Ding, that's two !

Maybe I'm seeing things that aren't there, but I get the feeling the MCU and Whoniverse might be connected. So far, all I had to go on was fact that the MCU has Celestials and the 60th will see the Doc facing off again the Celestial Toymaker. But a quick use of Google reveals that the Star Beast started life as a comic. A comic written by.....Marvel UK. 

Yep, Beep the Meep is a Marvel character. So, what more (possible) links are hiding in the wings ? Keep your eyes open...

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

Connecting the MCU to Dr Who....

 ...Is the answer hiding to plain sight ?

A while back, there were a couple articles floating around explaining the (possible) connection between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Whoniverse...

Screen rant's Article (22 July 2022)

We've got this Covered's Article (23 November 2022) 

However....in the months since these came out, we learned that Neil Patrick Harris will be playing the Toymaker in the 60th anniversary specials. But here's the thing.....the character is actually called the Celestial Toymaker. Combine this with the fact that before the Time War, the Time Lords could travel between universes as easily as you and I can change socks. 

And Ego was making babies with any species he could. So, why not some lovely Time Lord/Lady ? If the Toymaker is actually a Time Lord-Celestial hybrid (and Starlord's half-brother) it would explain a thing or two. 

The Time Lord half of his DNA could give him the capacity of regeneration, explaining why the Toymaker looks different now. And the Celestial half would make him more powerful then the base model Time Lord.

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Kang the Conqueror's Earth 5556 counterpart that turned the Division into a bunch of universe destroying, power hungry schmucks. Not openly, of course, but pulling strings from the shadows....

Anyway, those are my thoughts,

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash) 

Bits and Pieces Vol. 13

 Hi Alex,

How are things going on the island ? Things have been well....wet...over here. You see, back in July, we had LOTS of rain. More then the local sewers could handle. So the water had to go somewhere...

...which turned out to be my living room. Twice. And my floor didn't like that one bit. So now three quarters of it has to be replaced. And my landlord(s) have decided to replace my bathroom. Which is great...

...But together with the floor replacement, means that my place is headed for a major remodel. Said remodel is taking a lot of preparation, which is why I haven't around to writing to you.

The Good News

It's not all bad news, however. The remodel is giving me the opportunity to deal with several issues that have been hiding in the woodwork. Another thing the remodel kind of forced me to do, was to clean up the hard drive on my computer. I had let some files pile up and I needed to do some major reorganizing. Which I finally got around to now.

And back in September, my American friend Rick made another trip to the Netherlands. Together with two other friends, we visited the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. And it was great. We enjoyed the paintings (Vincent sure knew how to paint) and had lunch afterwards. Rick then headed to London and met another friend here. 

So there has been good stuff as well,

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

The Darkness in Picard S3...

 ....That Nobody Is Talking About

The Borg have been defeated for once and for all ! Yay ! Long live the Federation. But....at what price did this victory come ? Yes, the Borg Collective is evil. Yes, they were planning to wipe out Earth and needed to be stopped. And the queen was an insane (insert whatever curse you think is best here). Picard and crew did what needed to be done. It's not them I'm doubting, but I think the situation is nowhere as black-and-white as it appears at first glance. 

Let's talk about a man called Fred....Fred is just a random guy living on random planet in the Delta Quadrant. Then one day the Borg roll up to ruin everybody's day by assimilating them. Including Fred. He loses his family, he loses his friends, he his loses his mind. And then the neurolytic pathogen ruins the collective. Let us look at the possibilities for Fred.

1. If he's really unlucky, he dies a horrible death and then gets eaten by Queen. Only to be briefly revived as a mindless cyber zombie when Picard and co visit. He is then put out of his misery when the Borg ship explodes.
2. The Pathogen simply kills him.
   
3. He gets stuck in regeneration mode, like the Cube seen in Let Sleeping Borg Lie. And then...
1. Because of people's fear of the Collective, nobody rescues him...ever.
2. Somebody comes across his Cube and he is given the 'Icheb Treatment / aka dissected alive for his implants".
3. Even if he get rescued by somebody who doesn't Icheb him, where's he going to go ? As I said above...friends, family, gone. And what about his homeworld ? Even if the Collective didn't total it, who knows how long Fred has been in the Hive Mind. Is his world still there ? Has it been taken over by somebody else ?....

Which takes us away from Fred and back to the bigger picture. As established by Voyager, Borg Space is big. And like any other nation, the Borg have neighbors. Neighbors who are going to figure out that the Collective is falling apart. And try to conquer their space, either by colonization or warfare. 

A situation that is going to lead to the death of innocents drones like Fred. Bloody wars between these states. Yes, the Federation has won, but the Delta Quadrant is burning. And let's not forget there is also the fact that everybody who was taken over, now probably has PTSD. Not mention the elephant in the room...

Where did this pathogen come from ? Neurolytic Pathogens don't exactly grow on trees. And even if it could be made in the Sickbay of the USS Voyager, I doubt The Doctor would allow it. Yes, he was part of the developing of the nanite weapon they used against Species 8472. But that was with the galaxy at stake. And Voyager's goal was not genocide. In fact, this was a major source of tension between Janeway and the Borg.

The only other option is that Admiral Janeway brought it with her from 2404 to 2378. But it doesn't answer the question of how she got it. Replicators don't make lifeforms. Somebody had to grow it. Somebody rather ruthless. Somebody know for attempting genocide by virus....

Basically, the whole thing screams Section 31. And where they failed when they tried to wipe out the Founders, this time they succeeded.

That's all I....No wait, it was.   But after sleeping on it for a night, it's not anymore. (Short) RANT ALARM !! 

What about the Borg splinter states ? The Borg Cooperative from the Voyager episode Unity and the Unimatrix Zero, whose former members were liberated. Are they gone as well ? Will Section 31 use the pathogen to wipe the Cooperative out to prevent the rise of new Collective !? Will Starfleet just stand for that ?

Moving on.....I know that some people consider Prodigy and Lower Decks non-canon. But based on the upcoming SNW / Lower Deck crossover, the folks running the show(s) think differently. Which brings us to "Let Sleeping Borg Lie". 

The USS Protostar crew managed to get out. But they had the luck of having a Medusan along for the ride. So how many of these dormant Borg ships are out there, waiting to ruin somebody's day ? These ships are basically landmines, ready to restart the Collective if whoever boards them messes up. 

In short, it's a huge frakking, bloody mess. And it's the Federation's fault. They needed to get back to the Delta Quadrant and get to cleaning it up. Or as Commander Adama would put it...

"You cannot play God, then wash you hands of the things you've created. Sooner or later, you can't hide from the things you've done anymore."

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (Commander Nash)

How I would fix NuTrek - Part 3

Part 2 was about Star Trek: Legacy and Star Trek: Equinox and how they fit into the picture. That said, I totally forgot another reason making for Star Trek: Equinox, namely....the Enterprises ! That's right, plural. 

Not only could Equinox show what wasn't Worf's fault - aka whatever happened to the Enterprise-E - it could also show the launch of Enterprise-F and fill in some of her story. IMHO the Enterprise-F got a pretty raw deal in Season 3 of Picard. Equinox could put a bandage on this. But now, let's move on to...

Clearing the Air

I am not a fan of either Star Trek: Discovery or Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The problem is not the actors, who are doing

the best with the materials they are given. The problem is that the writers of these shows do not know how to write science fiction. And that the producers are not fans of Star Trek. They don't understand the franchise and the philosophy behind it. 

This results in negative, depressing and dumb Trek. Another problem is a lack of in-story professionalism from the characters. In the every Discovery episode, somebody suffers a breakdown because of their 'oh, so, tragic background.' Let me put it this way....

...If this happened on NCIS, would you believe that Alden Parker and his team are professional, FLETC trained Federal Agents ? Or if CSI: Vegas was written this way. Would you believe that these are professional Forensic scientists ?  

I wouldn't. And on Discovery and SNW I don't believe it either. Meaning that I simply can't help thinking...

~These people wouldn't make it through Starfleet Academy in a million years.~ Any instructor worth their salt would kick them out in the first year. But again, it's not the actors fault. It's the producers and the writers mucking it up. So I would replace them and then go ahead with....

Trek of the Past

Set aboard the USS New Jersey - which was seen in the fleet museum in Picard Season 3 - this show would run parallel to TOS. Besides confirming that Star Trek: Enterprise is part of the repaired timeline, this show would expand the TOS era 'sideways'. 

Another thing this show could do, is salvage characters from both Discovery 1.0 and SNW. Because the timeline was repaired, you not be tied to any of the (tragic) backgrounds provided by those shows. Nor the events that took place in them. 

The crew of the New Jersey would be a mix of Discovery and SNW characters, showing where these people were supposed to end up. (And why should the actors take the fall for the producers and writers incompetence.) I would also add several characters - such as Yeoman Colt, Doctor Boyce and the real Captain Lorca - that have fallen through the cracks in the Disco-verse.

What Disco 2.0 could also do, is fix inconsistencies that have come up over the years. A famous example is Kirk saying that there are only twelve Constitution-class ships in Tomorrow is Yesterday. That episode takes place on 3113.2 from Kirk's point of view. 

I would start Disco 2.0 on Stardate 3115.0 with a shot of the New Jersey in dry-dock, having just received a minor update. (Explaining why it looked a bit different then the classic Connie in Picard.) 

Besides the New Jersey, the shot would show several other vessels in other docks, including several other Constitution-class ships under construction. To show that this is the repaired timeline, I would not use any of the Discovery designs. Instead, I would use Star Fleet Technical Manual designs.

One of the issues with the Discovery designs is that some of them were reused in Picard. By replacing them in the TOS era, this is fixed and Picard is made more solid. 

Another thing about these designs is that the writer of the manual - Franz Joseph - was smart enough to establish that these ships all share layouts. The bridge, main engineering, etc, are all the same. Basically, it's the same trick the SNW tried with the Sombra-class, but dialed up to 12. 

All of these designs - Hermes, Saladin, Federation, Constitution and Federation class - could therefore be represented by one set of...well, sets. Not to mention the merchandising opportunity. And by having several Constitution-class ships under construction, the Constitution-class inflation could be taken down a notch or two. 

And that's just one fix Disco 2.0 could pull off. 

Conclusion

Well, Alex, this was a long one. I was planning to do some concluding thoughts here, but they ended up in the Clearing the Air part of this entry. So, take care and...

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (Commander Nash)

How I would fix NuTrek - Part 2

Step 4: Clarity and expansion

Part 1 ended with Star Trek: Legacy preparing for and resetting the timeline. But now comes the question of what exactly is and is not canon. To answer this question, I would take a page from Charles Dickens' book by expanding to three shows, essentially having the Trek of the Past, Trek of the Present and Trek of the Future. 

Trek of the Future

With it's setting in the early 25th century (aboard the Enterprise-G), Star Trek Legacy would take on the role of Trek of Future. It is here that we discover - feel free to moan at the pun - that 32rd century seen in Star Trek Discovery no longer comes to pass. Also, occasional references to past episodes would suggest that the 24th century shows - TNG, DS9, Voyager, Prodigy and Lower Decks - are all still within canon. This torch would then be picked up by...

Trek of the Present

...Star Trek: Equinox Starting in 2380, this show would tell the story of the black sheep of the fleet, the USS Equinox. Launched in 2374, this Nova-class starship was build as the replacement for Rudolf Ransom's command. 

But when Voyager send word of Ransom's horrific misdeeds in Delta Quadrant back home, she became the ship that nobody wants to be assigned to. After a rotating door of temporary captains for years, the main character is put in command of the vessel.

Why the Equinox ?  Because the Equinox comes with a built-in larger story arc (that can play out in the background). Namely the crews search for redemption. Furthermore, being a small vessel provides the crew with unique challenges not faced by larger vessels such as Voyager and Enterprise. 

Or as Publilius Syrus once put it "Anyone can hold the Helm if the Sea is Calm." But if Equinox wants to survive - especially in combat situations - she has be smarter then the average bear.

Why this time period ?  Because it is much closer to the other 24th century shows. And therefore, much easier to tie-in to them. Maybe the Equinox was part of the clean-up post the Texas-class Incident from Lower Decks ? And somebody would have to pick up the pieces after the Protostar Disaster of 2384. 

Furthermore, Star Trek Picard only showed us bits and pieces of what happened between Nemesis and Season 1. Equinox could add to this the story of this time period and - dare I say it - where necessary and possible, retcon the hot messes that were Picard Season 1 and 2.

Finally, if the show manages to beat the odds and achieve the traditional seven seasons, the end point would be in 2387. This would allow the final season show the Hobus Supernova and its direct aftermath. Oh, and once the show is past the setting of Prodigy and Lower Decks, who knows...maybe some of the characters from those shows could be salvaged/transferred to life action. You never know.

Next time, Trek of the Past and some concluding thoughts.

To be continued....

How I would fix Nu/Trek - Part 1

Hi Alex,

So, back on 27/6, I wrote a blog on how I would save Star Trek. That one was tongue-in-cheek - partly to keep it short - but after some pondering, I've decided to do a serious version this time. Because NuTrek is not in a good place - as shown by the cancellation of Prodigy - and Paramount+ is slowly falling apart. 

I will confess that am not a fan of Kurtzman, Secret Hideout and their version(s) of Star Trek. But you don't have to take my word for it. Instead, read this MSN article....

Paramount falls apart

Anyway, to do this properly, I'm going to turn this into trilogy of blogs. I'll do my best to kick them out at a rate of one per day. So without further ado...

Step 1: Cancel all current shows

This is not just a matter of money. It is also a matter of quality over quantity. And about not over saturating your own marker. Further more, it is easier to promote one show then a whole bundle of them. And Trek might just need that to survive in a landscape where more competitors will soon enter the fray. 

Doctor Who is gearing up for another period under Russell T. Davies, while JMS is working on new things for Babylon 5. Plus, if even half the Stargate rumors Sci-Trek flings onto YouTube are true, they will be ready to steamroll over Trek once the writer's strike is over.

Step 2: Make Star Trek Legacy

The customer is always right. The customer is king. Give the costumer what he wants. And after Picard Season 3, the customers made it crystal clear that what they want is good, smart, well written Star Trek. Not what you are making now, which IMHO can best be labelled as DumbTrek. 

 

The days of Trek lacking competition are over. You want to survive the new landscape, the next round of the streaming wars, you need to make your customers happy. Right now, the costumers are unhappy and divided. If it stays this way, Trek will not survive. 

Step 3: Setting Up The Reset

In Legacy, introduce a plot-line that reveals that at same point in 26th century, the feud between the House of Mogh and the House of Duras escalated into a Time War. And that Discovery and Strange New World is showing up a timeline that has suffered damage and distortion from this conflict. 

The attack that killed Michael Burnham's parents, the time crystals on Boreth, the troll-like Discovery Klingons, basically everything Discovery and Strange New Worlds got wrong is the result of this mess. The crew of the Enterprise-G, however, is able to prevent the start of this conflict and damage is undone...

Why do this ? Because canon and consistency are nowhere to be found in NuTrek / DumbTrek. Getting the viewers onboard is the just beginning. If you treat them disrespect and like they are dumb, the customers will abandon you. So don't do it. 

To be continued...

Rolling a Hard Six...(Another open letter to RMB)

 ...About How Akiva Goldsman is a hack

Hi Alex,

Yeah, I know that I'm pushing my luck. But like Commander Adama says, sometimes you have to roll a Hard Six...

Anyway, after episode 3 of season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Mr. Burnett launched into a great rant against Akiva Goldsman. I loved it and thought he was right on the money. If you want the juicy details, here's the video....  

But here is the cliff note version....there is nothing original about SNW and Goldsman argument for messing with the date of the Eugenics Wars was basically 'If we don't do it, people will figure out that Star Trek is just a TV show' and that it wouldn't be possible in 'our universe anymore. "And that would be silly"

As Mr. Burnett pointed out, Star Trek always showed us a 'possible' future. Not our future. It's always been a fictional universe and the viewers have always know this. Now, there's much more to Mr. Burnett's rant, so IMHO you should watch the video. For now, however, I just want to add...

My Own Little Rant

To begin with....are there Sanctuary Districts ? Are they magically going to spring up in less then a year ? Is Goldsman going retcon Deep Space Nine's "Past Tense" next year ? Is he going to retcon Star Trek: First Contact become there isn't a real warp scientist called Zefram Cochrane ? Where does it end, genius ? 

Second, this is Star TREK not Star GATE. This is not a jab at Stargate SG-1 and it's spin-offs. In fact, I love Stargate. That's how you do a show that might be set in our universe. Gate gets it right, Trek is off by light-years. And that's okay, because that's how Trek rolls. But Goldsman, as a show runner, should know that. 

And if you want to deal with something silly in Trek, answer me this....where the hell is NCIS in the 24th century ? I'm talking about the real-life organization, not the TV show. Although....the folks running the NCIS franchise would probably do ten times the job making good Trek then Secret Hideout's collection of hacks. But I digress, so let's take a look at the list of black marks on Starfleet Security's record....

1. The Leyton Coup - Stopped by Starfleet Security ? Nope....if it hadn't been for Sisko and Co...
2. Khitomer Conspiracy -- Thank you, Captain Kirk.
3. Parasite Invasion from TNG -- Nice work, Jean-Luc.
4. Everything Section 31 has been up to...
5. ...And the fact that your own people *in* Security and Intelligence are in cat boots. I mean, CAHOOTS with Section 31 !  
6. Every other evil Admiral you never caught or stopped.

Long story short, Starfleet Security as been both woefully incompetent and corrupt. And there has never been any fallout !? Now, I'm not going to say the Pentagon has never made mistakes. Hell, it's far from perfect. That's another thing I learned from Stargate. 

But establishing NCIS and making it a civilian agency outside the chain-of-command is not a mistake. It's part of the US Navy's system of checks and balances. 

So, why is there no NCIS in Star Trek ? Simple...because that would kill a lot of cliches and tropes. And that's all Goldsman and co know how to write...tropes and cliches.

Anyway, that's all I have. Maybe over to Mister Burnett, probably not. Have a nice day either way.

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (Commander Nash)

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)

Filling in the Holes, Part 2

Hello World,

Okay, it's been a couple of days since I've written one of these. And this one is different from the ones I normally write. 

To begin with, normally these are called 'Bits and Pieces Vol..." (I think I'm up to 12 now.) These hold the small bits and pieces (hence the title, duh) news about my life. The thing is, I've neglected this for the last couple of months and now I'm trying to catch up.

Which is my the last few are called Filling in the Holes. The problem is....the last couple of months have been boring. It just been day job, food and sleep. Except for the NYC trip - which I've already told you about - absolutely nothing has been happening. 

Well, nothing worth reporting over the internet. It has also absolutely killed my writing mood. So my projects have been going nowhere. Oh, there is one more thing to talk about...

Alex, Alex and Anne Frank

I normally start my entries/letter with 'Hello Alex'. To prevent any confusion, this is NOT Alex Kurtzman. I am not a fan of Kurtzman. I think he's a hack, who hired other hacks and failed upwards. 

His version of Star Trek - aka NuTrek - is horrible. The characters are unrealistic/unlikable and the plot-lines are worse. I stopped watching Trek back in the days of Picard Season 1. When they ripped out Icheb's eye, I was done. 

So, who is Alex ? Well, she's not a real person. I've read Anne Frank's diary more then once. And Anne came up with an imaginary friend called Kitty. Under the motto, I've your going to steal, steal from the best. So like Anne, I came up with an imaginary person to send my letter too. 

Alex - short for Alexandria - was a crew-member on a tramp freighter. Well, until her idiot captain ran her aground and said freighter sank. So now she's stranded on an island with miserable internet, miserable natives and miserable pay. Also, the island's connections to the outside world are well...miserable. So poor Alex is kinda stuck.

And that's it for this entry. As soon as stuff starts happening again, it's back to Bits and Pieces,

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

Filling in the Holes - Part 1B

Hi Alex,

Today is that most Dutch of Bank Holidays, King's Day. Basically, we're celebrating the King's Birthday and everybody gets a day off. On top of that, there are plenty of festivals and the are Free Markets. Now, the Free doesn't mean that you don't have to pay for stuff, but.... 

Normally you need a permit to sell at a market. Not on King's Day. All you need is a sheet/rug, a chair and stuff to sell. Entire neighborhoods and town centers essentially turn into giant yard sales. 

Family in the States

I know I was a bit vague about my family in the States, but this was deliberately. After all, I'm also putting these letters on the internet and that is full with all sort of creeps and weirdos. So I'm playing it safe. What I will say is that I have three sisters, each with three sprouts and a husband. One of my sisters and her family has moved to States. And that's all I have for you.

I also know that my grandmother on my mother's side had a brothers and sisters, some of whom moved to Canada in the early 20th century. So I figure that by now, there's probably a whole branch of the family we know nothing about out there.

What We Did When

We flew to the US on 16th, which was this weird travel day because of the time difference. Fortunately, we had the 17th to celebrate the birthday of one of my brothers-in-law and settle in a bit. The weekend - 18 and 19 - was NYC time. 

And 20/3 was lunch with Rick and more family time. Finally, 21/3 was our trip to the MoMA and the trip back home. Fortunately, I had three more days off and a weekend before going back to my day job.

And that's all I have for today,

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

Filling in the Holes - Part 1A

Hi Alex,

Okay, so yesterday, my head wasn't exactly in a writing mood. With the result being that my post was on the short side. I decided to make my previous letter Part 1 and take another stab at it today. (Besides, I'm also trying to dust off my Twitter account and I figured that having two posts to share couldn't hurt.) So, here's today's....well, let's call it an addendum to Part 1...

Lunch

That lunch with my friend was with my fellow Trekkie Rick Clogston. Rick visited the Netherlands back in September, so it was full to see him again. Besides being a Trekkie, Rick is also an excellent singer. He leads the Red Hat Band, which he drags all over to play gigs. 

Rick gave me his band's CD and T-Shirt with their logo. I haven't worn the T-shirt yet - the weather hasn't been good enough - but I do have the CD playing while I'm writing this. It's good. Also, I'm trying to lure Rick into another trip to the lowlands this September. But only time will tell if I'm successful. 

New York Sights

Yeah, the list of New York sights we saw, was far from complete. But even if I had listed all we had seen, it would be far from all of the New York sights. Because we were there for two days and only scratched the surface. NYC is simply too big. You'd need at least a week to get a good look at that city. 

One funny thing....I've seen the Late Show with Jimmy Fallon. It always opens with Fallon walking into the studio building and then onto the stage. I also figured that this was some green screen/computer construct. The thing is, we walked past the studio and it actually DOES look like that.

Okay, I think that's enough. Maybe I'll write another addendum tomorrow. Maybe not. You'll just have to wait and see. :) 

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

Filling In The Holes - Part 1

Hi Alex,

It's been quite a while since I've posted, so I'm dusting the old girl off and filling in some of the holes. Now, without further ado...

New York

Back in 2020, I got together with my brothers-in-law and discussed going to New York. And then Covid19 happened. So for two years, our plans were frozen solid. But 2022 saw things thaw at last. We got back to planning and set the date for March 2023.

The flight out was on 16/3 and the flight back home was on 21/3. And between that, it was great. We spend two days in NYC and saw a lot of great things. Including Brooklyn Bridge, One Vanderbilt and the Museum of Modern Art. 

As for the rest of the trip, I spent some first rate quality time with friends and family who life in the US of A. We had lunch, celebrated a birthday, went to see places and did plenty of other stuff. It was a fascinating glimpse into what life in America is really like.

And that's all for today, folks,  

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

NCIS is showing that CBS is in trouble

My Case

Okay, to begin with, I am no insider. But I have eyes and I have a brain. So these are observations that I have made. Some over the years, some recently. Anyway, here we go...

Back when Hawaii Five-0 was still on the air, I figure these were the best paid actors in the Lenkov/NCIS-verse...

1. Alex O'Loughlin
2. Scott Caan
3. Scott Bakula
4. LL Cool J
5. Chris O'
   Donnell
6. Daniella Ruah
   
7. Mark Harmon

The Fat Trimming Starts...

...with the cancellation of Hawaii Five-0. Strike O'Loughlin and Caan off the list. This also freed up Katrina Law. Let's put a pin in that. And it freed half of the Hawaiian facilities, opening the door for NCIS: New Orleans to be cancelled and replaced by the cheaper NCIS: Hawaii. Why is it cheaper ? Because A) It allows them to shut down a studio and B) It strikes Scott Bakula off the list. 

Now, as I understand it, actors working for a CBS show get a 7-year contract and each year they get paid more. And when the contract ends, union rules demand that the company renegotiates. This is also why NCIS: Los Angeles is not getting a Season 15. CBS doesn't want to renegotiate. 

Instead, they are taking the opportunity to strike to LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell off to the list. In fact, they are replacing the whole show with the cheaper to make NCIS: Sydney. But how can NCIS: Sydney be cheaper, if it's setting is halfway around the world ? 

Well, to begin with, CBS' Australian branch/partners are footing half the bill. And all the actors in it are paid Tier 1, versus the LL Cool J and O'Connell who are both Tier 14. And so is Daniella Ruah. Almost forgot she had been around since season 1 as well. So that makes three Tier 14 actor gone. 

And NCIS: LA has already been subject of trimming as well. The convenient replacing of Linda Hunt - who was getting up there in Tiers as well - by Gerald McRaney. And the departures of Barrett Foa and Renee Felice Smith. Which was pretty convenient for the show's budget department. But I'm digressing, let's move on to....

The Lenkov-Verse Shows

Which at this point are down to two: MacGyver and Magnum PI. MacGyver ended up getting cancelled altogether. As for Magnum PI....first it became a joined production with Universal and then CBS tried to cancel it as well. Fortunately, NBC rode in to safe the day. But I think it's safe bet that CBS is somehow getting some residuals out of this situation. That, while no longer having to pay for production of the show. Next, lets take about....

The Last Man/Show Standing

Because the original NCIS is not above this situation as well. For example, let's get back to our pin. Emily Wickersham was on Tier 8 and was replaced by Katrina Law. Even if her contract from Five-0 was not cancelled, Law is only Tier 2. 

And she was not the only cut to be made. Other examples:

1. David McCallum's screen-time has been greatly reduced, 
2. After Jimmy Palmer's promotion no replacement assistant ME was hired. Sure, there was an episode where Jimmy interviewed candidates, but nobody was hired in the end. (This was CBS throwing the fans a bone to make them shut up about this issue.)
3. Maria Bello's Jack Sloane left. Another convenient departure for the budget people...
4. ....Where we can also file Pauley Perette's replacement by Diona Reasonover. 
   
5. Agent Quinn lasted only one season (and was not replaced by a new character).
   

But we all know what the big cut was...replacing Mark Harmon - who was on Tier 19 - by Gary Cole. Even if Cole asked for a lot of money per episode, there's a fair chance that he is cheaper the Harmon. 

And it's very possible that there is another big cut waiting in wings. In episode 5 ("Guardian") of Season 20 (the current one), Timothy McGee temporarily takes over from Vance. And at the end of the episode, McGee says that he is liking it. 

This sounds to me like they are laying the groundwork for McGee to succeed Vance as director. Doing so would allow them to remove Rocky Carroll's paycheck from the budget altogether, while dialing back Sean Murray's screen time considerably.

The Big Question

Why is CBS doing all this trimming ? In my opinion, the answer is simple: Money. They already rebranded their streaming service once and now it's merging with Showtime. But I think that all of the above shows that they have been in trouble for a long time.

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

Why I think the quality of Picard S3 doesn't matter....

 ....If It's Good Or Bad

After all the visceral that Picard Season One and Two took, making Season Three was not a glorious job. Essentially, it was a house on fire. So Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman bolted, leaving Terry Matalas to deal with the ruins. 

If It's Bad...

From what I've seen of them so far, Kurtzman and Goldsman will throw Matalas under the bus. All the  show's flaws - including those in season 1 and 2 -  will magically all be his fault.

If It's Good

Kurtzman has a giant ego. There is no way he is going to let Matalas beat the odds and run off with the glory. (Which he was never supposed to have.) He'll find a way to stab both Matalas and the fandom in the back. 

My guess is that he'll either make sure that Matalas' next project is non-Trek. Or he'll put his in charge of the already deeply loathed Section 31 show, with the Discovery Writers' Room conveniently reassigned there.

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)