, the agenda, and additional information from the USS Valkyrie are listed below.

If you plan to attend and need a ride, please contact Mel Andrew so she can coordinate rides.

Directions to Heyburn Central Park
1. Coming from Utah take Exit 211
2. Turn left towards Burley/Heyburn
3. At the first stop light turn right onto 21st street
4. Turn left on K street and go to the end of the street
5. Park comes up on your right at the end of the street

Important information
1. We will be keeping to the time schedules listed above. If two events are going on at the same time you will need to choose which one you want to participate in, time frames can not be extended to keep us on time so travelers do not get a late start heading back.

2. There will be a silent auction that will go on throughout the Olympics. There are 30 Lots of different Sci-fi Memorabilia. Auction will close at the time the medals are awarded. We will be able to take cash, debit, and credit cards and PayPal for payments of auction items.

3. There will be a playground for small children who do not want to participate in the Cadet games. There will also be restrooms available to us for the duration of the Olympics.

4. Lunch will be Street Tacos, Salad, Chips and Dessert. We will also have bottled water available to drink. Anyone not wanting these options are more than welcome to bring their own lunch. We are not charging any Fleet member for the lunch provided. If you feel you would like to donate to cover cost a donation jar will be there for donations but is not required.

5. The event will run from 10 am to 6 pm. Instructions and sign up will happen until 10:15 am and then the games will start. Sign ups will be available up until each game starts. Time schedules will be strictly adhered to.