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DARTS, POOL & STEAKThe Region Invades Harker-Heights Moose Lodge!
JULY - AUGUST ‘07 VOLUME 16, NO. 4
THE NEWSLETTER FOR REGION THREE
F L E E TCHANNELS
INSIDE RC REPORT STAFF REPORTS VESSEL REPORTS FLEET & REGIONAL NEWS TREK NEWS NASA NEWS UPCOMING EVENTS
F L E E TCHANNELS
FLEET CHANNELS2
DISCLAIMER
Fleet Channels is the official electronicbi-monthly publication of Region Three.This newsletter is written solely for theentertainment of the Regional staff, themembers of Regional Three and as-sorted friends. This publication is not in-tended to infringe on the copyrights ortrademarks of Star TrekTM, as held byParamount Pictures Corporation. FleetChannels is copyrighted as an originalproduction. Permission is hereby grantedto anyone who wishes to reproduce theoriginal material herein, provided that thesource of the material is included. Allother copyrighted material, trademarks,and/or service marks cited herein are reg-istered to their respective owners.
Certain uncredited material may be writ-ten by the editor. The opinions presentedin this newsletter are not necessarilythose of Region Three or STARFLEET:The International Star Trek Fan Associa-tion.
Address corrections, Letters to the Edi-tor, articles and/or artwork are stronglyencouraged and should be sent to FleetChannels, P.O. Box 1756, Coppell, TX.75019. Unsolicited submissions will notbe returned unless accompanied by aS.A.S.E. Deadline for submissions isthe first of each month prior to the nextissue.
Submissions are respectfully requestedin the form of an ASCII Text file or Worksfor Windows v4.0 that can be sent viathe INTERNET [email protected]. If you can-not upload a file then send it to me at theabove address on a returnable 3.5" floppydisk compatible with IBM or carfully typedon white paper with at least one and one-half spaces between the lines in a san-serif font (i.e.: Arial). If you cannot typethen carefully hand print -- incursive willnot be accepted under any circum-stances! Reports and/or submissionsneed to be 500 words or less.
Published items become the property ofFleet Channels and Region Three.
CONTACT LIST / DISCLAIMER
REGIONAL COORDINATOR
ADM Brad Pense ............................................... [email protected]
VICE-REGIONAL COORDINATORS
VRC (North): COMM Robyn Winans ................ [email protected] (South/Senior): ADM Michelle Fanelli ....... [email protected] (West): VADM Sam Black ........................ [email protected]
REGIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Chief of Staff: VADM Raymond Ford .................. [email protected] Chief of Staff: COMM Jeff Webb ............. [email protected]: RADM Stephanie Izard .................... [email protected]: VADM Mark A. Vinson ........... [email protected] Operations: RADM Dave Walker ............ [email protected] Operations: MGN Aaron Murphy ........ [email protected] Enlisted Advisor: CMCPO Randi Spears . [email protected]
REGIONAL SUPPORT STAFF
Awards Coordinator: RADM Billie Clifton ........... [email protected]: COMM Kat Sweeney-Richards ......... [email protected] Officer: RADM Heather Ford ............... [email protected] Adv. General: FCPT Emilio Martinez ........ [email protected]: CMDR Reed Bates ................... [email protected] Forces Officer: BDR Jeff Schnoor .......... [email protected] Projects Officer: RADM Heather Ford .... [email protected] Services Director: COMM Robert Ybarra .. [email protected]
REGIONAL DEPARTMENT CHIEFS
Operations: FCPT Alex Trevino .......................... [email protected]: VADM Bill A. "Mac" Schwab .......... [email protected]: FCPT Evan Richards ............. [email protected]: BGN Bryon Flynt .................................. [email protected]: FCPT Bill Downs .................................. [email protected]: LT Terrie Thomas .................................. [email protected]
REGIONAL E-MAIL ADDRESSES
Monthly Status Reports ...................................... [email protected] Status Reports ................................ [email protected] Requests ........................................ [email protected] Channels .................................................. [email protected]
REGIONAL MAILING LISTS
There are currently two mailing lists: [email protected], the general informationlist for Region Three and [email protected], for all prospective and current ves-sels taking part in STARFLEET's Shakedown Operations. To subscribe, send e-mail to [email protected] with "subscribe <maillist>" in the body of the mes-sage (where <maillist> is the list to be joined). More information can be found at theRegion Three Web Page (http://www.region3.org).
FLEET CHANNELS 3
RC & VRC REPORTS
TTTTThrough through through through through the Eyeshe Eyeshe Eyeshe Eyeshe Eyes
of a Redneckof a Redneckof a Redneckof a Redneckof a Redneckby: ADM Brad Pense,Regional Coordinator
Regional [email protected]
SOUTHERNSPACEDOCK
Senior Vice-Regional CoordinatorVice-Regional Coordinator, South
by: ADM Michelle [email protected]
Howdy,
Over the weekend ofJuly 21st we saw thereturn of the everpopular Pool and Dartsevent in Killeen at theHarker Heights MooseLodge. While I did not
get to make it this time, I understand thatwe had a very good turn out and that funwas had by all who did get to go. If youmissed it this year then you need to makeplans to attend next year like I will bedoing.
Then, over the weekend of August 3rd to5th members from Region Three at-tended the STARFLEET InternationalConference in Denver, CO where it wasalso announced that Region One hadwon the bid to host the 2009 STARFLEETInternational Conference. IC 2009 will beheld in Greensboro, NC August 7th - 10th,2009. More info is available at their website: www.ic2009.org. BUT, before IC ’09comes IC ’08 will be held in Ithaca, NewYork the weekend of June 27th-29th,2008. Be sure to go and check outthe new IC ’07 web site (www.ic2008.org)where you can find on-line registrationalong with lots of IC information.
Our next event this year is the BiennialRegion Three trip to the Space Center inHouston, TX. that is set to take place onSaturday, September 15th. And we wrapup the year with the very successful an-nual Region Three Game Day V to beheld in Round Rock, TX. during Novem-ber. Events being held during the week-end will include open gaming, the thirdBrigade Fall Muster and much more.More information is available atwww.ussarkangel.com/pages/AAEvents/
Howdy, Howdy,
We had a fun timein Killeen for thesuccessful returnof Pool and Darts.We had manychapters therewith all enjoying
the weekend. The steaks were as tastyas in the past and we thank the Moosefor the warn hospitality. I personally likedthe Harry Potter chat with no spoilers.The Rhyanna is still celebrating their vic-tory at darts.
The south is gearing up for fall activities.The USS Ark Angel is planning anothercharity lazer tag event and working onGame Day. A potluck anniversary partywas held by the Bexar. The members ofthe Firebird supported Apollo Con and areready planning for 2008.
The Transformers Recruiting Drive by theJoan of Arc was reported as electrifyingwith lightening killing the power. But theydid grab a few new members. The Re-naissance celebrated the 38th anniver-sary of the first moon landing with cakeand refreshments.
The Thunderwolf did their part in the com-munity with cooking meals at RonaldMcDonald House and helping out with thearea’s flooding. Collecting school sup-plies for the coming school year was doneby Victory members.
The Denver IC was a great away trip forregional members. We had membersfrom the Aurora Vulcanus, the Gun-slinger, the Lone Star, the Spiritwolf, andthe Victory. The first time I have seenTim Russ and he was very entertaining.I hope to return to the city, it contains too
FROM THE WestERNFRONTIER!
Vice-Regional Coordinator, Westby: VADM Sam Black
Howdy, all. I’ve justreturned from thisyear’s IC in Denver.There were lots of funevents at this year’sannual gathering ofSTARFLEET mem-bers, including a greatevening of fun and
food at the SFMC’s Mess Night, and therumors are true - they really do make us‘Fleeties feel right at home as part of thefun and festivities. I had so much fun; Ihope I’m able to make it to their next MessNight in Ithaca at next year’s IC.
On the way home, we took a minor sidetrip and drove all the way to the top ofPike’s Peak. Let me just say that thereare some incredible sights to see alongthe way. I just hope that I get to go backone day when there aren’t any lightningstorms at the summit which had the parkrangers preventing me from taking pic-tures from their observation deck.
We’ve got some great growth going in theregion. I’d like to officially welcome ournew Louisiana chapters into the fold.Maybe this means the longtime rumorsof a New Orleans’ summit may come truein the not too distant future. Hrmmm????The region’s in a great period of growthat the moment and we have lots of op-portunities presenting themselves overthe next year. We need to be ready tofully take advantage of these as theycome across our radar screens.
Next year’s retreat and summit are com-ing together and I know things are goingto be where lots of the membership willhave the opportunity to be able to budgetsummit into their family vacations. Keepyour ears open as more details begin topour through the region’s news channels.
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FLEET CHANNELS4
Chiefly Yours...Chief-of-Staff Report
by: VADM Raymond [email protected]
STAFF REPORTS
R3GD.aspx
And do not forget that next year’s sum-mit which will be held at the HowardJohnson in Killeen, TX on July 18th - 20th,2008. Additional information on nextyear’s Summit will be posted on the R3List and R3 Web site as it becomes avail-able.
In service to the Fleet,
Adm. Brad Pense,Commander, Third Fleet
Just a fewupdates:
A date andlocation forRetreat 2008 hasnow been lockedin. It will takeplace on January18 - 20 at the
Howard Johnson’s in Killeen. Membersof the Region Three staff and USS ArkAngel took the opportunity to visit theplace during Pool and Darts. The hotelstaff was more than happy to oblige uswith a tour of the facilities. Everythinglooked up to meeting our needs.
In addition to the usual combination ofmeetings and other fare, Retreat 2008will feature the first change of commandand retirement celebration for a RegionalCoordinator in Region Three for over adecade. Personally, I look forward towelcoming our new leader and helpingto throw the old bum out (Just kidding —Maybe).
The Killeen Howard Johnson’s will alsoserve as the location for Summit 2008.The working date is July 18 - 20 as ofthis writing and, assuming no conflicts,should be confirmed by the time thisissue of Fleet Channels reaches you.
We have already received someexcellent ideas and good advice on howRetreat and Summit can be improved.Expect some changes to meet yourneeds. And please keep your opinionscoming in! We can’t fix it if we don’t knowit’s broken.
Vice Admiral Raymond FordRegion Three Chief of Staff
much to see in a weekend.
We have had a few command changeswith our groups. Alex Trevino ExecutiveOfficer of the Bexar decided to step downso Jesse Gutierrez has moved in the po-sition. The Renaissance new commandteam is Robert Suttles and Del Davis.Beau Thacker moves to the newlylaunched Azrael. David Bailey is their XO.Trisha Tunis and Danyele Tutt lead ourother new group the Corsair. Congratu-lations to all and it is so nice to see twonew groups in Louisiana.
I hope everyone is drying out after thefloods in Texas. I will be glad when theweather settles down.
We are moving into the final phases oftwo elections. I hope that everyone takesthe time to listen to all the teams runningfor Starfleet and cast their vote. It is yourorganization and your decision who willbe the best suited to lead. As a region,we will be deciding our next RC. I hopewhoever gets the position that all will sup-port and work with them. It is everyone’sresponsibility to help the region continueto develop that bright future we know ithas.
Our next fall events are Space CenterHouston and Game Day. Both promise
RC Report -- continued fromprevious page
VRC-S Report -- continued fromprevious page
to be fun and I hope if you get the chance,Attend. I hope to see many of you inSpace Houston.
And may the good news be yours.
Admiral Michelle Fanelli,Vice-Regional Coordinator, South
While I’ll probably not get to go on theSpace Center Houston excursion due tothe start-of-school ramp up I go throughas a teacher, I’m already looking forwardto making it down to Game Day hostedby the USS Ark Angel. There’s nothinglike a great weekend that is surroundedby nothing but good food, good fun, andgreat friends. And, I’ll need that little breakin the action by the time November rollsaround.
In closing, I’d like to say that, during thistransition period towards a new era inRegion Three, while change can be ascary thing, change is good for any typeof growth. And, remember, growth, in it-self, is change. Whomever comes out onthe other side of the RC election, we’ll allwork together to make this the best re-gion in all of STAFLEET. And, speakingof elections, don’t forget to read theSTARFLEET CS Election materials oncethey hit everyone’s mailboxes and makean informed and honest decision for thebest of STARFLEET’s future.
Vice-Admiral Sam Black,Vice-Regional Coordinator, West
VRC-W Report -- continued fromprevious page
FLEET CHANNELS 5
VESSEL REPORTS
USS Aurora Vulcanus, NCC-1888Fleetwide Correspondence Vessel
CO -- ADM Michelle [email protected]
XO -- CAPT Catt FanelliCommissioning Date: July 4, 1983
Motto: "Creatively Sailing inExploration of the Imagination"
USS Joan of Arc, NCC-73289Sector 6 -- Corpus Christi, TX.CO -- FCPT Robin Van Cleave
[email protected] -- LCDR Tahnya Abbott
Commissioning Date: January 6, 1994Motto: "Legends Endure"
USS Regulator, NCC-73337Sector 1 -- Fort Worth, TX.
CO -- BDR Mark [email protected]
XO -- MCPT Kyle SchugartCommissioning Date: October 1, 1992Motto: “Defending the Final Frontier”
The Old AV has been traveling this sum-mer, seeing the sites.
Shell and The Catt attended Pool andDarts in Killeen, Texas. They had a won-derful time talking Harry Potter and eat-ing tasty steaks. They also took a sidetrip to Bryan’s Messina Hof winery.
Our away teams also made Denver’s IC‘07. Along with Shell and Jeanette Fanelli(last minute replacement for David), wereDavid Dlugach and David Paulson. Sowe had the two out of three David’s forthe event. Joyce Fink was in the area forher niece’s wedding and was a welcomesurprise. The event was a bit of workand play. Shell helped host a recruitingpanel. All report having a blast. Tim Russwas very entertaining and friendly. Sidetrips included Pike’s Peak, the Capital,and the US Mint. All hope to return formore exploring.
Our crew is gearing up for next issue ofthe AG. Our saving our past newsletterproject has started. We found two yearsworth already in PDF format. Work con-tinues on the paper pile and ways to re-cruit new members. We also are busyclipping coupons.
The Chapter starts her twenty-fourth yearin fleet with twins. We are thrilled to sup-port the new groups of Louisiana - theAzrael and the Corsair.
We are planning to host Region Three
I am back tracking just a bit to keep theregion up-to-date on an event that hap-pened at the end of June. The club de-cided to book passage on the boat TexasTreasure for an all day cruise where youcan gamble, play slot machines, etc. af-ter crossing the state territorial limits outin the bay. I wasn’t aware HOW MUCHa tiny wave could impact the boat. I ac-tually needed assistance to walk from onearea to another because the tilt of thedecks. NEVER MIND looking out the portholes!! There was a good 6-8 foot dropwith each wave the Treasure crested.There were seven of us who braved thetrip but none of us came away in the pluscolumn. For me ONE trip was plenty.Another thing I didn’t enjoy, cameras wereconsidered off limits therefore I couldn’ttake any photos. Better times happenedin July.
For the month of July only, the club flippedour meeting schedule, having the uniformevent first. We set up a recruiting tablein the lobby of the Starplex Theatre dur-ing the July 4th weekend. There were avariety of thing for the public to do: watchvideo, look at a scrapbook, chat withmembers etc. Shortly after 2:30 p.m., thefront began to blow in from the west. Rainfell sideways blown by a truly strong wind.It was around that time when the lightsbegan to blink throughout the entire com-plex.... This continued for close to 20-30minutes then the doors shook & a re-sounding BOOM happened. The lightswent out but this time DID NOT return!
Well, this summer has been one for thebooks. First it doesn’t look like it will stopraining (all though we have enjoyed thecooler weather) and then we have unex-pected company at Summit. Well, lifedoes stay interesting. For those of youwho might have been wondering, the XOis better but we’re still not sure how hecaught what he had. But he is back onhis feet and doing well. The CO contin-ues to have some issues with his healthbut so far nothing serious. It seems wego from one illness to another. The sickbay is thinking of putting in a revolvingdoor.
Because of illness and other issues, it hasbeen decided that Quark’s Casino takesa vacation this year. I know you were alllooking forward to it -- but we just haven’tbeen able to get out and get the thingsdone to prepare for it properly. And sincewe won’t do a slip-shod job on this, wedecided to recuperate from our variousillnesses and attack it next year.
We are all hoping to make either theHouston event in September or at leastthe Marine Mustering in November.Keeping the northern borders secure.
FCPT Liz Goulet,Communications OfficerUSS Regulator
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FLEET CHANNELS6
VESSEL REPORTS
USS Rhyanna, NCC-1892Sector 5 -- Austin, TX.
CO -- RADM Heather [email protected]
XO -- FCPT Kathy HenchCommissioning Date:September 24, 1991
Motto: "If we don't know it or we don'thave it, we'll learn it or find it!"
It’s been a long and wet summer. Notmuch has happened to us after we at-tended Summit -- except for the fact wehave a new Commanding Officer!!!!
Yep, after 10+ years, Stephanie Izard hasdecided to step down. We held ship elec-tions (the Rhyanna version, that is) andwe are very pleased to announce that ournew CO is (drum roll, please) HeatherFord!!!
She is really excited about the chance tohelm a crew of all women and one Tokenand we are lucky she decided to chanceit. Meanwhile, Stephanie will be com-manding a new shuttle starting in MarbleFalls (her actual home town). We willhave Steph for a little while longer whileall the paperwork goes through.
It has been so long since our COchanged, we had to dust off the proce-dure manual on how to handle it. Wedecided what we really needed to do washave a really big party. What, we shouldtreat this different from anything else?Our 16th anniversary is coming this Sep-tember and we will have a big get-to-gether on the 8th. We are actually send-ing out invitations to some of the Region3 notables but if you aren’t on that par-ticular short list and would like to come,get in touch with us and we will send youdirections.
The weekend after that we are planningto descend on Houston for the NASA get-
together. We will be staying at the BestWestern and will have the usual poolparty with pizza on Saturday. If you planto join us, see me during the day somoney can change hands and taste pref-erences can be noted.
We are also planning a Halloween partyon October 27, with the Ark Angel joiningus for some fun and games. We arethinking of making it “costume manda-tory” to put some fun back into the cel-ebration.
I certainly hope to see a lot of the Regionat Houston on the 15th of September.The more that show up the more fun wealways have.
Until then,
Gigi JacobsonUSS Rhyanna
members for September’s Space CenterHouston. Collecting items for the spacegoodie bag and kids packets.
Until Next Time,CPT Jared K. Fielder
JofA Report -- continued fromprevious page
AV Report -- continued fromprevious page
The 10 room complex was plunged intototal darkness. Our table (laptops & blink-ing star balls) & the light from outsidewere the ONLY illumination available. Aspeople started pouring out into the lobby,the 3 men at the table at the time had tolink elbows in front of our table to preventit from being shoved against the wall!
After we closed the table down, welearned that a transformer had been hitnext to the complex. Naturally it elimi-nated all electricity to the building as wellas the restaurants near by. The funnything was that this was the opening week-end for “Transformers”!!! It was the “mostelectrifying table” I think we have everhad. The most amazing thing here is that
the Club may have gotten 4 new mem-bers from it. WOW!
July has as many birthdays as May butwe celebrated them at the business meet-ing with a card & small gift for each per-son.
This is only a partial report for Augustsince the Uniform event will happen afterthe due date for Fleet Channels. We didhave a business meeting the first Satur-day to plan the rest of the month. Therewas a member’s only trip to the plan-etarium on the campus of Texas A&M-Kingsville. Our XO’s father is the depart-ment head in physics where he chal-lenged us to scientifically define the char-acteristics of life. It’s MUCH easier to saythan to pen down any one thing being thequalifying characteristic. About 6 of ourmembers made the trip down & backending with further discussion over din-ner at Robin & Jim’s home.
There will be more information on therecruiting table at the Gaming event thelast weekend of August in the next issue.
Fleet Captain Kris Dobie, RVAUSS Joan of Arc.
FLEET CHANNELS 7
F L E E TF A C T S
FLEET AND REGIONAL NEWS
On Saturday, July 21st Region Three heldits newly restored Annual Pool and Dart’sSector vs. Sector Parrises Squares Tour-nament in Harker Heights, TX. As inyears past this event was most lookedforward to and was enjoyed by all. Aftera few years off we again invaded theKileen/Harker Heights Moose Lodge,sponsored by Richard Getz, where en-joyed the cash bar, fellowshipped, playedgames, had a marathon Harry Potter CDsession and devoured steak dinners.Oh, and we threw darts and shot pool.
While we tried to shake off the cobwebson how to run a tournament people en-joyed each other as well as the manygames that were brought along with themany computers. Thanks to KathyHench and Reed Bates for running things.The team from the Rhyanna, once again,won the darts Tournament and the teamcomposed of John Halliday, Reed andLloyd Bates and Rick South won the pooltournament.
Since the 3rd Saturday of each month isthe Lodge’s Steak dinner night we en-joyed meals that included steak, bakedpotato, salad and dessert for just $8.00!
Region Three’s Annual Pool and Dart’sParrises Squares Tournament
in Harker Heights, TX.by: VADM Mark A. Vinson
It is a fund raiser for the lodge and weappreciated it.
All in all I can state that we made somemore memories!
photos byReed Bates &
Jess Naumann
FLEET CHANNELS8
FLEET AND REGIONAL NEWS
Need an activity foryour group in Septem-ber?Enjoy learning aboutspace program?Are you a SpaceJunkie?Want to get out oftown for the weekend?If you said yes to any
or all of these, then we have the eventfor you.
Mark your calendar to join Region Threefor our twelfth visit to Space Center Hous-ton Saturday, September 15. Discover thelatest in space exploration with such of-ferings as Rocket Park, IMAX Theater,Kid’s Space Place, and the tram tour ofthe Johnson Space Center facilities.
The regional Top Gun Tournament - land-ing the space shuttle will happen duringthe day. Bragging rights, certifications,and shuttle mission decals are awardedto the best team, best individual, and theinfamous “Swamp Rat”. The ever popu-lar, much sought after, Space Goodie Bagis back. We raise a few bucks for regionwhile you get some neat NASA items. Wewill provide packets for the kids in atten-dance.
As usual we will have discount couponsfor all when we gather at the Center at9:45 am. Currently prices are Adults$18.95, Children (4-11) $14.95 and Park-ing $5.00. If you want to join in on thegroup discount count for Space CenterHouston contact Reed Bates [email protected] before Aug.30th.
We will have dinner at the end of the dayat the Rhyanna’s pool side pizza party attheir hotel.
For more information, to let us know youare coming, and how much pizza to or-der, contact Shell at [email protected].
Jeff Webb is getting the plans togetherfor the Battleship Texas visit. Thanks Jefffor giving us another avenue of adven-ture for the weekend.
Check out www.spacecenter.org for fea-tures and directions. Hotels and areadetails can be found atwww.nasaclearlaketexas.com.
FYI — Houston’s freeways are under con-struction, I know when are they not? I-45 around Nasa Road One is having de-lays. NASA Road One is going throughimprovements as well so bring your pa-tience and some extra time.
So if you have never attended before ormade the last ten, come on down toHouston and enjoy experiencing SpaceCenter Houston with Region Three - TheUltimate Space Junkies.
We hope to see y’all there on September15th.
On Sunday morning,after the tour ofSpace Center Hous-ton, you are invited tojoin us in boardingthe historic Battle-ship USS Texas to
present the charity funds from Summit2006 in person.
We will meet at the San Jacinto Battle-grounds at 10:45 A.M., in preparation toboard the ship at 11:00 A.M. The infor-mation on the museum and admission isavailable at: www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/battleship_texas/
I am currently awaiting information ongroup rates for Battleship admission fromTPWD. The map and directions to theUSS Texas and her proximity to SpaceCenter Houston are available on the sitelinked above. It’s not too terribly far, andthe San Jacinto Monument is also quitea site to see while we’re there!
Region Three Twelfthvisit to Space Center
Houstonby: ADM Michelle Fanelli
Trip To
BaTTleship Texasby: COMM Jeffrey A. Webb
Game Day V will beheld at the RoundRock Public Library at216 E. Main StreetRound Rock, TX78664 the weekend ofSaturday, 10 Novem-ber 2007. Here'ssome of the highlights:
Friday night the 9th: Meet and greet atInterstate Lanes for bowling visiting withyour Regional friends. 7 PM until Close(1AM). Interstate Lanes is located at3101 N I H 35 Round Rock, TX 78664.RSVP for bowling will be available whenregistration opens. Shoe rental is $1.50,games are $3.50 per person.
Saturday the 10th: Come by the Libraryfor Game Day 2007. Doors open at 9AMfor gaming both open and scheduled, withevents running until 5 PM. At 6, the re-sults of any tournaments or competitionswill be announced, as well as a changeof command ceremony in honor of theretirement of CAPT Scott McKinlay asXO, USS Ark Angel. At 7PM, dinner isserved, followed by the yearly charity auc-tion.
Sunday the 11th: Join us for breakfast at8:30 before heading out to Camp Mabryin Austin to catch a WWII Reinactmentby G Company Living History Detach-ment at 11 AM before heading home.
Anyone wishing to run a game during theevent, please email Master Chief Clint Hillat [email protected] with thename of the game, time required, num-ber of player slots, and your contact in-formation.
Final dinner menu and registration page,including final event pricing, will be avail-able soon. Watch the Region Threemailing list for more details.
Let's Play!Game Day V coming in November
by: COMM Jeffrey A. Webb
FLEET CHANNELS 9
FLEET AND REGIONAL NEWS
Austin ChapterMaking Fan Film!Lt. John Halliday, USS Ark Angel
Every Star Trek fan at least thinks aboutmaking a Star Trek film or being in one atsome point. Last December, when momand dad purchased a Canon DC40 Mini-DVD video camera for me I suddenlymorphed in Steven Spielberg, John Fordand Peter Jackson all at once. I beganframing things around me to see how theywould shoot and people would stare atme funny (I liked that for some reasonand somehow that spurred me on). Lowand behold it appeared that mycrewmates had this shared dream of cre-ating a fan film too, so they voted to pro-ceed and thus we began our current jour-ney toward making a fan film.
First of all, no one had to tell us how muchwork was involved in making a film. Wehad, after all, watched all of the appen-dixes for the Lord of the Rings films. So,since this was a low-budget movie andwe were going to use native locations,build only one set and throw togethersome simple costumes, we knew that thiswas going to be a little work but basicallyeasy; we’d be done by Christmas! Uhhuh.
The reality is that as we went along inpre-production and began talking aboutall the things that were necessary to becompleted, we realized one thing: in or-der to make a film that would not totallyhumiliate us, we were going to have toput in some serious time. So far, wehadn’t been able to find a place to buildour shuttlecraft set (Class F by the way),we didn’t have any idea where we wouldbe able to film the outdoor scenes andwe didn’t have a script! Oh and havingabsolutely zip for a budget wasn’t promot-ing anyone’s spirits much either.
Naturally things started to happen andthings looked less bleak. The draft scriptwas completed and we had auditions, fill-ing all but two of the speaking roles. Wefound a room at a member’s church thatwe were allowed to use for our set and,
significantly, we got ourselves a coupleof artists (Juan Hernandez and CharlesIngram), one of which started avidly onstoryboarding the film. Our first real pro-duction meeting went quite well too andwe could tell people were getting fired up.At this point we merely have to finish do-ing a few things like building the sets,making the costumes, rehearsing, film-ing and throwing the film together in aneditor. Uh huh
This has been our experience so far andwhen we get further along I-ll send anupdate on our progress. For those inter-ested in following the production moreclosely, please go to our website:www.ussarkangel.com/ArkAngelWeb/Film/TantalusConnection.aspx
What we have learned so far is that plan-ning is very important. Whoever pro-duces the film needs to have many skills;the most important of these is projectmanagement. If you cannot keep trackof everything, you probably will have aless-than-pleasant experience.
What is the Film About? Well our ship,the Ark Angel, is one of the few originalseries ships in Starfleet. We thereforedecided to make a film set in the originalseries era just as some of the other fanfilm projects have been (seewww.starshipexeter.com andwww.startreknewvoyages.com for moreinformation). The basic plot utilizes char-acters and scenes from the original se-ries episodes “Dagger of the Mind” and“The Trouble with Tribbles”. Essentiallywe receive a distress call from the penalcolony and (mainly since we can’t affordexpensive sets aboard a starship) thecaptain sends a shuttlecraft to answer thecall while the Ark Angel continues on anemergency humanitarian mission else-where. There we encounter a mysteryand challenge to the leadership of thenew Vulcan lieutenant who leads the mis-sion. Unless they find a solution to thesituation they encounter, the universemay be changed as we know it!
2007 CS nomination
final summaryby: STARFLEET Webmaster
Wednesday, 18 July 2007
As of 7/15/07, this is the summary of CSnominations for all the candidates:
Franklin, Greg 1 received, 1 validLizard, Sal 36 received, 35 valid*Olson, Wade 13 received, 12 valid*Plant, Emmett 14 received, 12 valid*Reid, Kevin 1 received, 1 validUeffing, Joost 26 received, 25 valid*
* One or more nominating chapter(s) wasnot in good standing as of 7/15/07
2007 R3RC NominationFinal Summary
by: COMM Ray Brown, IG,STARFLEET
As of Saturday, August 25, 2007, I havereceived nominations from the followingR3 Chapters:
Ark Angel, Aurora Vulcanus, Azrael,Bexar, Corsair, El Destino, Freedom III,Gunslinger, Lone Star, Maverick, Regu-lator, Rhyanna, SpiritWolf, Tejas,Thunderwolf, Trinity River and Victory
Number of Letters of Intent received: 1
As Saturday, August 25, 2007, was thelast day for nominations to be accepted,I hereby declare the Nomination Phaseto be CLOSED.
I will now verify all the nomination formsand letters of intent to ensure that every-thing is in order.
FLEET CHANNELS10
D AT E L I N E :S TA R F L E E T
NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF TREK
AP - Fri Jul 27, 1:23 AM ET From left to right, writer Roberto Orci, actorLeonard Nimoy, producer Damon Lindelof, actor Zachary Quinto, writer J.J.Abrams, writer Alex Kurtzman, producer Brian Burk, and producer StrattonLeopold at Comic Con in San Diego, Calif. on Thursday, July 26, 2007. Thegroup was on hand to discuss their upcoming Paramount Pictures feature
film Star Trek. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)
Zachary Quinto, who will play theyoung Spock in the new “Star Trek,”
shakes Leonard Nimoy’s hand.
J.J. Abrams, who is directing the upcom-ing Star Trek movie due out Christmas2008, confirmed the casting of Heroesstar Zachary Quinto as a young Spockand surprised the audience with the an-nouncement that the 76-year-old originalSpock actor Leonard Nimoy would alsoappear in the film. Abrams made the an-nouncements at Comic-Con Internationalin San Diego on July 26.
“This is a series I loved as a kid,” Abramssaid, acknowledging that he was “moreof a ‘Star Wars’ kid than a Star Trek kid.”“I certainly intend to bring my own spin”
QUINTO, NIMOY TREK CASTING CONFIRMEDby: Patrick Lee, Sci-Fi Channel News Editor
07-27-07
to the iconic role, Quinto told the audi-ence of more than 6,000. “This mattersso much to so many people,” he said. “I’mhonored to be here and do this.”
For his part, Nimoy praised both Abramsand Quinto, saying it was “logical” for himto join the project, in which he will reprisehis most famous role. He signed off: “Livelong and prosper.”
Abrams said the movie will go into pro-duction in November. “The exciting thingfor us, I think, is the ability to take thisamazing world that Gene Roddenberry
created ... and show [it] in a way that youhaven’t seen. ... And it’s tricky, becausethis matters so much to so many people... and you can’t screw it up.”
Abrams added that the filmmakers aretrying to find a way to include WilliamShatner, who played the original Capt.James T. Kirk, in the movie. “The truth is,it needs to be worthy of him,” Abramssaid. “So we’re on that.”
While the character of Captain Kirk hasyet to be cast, Abrams said that WilliamShatner, who played the role in the origi-nal TV series, would likely also have apart in the film.
“It has to be worthy, of him and of you,”Abrams told fans, adding that productionis slated to begin in November.
FLEET CHANNELS 11
TREK NEWS
Warner Home Video announced that itwill release a new cut of Ridley Scott’sclassic SF movie Blade Runner on DVDon Dec. 18, preceded by a brief theatri-cal run in Los Angeles and New York onOct. 5. The announcement came at thebeginning of Comic-Con International inSan Diego, where Scott and some of thecast were scheduled to appear.
Scott did some post-production on the1982 movie to create Blade Runner: TheFinal Cut, which has also been restoredand remastered from original elements.The new version will feature never-be-fore-seen added or extended scenes,added lines, new and improved specialeffects, director and filmmaker commen-tary, an all-new 5.1 Dolby Digital audiotrack and more, the studio said.
Blade Runner: The Final Cut will be in-cluded in three DVD editions: a two-discspecial edition (with a suggested retailprice of $20.97), a four-disc collector’sedition ($34.99) and a five-disc ultimatecollector’s edition ($78.92) in a collect-ible “Deckard Briefcase” package. Simul-taneous HD DVD and Blu-ray versionsof the “Deckard Briefcase” will also bereleased in numbered, limited quantities.
Among the bonus material highlights isDangerous Days, a new, three-and-a-half-hour documentary by award-winningDVD producer Charles de Lauzirika.
Blade Runner‘Final Cut’
DVD Due07-26-07
An HD DVD collection of Star Trek: TheOriginal Series, remastered with new vi-sual effects and score, will be releasedon Nov. 20 in a set of 10 double-sideddiscs, it was announced at Comic-ConInternational in San Diego on July 26. Thediscs will feature the high-def version ofthe show on one side and the standardDVD version on the other.
Star Trek fans were treated to their firstglimpse of the set at a panel at Comic-Con. Remastered from the original cam-era master negatives from the show, theset not only updates the classic serieswith new bonus materials, but the epi-sodes also feature new visual effects,CGI and a re-recorded score, as in thecurrently airing syndicated version of theshow.
Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry Jr., son ofTrek creator Gene Roddenberry, ap-peared at the panel to reassure puristfans that he has provided his officialstamp of approval on the new set.
“When I first heard about remasteringStar Trek, I kind of felt like a lot of fansout there thinking, ‘Don’t touch it,’”Roddenberry said. “I didn’t want the ‘StarWars [special edition] effect’ to happento it. But when I found out that Mike andDenise Okuda [Trek series scenic artists]and Dave Rossy [Trek marketing] weregoing to be involved and had some deci-sion-making power, I felt much better.When I found out it wasn’t about chang-ing the scenes—it wasn’t about addingcontent, but taking what was there andjust enhancing it and ... putting in CG—Ithought it was nice. But then I said, ‘Youhave to keep the original DVDs availablefor the die-hards that don’t want the re-master.’ So I’m 100 percent behind it.”
Bonus materials include a 3-D self-navi-gated shuttle tour of the NCC-1701, a“Starfleet Access” interface with onscreenicons that provide additional data, trivia
Remastered Trek DueOn HD DVD
by: Tara DiLullo Bennett,Sci-Fi Channel
and exclu-sive newvideo inter-views fromthe cast andcrew aboutthe episodes,as well asn e v e r - b e -f o r e - s e e nfootage fromTrek extraB i l l yBlackburn’spersonal Super 8 movies shot on set. Theset carries a suggested retail price of$217.99.
Abrams WooingCruise for Trek XI?
Sci-Fi Channel 08-07-07
IGN Movies reported that J.J. Abrams,who is directing the next Star Trek film,would like to bring on his Mission: Impos-sible III star Tom Cruise for a cameo ap-pearance as Capt. Christopher Pike, ac-cording to a “trusted source.”
Pike was the first captain of the U.S.S.Enterprise and Spock’s commanding of-ficer prior to Capt. Kirk, which would fitwith the reported flashback storyline inthe upcoming film. The character wasplayed by Jeffrey Hunter in the original1966 Star Trek TV pilot, “The Cage,”which was later edited into the two-partepisode, “The Menagerie.”
There have been previous reports ofCruise’s involvement in the project, whichwere denied by his spokesman, ArnoldRobinson, last fall. At the time, it wasthought that Cruise’s public falling-outwith Paramount head Sumner Redstone,who controls the rights to the Trek fran-chise, would prevent him from workingwith the studio again in the near future.But tensions between the two havecooled off lately, and, according to IGN’ssource, the cameo role would be seenas a favor to Abrams and not to Para-mount.
FLEET CHANNELS12
NASA NEWS
Image above: The orbiter Endeavouris maneuvered into the OrbiterProcessing Facility at NASA’s
Kennedy Space Center in Floridaafter its return to Earth on Aug. 21. Itwill undergo post-flight inspectionsand processing for its next mission.
Image credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
Endeavour andCrew Home
NASA.gov 08-22-07
Capping off mission STS-118, SpaceShuttle Endeavour glided to a perfectlanding at NASA’s Kennedy Space Cen-ter in Florida on August 21. During almost13 days in space, the crew membersadded a new segment to the superstruc-ture of the International Space Station anddelivered 5,800 pounds of equipment andsupplies to the orbiting laboratory.
Endeavour lifted off from Launch Pad 39Aon Aug. 8, 2007, following a smoothcountdown. The STS-118 mission wasthe 22nd flight to the International SpaceStation and Endeavour’s first flight since2002.
The total lunar eclipse, the second thisyear, happened on August 28th and wasvisible in North and South America, es-pecially in the West. People in the Pa-cific islands, eastern Asia, Australia andNew Zealand were also able to view it iftheir skies were clear.
People in Europe, Africa or the MiddleEast, who had the best view of the lasttotal lunar eclipse in March, did not seethis one because the moon set when thepartial eclipse began at 4:51 a.m. EDT.The full eclipse began an hour later at5:52 a.m. EDT.
An eclipse occurs when Earth passesbetween the sun and the moon, blockingthe sun’s light. It is rare because the moonis usually either above or below the planeof Earth’s orbit.
Since the Earth is bigger than the moon,the process of the Earth’s shadow takinga bigger and bigger “bite” out of the moon,totally eclipsing it before the shadow re-cedes, lasts about 3 1/2 hours, said DougDuncan, director of the University ofColorado’s Fiske Planetarium. The totaleclipse phase, in which the moon has anorange or reddish glow, lasts about 1 1/2hours.
The full eclipse was visible across theUnited States, but East Coast viewersonly had about a half-hour to see it be-fore the sun began to rise and the moon
set. Skywatchers in the West got the fullshow.
In eastern Asia, the moon rose in variousstages of eclipse.
During a full eclipse, the moon is not com-pletely dark because some light stillreaches it around the edges of the Earth.The light is refracted as it passes throughour atmosphere, scattering blue light —which is why the sky is blue — but send-ing reddish light onto the moon.
“When someone asks why is it [the moon]red, you can say because the sky is blue,”Duncan said.
The next total lunar eclipse occurs Feb.21, 2008, and will be visible from theAmericas, Europe and Asia.
Moon Goes intoHiding
Second Lunar Eclipse of 200708-28-07
Discovery to CarryLuke Skywalker’sLightsaber Into
SpaceAssociated Press 08-28-07
The Discov-ery astro-nauts willhave a littlesomethingextra in theirgear when thespace shuttle blasts offin October: Luke Skywalker’soriginal Jedi Lightsaber.
As part of the “Star Wars’ 30th anniver-sary celebration", NASA has agreed tocarry the prop weapon into orbit and jetti-son it in space, according tocollectSPACE.com.
The lightsaber will be handed over to thespace agency by Chewbacca at the Oak-land Airport, not far from George Lucas’Skywalker Ranch, collectSPACE.comsaid.
It reports the priceless piece will begreeted in Houston by a group ofStormtroopers along with R2D2.
FLEET CHANNELS 13
UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR
Fleet Channels
Deadlines
The following is a list of the upcom-ing deadlines for Fleet Channels:
Sept./Oct. Issue -- Oct. 8, 2007Nov./Dec. Issue -- Dec. 3, 2007
ALL e-mail submissions should besent to: [email protected].
Note: Reminders of approachingdeadlines will be posted on the R3list.
SEPTEMBER
Thursday the 13th: Rosh Hashana (Jewish)Thursday the 13th: Ramadan begins (Islamic)Saturday September the 15th — Join Region Three’s space junkies for our twelfth visit to Space Center Houston Saturday,September 15, 2007. Discover the latest in NASA’s space exploration with such offerings as Rocket Park, IMAX Theater, Kid’sSpace Place, and the tram tour of the Johnson Space Center facilities.Saturday the 22nd: Yom Kippur (Jewish)Sunday the 23rd: Autumnal equinoxThursday the 27th thru Wenesday Oct. 3rd: Sukkot (Jewish)
OCTOBER
Thursday the 4th: Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah (Jewish)Monday the 8th: Lailat Ul Qadr (Islamic)Monday the 8th: Columbus Day (observed)Tuesday the 9th: Leif Erikson DaySaturday the 13th: Eid-al-Fitr (Islamic)Wednesday the 31st: Halloween
NOVEMBER
Thursday the 1st: All Saints DaySunday the 4th: Daylight Saving Time endsFriday NIght the 9th thru Sunday the 11th -- Regional Game Day V will be held at the Round Rock Public Library at 216 E.Main Street Round Rock, TX 78664.Sunday the 11th: Veterans DayMonday the 12th: Veterans Day (observed)Thursday the 22nd: Thanksgiving Day
DECEMBER
Sunday the 2nd: First Sunday Advent (Christian)Wednesday the 5th to Wednesday the 12th: Chanukah (Jewish)Thursday the 20th: Eid-al-Adha (Islamic)Saturday the 22nd: Winter solsticeSunday the 23rd: FestivusTuesday the 25th: Christmas Day (Christian)Wednesday the 26th thru Tuesday the Jan 1st: KwanzaaMonday Night the 31st: New Year's Eve
JANUARY
Tuesday the 1st: New Year's DaySaturday the 19th: Regional Retreat in Kileen
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deadline for the september / october issue is october 8, 2007
FLEET CHANNELSP.O. BOX 1756COPPELL, TX. 75019
FORWARDING AND ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
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