Now what does anyone think this series might be about? Guessing might get us no where, but it might be intresting. I'm gonna guess on a starfleet ship exploring the gamma quadrant of a now peaceful dominion. Think of it, such a series would explore issues back at the root of trek (a hopeful view of the furture in which we have given up war for peace). Any other ideas? BTW, guessing that the new starfleet ship would be some kind of exissting class i believe would lead to an incorrect guess. I'm sure that the ship would be a new one. There are some viewers ou there who might just watch the series to get a look at the ships, and paramount would loose these few viewers if they used an exsisting design.
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OTOH, if the series will get back to the roots of Trek, I think that Starfleet is able to conduct intergalactic travel (transwarp? quantum slipstream?), and meets an enemy in the Andromeda Galaxy. A new war.
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Advertisement in the United Federation NewsPADD, SD 53672:
"Now for sale at your local dealer: Miranda class vessels, as good as new! Survived the Dominion Wars! Only 100 years old! Only 20,000 ly on the counter! Buy now for only $1000! And if you order now, you get an Oberth class for half the price!"
Back to the 23rd century!!!
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"No matter where you go, there you are."
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"Do you know how much YOU'RE worth??.....2.5 million Woolongs. THAT'S your bounty. I SAID you were small fry..." --Spike Spiegel
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http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/9268/index.html
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The world is not enough, but it is such a perfect place to start my love
And if you're strong enough, together we can take the world apart my love
I think A fresh start in the future (25th century or further) is a good idea. The TNG-DS9-Voy timeline hasn't got much to offer any more.
Let's see:
- DS9 has ended.
- TNG's last movie is coming next year.
- Voyager's last season ends next year.
I think 2001 is a nice year to end the complete TNG-DS9-Voy timeline (Except maybe for a few Voyager movies).
They need to make a step forward into the future to move beyond the TNG-DS9-VOY timeline. Make a fresh start. I sertainly hope it's going to be a 29th century series.
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"Do you want to be President?"
"Yes."
"Put you hand on the book and say 'I do'."
"I do."
"Good, done. Let's eat!"
- G'kar and Sheridan, Babylon 5.
However I still like my idea of an intergalactic war. What do you guys think?
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Advertisement in the United Federation NewsPADD, SD 53672:
"Now for sale at your local dealer: Miranda class vessels, as good as new! Survived the Dominion Wars! Only 100 years old! Only 20,000 ly on the counter! Buy now for only $1000! And if you order now, you get an Oberth class for half the price!"
So put in that continuity!
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"I think I speak for everyone here when I say, 'Huh?' "
- Buffy
[This message has been edited by Altair (edited July 08, 2000).]
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Frank's Home Page
"Canadian bacon is called that because it's made from Canadians. And while I'm on the subject, could you people cut back on the fish and rodents and eat more fruits and berries? It would vastly improve your flavor, in my opinion." - Simon Sizer
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"I think I speak for everyone here when I say, 'Huh?'."
- Buffy
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"Huh. An intelligent guard. I never would have guessed."
-Preed, Titan A.E.
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Kiff! I have bedded a woman. Inform the crew.
- Zap Brannigan
They're ALWAYS going to say this...
Andrew
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"chocolate cherries allamanda" - Datura, Tori Amos
Well, WE proved it to them, the hard way. I don't know if they ever got the message.
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"My Name is Elmer Fudd, Millionaire. I own a Mansion and a Yacht."
Psychiatrist: "Again."
What I was going for is that because Voyager has such a lousy continuity, it isn't that successful.
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"I think I speak for everyone here when I say, 'Huh?'."
- Buffy
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Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do on a rainy afternoon. --- Susan Ertz
Dum-di-dum-dumm....
Hm-hm-hmmm....
Not gonna say it!
Ladadaa...
Never!
Doo-di-doo...
OR THE ONE!!! THERE, YOU HAPPY NOW???
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Ready for the action now, Dangerboy
Ready if I'm ready for you, Dangerboy
Ready if I want it now, Dangerboy?
How dare you, dare you, Dangerboy?
How dare you, Dangerboy?
I dare you, dare you, Dangerboy...
�on Flux, "Thanatophobia"
quote:
Babylon 5 revolved around wars...
quote:
...and was successful
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"Truth about Santa Claus debunks Santa God. God evolves from Santa."
-Gene Ray, http://www.timecube.com
[This message has been edited by The_Tom (edited July 11, 2000).]
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Frank's Home Page
"Tetris is, and this is fact people, confirmed by the Rand Corporation; fifteen thousand times more addictive than crack. I spent three years in a Tetris-induced haze, barely eating, wandering the streets panhandling for Gameboy batteries." - Simon Sizer
[This message has been edited by The Shadow (edited July 11, 2000).]
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"Truth about Santa Claus debunks Santa God. God evolves from Santa."
-Gene Ray, http://www.timecube.com
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Frank's Home Page
"Tetris is, and this is fact people, confirmed by the Rand Corporation; fifteen thousand times more addictive than crack. I spent three years in a Tetris-induced haze, barely eating, wandering the streets panhandling for Gameboy batteries." - Simon Sizer
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"I'm sick of you little girl and boy groups: all you do is annoy me, so I have been sent here to destroy you..."
-Eminem, "The Real Slim Shady"
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http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/9268/index.html
A series about a pure war in Trek will never be successful. Because (like mentioned before) Trek is about peace. That's the whole Federation. However, a series based on peace would be boring. No action whatsoever. The next step could be a soap opera type thing where everyone is having sex with their commander and trying to screw the next guy over. We haven't had a series like this yet... And doesn't most of today's television focus on violence or sex?
In all honesty, the future of Trek looks bleak....
I agree with others who suggest waiting a few years to let the previous series settle into place. Then, when the time is right, maybe we can have a fresh new Star Trek (created by a fresh, NEW producer). Honestly, I think the best thing for Star Trek right now would be if Rick Berman and Brannon Braga walked off the face of the Earth.
Perhaps we should let them wither away
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There's a lady who knows, all that glitters is gold...and she's buying a stairway to heaven. -Led Zeppelin, "Stairway to Heaven"
And if his ascension to executive producership isn't enough of a hint that he's made a Faustian deal, he's been boinking Jeri Ryan for about 2 months or so.
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"Do you know how much YOU'RE worth??.....2.5 million Woolongs. THAT'S your bounty. I SAID you were small fry..." --Spike Spiegel
I wonder why they didn't call Seven of Nine "Four of Seven"...? :-)
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"If I wanted your opinion, I'd call you up in hell."
-Ozzy Osbourne, "Tomorrow"
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But the dead only quickly decay. They don't go about being born and reborn and rising and falling like souffle. The dead only quickly decay.
--
Gothic Archies
****
Read chapter one of "Dirk Tungsten in...The Disappearing Planet"! For the love of God, Montressor!
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"chocolate cherries allamanda" - Datura, Tori Amos
No more Trek series until 2005 or so.
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Advertisement in the United Federation NewsPADD, SD 53675:
"Now for sale at your local dealer: Antares class vessels, as good as new! They can shapeshift! Everybody in the galaxy has one! Now for only $800!"
However, these days it is not about fans, Trek, continuity (sp) or anything that really related to Trek...
It's about MONEY.
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There's a lady who knows, all that glitters is gold...and she's buying a stairway to heaven. -Led Zeppelin, "Stairway to Heaven"
Right nowthey are milking out the Star Trek popularity until withers away and even if it stops it will never grow back up to the standards of what Star Trek used to be.
Voyager is a clear example of how Star Trek is falling a part. I like Voyager and I've seen every episode but the writing is getting a little cheesy. The season finale was a Voyager-Matrix remix. With Seven being Neo and the Borg being the agents.
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It is better to walk the path of the devil than to be in the path of the devil. Though it still might not be the right path.
I think that maybe they should just kick Voyager out of the continuity all together, then redo the entire series with new writers. Keep all the good episodes (Pathfinder, Life Lines, etc.), redo the ones with good plots but that were poorly executed (Hope and Fear, MAYBE Threshold), and eliminate and replace the REALLY bad ones (Fury). Voyager as a premise was a good idea. It was just poorly executed.
To avoid being smote for "Threshold", the idea of warp 10 was a good idea, but they'd have to eliminate the whole uber-evolution thing and go a completely different direction.
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"To disarm the people [is] the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
- George Mason, American Statesman and Author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)
There is something to be said for us young kneebiters being a bit spoiled as far as things Trek go. On the other hands, I have serious doubts as to whether the current pop culture can sustain things like Trek for decades without any outside input. TOS happened to find itself ending in just the right environment for long term success. That environment no longer exists.
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But the dead only quickly decay. They don't go about being born and reborn and rising and falling like souffle. The dead only quickly decay.
--
Gothic Archies
****
Read chapter one of "Dirk Tungsten in...The Disappearing Planet"! For the love of God, Montressor!
The ultimate reset button.
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"chocolate cherries allamanda" - Datura, Tori Amos
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"Do you know how much YOU'RE worth??.....2.5 million Woolongs. THAT'S your bounty. I SAID you were small fry..." --Spike Spiegel
HAS PARAMOUNT AND THE TREK WRITERS EVER ASKED
THE FANS WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE?
(That caps mode was meant to be read in an angry tone so that you may feel the anger that I feel)
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There's a lady who knows, all that glitters is gold...and she's buying a stairway to heaven. -Led Zeppelin, "Stairway to Heaven"
Fans weren't asked about TNG or DS9, and by most accounts they came out fine. There's no reason to believe that Paramount must have fan input in order to produce a superior work, in fact IMHO basing the series on the expectations of fans could hurt it.
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"Truth about Santa Claus debunks Santa God. God evolves from Santa."
-Gene Ray, http://www.timecube.com
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But the dead only quickly decay. They don't go about being born and reborn and rising and falling like souffle. The dead only quickly decay.
--
Gothic Archies
****
Read chapter one of "Dirk Tungsten in...The Disappearing Planet"! For the love of God, Montressor!
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"I just measured him. He's about 21"."
-Chris Martin, 14-Jul-2000
If they wait a few years, who will pay all those Paramount-people? What will Activision and all the other merchandise-guys say? Or the CGIers, like Digital Muse, Foundation Imaging, etc.?
I only hope they don't make it even worse than Voyager!
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FuckU-FuckMe: Changing the feel of communication:
"What kinds of security controls does FuckU-FuckMe offer?
All FuckU-FuckMe users can control whom they connect to on an individual basis. There's no need to go to a public reflector. "
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prakesh's Star Trek Site
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There's a lady who knows, all that glitters is gold...and she's buying a stairway to heaven. -Led Zeppelin, "Stairway to Heaven"
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Frank's Home Page
"Frank is absolutely right." - Laz Rojas
While Voyager isn't exactly a awe-inspiring show, I honestly believe if they did everything some "fans" want it would incredibly lame and menial.
To use Sidewinder's example, remember what happened when Homer designed a car on the Simpsons? Just a thought.
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Stealing from one author is called plagarism.
Stealing from many is called research.
And why is my signature being pointed at? I am not sure if I like that kind of pointing... I mean, it is like the best song ever (in my opinion)!
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There's a lady who knows, all that glitters is gold...and she's buying a stairway to heaven. -Led Zeppelin, "Stairway to Heaven"
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"I just measured him. He's about 21"."
-Chris Martin, 14-Jul-2000
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Weyoun: First Omet'Iklan, can you vouch for the loyalty of your men?
Omet'Iklan: We pledge our allegence to the Founders, from now until death.
Weyoun: Then receive this gift from the Founders. May it keep you strong.
Remember: Obedience brings Victory, and Victory is Life!
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"Truth about Santa Claus debunks Santa God. God evolves from Santa."
-Gene Ray, http://www.timecube.com
(Very sarcastic)
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There's a lady who knows, all that glitters is gold...and she's buying a stairway to heaven. -Led Zeppelin, "Stairway to Heaven"
Now, someone said that the reason DS9 was successful was continuity, and Voyager wasn't successful because it avoided continuity, right?
Now, do you honestly think that even half the people watching Trek can tell the difference between the Excelsior and the Enterprise-B? Or the Enterprise-D and D for that matter? You think they giv two hoots that Starfleet directive 4747 said something different 4 years ago?
DS9 was critically acclaimed (successful is a bit stron), because it was generally well written, had good stories,and took a few chances. Voyager tends to be slated because it has derivative storeis that have been done to death in Trek and other formats, a fair number of the characters are dull, and it rarely does something that makes you go "now THAT was a good story".
A fair number of the fans give the impression that a great episode would involve people standing around saying "It's Defiant class. It's 170m long. We did mean to foreshadow the Borg in "The Neutral Zone". Kirk did have a second five year mission after TMP. Chakotay does come from that planet seen in Wesley's final episode. Voyager cannot seperate. Blah blah blah".
What makes Star Trek good is continuity. And what makes Buffy watchable is that Sarah Michelle Gellar's attractive. Nothing else matters apart from that.
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"I can't believe we're actually gonna meet Guru Lou. Everyone says he's the wisest man in the universe. He's sensitive, creative, has a great sense of humour, and he's a really smooth dancer. *giggles*"
"You're confused Polly. We're not meeting Paul Newman."
- Polly & Speedy; Samurai Pizza Cats
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"I just measured him. He's about 21"."
-Chris Martin, 14-Jul-2000
Star Trek meets Mission Impossible = Section 31 Trek
Star Trek meets ER = Holo Doctor series
Star Trek meets VR = Holo ship and crew
Star Trek meets Dr. Who = Time Travel Trek
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"We are the middle children of history man, no purpose or place. We have no great war, no great depression. Our great war is a spiritual one, our great depression is our lives."
"We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionairs, and movie gods, and rock stars, but we won't, and we're slowly learning that fact, and we're very very pissed off."
"You are not your job, you're not how much money you have in the bank, you're not the car you drive, you're not the contents of your wallet, you're not your fucking khackis. You are the all singing, all dancing, crap of the world." -- Fight Club
1. A different universe such as the Mirrior Universe. However this will not work well if you want to grab more people in watching it. No will know the difference between the two because you're on the same DS9 and the same Defiant. Or even if it was different people it would take time for those who are new at watching it to het hooked.
2. The future. Star Trek series could go into the the nect century and have new ships, a new plot and perhaps a new enemy to deal with. This is what TNG made it popular besides from its great writing and such.
3. The past. Perhaps showing the formation of the Federation and the dealings with being a new fleet. This n my opinion would be neat for an episode or two but not a series.
4. 23rd cetury revisited. Perhaps going on another refit Constitution class to explore the galaxy. (To tell you the truth, I just want to see that ship in action once again)
5. Section 31 series. Hell no, Starfleet does not sneek around causing trouble like assassainations or coverups.
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It is better to walk the path of the devil than to be in the path of the devil. Though it still might not be the right path.
Some sort of documentary series. It will not take place on a specific starship of space station, but every episode takes place somewhere else. The series will span the entire history from 2063 to where we are now. This might be great for creating continuity, and filling in the gaps in Trek history (for example: pre- TOS era, the gap between ST6 and TNG). But I don't think that this concept will appeal to the great audience, however it might great for the die-hard Trekkers. Also, I think we've seen enough series playing on starships. Another starship-focused series might be boring.
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Advertisement in the United Federation NewsPADD, SD 53675:
"Now for sale at your local dealer: Antares class vessels, as good as new! They can shapeshift! Everybody in the galaxy has one! Now for only $800!"
Although I'm certainly treading on dangerous ground here, I'd like to point out that while B5 had continuity coming out of its ass, it still, IMHO, had shallow writing and as a result didn't garner as wide an audience as DS9. At least, on this continent it didn't.
Now, back onto the topic of broad audiences.
I'll begin by reminding everyone that there is still a huge audience out there that watched and loved TNG. I can still fondly remember watching First Contact on video in my residence common room. It was at the part where the Borg were advancing through the decks of the Enterprise, pushing back the security teams, where one dude fires his phaser and the Borg adapts to it. Somebody asked what just happened, and a guy who I knew not to be a watcher of either of the newer series promptly explained at length about the Borg adapting to weapons frequencies and remodulation and all that stuff, recieving words of agreement of others in the room. TNG's huge fanbase was primarily intelligent, interested educated people who were looking for a dramatic series that was both imaginative and compelling. There's a certain snobbishness that can be found on the Internet (where one naturally finds the hardest of the hardcore fans) that TNG catered to a lower common denominator than, say, DS9 or B5, but I firmly stand by my opinion that Trek as a both a franchise and as a source of entertainment would be better off with these people watching the fifth series than just a few hardliners. I don't mean taking it to the Voyager level of populism, where kitschy action sequences and wrestling crossovers are stuck in to attract a broader audience, because both ratings and intuition tells us that these aren't bringing back the TNG legions. Voyager commonly dips out of the "smart television" bracket, and it is a myth that a television series cannot be both "smart" and popular. TNG was both, DS9 was just "smart" and Voyager was neither.
So where are the millions of fans who tuned in for All Good Things... and lined up for First Contact? Firslty, when TNG ended, this audience didn't all flock to other sci-fi shows. Like I said, these were intelligent, interested educated people who were
looking for a dramatic series that was both imaginative and compelling, and sci-fi as a genre really wasn't providing this kind of a series without resorting to the continuity-steeped 'cultish' formula of, say, DS9. We can't blame DS9/Voyager's inability to garner ratings that equalled TNG on there being more scifi/fantasy series on TV because these people didn't all run and watch Xena and B5 (indeed, I imagine most of these series' viewers were being shared amongst the series, not stolen from one another.) So where did these viewers go after that fatefall spring of '93? What shows did they watch? Well, seaQuest DSV's first season had been a big hit, but the show was abandoned en masse when it became garbage in season two. Lois and Clark had a rather large audience for a while who enjoyed the smart writing and decent acting, until both of the aforementioned qualities evaporated. The X-Files, too, caught a lot of these people for a while. Today, at a guess, they're watching The Practice, The Sopranos, and even Ally McBeal (or at least were, until the latter's ratings turned to mush). And why aren't they watching Voyager? Because it, for the most part, is not imaginative nor compelling. You may ask "But Deep Space Nine was both of the above, was it not? Then why weren't they watching it?" Simply put, a show like DS9 that is so steeped in arcs and continuity is remarkably difficult to pull new viewers in. It may enthrall most of the audience that is already familiar with Jem'Hadar and Pah'Wraiths, but like it or not, an arc-show's ratings will almost certainly never rise over time, no matter how good the writing is.
At this point, I imagine many of you are screaming "Damn the ratings! If Series V is like DS9 then I'll rejoice, and not give a damn whether the general public pushes its ratings to any level." But like it or not, Trek cannot afford to field another show that will dawdle near the Nielsons cellar. Trek is already beginning to be seen as a dead horse by the TV stations that air it and by the advertisers that fund it. Not to sound paranoid or anything, but there is only so long that a franchise can go on for if it's fueled only by a cult following. (M*A*S*H, anyone?) If Series V cannot improve on or even match DS9s best ratings, after about two or three seasons it will either start disappearing from the slate of syndicated shows bought by individual television stations (assuming s5 is syndicated, right now seen as the most likely option), go down with the sinking ship called UPN once it becomes clear that it cannot save the network (if it airs on UPN), or, in perhaps the most insulting way, be cancelled by CBS (if it airs on that network).
The TNG fans aren't a bad bunch. Its time they came home, and to do that they'll need a good home to move back to. Series V, like Berman and Braga have said, has to be fresh and new but return to the same qualities that attracted the general populace, albeit the more intelligent and discrimination slice of it. Scream and whinge all you like, but another Voyager, or even another DS9, could seriously damage or destroy the cultural phenomenon we're so fond of.
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"Truth about Santa Claus debunks Santa God. God evolves from Santa."
-Gene Ray, http://www.timecube.com
[This message has been edited by The_Tom (edited July 23, 2000).]
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"If Picard was set loose on a Monopoly board, he'd try and establish peaceable diplomatic relations with Marvin Gardens and give St. James Place wide berth so that its culture could develop without interference."
--
L. Fitzgerald Sjoberg
****
Read chapter one of "Dirk Tungsten in...The Disappearing Planet"! Because I'm the passenger, and I ride and I ride.
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"I can't believe we're actually gonna meet Guru Lou. Everyone says he's the wisest man in the universe. He's sensitive, creative, has a great sense of humour, and he's a really smooth dancer. *giggles*"
"You're confused Polly. We're not meeting Paul Newman."
- Polly & Speedy; Samurai Pizza Cats
*standing ovation*
The_Tom: I must say that I agree with every point of your post. Smashing speech!
*drops back in his chair*
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Advertisement in the United Federation NewsPADD, SD 53675:
"Now for sale at your local dealer: Antares class vessels, as good as new! They can shapeshift! Everybody in the galaxy has one! Now for only $800!"
Each year they build up to a big baddie. They kill him, and then (largely) whipe the slate clean. Howsabout that approach?
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"I can't believe we're actually gonna meet Guru Lou. Everyone says he's the wisest man in the universe. He's sensitive, creative, has a great sense of humour, and he's a really smooth dancer. *giggles*"
"You're confused Polly. We're not meeting Paul Newman."
- Polly & Speedy; Samurai Pizza Cats
But I think there are examples of popular shows that do maintain tighter continuity than the norm, and by tighter I mean any at all. But there has to be more to it then that.
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"If Picard was set loose on a Monopoly board, he'd try and establish peaceable diplomatic relations with Marvin Gardens and give St. James Place wide berth so that its culture could develop without interference."
--
L. Fitzgerald Sjoberg
****
Read chapter one of "Dirk Tungsten in...The Disappearing Planet"! Because I'm the passenger, and I ride and I ride.
What's hurting Trek now is that nobody can see it. :P
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"Nobody knows this, but I'm scared all the time... of what I might do, if I ever let go." -- Michael Garibaldi
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Creator of Project Phoenix
quote:[email protected]
Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra, and then, suddenly, it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come.
-Matt Groening
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"I think I speak for everyone here when I say, 'Huh?'."
- Buffy
Any thoughts?
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http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/9268/index.html
*runs into the bathroom to vomit*
I swear if a time travel series becomes reality I'll......I'll......Well, I don't know what I'll do, but it will be serious. As for the speach The_Tom made, I have one comment: BRILLIANT SPEACH!!!!!!!!!! I completly agree!!!!!!
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"If I knew you were coming I would have baked a cake...learned to sing....stop me Gage!"
--Aurther
The Journeyman Project 3
For a good selection of pay-to-surf web sites go to www.refercentral.com/cammodude
[This message has been edited by Cammodude (edited August 06, 2000).]
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"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
- George Bernard Shaw
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"Fragile. Do not drop"
--posted on a Boeing 757
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"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
- George Bernard Shaw
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"Fragile. Do not drop"
--posted on a Boeing 757