Trekkie Central Magazine Issue 13 by Richard Miles

Welcome to the thirteenth issue of TCM, In this issue we take a look at the various romances and relationships that have been in Star Trek over its forty year history. We also have an article on Star Trek Marriages written by Alex Matthews. We all hope you enjoy this issue Live Long and Prosper Richard Editor

Special Thanks: Contributors: Gerri Donaldson; Josh Edelglass; Alex Matthews; Eugenia Stoypra; Sean Paul Teeling. Production Companies: Hidden Frontier Productions; Farragut Films; Neo FX. Head Writers: Gerri Donaldson; Alex Matthews; Richard Miles and Eugenia Stoypra. Graphics Artist and Front Cover: Richard Miles Creative Consultants: Michael Hudson and Rick Pike. Assistant Editors: Heather Ashleigh and Alex Matthews Editor: Richard Miles Publisher: TC Productions Production Company: TC Magazines Trekkie Central Magazine and Supplemental is produced for fans by fans. This is a free to download and view online magazine, from which no profit is made in anyway. If you see this magazine on sale anywhere please do not purchase it as this will jeopardise feature issue of this magazine. If you do find it on sale please inform us immediately by emailing us at admin@trekkiecentralmagazine.com and marking the inbox as fraudulent magazine in the subject box. Many Thanks

Captains Table: Reviews by Josh Edelglass

Relationships: Trip and T POL

Relationships: The Loves of Ro Nevin

To Have and To Hold: Star Trek Marriage By Alex Matthews

Relationships: Kirk and His Girls

Relationships: Janeway and Her Holograms

Relationships: Data and Yar

Relationships: Bashir and Melora

Captains Log By Sean Paul Teeling Coming Soon

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Star Trek: Phase 2, by far the most interesting of the many fanmade Star Trek projects that have sprung up over the past few years, in the absence of any new official Star Trek material on TV or at the movies. The goal of Phase 2 is to create the fourth season of the Original Series (which was cancelled at the end of its third season). Each installment of Phase 2 (there have been five episodes so far, counting their “pilot”) is an hour in length, and what is astounding about the endeavor (betcha thought I’d say enterprise) is the degree of professionalism involved in the production. While the episodes don’t QUITE look like actual broadcast-able Star Trek episodes, they come pretty damn close. The fifth episode was just released on-line: ”Blood and Fire Part I.” This is the first installment of the series’ first two-part episode. The episode opens with a fierce battle between the Enterprise and a Klingon warship. Although the Klingons are ultimately defeated, the Big E sustains Star Trek II level damage. However, before the Enterprise can return to a starbase to be repaired, they receive a distress call from another Starfleet vessel, the USS Copernicus, which appears to be locked on course directly into a dying star. When Spock leads an away team over to the Copernicus to try to figure out what happened to the ship and its crew, they soon find themselves in quite a lot of jeopardy. ”Blood and and Fire” also re-introduces us to Captain Kirk’s young nephew Peter (introduced in one episode of the Original Series, “Operation — Annihilate!”), who has transfered over to the Enterprise to be closer to his husband-tobe, who is already an Enterprise officer. “Blood and Fire” was written and directed by David Gerrold, who is only the lastest industry professional (and someone involved with the production of the original Star Trek) to have gotten involved with this fan-made series. Mr. Gerrold was a key writer for the Original Series, and he wrote what many consider to be one of the finest Original Series episodes ever produced: “The Trouble With Tribbles.” This story, “Blood and Fire,” was actually written by Mr. Gerrold for the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but it was never produced. (According to the Phase 2 web-site, the episode was shelved because of its mention of a gay crewman on the Enterprise.) Mr. Gerrold re-worked the story for Phase 2. Over-all, “Blood and Fire Part I” is another winner from the Phase 2 team. The production values are incredible. The sets, the costumes, the make-up, the lighting — everything looks just about perfect, totally capturing the feel of the Original Series. (If anything, the bridge looks even BETTER than it did during the actual Original Series, with the inclusion for the first time in this episode of moving computer graphics on the bridge control screens.) And the starship visual effects are astonishing. The intense space combat with the Klingons in the episode’s teaser is the most eye-catching sequence, with action far beyond anything we ever saw in the Original Series, but I thought that the visuals later in the episode of the Enterprise and the Copernicus in close proximity to the dying star were even more marvelous. I should also note the deign of the Copernicus. As opposed to being a ship that looks just like The Enterprise, the special effects artists have created a ship that has the lay-out of the USS Reliant from Star Trek II (with the nacelles underneath the saucer section), but that has the look and feel of an Original Series-era starship. In Paramount’s Star Trek: Remastered project, in which the hokey, models-on-sticks special effects of the Original Series were replaced by new CGI effects, there were a few instances in which the effects team replaced

shots of other starships with this type of Original Series Reliant design. But I always thought those attempts looked awkward and unconvincing. In “Blood and Fire,” though, the Copernicus is a beautifully realized vessel. The revelation in this episode that Peter Kirk is gay has caused quite a stir on-line, but personally I am thrilled to see this story-line make it to the screen. I love the way his homosexuality is handled in the episode. There are several “do people know” moments between Peter and his husband-to-be, and some bemused reactions from Enterprise crewmen. But in every case the scenes could be interpreted to indicate that people are either wondering about the homosexual nature of their relationship OR just about the fact that they’re so young, and trying so poorly to keep their relationship a secret. In the context of the episode, it’s almost certainly the latter, but the audience watching the episode might read in the former, which adds resonance to the story. If I’m able to accept the re-casting of all the Original Series characters in J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Star Trek film, then I’ll need to thank James Cawley (who plays Kirk and is the mastermind of this Phase 2 effort). Over the course of the five Phase 2 episodes, I have come to accept and really enjoy these different actors’ interpretations of the characters. Cawley’s Kirk is a lot of fun, capturing the energy of William Shatner’s iconic performance while avoiding falling into mimicry (at least most of the time. The only scene of Cawley’s in “Blood and Fire” that doesn’t work for me is his sort of overblown reaction to the news of his nephew Peter’s engagement. Later in the episode there is a moment when young Peter imitates his uncle’s reaction, so I assume Cawley over-did it in his scene to make the latter scene make sense. Still, that moment of Shatner-imitation is the only tiny flaw in what is over-all a great performance.) Other stand-outs include Ben Tolpin as Spock (replacing Phase 2’s previous Spock, Jeffery Quinn, who was also excellent) and Andy Bray as Checkov. Kim Stinger is also great as Uhura, although she hasn’t had a lot to do in the series so far. If there’s a weakness to this installment, it’s that Peter Kirk’s relationship with Enterprise crewman Alex Freeman takes up way too much of the focus of the episode, particularly in the first half. I think it’s a mistake to shift the story too far away from our main characters (and it helps that I’ve been enjoying the main cast’s performances so much). It was one thing in the last two episodes for the focus to not be on Phase 2’s Kirk and Spock, because the guest stars were Walter FREAKING Koenig (reprising his role from the Original Series as Pavel Chekov) and George FREAKING Takei (reprising his role from the Original Series as Hikaru Sulu). But in “Blood and Fire” the guest star isn’t anyone famous, and Bobby Rice as Peter Kirk just isn’ t that compelling. In fact, there are occasions where he reaches Peter Preston levels of annoying. (Come on Star Trek fans, you get the reference, right??) His husband-to be Freeman, played by Evan Fowler, does a better job, but still, these two guest stars get way too much screen time. There are also some instance of inconsistencies with the Treknology of the sort that also bugs me in so many ACTUAL Star Trek episodes. Towards the end of the battle during the teaser, the Klingon ship cloaks in order to get away. First of all, it’s surprising to me that the ship could cloak after having sustained so much damage, as so often in actual Trek episodes the cloaking device was portrayed as a very delicate piece of equipment, and it was always the first thing to fail once a ship got even the tiniest bit damaged (see almost any episode of DS9 that featured the Defiant in combat as support of this). But whatever. The ship cloaks, and we see what looks like an Enterprise phaser blast go right through the spot where the Klingon ship was, just a second before. This is silly, because a cloaking device doesn’t make the ship intangible, it just hides it from sensors. So even invisible, a phaser blast would still HIT IT and cause damage. Then, in the next scene, Spock reports that the ship has changed course and moved outside of weapons range. Well how the heck would he know that, if the ship is cloaked and thus invisible to sensors??? These are minor quibbles, and as I wrote above they happened ALL THE TIME in actual Trek episodes, so I can’t judge Phase 2 too harshly. Bottom line: If you’re a Star Trek fan who has been having to do without the weekly dose of new adventures that we enjoyed for 18 years (from the launch of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987 until the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005), I highly encourage you to check out Star Trek: Phase 2. The episodes aren’t perfect, but there is so much love and effort on display that I defy you not to find a lot of enjoyment in their episodes.~

RELATIONSHIPS: TRIP AND T POL

Then a devastating event occurs that changes Trip forever. The Xindi attack Earth and his younger sister Elizabeth who he is very close to is killed. Trip is so traumatised by this incident that he experiences difficulty sleeping due to nightmares about the attack. He is assisted in recovering from these nightmares by T’Pol applying what she calls Vulcan neuropressure. This form of ‘massage’ is very personal, and it requires a great deal of physical contact. Over the course of their neuropressure sessions, Trip begins to develop feelings for T’Pol. Eventually T’Pol lets her Vulcan guard down and also admits that she has feelings for him. However, later as she regains her Vulcan composure she denies her emotions. When Enterprise returns to Earth, Trip accompanies T’Pol on a visit to Vulcan and meets her mother T’Les who confronts Trip about being in love with her daughter, a point he reluctantly concedes. Due to political reasons he has to watch T’Pol marry Koss even though T’Pol’s mother begs him to let his true feelings be known to T’Pol but he refuses to do so. He loves her too much to put her through the ordeal of not marrying Koss who has the power to reinstate her mother into the Vulcan Science Academy.

For a man who is cute (as stated by Ensign Sato), intelligent and good with his hands (He’s an engineer you know!) Trip was not lucky in love. Firstly he leaves Natalie back on Earth with no explanation of why he is no longer contacting her due to orders to immediately report to Enterprise. He never does find out whether she is still waiting for him. He becomes pregnant when he has an unintentional romantic encounter with a Xyrillian female. An experience he never wishes to repeat. He becomes romantically involved with Liana whose Father had killed the crew of his ship due to his negligence. And he has an encounter (literally) with Kaitaama, the newly selected First Monarch of Krios Prime. While escaping from kidnappers in a very small escape pod, Trip and Kitaama become very intimate with each other even though they spent many hours beforehand yelling at one another. Due to laws on Krios Prime the relationship could no longer continue. And so it goes. Trip seems to find love and just as quickly falls out of love or ends up in a relationship where it is impossible to love!

After the death of T’Pol’s mother Koss releases T’Pol from her marriage to him. Hoping he has a chance to rekindle the love between himself and T’Pol Trip is torn when he sees that she has no desire to continue with the relationship. Unable to cope with working on the same starship as T’Pol, Trip transfers to the Columbia NX-02 to spend some time in a different environment to try and sort himself out. Eventually he ends up back on Enterprise and after an Orion attack T’Pol realises how much she loves Trip and persuades him to stay by embracing and kissing him passionately. Not long after the two of them discover that they have a daughter. The child was created from their DNA stolen by a group named Terra Prime. Eventually they rescue the child and name her Elizabeth after Trip’s dead sister. Their life with Elizabeth is very short. Dr Phlox is unable to rectify the flaw that is in her DNA due to cloning a Vulcan and Terran. Elizabeth dies. Both Trip and T’Pol become heartbroken and their romantic relationship stops there. Even though Trip and T’Pol never embraced and lovingly kissed again, T’Pol continued to hold his memory close to her heart after his death.~

RELATIONSHIPS: THE LOVES OF RO NEVIN

Ro Nevin born on Bajor, and yes is the brother of Ro Laren. Life for Nevin was progressing nicely and he enjoyed the company of his friends, playing 3D chess and drinking “real” alcohol had his world was turned upside down when Corey Aster, from the USS Olympus joined the crew. Nevin had studied with Corey at the Academy, and although he tells Corey that he did not remember him in any of his classes, this was a straight out lie. Nevin knew that Corey had had a crush on him at the Academy and this frightened Nevin but it didn’t take long for Corey to let Nevin know that he was still interested in him. Nevin tries to make it clear to Corey that he was not interested, another lie! Nevin is dening his own feelings. When Corey is assigned to the USS Excelsior permanently, Nevin avoids contact with Corey.

Nevin is a tortured soul with a knack for hurting himself emotionally and his struggle to “find himself” is a path that is not walked easily. In the mean time Nevin then meets Tara Abis, a reporter for the Federation News and they form a relationship. She realises that she will never have his full commitment when she sees how he interacts with Corey and he finally becomes honest with himself about his feelings towards Corey. However, his acceptance of who he is and his decision comes too late as Corey finds another partner. Rejection by Corey pushes Nevin into a relationship with a Klingon captain who is quick to accept his love and they go through a ceremony called the R’uustai in which the two become brothers and subsequently, lovers!!!! Life seems good but Nevin is widowed (dare we say) shortly after the ceremony. Nevin is abducted and when rescued and returned to the ship begins a relationship with Corey and they finally tie the knot but after only two weeks of marriage, Nevin and Corey are assigned to two different ships and due to his mission Nevin finds himself in a “galaxy far far away”. Corey and Nevin have not yet tested this relationship, are they meant to be together? Will they ever get back to each other or will this relationship not stand the time apart? Will they stray or does distance really make the heart grow fonder?~

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD: STAR TREK MARRIAGE

ALEX MATTHEWS

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD: STAR TREK MARRIAGE

Finding that special someone and keeping them is never very easy, even for the best of us, and the officers in Starfleet are usually the “best of the best”. While in command of the original Enterprise, James Kirk went through more alien beauties then Uhura went through fancy earrings, but they always lost out to his true love, the Enterprise herself. JeanLuc Picard focused all his own energy on his career, at the cost of several relationships, such as Janice Manheim, Neela Darren or even Beverly Crusher. Elizabeth Shelby tried to make it work with Mackenzie Calhoun, but sharing a bed as well as a bridge drove a wedge big enough between them that she left the Excalibur and joined the crew of the Excelsior. The command crews of these officers rarely had any better luck, spending almost their entire careers following the same commander from ship to ship, neglecting to actually have a life outside of their work. But this is not th case throughout the entire history of Trek, as some of the main characters do go on to find their true love, and even make it down the aisle. We have seen several variations on the theme of matrimony, be it Klingon, Bajoran or human. The first wedding ever really glimpsed at in Trek was during the TOS episode “Balance of Terror”, where Kirk, as the chief commanding officer, has the privilege of joining two of his crew in holy matrimony. Although the religious significance of the event may have been lost over the last few centuries since First Contact, the ceremony is still based on those kinds of traditions. Unfortunately, Specialist Angela Martine and Lieutenant Robert Tomlinson was not the very tale story most marriages hope to be, when Tomlinson was one of the casualties in the Enterprise's skirmish with a Romulan birdof-prey.

ALEX MATTHEWS

When Spock enters Ponn Farr, the Enterprise quickly heads to Vulcan to allow their ailing Science Officer to participate in his own wedding to his betrothed, T'Pring. This wedding shows us a glimpse of the older traditions that the Vulcans, however logical they may be now, still honour. But once again, the wedding is halted during the proceedings when T'Pring invokes an ancient clause to challenge her marriage to Spock, forcing him and her champion into a fight to the death. It was not until “Data's Day” during the run of “The Next Generation” that we see another wedding, and although it does seems at times it may not go through, finally, Chief Miles O'Brien and Keiko Ishikawa are wed in a ceremony conducted by Captain Picard in Ten-Forward. The ceremony itself reflects the traditions of both participants, with Japanese music playing, while Data acts as the 'father of the bride', since he first introduced the two. Picard also had the honour of being asked to perform the wedding of Lwaxana Troi, Counselor Troi's mother, to her fiance, Minister Campio of Kostolian, but despite having matching profiles which saw a harmonious relationship, the wedding was called off when Lwaxana arrived to the ceremony naked, as per Betazoid tradition. The Kostolians, creatures of procedure and etiquette, quickly left the ceremony. When William Riker and Deanna Troi finally tied the knot, instead of having the ceremony follow usual Starfleet traditions with it being overseen by the captain, they returned to Riker's home in Alaska, and had Captain Picard serve as best man instead. They also planned on having a second ceremony on Betazed, arranged by Lwaxana, following the more traditional themes of Betazoid marriage. This caused some ruckus among the Enterprise-E senior staff, who were unnerved about appearing naked in front of each other... During the run of “Deep Space Nine”, viewers also get to see the wedding traditions of several other races, which had only been hinted at in the past. During the final part of the fifth season, Sisko performs the wedding of Rom and Leeta, which follows most of the Bajoran traditions, although was done in a hurry, with an attack on the station deemed imminent. It did not follow the usual Ferengi practice, which treats marriage as more of a business arrangement then as a commitment between lovers, something Quark was not too happy about. Sisko later attends the wedding of Worf and Jadzia Dax, which follows the full Klingon tradition, complete with the groom and his friends undergoing a purification ritual, while Jadzia proves her worth to the Matriach of the House of Martok. During his time on the Enterprise-D, Worf considered himself betrothed to K'Ehleyr, after the two mated during her first visit to the Galaxy-class starship, but she refused to take it further. After mating with Jadzia, he again demanded marriage, but Jadzia recognised that Worf was trying to honour traditions he didn't necessarily really believe in, so instead, they spent time genuinely getting to know each other. This lead to Jadzia agreeing to marry Worf just after the Dominion War began, and gave them both the desire to survive the fighting and help retake DS9 in order to have their wedding, in full Klingon regalia, which involved reenacting the fight that killed a legendary Klingon couple.

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD: STAR TREK MARRIAGE

When he himself became engaged to Kasidy Yates, Sisko originally wanted a Bajoran-themed ceremony, but when word of the Emissary's wedding became public knowledge, the event began to grow out of control. Kasidy herself was unhappy with the idea of her wedding becoming the business of strangers, and more of a religious festival for a faith she did not believe in. Instead, the two of them had a small ceremony conducted by Admiral William Ross, Ben's friend and commanding officer. The recent relaunch novels that continue the adventures of the post-War crew of DS9 also follow the life of an Andorian officer, Thirishar ch'Thane, and explores the Andorian concept of marriage, which, in “Data's Day”, was told to involve four people. The writers use this idea as a jumping off point, by explaining that Andorian's have 4 genders, and this has caused problems over the last few centuries regarding successful procreation. Ch'Thane, a scientist, has been searching for a way to stabilise Andorian genetics so the 4 genders are no longer restricting their growth as a species, but after several personal difficulties and some breakthroughs in research, finally follows through on his own bonding ceremony, known as the sheltreth, which also involves the quartet mating and producing a viable off-spring. Perhaps because of their distance from Federation space and their loved ones, the crew of the USS Voyager become much more relaxed and familiar with each other then some other crews. But it seems only one couple on the ship actually tied the knot, when Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres got married in their last year in the Delta Quadrant. Viewers did not get to see the wedding, but we got to see what it may have been like, when the biomimetic doubles of the two got married several years before, just before their own ship and crew were killed. Their wedding followed the usual human traditions, with Janeway presiding over the ceremony, Torres being given away by Chakotay, even Seven catching the traditional bouquet Torres throws and the assembled crew throwing rice over the happy couple. Unlike his counterparts, Jonathon Archer was the only starship captain that Star Trek followed who never got to perform any kind of marriage ceremony during his time aboard the Enterprise NX-01. However, Enterprise did allow another glimpse into the idea of a Vulcan marriage, and how the logical race views the act that is known to cement an emotional bond. It differed from the TOS approach as neither of the participants are undergoing Ponn Farr at the time, instead it is more of a marriage of convience for T'Pol, in order to allow her mother, T'Les, to resume a position at the Science Academy. Even though, in his own way, her husband Kos explains his feelings for her, T'Pol does not reciprocate and has no wish to live a lie with him, and sacrifice her career on Enterprise. She only goes through with the wedding after successfully negotiating with Kos' family allows her to remain on Enterprise for another year, although after T'Les dies, Kos dissolves the marriage, very aware that T'Pol only married him to benefit her now deceased mother.

ALEX MATTHEWS

At least one fan series has tried to explore the idea of marriage in th the 24 century a little further, when Hidden Frontier had the first same-sex marriage in Trek's run. This fan show was one of the first th to truly explore the idea of sexuality in the 24 century, after the occasional touching on the subject during the 'official' run. Episodes such as “The Offspring”, “The Host” and “Rejoined” only scratched the surface of the same-sex relationship issue – in “The Offspring”, Whoopi Goldberg successfully fought to change a line of her dialog in the scene when Guinan was teaching Lal the facts of life from "when a man loves a woman" to "when two people are in love", whereas both “The Host” and “Rejoined” deal with the fact that the symbiont part of the Trill species change gender during their long lifetimes, and how this can affect the relationships they have formed. The character of Ro Nevin, over the seven years of HF's primary run, came to terms with his own sexual identity, which was never an issue for any of the other characters, but more of a personal journey for that one character. It was never an idea of identifying as 'gay' or 'straight', it was simply a matter of finding that someone you could be happy with. When Nevin married Corey Aster, the writers decided to show that Ro's fears of breaking from tradition were unfounded, by having a full Bajoran ceremony, which followed the example seen in DS9, but expanded on it, having a proper Vedek perform the ceremony over their commanding officer. All these examples show that at it's core, despite religious connotations, cultural differences and requirements, marriage is about the unification of two or more individuals who wish to be together, in order to enrich their own lives and the lives of the person they marry. Trek has always tried to show how humanity could eventually evolve into something more then what it currently is, and become part of something larger. Seeing beyond the current limitations that bind marriage in the minds of some people in today's era is the first step to achieving that goal.

RELATIONSHIPS: KIRK AND HIS GIRLS

Romantic relationships were a means to and end for James T Kirk. The love of his life was the Enterprise. Whilst this girl could take him anywhere, provide shelter, food and excitement she did not have arms to hold him. Although she did hold him in her own way and he loved her passionately. Was she the reason that none of the relationships that he had with women lasted? Was James T Kirk fated to be with her? Well as we all know he was, but along the way he met a few with arms to hold him, but they did not last long nor would we call them healthy either, they either tried to kill him, told him lies or walked away or died, well nearly all.

Don’t know much about his first love “Blonde Lab Tech” who was introduced to him by Gary Mitchell, but he almost married her!! Then along comes Ruth a women who meant a lot to him obviously as this was the relationship that was selected by The Shore Leave Planet as his “fantasy”. Another relationship was with Janice Lister, a would be “Starship Captain” held back by sexist opinions of the time, when only “men” commanded the search of the stars. She wanted to take over his life and also was the first to want to kill him. Next was Carol Marcus, the women who bore him his only child, was she the “Blonde Lab Tech” who Kirk drifted apart from because of their careers? There is always something that gets in the way of Kirk and his women! Again with Janet Wallace another lover who got in the way of his career and his ship!! Areel, then Helen, next is Lenore, then of course Edith, whom we feel maybe the one, but duty calls and of course her death! Then comes Elaan, Shahna, Deela, Odona, Rayna, and finally Antonia. All of these women did not capture Kirk, he would always return to the ships named Enterprise. Kirk only has entanglements and we call them that because they weren’t really relationships they get in the way of the real love and only passion the good ship USS Enterprise and their journey filled with excitement.

RELATIONSHIPS: JANEWAY AND HER HOLOGRAMS

“Personal Log: I met an interesting man there. I almost forgot he was a hologram. We weren’t exactly compatible. Then again, Mr Paris didn’t program him to my specifications.” th

So program she did!! She gave him the education of a 19 Century third-year student at Trinity College University. She made him “more provocative, more outspoken, not so reserved... and make him more curious about the world around him.” She even increased his height by 3cm and left him with a two day growth as she found she didn’t like him clean shaven. Then finally she gave one more command to complete the adjustments of his subroutines. “Delete the wife.” Janeway allowed a different side of herself to come out as she spends time with Michael, she flirts, she becomes provocative and giggles like a teenager. However, when Chakotay comes upon them she is embarrassed and uneasy. “It was nice to see you having a little fun” says Chakotay. “He is rather charming isn’t he?” Says Janeway. “Too bad he’s made of photons and force fields.” “I never let that stand in my way.” Chakotay reassures her. After a night of dancing she asks the computer to remove the folk of Fair Haven and as they sit staring into each other’s eyes, she realizes just how much she has missed the touch of another man... and lovingly kisses him. Back in her quarters, the realisation of what is happening to her begins to weigh on her heart. The Doctor, picking up on her emotions talks to her. “Michael Sullivan is a hologram. His broken heart can be mended with the flick of a switch. Your feelings however, are a little more ....complicated” As a Captain of a Starship she believes that she can’t have a relationship with a member of her crew. But every human being needs closeness, a chance to be hugged and a chance to be held! So what do you do when you are lost in the Delta Quadrant where you cannot satisfy the longing to be loved? .....You fall in love with a hologram! The twinkle in her eye was obvious when she first met Michael O’Sullivan the barkeep of the pub The Ox and Lamb, in the Irish village of Fair Haven. She is drawn by his handsome rugged good looks and lilting Irish brogue. Her attraction was instant and a passionate longing awoke, one that she had tried so desperately to keep at bay. Janeway almost guilty returned to the Ox and Lamb on the day they met and this time there were no one there but Michael wiping the glasses from the day’s drinking. Enjoying the fact that he called her Katie O’Clare it had been a long time since a man had flirted with her. She was disappointed when she realized that Paris had not programmed him to be a learned man, and the romance was further shattered when after a night of talking and playing rings in walks Michael’s wife!

She confesses that she has become romantically involved with a hologram. “Oh you know the story – girl meets boy; girl modifies boy’s subroutines” “Did you have intimate relations” asks the Doctor. Shocked, Janeway answers “That’s none of your business. Let’s just say it was a memorable three days!”It is here that Janeway reveals the real reason why her conscience is causing her great anguish. “Michael Sullivan is exactly my type, attractive, intelligent. We share the same interests and if there’s something I don’t like, I can simply change it.....Maybe I just needed to be sure he’d love me back”(She is moved to tears). Janeway is lonely, but the human need to be loved is so great that she would even program a hologram to fall in love with her. After her discussion with the Doctor, instead of fighting a feeling of guilt she decides to enjoy her time with Michael, knowing that as a woman she needs to not only satisfy her physical needs but also the needs of the heart.

RELATIONSHIPS: DATA AND YAR

Yar becomes infected with this virus that causes the infected to act intoxicated but more so than any alcohol that could be drunk! She starts to act wildly out of character and starts to dress provocatively. Picard sends Data to assist her and when he goes to her quarters she reveals things about her past to him that she has never spoken about before and she asks him how “functional” he is. Data tells her that he is fully functional and is programmed in many techniques!!!! Data and Yar then proceed to testing these functions. However, Yar tells Data to forget that anything ever happened. We know that does not happen!!

Data an android, with no emotions, well not yet anyway always thought to be a machine just aspiring to be human but never thought to have the needs of a human male! A machine has no need to be held, to have someone to talk to or to be wanted for anything more than his ability to be functional. And functional he was!!!

Years later when Data’s sentience is questioned by Commander Bruce Maddox who wants to take him to a lab and take him apart to see how he works so that he can make more “just like him”. Data resigns his commission and has packed his bags and is about to leave but he is stopped from doing so by the court. This is because his “ownership” is what is being disputed and if he is seen to be property then property just can’t leave. The hearing continues, is he his own master or a piece of Starfleet equipment?

The USS Enterprise comes across the SS Tsiolkovsky which is on a mission to observe a Red Star. However, when contacted by the Enterprise they hear a woman who has responded in what can only be called a “seductive” voice. She states the huge “blowout” is about to occur and then an explosion is heard. Picard of course sends a landing party to investigate and to cut a long story short they come back with an infection. Investigations find out that this is “Polywater Syndrome” a variant that as first seen on Kirk’s Enterprise.

Picard brings Data’s bag to the hearing and offers the contents as evidence. One of the contents is a hologram of Tasha Yar, now deceased. When questioned about this he says that she was important to him and that they were intimate. For a being supposedly without emotions Data has formed an attachment with Yar, is this because she was his “first”? Or is it because even when a machine is programmed to grow and develop through experience that love does conquer all, even when it is just machine code?

RELATIONSHIPS: BASHIR AND MELORA

The two of them enjoy each other’s company talking about their lives and what brought them to this point in time. Back in Melora’s quarters she shares with Bashir that she doesn’t allow people in her life. She feels too much like a carnival attraction but with Bashir she feels very different. She begins to trust him and allows him to experience a little of her world when she switches her quarters to low gravity. It is there in mid air that Melora finally allows her defences to come down and the two of them kiss lovingly floating in mid air. After some research Bashir finds a way to allow Melora to move in ‘Earth’s’ gravity more easily. She gets very excited about the prospect of not relying on the wheelchair or her crutches to get around. Finally she would not be restricted in her duties by her physical needs. As the relationship grows Melora confides in Dax that she is unsure about ‘romance in Starfleet’. Between them they come up with a number of scenarios of what could happen. Dax begins to pick up that Melora is quite taken by Bashir. The treatments that Bashir has developed continue and Melora begins to have second thoughts about completing the transition. She begins to realise that if she goes through with the final treatments she will never be able to go home again for any length of time. Like the Little Mermaid she wonders is ‘walking on land’ as important as being who you are. If she goes through with the treatment she would no longer be Elaysian.

Once upon a time there was a Little Mermaid who fell in love with a prince. By drinking a magic potion she gave up her home of the sea to walk on land so that she could be with her prince. On Deep Space Nine, Julian Bashir is the prince and the Little Mermaid is Elaysian Melora Pazlar. Before Bashir had even met Melora he felt like he had known her for years. Her race lived on a planet with low surface gravity therefore Deep Space Nine needed to be modified to accommodate the cartographer who was coming to chart part of the Gamma Quadrant. Bashir had spent many hours looking over her personnel and medical records and was fascinated by what he read. Their first meeting however did not go smoothly. Melora who was fiercely independent came across as abrupt and defensive but this did not stop Bashir from pursuing a further meeting with her. Soon after Bashir goes to her quarters and talks candidly to her about her attitude towards him. He sees through her defences and invites her out for a meal.

Just as Dax and Melora return to DS9 they are kidnapped along with Quark by Kot who is fleeing the station. In the process Bashir over the viewscreen watches Melora being shot. His heart sinks and he rushes to the cargo bag to board a shuttle to help her. Miraculously Melora lives and after Kot is captured they sit and discuss their future together. Melora decides not to go on with the treatment. They both conclude that their relationship cannot progress either. However they will forever be friends. Bashir made an incredible impact on Melora’s life. He helped to change her, to make her more compassionate and to trust. No doubt Melora will always be an important person in Bashir’s life. Unlike the The Little Mermaid who dissolved into the ocean when she tried to go back to her home. This story has a happier ending. ‘I’m glad you got me to unlock the doors to my quarters so I could finally let someone into my life.’ says Melora. ‘So am I’ says Bashir

‘If music be the food of love, play on’ or so said Duke Orsino in twelfth night. A music graduate and a romantic fool, I am truly delighted that this issue of TCM is giving so much attention to the issue of Romance. Yes, this issue we explore the softer side of Trek, with a tour of romance from across the spectrum of the series, both fan and Paramount based. Playing to my Irish heritage, my fellow Irishman Oscar Wilde once said, ‘between men and women there is no friendship possible. There is passion, enmity, worship, love, but no friendship.’ Does this apply to Androids and Women? The relationship between Tasha Yar and Data in TNG certainly had ‘romantic connotations’ but did they break the mould by remaining friends? Could Trip and T’Pol ever have been anything but lovers given the palpable sexual tension between them? Melora and Bashir in DS9 again proved that friendship will out, by remaining friends after their tentative relationship. Is Oscar Wilde’s quote on men and women unfounded then? Wilde also said ‘Deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance.’ Was Kathryn Janeway deceiving herself when she took up with Michael O’Sullivan, a projection of photons on the holodeck? (Personally, I will never forgive Voyagers writing team, for the god awful ‘oirishness’ of ‘Fair Haven’. Begorrah indeed!). This unusual relationship between photons and matter is also discussed this issue. And what of the biggest womaniser of them all? James Tiberius Kirk. Granted, Chris Pine is starting out as a young and brooding James Dean like Kirk, but long before Pine was a twinkle in his father’s eye, William Shatner was leading the way in having a way with leading ladies! Whether Elaan of Troyius or Edith Keeler, or his own beloved Miramanee, the tribal priestess of the Native American tribe on the planet Amerind, Jim Boy was, and I would argue, still is, the leader of the field when it comes to Trek Romance. I’m staying on an Irish note here, and sure why not, I am Irish! Wilde spoke again of “the Love that dare not speak its name." He never said this referred to homosexuality, yet it is understood it did. The Star Trek Fan series are proud to proclaim that ‘love’ in its realistic and relevant portrayal of gay characters, whether it be Nevin and Corey in Hidden Frontier, or Peter Kirk and Alex Freeman in Phase II. Recent and weirder ‘relationships’ have been revealed in the excellent ST Odyssey, with the revelations about Sarem the Majan of the Archein and Caecus, but I’ll let you read about that and draw your own conclusions! The romantic theme is rounded out nicely by a look at ‘Weddings’ in Star Trek, be they Human, Bajoran, Klingon, Trill, Ferengi. My own personal biased favourite wedding is covered this issue also, that of the Irish Chief Miles O'Brien and the beautiful Keiko Ishikawa. We wind out this issue with a look at the newly renamed ‘Phase II’ continuing on from New Voyages with its original series offering ‘Blood and Fire’. An apt time to focus on TOS, given the newly released big screen ‘Trek’. That about rounds up this exciting smorgasbord of tantalising tales and romantic interludes. And to end with Wilde, as the great man once said “Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead”. You can’t argue with that now, can you! Is mise le meas Seán Paul Teeling