Anvil February 2018 by USS Hephaestus NCC-2004

2016 Printed Newsletter of the Year

The Anvil U.S.S. Hephaestus: NCC-2004

ALWAYS ONWARD A MEMBER OF STARFLEET INTERNATIONAL

FEBRUARY 2018

The Anvil

NCC-2004

From the Ready Room

XO Briefing

Captain, My Captain

Quotable Quotes

While on an Away Mission

HEPHAESTUS is the Greek name for the Roman god of the forge, Vulcan. Birmingham has the world’s largest iron statue, that of the Roman god, Vulcan. We named our STARFLEET chapter the Hephaestus to give us ties to our city and to Star Trek, which has had its own Vulcan since 1966. Hephaestus forged armor and weapons for the gods. We create our own “armor and weapons” here, in our newsletter, so it is called The Anvil.

Name the Series

Cover: The Trouble with Tribbles, S02E13

Star Trek News & More

Inside This Issue

Ship’s Log

The Hephaestus Redshirt Challenge

Hunt for the Icon

STARFLEET Marine Corps

Recommendations

Captain’s Top 10

Anvil Focus Schedule 2018

Do You Know this Alien…

Name the Episode Answers

Away Team and Activity Schedule

Trek and Beyond Schedule

STARFLEET Renewal Reminders

Area Conventions & Exhibits

USS Hephaestus Command Structure

Web Links STARFLEET www.sfi.org Region 2 www.region2.org USS Hephaestus - Group www.facebook.com/groups/Hephaestus2004/ USS Hephaestus – Page www.facebook.com/USSHephaestus/ Twitter www.twitter.com/Hephaestus2004 Anvil Back Issues www.issuu.com/ncc2004

Editor

MarkAdam Miller

Layout, Graphics and Publishing

Brenda A. Miller

NASA Reporter

Curtis Salors

Doctor Who Reporter

Matt Boyd

Field Reporter

James Davis

The Anvil, Issue 318 is the monthly newsletter of the USS Hephaestus, NCC-2004, of STARFLEET, The International Star Trek Fan Association. All terms and phrases from Star Trek are owned by Paramount Pictures Corporation, a division of Paramount Communications and all rights are reserved.

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From the Ready Room Greetings, crew and passengers, Where did January go? It went by fast. We were not able to have our social but we did have two discussion groups (Beyond Trek and Exploring Trek) and a poker game that went very well. If you are looking for something to do, we are working hard to provide you with Star Trek related things to do. I am looking at things we can do to improve the club. One way, I believe, would be to make the club better known in the community. Also, have more fun activities scheduled. Got any ideas for either? The more input we have from everyone the better chance we have of getting something put on the schedule – it doesn’t have to be only on the scheduled Social night. Please keep a lookout for upcoming events to participate in and places we can go. Participation includes doing a table at Free Comic Book Day, Magic City Con and Hoover Library Sci-Fi/Fantasy Festival. Lets us know how you would like to help. Another item I will be trying to add is to have Navigation meetings once a quarter to help plan activities that might give the Mohney’s a break from having us over all the time. We appreciate the Mohney’s in all they do and want to help them out. My ready room door is always open. Please let me know if you what to grab a root beer in 10 Forward and discuss what the ship can do and your role on the ship. This is our club and what we put into it is what we will get out of it. Please note there is specail STARFLEET News in Star Trek News and more (pg. 8). As always, Live Long and Prosper and see you around the ship, Fleet Captain MarkAdam Miller cohephaestus@bellsouth.net, www.facebook.com/groups/Hephaestus2004/

XO Briefing Greetings Crew, Star Trek: Discovery is about over and has gotten better and hopefully by next season it will be even better. I have been playing Star Trek online. It’s okay. Hopefully the game gets better. I am playing it on my PlayStation. The trouble is getting use to the control and story mode. Some of my love of Star Trek is that it is a western in space. Along that lines I have been watching westerns on Netflix. Two that have been really good are Hickok and Godless. If you need me, I’ll be with Section 31, Lt. Commander Phillip Mangina, phillip3056@charter.netv USS Hephaestus

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Captain, My Captain By Fleet Captain MarkAdam Miller We have had many incarnations of Star Trek and the series are defined by who sits in the Captain’s Chair. When the discussion comes up of who is the better captain the comparison starts off with the original Star Trek captain, James T. Kirk. Since Captain Kirk was the first captain we saw, he set the standard of what we saw as a Starfleet Captain. The question becomes, is James T. Kirk a good role model for being a captain of a starship?

belongs. In the end, Kirk was not only able to save the Enterprise but start a friendship with the First Federation. The problem when believing that there is no such thing as a no-winscenario is that when a life is lost then you wonder if you did everything possible. This introspection is shown several times: the death of Mitchell in Where No Man has Gone Before; the crew of the USS Farragut mentioned in Obsession; the death of Spock in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and the death of David Marcus, Kirk’s son, in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock to name a few. Captain Kirk seems to be able to move on but a good captain needs to be careful that this does not lead to second guessing himself and making bad decisions.

The one thing that distinguishes Captain Kirk as a good captain is his belief that there is no such thing as the no-winscenario. Because of this belief, Captain Kirk will continue to look for alternatives in all situations. By continuing to look, the solution will finally be found. I think the best example is in the episode, The Corbomite Maneuver. The Enterprise encounters a bouy and a ship from the First Federation which causes problems for the Enterprise. Kirk and the crew try several maneuvers to defeat or disengage from the conflict with the alien bouy and ship with some succeeding and others failing. Each success brings on a new problem. After Kirk realizes that the game they are playing with the aliens is not a chess game with move vs counter move but a poker game where the better bluffer wins, he is then able to finally bring about a successful conclusion to the Enterprises dilemma. Kirk kept looking for a solution that would benefit not only the Enterprise but the aliens they had encountered.

Another aspect of Kirk is his willingness to do what needs to be done rather delegate it to someone else. When people get into positions of authority they sometimes will think themselves above those under them and require others to do what they themselves won’t do. Kirk does not do this and leads most away missions. But, there were times when Kirk probably should have had others lead the away team: Obsession, Doomsday Machine, Dagger of the Mind. This dedication to his ship lets him see more of what is going on without relying on second hand reports. It did put him in danger more often but Captain Kirk was able to make quicker decisions rather than waiting on reports.

As a captain, Kirk knows that lives are on the line in any encounter that a starship makes and that you need to do your best to come to a solution that will save lives as best as possible. In The Corbomite Maneuver, Kirk was looking for a solution that not only saved his ship but also made it so that the First Federation would not come back to harm Starfleet or the United Federation of Planets to which Starfleet USS Hephaestus

When exploring the unknown, split-second decisions may be needed, and waiting for secondhand reports can cost the life of your crewmembers. The drawback: the decisionmaker (the captain) may not have the knowledge to make an informed decision. I think this is shown in A Pattern of Force, 2

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Bread and Circuses and A Piece of the Action. In these three episodes, Kirk and Spock were in situations where if an anthropologist had been used they might have been given better options and been able to achieve quicker solutions.

that these traits lead him to not be able to have a relationship outside of being a captain. Captain Kirk is known for his “woman in every port” image, but this is more because he fails at love commitments. He is too wrapped up in the needs of his ship that he loses out in trying to find love. His failure in this leads to loneliness and his fear that he will die alone. He has a close friendship with Spock and McCoy but it is not the companionship that comes in a love relationship.

Captain Kirk also has compassion. This is something that all great leaders need. This allows the leader to not become so goal-oriented that they end up harming those around them. Because of Captain Kirk’s compassion, he was able to solve problems that Commodore Decker (The Doomsday Machine), Captain Merik (Bread and Circuses) and Captain Tracey (The Omega Glory) failed at because they were blinded by their goals. Decker was more concerned about destroying the machine than his people, Merik was more concerned in keeping the prime directive than the safety of his people and Tracey was more concerned for the fountain of youth than the people involved in the struggle. Captain Kirk in each of these episodes saw the problem and made sure that his response protected his crew. Also in Bread and Circuses and The Omega Glory, he did his best to protect those cultures as well.

That is one side that seems to never be filled and traps him in the nexus in Star Trek: Generations. He only gets out when Picard shows that duty calls. I believe the death of James Kirk in Generations shows the flaw that Captain Kirk had. He was with Captain Picard when he died but he was alone because his friends had already mourned his death years before. Picard could only mourn him as the icon that he was in Starfleet. Not as a man he knew. Captain Kirk has great leadership abilities. We can learn a lot from him on how to treat people. If that leadership takes its toll on companionship then it’s time to step down from being a leader. If we can do that then we can be greater than Captain Kirk.

These are just a few of the traits that make Captain Kirk a good captain. Captain Kirk’s biggest failure is

One of the advantages of being a captain is being able to ask for advice without necessarily having to take it. – Kirk, Dagger of the Mind

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Quotable Quotes Death, destruction, disease, horror. That's what war is all about, Anan. That's what makes it a thing to be avoided." – Kirk, A Taste of Armageddon, S01E23

Too much of anything, Lieutenant, even love, isn't necessarily a good thing. – Kirk, The Trouble with Tribbles, S02E13

It's time you learned that freedom is never a gift. It has to be earned. – Kirk, The Return of the Archons, S01E22

The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play. – Kirk, Shore Leave, S01E17

The prejudices people feel about each other disappear when they get to know each other. – Kirk, Elaan of Troyius, S03E02

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While on an Away Mission By Fleet Captain MarkAdam Miller Captain’s Log Supplemental: After a complete purge and restart of the Hephaestus computers, Admiral Potts and his team were able to get the Hephaestus computer system back on line. Some auxiliary system are still down from the over load but most of the crew are able to be back aboard the ship. We still don’t know if it was sabotage, hoping to remove us from patrolling the Bajoran system from rogue Jem’Hadar attacks, or if it was a person trying to get our cloaking device. I have called a staff meeting to explore where we need to investigate.

systems to restart but instead it set the main computer to restart. I don’t know if they didn’t know to figure for the deference between our realities or if they did know, they made a calculation error in their coding. I believe it is the latter as it looks like it was only about a 1,000 to 2,000 lines of code that was wrong.” I gave a questioning glance at Danny, “Only 1,000 to 2,000 lines of code?” “Well,” Danny looked awkwardly, “compared to the trillion of lines that make up the program on the device.”

****** “Okay folks take a seat and lets get started.” The staff started to sit down. I noticed Ensign 1st Class Andrew Boyd start to sit down. “Mr. Boyd, this is a senior staff meeting.” I barked, “What is your purpose here?” Andy stood up at attention, “Lt. General Yawn is working with Dr. Bashir to move our people into our sick bay to free up room in the stations infirmary. He asked me to sit in to give me the experience.”

“You just reminded me why I didn’t go into programming.” “Roy, security find anything on how this device found its way onto my ship and then hooked to my computers?” Roy jolted like he had fallen asleep. “What? Oh yeah? Well, James was the one who found the device so he and his marines have taken point on this…” James stood up and walked to the monitor, “Danny’s team narrowed it down to a junction terminal in the Jefferies tubes. Security and the marines made a thorough search and found it here in crew quarters level five. We had to wait for the computers to come up to start checking who accessed that section but found that all access data for 4 weeks had been deleted for levels 3 to 7. We are looking at maintenance logs for those levels for the four-week time period but nothing has come up. We talked to the crew members that had done maintenance on those levels and the story is pretty much the same. 1. There is not a lot of maintenance on those levels. 2. If someone did maintenance on those levels that crewman is accounted for during the time he was gone and when he got back. There was no time that a crewman could have done the maintenance and hooked up the device without someone else missing him during that time.”

“Alright, let Lt. General Yawn know that in the future he is to inform me so I am not barking at officer’s for no reason.” “Sir, Yes, Sir.” “Danny, where we at on what happen to the computer?” “There is some good news. From what the team has put together, we found that the person or persons were trying to get specific files from the computer. Most of the files were on the cloaking device including schematics, how it was hooked in to the ship’s system, what power was needed to use it and where it was located in the ship. They also were looking for files that dealt with alternate realities. They didn’t get anything because the device they were using caused the computer system to fail. After the team reversed engineered the device we were able to see that it was supposed to cause the auxiliary USS Hephaestus

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I scratched my head, “How long would it take to hook up this device?’

down everyone has to be checked for radiation. My thinking that it might show up in the medical records. I am sorry it didn’t. Everyone checked out and they all are from this universe… reality… or whatever the distinction is. Sorry, Captain.”

Danny pitched in, “The set up would be about 10 to 15 minutes to bypass security protocols.” James pointed his finger upwards, “Also they didn’t just plug it into the terminal, they plugged it into a feed behind the terminal which would have added another 15 minutes. Only reason I found it was because the device blew when the main computer went down, destroying the terminal and a lot of relays. If we had gotten the computer up right away, the diagnostics would have shown it first thing.”

I smiled at Andi, “Good thought, don’t give up. Check with both Neil and Dr. Bashir to see that nothing was missed in the checkups. Also make sure everyone was seen and not checked off by accident. Everyone else, anything else we need to look at?” Looking around the table I saw them shaking their heads no. “Let’s start looking at all reports on the Mirror universe. Let’s see if we missed anything. Phillip, talk to Dr. Bashir and General Kira to see if they have anything to add to their experience in the Mirror Universe. You also might see if Jake, Sisko’s son, is still on the station. I think he was over there as well.”

Flo, the chief engineer, gave a laugh, “That terminal is only to help in set up crew quarters for the needs of different species. If it would have blinked red, I would log it in as a low priority and gotten to it in a week unless we had someone important come on board. I hate to rain on your parade but it would be hard to see someone coming in or out of a Jefferies tube on that level or any crew level. On those floors, people are only in the corridor if they are coming off or going on shift. Besides, crew quarters are not security risks like other parts of the ship.”

Phillip was typing on his P.A.D.D., “What about Quark?” Puzzled, I asked, “What about quarks? Do they have something to do with the Mirror universe that we can scan for?”

“Thanks Flo.” I looked around at the grim faces and noticed Andi going through a P.A.D.D. in front of him. “Mr. Boyd, do you have anything to add?”

Phillip got a puzzled look on his face as well, then shook his head, “Not quarks, Quark, the bartender on DS9. I think he was over there too with the Nagus.”

Andi jump and looked like he was going to stand but quickly regained his seat. “Sir, yes, sir, maybe, sir.”

I shook my head at Phillip, “I don’t think we could get enough latnium to get a straight answer out of him.”

I rubbed my brow, “Andi, you don’t have to say sir all the time. Relax and tell me what you are thinking.”

Phillip looked at the ceiling, “Section 31 might?” Quickly standing up and glaring at Phillip, “NO!!! I don’t want them involved. At least, not yet.”

Andi took a breath in and let it out, “Right, Captain. Well I thought that if the person was from the alternate reality and still here then they would have gone through sick bay because with the computer

“On this I agree for once,” Phillip conceded. (To be continued)

Everybody, remember where we parked. – Kirk, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home USS Hephaestus

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Name the Series

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Star Trek News & More STARFLEET NEWS There have been some changes in the leadership of STARFLEET International, Inc. On January 1, 2018, Robert Westfall stepped down as Commander of STARFLEET (CS). His Vice Commander Dan Toole has taken the reigns of STARFLEET and has chosen Michael Garcia as his VCS. There was a problem because Mr. Garcia had to resign from STARFLEET for a period of time due to conflict of interest with his job. There is a regulation (AB12-10) that requires the CS (and by implication the VCS) to be in STARFLEET for an uninterrupted period of 3 years. This has caused much debate on the list servers and Facebook groups/pages that give information to the members of STARFLEET. The Admiralty Board has voted (11-3) to suspend this rule for now on the basis that it is too broad in its mandate and that the intention of the rule needs to be better clarified. There is contention on both sides. The pro group is saying that the rule was never intended to prevent someone like Mr. Garcia from serving. The Con group is saying we are throwing rules out anytime they don’t fit what is wanted by the current leaders. My Thoughts: I agree that STARFLEET can get a little lax in what rules they follow. In this situation the leaders did look for input from the members and discussed the problem thoroughly. I believe that they are correct in that this rule is broad and does need to be reviewed. We must be careful in applying rules. I believe Captain Picard said it best in Justice, “…there can be no justice so long as laws are absolute. Even life itself is an exercise in exceptions.” I believe the AB ran into this and did what was best for the club and Michael Garcia. Good Luck Michael. Looking forward to serving under you.

Intuition, however illogical, is recognized as a command prerogative. – Kirk, TOS: Obsession Will VR be the Answer to bring Shatner back as Kirk In an interview with the Daily Mail, William Shatner, said: “I recently connected with a virtual reality company, Ziva, and they have virtual-realized me in 240 cameras all around shooting me. So, they can now produce my body and my face in any way, shape, or form — including what I was like 50 years ago.” We know CGI has been used to realize actors like Peter Cushing and Carrie Fisher in Star Wars Rogue One. The added effect is that the VR aspect is using the actual actor to produce enough information for the computer to render the actor without using a stand in to do placement like was done in Rogue One. The recreation seemed fatter in Rogue One, so the VR aspect might reduce this. Abrams is not ready for Shatner to reprise his role since they have Chris Pine to do the role as of now.

How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life. – Kirk, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan USS Hephaestus

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Star Wars News – By Lt James Davis By the time this Anvil is published, we will have had the opportunity to watch the Han Solo trailer!!! In a world where Trek fans everywhere are shouting and debating the merits of a Star Trek film directed by Quentin Tarantino (crossing my fingers and holding my breath that it turns out well), we have ended up with a Star Wars Story episode that we've wanted for years, directed by (after some amount of hullabaloo) Ron Howard! In the last update I shared some of Mr. Howard's credits, so this time I'll stick to the pertinent stuff, release details! First of all, what exactly do we know about what's in the movie??? Well, plenty, if the comics are to be believed. There is a treasure trove of information about Han Solo and his roguish adventures in print form. The magic of Star Wars, though, really comes out in film form. StarWars.com reports that in this installment, we will see the moment where Han meets his life-long pilot pal Chewbacca! Also, we'll get to see more about the relationship between Han and the even-more-roguish Lando Calrissian. What favors do they owe each other, exactly? Watch and find out! Speaking of print and comics, does anyone want to know more about the sisters in The Last Jedi? The bomber pilot and the engineer? Then look to your nearest book retailer to find Bomber Command, a story set before The Last Jedi that delves into the backstory for Paige and Rose Tico as they find their grit against the First Order. As good as the narrative is likely to be with Jason Fry at the helm (or pen, your choice), there will be some extras not to miss, including the full transcript of General Leia Organa's speech to the New Republic Senate, as well as a foldout recruitment poster for the First Order's 'Frontier Corps' program. Here's a hint: the Frontier Program may be in reference to Imperial Academy programs that crop up in both the Phasma and Thrawn novels! See you in eager anticipation of the May 25th release of Han Solo! I am one with the Force; the Force is with me…

NASA News –A Glance at a NASA Meteorologist – By Crewman Curtis Salors Karen Mohr works at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland where she is the Associate Deputy Director for Atmospheres. Karen didn't choose meteorology, it chose her. She first majored in Physics at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. While there, she decided to join the Air Force. The Air Force decided to place her in aviation meteorology which is where her promising career in meteorology began. After the Air Force, she landed a civilian position as a wind energy meteorologist in San Francisco. During this part of her career, she helped facilitate data comparisons to determine if there were any mechanical problems with wind turbines. She accomplished this by analyzing wind supply data and checking it against wind turbine performance data. If these two data sets didn't correspond, she had identified a wind turbine performance issue; which may not, otherwise, have been identifiable. From San Francisco, it was off to Austin, Texas, to get a doctorate with a concentration in hydrology. After this, Karen spent some time teaching and doing research at several universities before she was asked to join the NASA team at Goddard. USS Hephaestus

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Exactly what does she do for NASA as a meteorologist? Mostly, Karen spends her time improving the remote sensing of clouds and their associated precipitation. She helps get NASA's satellites off the ground and producing valuable weather-data products used the world over. She provides the supervisory support necessary to keep NASA's atmospheric science labs operational. Karen's pastimes? She spends time with her horse Glow. An Oldenburg mare, Glow shows off her skills in the hunter jumper classes at some of the local horse shows. Also, Karen is a runner and enjoys Pilates. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sed/bio/karen.mohr-1 https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/karen-mohr-a-different-path-to-goddard

Doctor Who News – By Ensign 1st Class Matt Boyd Hello Whovians! We only have to wait till August this time for the new series and new Doctor and new…, well everything really. While we wait, there are many ways of getting our fix of Doctor Who; there are books, graphic novels and radio programs. The BBC has been doing radio programs since there were radios and since there was Doctor Who they have been doing them about the Doctor’s adventures. You can listen to new adventures of any Doctor you wish. If you want to get any of these stories they are available at amazon.com in digital and in physical forms. Every Doctor has his own style and the new one’s no different. The new outfit: what draws my eye the most, is the Tom Baker scarf colors on her shirt. She wears a pair of suspenders to hold up her trousers, which are TARDIS blue. She is wearing blue socks that look like the kind that a fan would wear ending in a pair of cool brown shoes. Topping it all off with the coat which is beige with blue lining and a trim that also matches her shirt color. The new series will be arriving in autumn with a ten-week run! In Peter Capaldi’s run, the Doctor was going through grief and confusion and by the 3rd series he had a sonic screwdriver and he had a look. While going with him on his journey was refreshing it felt (for me) that by the time he settled in his shoes it was time to go. I hope with Jodie that she’ll be in her shoes within a few episodes.

Seeing Stars… Rainn Wilson – Las Vegas Star Trek Convention, August 1-5, 2018. Zachary Quinto – History Channel program “In Search of…” Mitchell Ryan – The Hollywood Show, an autograph event.

Never Forget… We will never forget those who have made a difference by bringing us closer to the hope that Star Trek has given us. This month we are fortunate not have anyone go on their Final Mission, but we ask you to look back at those in previous issues and remember them. Please let us know of anyone you think needs recognition, so they can never be forgotten not only by you but the crew of the Hephaestus. Send submissions to cohephaestus@bellsouth.net with the subject Never Forget. (Did I miss any news items that might be of interest to your fellow crew members? Then write it up and send it to cohephaestus@bellsouth.net) USS Hephaestus

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Ship’s Log January 11, 2018 – Beyond Trek

from each of the series. The Captain gives his thanks to Bill for stepping up to lead the discussion.

This was the first meeting in the new discussion group about Science Fiction. We discussed the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). The discussion revealed that there are many concepts in science fiction. This led us to compare this movie with other SciFi movies and TV shows.

Snacks and drinks were provided – found that people do not care for vanilla wafers. Attendance: 9 people Captain’s Log January 14, 2018 – Summit Meeting

The discussion also showed how some of the ideas of Star Trek may have come out of the early science fiction movies.

Phillip and I headed up to Madison/Huntsville to meet with the other ships (Dejah Thoris and Wernher von Braun) to continue planning the Summit for 2018 which will be held at the Best Western in Madison, AL. We hammered out the schedule and several other details that get us closer to putting on the Summit. Afterwards, Phillip and I had lunch at O’Charley’s to discuss Summit and ship’s business.

We had two newcomers. Snacks and drinks were provided. NOTE: Drawing below done by Carly Strickland Attendance: 9 people January 13, 2018 – Social – Cancelled due to illness January 20, 2018 – Hephaestus Poker

January 28, 2018 – Summit Meeting

We held the Hephaestus Poker game at Dennis Evans’ home. The group had a great time. The 2nd officer was the winner. Congratulations Brenda.

Another meeting of the staff to see where we all where and to make suggestion on what else need to be done. This will be common in the upcoming month till the Summit that is March 9-11, 2018. Phillip was again able to travel with me. We again had lunch after to catch up on what we were doing and discuss what else we could do to be more active in the chapter and in the region. We ate at Firehouse Subs.

Attendance – 7 people January 25, 2018 – Exploring Trek Continuing with the discussion of all things Star Trek, we started the year off discussing the worse Star Trek Episodes. Bill DeBarr, a passenger on the Hephaestus, facilitated the discussion. We came up with three criteria that determine if an episode is bad: bad writing, bad acting, or deviation from the ideals of Star Trek. We then discussed examples

USS Hephaestus

Log entries: If you have did something you think the crew would be interested in then write up a personal log and send it to cohephaestus@bellsouth.net. Let your crewmates know what you are up to.

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The Hephaestus Redshirt Challenge I have been walking when it is warmer and trying find more places to walk. I am going to use the challenge for traveling and find places to travel. If you have places that are not far away. I am going to go to Muscle Shoals to see what is there. – Lt. Phillip Mangina Jr. (1st Officer), Director, Hephaestus Red Shirt Challenge To start the Redshirt book challenge, I have finished the book, The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard, by David A. Goodman. I rate it AAAAA. Looking to see if, as a ship, we can read 100 books by end of the year. Let’s see how many we can finish. Send what books you have finished to the Hephaestus Red Shirt Challenge page (https://www.facebook.com/Red.Shirt.Challenge/) or to my email (cohephaestus@bellsouth.net). Let’s get reading…. – Fleet Captain MarkAdam Miller (If you have a goal for weight loss, to quit smoking, New Year’s resolution or other goals then let us know what you are working on through the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Red.Shirt.Challenge/ so we can encourage you)

Hunt for the Icon Last month there were five STARFLEET icons hidden in the Anvil. Did you find them all? If not, they were here: 1. Table of Contents page – 2nd Column end of cover citation 2. pg. 2– 1st column middle of the second full paragraph 3. pg. 3 – Ask the Terran at the end of the first reply 4. pg. 8 – Trek and Beyond after the first date of Beyond Trek 5. pg. 12 – News Reporters wanted before Conventions Scouts This month Five Kirk Pin Mate icons are hidden in The Anvil. If you are the first to send in the correct answer you will get recognized in the next issue and get to suggest March’s hidden icon. Send your answers to cohephaestus@bellsouth.net. Pin Mate is product of Bif Bang Pow Toy Company (http://www.bifbangpow.com/ )

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STARFLEET Marine Corps Greetings, fellow marines and company! Feb 1st called for another bi-monthly report of our activities, and has been submitted on time. If any of you would ever like a copy, please let me know and I'll add you to a distro list for it. So what do we report? For those who haven't done so before, the OIC or a designee is required only once every other month to submit a report through http://www.sfi-sfmc.org/. In it, we say what our unit has been up to, any volunteer time or in-uniform events, as well as any changes in our membership or leadership. This is also where we put our members up for decorations (which are detailed in the SFMC Marine Force Manual). By all means, if you believe you qualify for a decoration, please let me know. I love recognizing contributions! It's part of the fun of being in an organization that is so centered on volunteerism. This month, the Commandant is also asking for info on anyone who has contributed at least four hours of volunteer time to qualifying charities so that marine can be awarded the Commandant's Campaign Ribbon! Qualifying charities include the USMC Toys for Tots, the Special Olympics, the Sergeant Majorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s March for the Disabled, and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. At the unit level, I encourage anyone who can, to help the USS Hephaestus during the upcoming Con season. Social groups like this allow us to make lasting friends and interact with like-minded folks, so let's find more of them! To close, I propose a challengeâ&#x20AC;Ś Prior to the next bi-monthly report on April 1st, the 654th marine who completes the most SFMC Academy courses will win an Eaglemoss starship! (I have a duplicate, so I don't mind offering it up in the name of having some fun with our hobby.) Cheers to all. Show 'em the Cold Steel! LT Davis

Recommendations By Fleet Captain MarkAdam Miller

USS Hephaestus

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Captain’s Top 10 List of things I don’t eat 1. Peas

6. Lima Beans

2. Cauliflower

7. Refried beans

3. Sweet Potatoes

8. Guacamole

4. Brussel Sprouts

9. cooked Spinach

5. Baked beans

10. Tuna fish

Yea I am a little picky when it comes to food. So, if it looks like I am not eating much, don’t worry I will get drive thru on the way back to the Starbase.

Anvil Focus Schedule 2018

Do you know this Alien?

February – James T. Kirk March – The Mirror Universe April – Jean-Luc Picard May – Start Trek: Discovery (Feel free to send me an article on any of these topics. Your fellow crew members would love to know your thoughts on these.)

Name the Episode Answers We did not have the 10-picture Name the Episode quiz in the last issue. These normally have to do with the subject of the newsletter and STARFLEET did not lend itself to make a good page. If a subject comes up that you think you can get 10 good pictures for this article, please send JPG’s to cohephaestus@bellsouth.net. Next month we’ll have the answer for this month’s Name the Series William Shatner was in. If you have suggestions for new challenges or questions, then send them to cohephaestus@bellsouth.net Answer to Do you know this alien? (pg. 11) Garin, Bre’el IV native (Richard Cansino), TNG: Deja Q

I've already got a female to worry about. Her name is the Enterprise. – Kirk, TOS: The Corbomite Maneuver USS Hephaestus

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Away Team and Activity Schedule Date Jan 6, 2018 Jan 13, 2018 Jan 20, 2018 Feb 3, 2018 Feb 10, 2018 Feb 17, 2018 Mar 3, 2018 Mar 9-11, 2018 Mar 17, 2018 Mar 17, 2018 Apr 7, 2018 Apr 14, 2018 Apr 21, 2018 May 5, 2018 May 12, 2018 May 19, 2018

Event/Time Anvil Deadline Social – 7 pm Poker – 2 pm Anvil Deadline Social – 7 pm Poker – 2 pm Anvil Deadline Region 2 Summit Poker – 4 pm -time change Social – 7 pm Anvil Deadline Spring Cookout – 2 pm Poker – 2 pm Anvil Deadline Social – 7 pm Poker – 2 pm

Location cohephaestus@bellsouth.net Mohney Evans – Location change cohephaestus@bellsouth.net Mohney Potts cohephaestus@bellsouth.net Madison, AL Mohney Mohney cohephaestus@bellsouth.net Mohney Evans cohephaestus@bellsouth.net Mohney Potts

ALL EVENTS AND TIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE, PLEASE REFER TO THIS SECTION FOR UP TO DATE INFORMATION

Trek and Beyond Schedule

Feb 8, 2018

Feb 22, 2018

Mar 8, 2018

Mar 22, 2018

Apr 12, 2018

Apr 26, 2018

These discussion groups are held at Kingdom Comics at 7 PM on dates listed

Kingdom Comics – the place for all your Star Trek needs

I sometimes find that in interviews you learn more about yourself than the person learned about you. – William Shatner (Captain Kirk) USS Hephaestus

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STARFLEET Renewal Reminders Bentley Stockham Potts Family Lathem Arnold Mohney Family Bishop Petty Boyd Family Green

12/21/17 03/02/18 03/07/18 03/14/18 04/19/18 05/10/18 05/29/18 08/02/18 09/17/18 10/12/18

Brown Burton Youngblood-Yawn Family Davis Family Salors Miller Family Mangina Hosley Lindsay Family

10/30/18 11/13/18 11/30/18 12/01/18 12/11/18 02/26/19 05/15/19 05/30/19 10/10/19

Does The Anvil cover stuff that you are interested in? Did you disagree with a review or point of view in one of the articles? Did we miss some news article that you think should have been covered? The staff is looking for your feedback to help us send out something that you are interested in. Send your feedback to: cohephaestus@bellsouth.net

The TOS Bridge Crew by Matt Boyd USS Hephaestus

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Area Conventions & Exhibits For additional Cons please check out www.southernfan.com/calendar.htm

March March 9-11, 2018 – Region 2 Summit – Madison, AL http://www.raventune.fluctis.com/Starfleetsummit.html STARFLEET International Region 2 Summit. This is where all the ships of Region 2 come together to learn what is going on in STARFLEET, Star Trek and other related Sci-Fi. Hosted by the Dejah Thoris, Wernher Von Braun and the Hephaestus. March 24- 25, 2018 – Alabama Comic Con – Birmingham, AL https://www.facebook.com/ALComicCon/ Alabama Comic Con is a two day event being held at the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex (2100 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. N., Birmingham, AL 35203) and will bring together a diverse list of guests, vendors, artists, and fan groups, in an affordable, family friendly environment.

Local Attractions (Only events relative to Star Trek are shown, Check the websites for more information) Alabama Theater – Birmingham, AL - www.alabamatheatre.com Birmingham Zoo – Birmingham, AL - www.birminghamzoo.com McWane Center – Birmingham, AL - www.mcwane.org/ Southern Museum of Flight – Birmingham, AL - www.southernmuseumofflight.org/ U.S. Space and Rocket Center – Huntsville, AL - www.rocketcenter.com / Looking for the following people to help with the Anvil:

News Repoters Wanted For Hephaestus Anvil

Reporters for the Following: Star Wars News (assigned) Dr. Who News (assigned) Firefly News NASA News (assigned) Latest Sci-Fi/Fantasy books

Reviewers: Books, Movies Games, Conventions Convention Scouts: Someone to find conventions in a 2 3 hr. driving distance of Birmingham. Write a short synopsis and give possible websites

How many members of the USS Enterprise does it take to change a light bulb? Six – Scotty, to get on the intercom when the light goes out and say, "I canna do it, Cap'n!"; Spock, to tell Kirk he is proceeding illogically; McCoy, to say "Dammit, Jim – I'm a doctor not an electrician!!"; Kirk, to screw it in; and two red-shirt security officers to die in the process. USS Hephaestus

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Star Trek HeroClix Away Team Fridays, 7PM @ Kingdom Comics Presented by U.S.S. Hephaestus and Kingdom Comics USS Hephaestus

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USS HEPHAESTUS COMMAND STRUCTURE Command Staff

Marines

MarkAdam Miller, Fleet Captain – Commanding Officer Phillip Mangina, Lt Cmdr – 1st Officer Brenda A. Miller, Captain – 2nd Officer

James Davis, Captain, SFMC (Reserves), OIC Roy Green, Brigadier, SFMC (Reserves) Shirley Burton, Major (Reserves)

Executive Committee

Medical

Sue Ellen Mohney, Captain Denby Potts, Rear Admiral Danny Potts, Admiral

Neil Yawn, Lt General, SFMC Andrew Boyd, Lt JG

Redshirts and Civilians Navigation

Mark Lindsay, Captain Dean Brown, Cmdr Pamela Lindsay, Cmdr Shirley Burton, Lt Cmdr Donald Arnold, Lt JG Trey Petty, Ensign Matthew Potts, Crewman 2nd Class Kendra Lance, Crewman 3rd Class Krista Boyd, Crewman Michelle L. Lindsay, Crewman Karen Burtyk, Civilian Carly Strickland, Civilian Brenda Tiner, Civilian

Pete Mohney, Admiral

Sciences Roy Green, Fleet Captain – Archaeology and Anthropology

Computer Sciences Danny Potts, Admiral

Engineering MarkAdam Miller, Fleet Captain Brenda A. Miller, Captain

Ambassadors Operations

Mike Burtyk, Civilian

Sue Ellen Mohney, Captain – Chief of Ops, Counselor Brenda A. Miller, Captain – Ship Admin Assistant Lynnette Youngblood Yawn, Lt – Ships Galley Officer Kris Bishop, Crewman 3rd Class – Linguistics

Cadet Training Katrina Mohney, Crewman Apprentice Tara Mohney, Cadet Crewman Athena Youngblood, Cadet 1st Class Anya Davis, Cadet Kimberly Davis, Cadet in Training

Communications Brenda A. Miller, Captain James Davis, Lt Matthew Boyd, Lt JG Dennis Lathem, Crewman 3rd Class Lewis, Stockham, Crewman 3rd Class Curtis Salors, Crewman

Retired Dennis Evans, Fleet Captain Flo Hurst, Cmdr Pat Simmons, Lt Cmdr

Security Roy Green, Fleet Captain – Chief of Security Intelligence Sandra Hosley, Lt USS Hephaestus

Always Onward

For More Information Contact: Fleet Captain MarkAdam Miller 1204 Southwind Dr. Helena, Al 35080 cohephaestus@bellsouth.net

Lt Cmdr. Phillip Mangina 3056 Fox Trail Fultondale, AL 35068 phillip3056@charter.net