How To Fix NuTrek/Star Trek...

...IMHO, Of  Course.

And we're walking....

Step 1: Cancel all the current Trek shows (Prodigy and Disco have already suffered this fate.)

Step 2: Green-light Star Trek: Legacy (Give the customer - who is king and always right - what he wants.)

Step 3:  Okay, this is where it becomes a hot take, but - frak it - here we go....

In Legacy, slowly figure out that the feud between the House of Mogh-slash-Martok and the House of Duras went temporal some time in the future. There is a Klingon Civil Time War going on. And the time crystals on Boreth, the Red Angel suit, the attack that killed Micheal Burnham's parents, the different looking Klingons....it's all part of this Time War. 

And (maybe with a little help from Daniels or the USS Relativity) have the crew of the Enterprise-G prevent this war before it gets started. (Yeah, I know this was already sort of done in Enterprise, but I can't think of another way to clean up with mess.) Thus, de canonizing the hot messes that are Discovery and Strange New Worlds.

Of course, this will anger the fans of these two shows, but you can't have your cake and eat it as well. Or can you....

Step 4: Discovery 2.0 -- My Disco 2.0 wouldn't be a prequel to TOS. Instead, it would run parallel to TOS aboard the USS New Jersey. Explaining why it was in the Fleet Museum in Picard Season 3. And the New Jersey would need a crew. 

So you could demote the 1.0 characters to being alternate timeline version and start from scratch. (Without having to take any of what came before into consideration.)  Allowing you to have...

• Gabriel Lorca as Captain (The real one, not the mirror version)
• Yeoman Mia Colt as Lorca's Yeoman (Lorca filched her from Pike somehow.)  
  
• Michael Burnham on Science/First Officer (Not Spock's sister in this timeline, no Klingon issues.)
• Erica Ortegas on Helm
• Maybe Tilly as a science trainee...

Long story short, you redo Discovery and this time, you do it right....

But, Ruben, what about Lower Deck and Prodigy ? You've basically just done a hard reset on an earlier part of the timeline. How is that going to affect the 24th century stuff ? And there's the total messes that were Picard Season 1 and 2...Well, time to move on to....

Step 5: Star Trek: Equinox  Yes, Equinox, you read that right....But let's put a pin in that for now.

The backstory begins in 2374, with the Voyager episode "Message in a Bottle". The Doctor said that Voyager had been declared missing at that point. The new bit is that Command was planning to slap the names Voyager and Equinox on two ships that would roll of the assembly line that year. But then the Doctor tells them that Voyager is still around. So no new Voyager. But Starfleet does launch a new Equinox.

(Remember, Voyager won't meet Ransom's ship until 2376.) But then Voyager meets Ransom and co. And once they regain contact with HQ - thank you, Reginald Barclay - word of the Equinox's misdeeds gets out. This turns the newer Equinox into the black sheep of Starfleet. (The ship that nobody wants to be assigned to.) 

The show proper begins in 2380 when the Equinox's new captain - the lead character - arrives on the ship and takes command. Now, the obvious questions...

Why Do This Show ? Why the Equinox ? And why in this time period ? 

Well, let's start with the easy question...why the Equinox ?....For better or worse, her backstory already sets up the crew on a journey of redemption. And because she is a Nova-class, the ship is an underdog, forcing the crew to be smarter then the average bear. 

As for why make this show....Because I think it's the best way to salvage....let me put it this way...

1. Aim for the stars - Meaning the traditional seven seasons that TNG, DS9 and VOY had. Because if you can do that. You can...
2. Tie in both Lower Deck and Prodigy (....For example, make the Equinox is part of the clean-up at Douglas Station and post the Living Construction Incident....) Establishing them as part of the "fixed" timeline. Sneak in references that establish that the 24th century shows (TNG, DS9 and VOY) are also part of this timeline. And...
3. ...Remember that Picard only showed us bit and pieces of the time between Nemesis and the start of Season 1. Equinox could retcon and add to its hearts content... Including (at least some of) the messes that were Picard Season 1 and 2.

With the end point being somewhere in 2387, you could show both the Hobus supernova and its immediate aftermath. And that's all I have.

Blast you, Rick C...! *Shakes fist*

Hi Alex,

So, this whole letter - which is going pretty terrible - is Rick C's fault. Back when I was in the States, I had lunch with my friend Rick and....he gave me a shirt of his band. Rick's band is called the Red Hat Band. And it is good. The problem is...

There was some kind of magic in that shirt. Back when Rick gave me the shirt, it wasn't warm enough to wear it. Recently, things have been warmer, so I put it on. And got the urge to write song lyrics. Which would be good, if I was any good at it. But I'm not, so this letter is going to be terrible. And it's all Rick's fault. 😉 Here it goes...

A Lonely Day

Monday is always busy, being manic. When she isn't in the mood to panic. Wednesday got that girl from that horror family and abandoned me. Friday and Thursday are in love, so I can cross both off them off. 

Refrain: It's another lonely day, with nothing positive to play. Say, say, why does it have to be this way ! It's not fair, why doesn't anybody care !?

On Saturday, everybody gets the fever to dance. And I don't stand a chance. Sunday spends her time praising the Lord and I don't know David's secret cord.

(Refrain)

Everybody has abandoned me, poor Tuesday, and that's not okay. Plenty of other days get a song, but I've been ignored all along. I need a strong drink, or a visit to a shrink. 

(Starts talking to barkeep.) John, give the bottle ! What do you mean, you don't serve concepts here ? This is a bar, isn't it ? If you don't do the concept of drunk, you suck ! Aaaaaaahhh. (*Sounds of Tuesday bouncing down the steps as the bouncer throws him out, electronic garble, song ends.*)

For A Bad Day in the Studio

So I've got a good riff in my head, but no idea for what words go with that. This is where the first verse is supposed to go, but inspiration just says no. 

Refrain: Oeh, oeh, ah, ah, useless jive. If I don't get words, I won't get out alive.

This should be the second verse, but things are only getting worse. All the hands are working just fine, but lyrics won't show up in time.

(Refrain)

Our manager is slowly turning red. That means he's really, really steaming mad. And when he blows it will be reaaaaallly baaaaad. 

(Refrain)

There he blows like the Krakatoa. I'm really sorry for our tech guy, Noah.

(Refrain)

The cops are dragging him away. So much for making songs today.

Oeh, oeh, ah, ah, useless jive. If I don't get words, I won't get out alive. Oeh, oeh, ah, ah, useless jive. If I don't get words, I won't get out aaaaaaaallllliiiiiive. (End song) 

--------

That's all I have.

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

Picard Season 3 and Shilling (Open Letter to RMB)

Hello Alexandria,

I know, I know, this is a letter to Robert Meyer Burnett. But between you and me, Alex, I don't expect him to read this. Although I'm open to being pleasantly surprised. Speaking of pleasant surprises....

I'm a happy to say that I've finally begun watching Picard Season 3. And yes, it is good. Sure, I have some nitpicks...

For example, in Episode 1, Beverly gets only a few shots out of the phaser rifle before it tells her the battery is empty. What kind of idiot would design a phaser rifle like that, let alone issue it ? And how can anybody just dock without permission ? Where are the safeties against that sort of thing ? 

...but compared to the Dreck that is Discovery, it is SO much better. Nice work, Terry Matalas (and company) ! I also believe Mr. Burnett when he says Paramount didn't pay him to promote the show. So...

Why Does This Situation Smell of Shilling to Me ?

Because in the words of RMB "It's not show friends, it's show business." And in business you don't give things away. You want something in return. So, why did Paramount give Burnett - who has been a vocal critic of NuTrek - early copies of Episode 1 through 6 ? What did they get in return ? 

On top of this, Mr. Burnett saw episode 7 through 10 ahead of their airing. But he won't say how. Again, what did Paramount gain ? And in the same period, he just happened to befriend Terry Matalas ? This whole thing smells like a Faustian Deal to me. 

And even if there was no deal, this whole thing feels like people playing games. Because I don't believe in coincidence. If this was an episode of NCIS, this is point where somebody would be quoting Rule 39. (Reminding us that there is no such thing.) 

All it would take is one whisper in the right place, one off handed suggestion. (Maybe #Secret Hideout is sick and tired of Burnett's criticisms and saw a chance to damage his reputation.) Either way, something is stinking here.

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash - My fanfiction.net handle)

A Small Update

Hi Alex,

It's been a while since I've put pen to paper. - Or should I say keyboard to e-mail ? - but here I am again. 

After I published Chess Games in Cairo things got kind a weird at my day job. It was that weird part of the year where there wasn't that much work. But because the place is running with a skeleton crew, you still end up working your butt off.

Fortunately, the end of the vacation period is approaching. Which means that everybody is coming back and soon we'll be swamped together as he we head towards the madness that is December. In short, everything is back to normal. Yay !

Star Trek

Meanwhile, at home, I've left Star Trek: Pathfinder and joined Star Trek: Freedom. Things on Pathfinder were really not going well. And Freedom sounded like a nice RPG. So off I went...

Getting started took a lot of time and energy. That and my latest Mass Effect play through was screaming for attention. But now things are settling down and I've found a better balance. Leaving me free time to...

Start Promoting My Book

Alas, promotion is expensive. So I decided to start by updating my LinkedIn page. (Yeah, I know, LinkedIn, who still uses that? But it's free and in my situation I'll take what I can get.) That done, I decided to dust off my blog. And here we are. I've got more plans brewing, but I need to do some homework. So for today, I'm done.

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (Commander Nash)

How does he do it ? (@Barondestructo)

Hi World,

It's me - Ruben - again. And this week, I realized that we were quickly approaching the end of September. (Or the start of October, if you want to get technical.) And that - once again - my blog had been gathering dust in it's dark, forgotten corner of the internet. (One of these days, I'll figure out it's physical location. But with my luck, it's probably a haunted castle in Romania or something equally spooky.)

As a Stargate fan, I often read Joseph Mallozzi's Blog and he posts every day, which makes me wonder...~How does he do it ?~ Because if I manage to write five entries per month, it's a miracle. And this blog is not the only part of my internet footprint to be often neglected. My Twitter account and YouTube page often go long stretches without attention. 

My Twitter only gets love when I blog or add an new chapter to one Fanfiction.net stories. And seeing an update to my YouTube account is like looking for snow in the Sahara. So, mark the date, people. Because....

A New YouTube Playlist

I had three playlist:  Shameless Self-Promotion, Working Music and Research. But they were all kind of serious. So, today, I added:

Silliness 

Right now, it's only six videos. Some are in Dutch, some are in English. But - who knows - maybe more videos (and languages) will follow. Speaking of follow, was there anything I need to squeeze into this blog. Oh, yes.....

Dark Empire Update

The latest Stargate: Dark Empire chapter you can currently read is number 10. The good news is that Chapters 11 through 14 are ready to go. The bad news is that they have to wait until Chapter 15 is done before I can launch them into the dark bowels of the interweb. So, back to work it is....

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

Post 100 !!!!

 Hello World !

So...this is my 100th post. But....euhm....well, not really. You see, this blog is used to be bigger. I used to rant and rave about...well, a lot of stuff. And then I forgot about this blog for a couple of years, before rebooting it as something a LOT more professional. And as part of that reboot, I threw out a dozens of old posts. So it would be fairer to say that this is me getting back to 100. Anyway....

Silence 

My old PC - and when I say old, I mean OLD - has been replaced. After a whopping seven years, it is gone. And with a new computer came new games. So I have been busy playing through The Outer Worlds - which two expansions - and the Mass Effect Trilogy (Legendary Edition). I've also replayed Wolfenstein: The New Colossus and Wolfenstein: Youngblood . So that's why haven't blogged for a while. But now I'm getting back to it. Which brings me to....

Other Stuff I'm Up To

Besides dusting off my blog, I've also written a letter to Robservations. Presented by Robert Meyer Burnett, Robservations is a show about popular culture on YouTube. And one of the features on the show is reading (and responding to) fan letters. So fingers crossed.

And by sharing this blog entry on Twitter, I can begin dusting off my Twitter feed as well. As for Facebook....well.....I tried that for a week once. It drove me nuts, so I quit and I'm never - ever - going back. I also don't have any other social media. Twitter is it for me. I also didn't install it on my phone, on purpose. Only having it on my PC make it easier to ignore.

Finally, I want to get back to writing Stargate: Dark Empire. I'll have to check my notes and read the last few chapters to get back into the zone. But the plan is to get back to it. 

That's it for now, folks,

Ruben A. Hilbers

Developments / Onwikkelingen

Hallo Lezers,

Het is enkele dagen geleden dat mijn twee boeken gepubliceerd zijn. In de dagen daarna ben ik druk bezig geweest met het promoten van mijn boeken. Als deel van deze onderneming heb ik enkele persberichten naar lokale (Nederlandse) kranten gestuurd. Hopelijk leidt dit er toe dat medewerkers van deze kranten deze site bezoeken.

Daarom leek het mij gepast een stukje Nederlands tekst te schrijven, in plaats van het Engels waarin ik normaal schrijf. Verder heb ik de links gereorganiseerd om ze meer overzichtelijk te maken.

Ten slotte wilde ik melden dat hoofdstuk 11 van Stargate Nova Roma nu on-line te lezen is. Stargate Nova Roma is een vervolg van Stargate Universe. (Stargate Universe is een serie gemaakt door MGM, over een groep mensen die per ongeluk stranden op Destiny, een buitenaards schip)

Een fijne dag gewenst,

Ruben A. Hilbers

-------

Hello World,

It has been a couple of days since the publication of A Guy, Two Girls and a Serial Killer, along with Buried Secrets. In those days, I have been busy promoting the novels. This included sending a press release to several local newspapers.

If everything goes as planned, this will lead to employees of those newspapers visiting this site. Hence, the piece of dutch text above.

Another thing I did as part of this campaign was to reorganize the links on this blog. Hopefully, this makes them look more professional and makes them easier to use.

And finally, Chapter Eleven of Stargate Nova Roma (of season 2) is up and available. I changed the link name from 128 to Stargate Universe, because I expect it will be a while before the blog where I post it will contain other fan fiction stories.

And that is all I have for today,

Ruben A. Hilbers

Publication

Hello world,

So....the big day is here. Publication of my two novels is finally happening. Its been a long road, but now the end is in sight. As for quality of said novels, well.....I believe there is a saying that says that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. So, if you want to buys one - or both - of these books, the links are below.

And that is all I wrote for today.

Ruben A Hilbers

----

A Guy, Two Girls and a Serial Killer

E-Book #1
Paperback #1

Buried Secrets

E-Book #2
Paperback #2

Changing Plans (and titles)

(Aka....what's going with my novels)

Hello World,

So, in my last post, I said that I wanted to publish my next novel before 2019. Alas, that is not going to happen. Instead - and with a bit of luck - it will be hitting the internet in early(ish ?) 2019. So, why the delay ? Well....because I want to do it right. And - as much as I hate to admit it - that means patience.

On the bright side, taking the patient approach means that I have time to undo the mess I made with my first novel, which was called Hollywood. Was being operative word. The plan was to name each book after the main location. Alas, Hollywood turned out to be such generic a title that my book ended up lost in the deep recess of the internet.

So my original plan went out the window. (As Ronald D. Moore said, your ideas are your babies. But sometimes - for the good of the story - you have to kill your baby.) Hence, both Hollywood and Bullhorn were retitled.

Another thing I changed about my first novel, was the cover. The old one used a default picture provided by Bol.com. And finally, I neglected to publish my novel in the E-book format. But the greatest mistake I made with my first novel, was the complete lack of a commercial campaign. The patient approach allows me to safe money to properly promote my novel(s) this time around.

So....yeah....it will be a bit longer, but....When it does come around, publishing day will not only see Buried Secrets, but also a new (and improved) re-print of A Guy, Two Girls and a Serial Killer. Both books will be available as paperback and E-book.

That's all for now folks.

Regards,

Edmond Dantes

The Next Phase

Hello world,

I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I finished writing my second novel Bullhorn. The bad news is that it will be a while before I will be able to publish it. At the moment, the last chunk is not in my computer yet. So I need to fix that first.

And....wait, second novel, there was a first ?....yep. There was, and here's the proof:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hollywood-Edmond-Dantes/dp/940214708X

Alas, I *really* botched the promotion on that. I spent 70 euros on a newspaper advertisement, which got me zero sales. Fortunately, I learned from my mistake. So when I started Bullhorn, I also started saving money for my promotion campaign. Also, I've been working on enhancing my internet footprint, creating both a twitter account and a LinkedIn page.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruben-hilbers-73b603136/
https://twitter.com/Dantes74302

But I still have a lot of research and thinking to do (and typing, don't forget the typing). So...when is Bullhorn coming out ? To be honest, I don't know it. But I am totally determent that waiting until 2019 is not an option. And I'm going to make a hard push for the last quarter of 2018. So stay tuned, folks.

Regards,

Edmond Dantes

Imaginary Press Release for SGU Season Three

Note: This is NOT an official/MGM Press Release. Remember that, please. Instead, it is simply one hopeful fan's dream.

Season Three of Stargate Universe

The Setting: Welcome aboard the Spera. (The name of this vessel translates from Ancient as Hope, which is exactly what she represents for those at Homeworld Command whom are trying to rescue to rescue Destiny's crew.) Launched several thousand years after Destiny, Spera builds communications relays which are key to making the ninth chevron (and the Destiny's mission) work.

Further more, the ship is fitted him the only other Stargate in the universe capable of receiving a nine chevron wormhole. This first Alpha Site ever becomes the home of an intrepid new crew as they search for a way to rescue Colonel Young and his people...

The Crew

(Goran Visnijic as) Lieutenant-Colonel Marc Vale
Recruited by General O'Neill himself to lead the Beta Site - which has become the new home for the Icarus Project - Colonel Vale is a man with a mysterious past. When interference from the International Oversight Authority causes the Icarus Project to go horribly wrong, it is up Vale to assume command and lead everybody involved to safety.

(Jane Doe as) Doctor Claudia Harris
A young and ambitious veterinarian, it is Harris' job to lead a safety team that makes sure the Icarus Project does not poison the planet it calls home. However, when disaster strikes and leaves her the only person with any medical training, she must take up the mantle of Chief Medical Officer.

(David Nykl as) Doctor Radek Zelenka
Having been promoted to ranking scientist after years of service on Atlantis, it is Doctor Zelenka who(m) leads the Beta Site's efforts to dial the ninth chevron. When the IOA ignores his experience and knowledge, it leads to disastrous events...

(Corin Nemec as) Jonas Quinn
Leading a brand-new, Langaran incarnation of SG-1, Quinn also doubles as liaison to Langara and member of the science staff.

(Jamie Ray Newman as) Captain Laura Cadman
Promoted and assigned to the Beta Site as Chief of Security. Now Chief of Security aboard Spera.

Edmond Dantes

Doctors, Missiles and Plans.

Hello readers,

So....there is old Chinese curse...may you life in interesting times. Alas, these are interesting times indeed. And for interesting, read deeply troubled. Chemical attacks by Syria, counter attacks by America and company, and threats by Russia.

And who (or whom) is in the right ? The problem with politics is that there are always deals, nuances, long games, greater agendas, plans and secrets. And the simple fact that, let's best honest, politicians only care about themselves.

Now, I could go into a long rant about this, but you know what ?....I don't have to. My friend - and Captain of the USS Pathfinder - Richard Clogston has done that much better then I every could. His blog is here. *Points to link* http://panstand.blogspot.nl/

I will, however, say that I now understand how Verity Lambert must have felt on 23 October 1963. To have worked on something with a passion, only to have it blindside by (unforeseen) horrible events. So the time has come for...

Piss and Vinegar

I promised that I would publish my pitch on the 14th. And by Rassilion, that is what I am going to do. Another friend - yes Bram, I mean you - however - pointed out that if I published it, I might rendering the pitch useless to MGM. While Rick - the same Rick from above - to be careful that MGM did not steal my ideas. (Or somehow left me holding the bag.) So, what to do ?

Instead of simply copying and then pasting the whole thing, I have decided to write a press release. Or well, technically, what I imagine a press release for season three of Stargate Universe would look like.

(Note to self: Better make that clear, or this whole thing will blow up in your face like an Acme Dynamite Kit.) There will be some overlap with the briefing I posted earlier, but alas, that can't be helped. To keep it from becoming to long, the 'press release' will be a separate entry.

Edmond Dantes

Hail Marys and Choices

Hello world,

So today I took a (desperate) gamble. I created a twitter account in the hopes of using it to promote Stargate Universe 2.0. To be honest, I am no fan of Twitter. So why not ?...well, it kind of turns life into a competition. 'Look at me, I'm so much fun, I'm so much better then everybody else.' And the same is true for Facebook. (I tried that for a week once, then ran away screaming.) But at times, you have to try everything but the kitchen sink.

Also, why did I not post before today ? Well - maybe I am contradicting myself here ? - there is such a thing as trying to hard. (And being downright impatient. And the content of the post would not have been any different. But that is hindsight, which is always 20/20.)

EDIT: At this time, I think I should really take a good, hard look at my ego. I've been going yack, yack, yack about this pitch of mine....which I think warrants the question.....is it really that good ? Maybe the reason I have not been getting any replies is not because the people whose attention I've been trying to get are busy, maybe the pitch is simply rubbish ? And that is probably true. (But I was hoping to at least get back a note/reply that said...this is rubbish !)

But if can make enough noise, maybe I can get the discussing about SGU coming back going again. If I can pull that off - which would be minor miracle - (maybe) that's enough. So what's the plan now ?....

Well, like I said earlier, I will (E-)mail the pitch on the 11th. As for this Blog, the plan is up go back on silent until the 14th. (Barring any major developments, of course. But my instinct is telling there won't be.) On the 14th, I will post the pitch on this blog. (It'll have to be pieces, because it's to big to fit in one post.) That way....rubbish or not ?.....(You'll be able to) Decide for Yourself.

Finally, for long-term readers (Hi, mom ! waves), the Star Trek Frontier Fleet is down. But if this is a technical issue or if the site has already been taken down is unknown as of this writing.

Edmond Dantes