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Star Trek: Asterisk "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home"
Written by Steve Beaudry
Release Date: November 26, 1986
Written by: Steve Meerson & Peter Krikes and Harve Bennett & Nicholas Meyer
Directed by: Leonard Nimoy
Review
Deep in the outer reaches of space, a monstrous space probe passes by the USS Saratoga and knocks its power out on the way to Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, a Klingon ambassador accuses Kirk of murdering a ship full of Klingons in his quest to exterminate the Klingon race with the Genesis probe (that thing will just not go away). The Federation president says that Kirk will face nine violations of Starfleet regulations, the crew of the Enterprise has been stuck on Vulcan for three months, and on top of all that, a computer is trying to find out how Spock feels. There's nowhere to go from here but up.
Well, in The Search for Spock, Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise stole a starship, blew it up, visited a forbidden planet, and apparently six other naughty things, so now they're getting ready to go back to Earth on their stolen Klingon Bird-of-Prey and face the music. There's just one hitch in this plan: the probe. It has now reached earth, shut down main power to... everything... and caused a huge weather phenomenon that blocked out the sun. So, basically, humanity has however long it'll take for Earth to freeze from lack of sunlight to tell this thing to move out of the way.
"When this is over, I'm quitting Starfleet and starting a gumbo restaurant."
In their Klingon ship, Kirk and the crew approach Earth and pick up a distress call from the president with the manly gray beard saying that Earth is under attack, so they pick up the probe's transmissions and analyze it. Since the transmission appears to be directed at the oceans, Kirk has Uhura compensate for the density of the water. When the audio effects are all in, the probe's transmission ends up sounding a lot like whale song; specifically, the extinct humpback whale. There's only one way they can get a humpback whale to answer the probe: The Guardian of Forev-... er... wait, no, the highly dangerous and tricky slingshot time warp maneuver. So there are two ways. We'll go with the dangerous one for now.
When they arrive in 1986, they confirm the date by testing the pollution in the air. Then they go into cloak and land in the middle of a park in San Francisco. After scaring off a couple of trash guys, the crew sets out to downtown. Their mission: 1) find humpback whales 2) get them on board the Klingon ship 3) fix the ship's dilithium crystals so they can go home. They split up to achieve their separate goals. Spock and Kirk go for the whales, Bones and Scotty go to build a proper tank, Uhura and Chekov find some nuclear power to fix the crystals.
Spock would like to take this opportunity to learn karate.
Spock and Kirk easily find some whales after they see an advertisement for the local whale institute where they meet George, Gracie and Dr. Gillian Taylor. George and Gracie are the whales and Gillian is the nice lady who knows everything about them. So Spock and Kirk get to know about the whales in their own unique way: Spock mind melds with Gracie and Kirk seduces Gillian. Meanwhile, Bones and Scotty are having a time of their own getting some plexiglass to make a whale tank. Luckily, they have an ace up their sleeves. They meet with a guy who deals in plexiglass and trade the secret formula for transparent aluminum in exchange for their required plexiglass. Also, Sulu learns how to drive a helicopter so they can lift all that plexiglass to the ship.
Things are just about set to go; Kirk is ready to pick up the whales, the plexiglass is ready to be delivered, everything is running smoothly until Chekov screws things up. He finds the USS Enterprise, the aircraft carrier, and, with Uhura's help, steals some of its nuclear power. Well, the officers on board sense the power drain and go looking for him. He hands the power device over to Uhura who beams up to the Klingon ship. But there's not enough transporter power to get Chekov, too, and he's captured. After escaping by attempting and failing to stun his captors, he runs and jumps off a high platform and hospitalizes himself.
It's possible they just got too high.
Chekov arrives at Mercy Hospital, so now they have to go save him before taking off. But to make matters worse, Gillian decided she wants to help, so she wandered off into the park and ran into the cloaked ship. So they beam her aboard, explain a few things, and then run off to save Chekov. With Gillian's help, they sneak into the hospital and pretend to be doctors. Chekov, a suspected Russian spy, is being kept under guard, but Bones easily tricks them into believing they have an emergency. He has a bit of a fight with the attending surgeon and then Kirk locks the surgeon and his team in a small room. Bones heals Chekov, and they leave. The guards give chase once they see that Chekov is being kidnapped, but they beam up in the elevator and make a clean getaway.
Ok, so, Chekov is safe, the tank is built, the dilithium crystals are fixed, all they need now are the whales. Kirk gets their tracking frequency from Gillian and says his goodbyes. She can't, after all, go to the future with them. Right? Weellll... as soon as he starts transporting aboard the ship, Gillian hops on him and comes with. She's staying whether Kirk likes it or not. With Gillian aboard, they set out to find George and Gracie. They find them right in front of a whaling ship. Still cloaked, they head right over to them and just hover for a bit while the whaling ship takes aim. And then... the decloakening.
Klingons on the port bow, captain!
Successfully having scared off the whalers, Scotty beams up George and Gracie and they make their way to the future. In a great evolution of Spock's revived character, he makes his "best guess" with the calculations for time warp, and they head out. Back in the future, they crash into San Francisco Bay. While the rest of the crew abandons ship, Kirk releases the whales out of the cargo bay and into the ocean. Once they're out, Kirk joins his crew as the whales start talking to the probe. After a delightful reunion and conversation with its good buddies, George and Gracie, the Probe turns around, says "thank you!" and leaves the Sol system in peace. The day is saved! So, now it's time for Kirk to stand trial.
Oh, right, yeah, this was the whole reason they were coming back to Earth, wasn't it? The crew of the Enterprise all stand in front of the president to be judged. Because for some reason the president is the judge in the future. Ready to be taken out of Starfleet forever, they all, including Spock who "stands with his shipmates", they all hear the charges brought to them. And then the president says he's getting rid of all of them in light of them saving the entire Earth, and all. The only charge that sticks, disobeying a superior officer, is directed solely at Kirk and because of it, he is reduced in rank to Captain. Which is basically like grounding a nerd to his room with the Internet still on. And not only that, it wouldn't be Star Trek and Kirk wouldn't be Captain without the proper ship. They head out to the shipyard and find the brand spankin' new USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A. The only proper ship for them to go and "see what's out there."
Overall Thoughts
This had been my absolute favorite Star Trek movie for the longest time until my tastes matured and I learned to like The Wrath of Kahn just slightly better. I love a good comedy sci-fi, especially when that comedy sci-fi involves time travel! Every good Star Trek series needs a comedy relief. "The Trouble with Tribbles" was that for The Original Series and this movie is that for the movie series. And, in fact, this movie was so monstrously successful, that it was almost entirely responsible for green-lighting The Next Generation. Picard would take command almost a year after this movie was released and Trek would never be the same.
Invitation to join our new group “Star Trek Forever” No Limits on uploads!
www.flickr.com/groups/2601080@N25/
Star Trek: Asterisk "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home"
Written by Steve Beaudry
Release Date: November 26, 1986
Written by: Steve Meerson & Peter Krikes and Harve Bennett & Nicholas Meyer
Directed by: Leonard Nimoy
Review
Deep in the outer reaches of space, a monstrous space probe passes by the USS Saratoga and knocks its power out on the way to Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, a Klingon ambassador accuses Kirk of murdering a ship full of Klingons in his quest to exterminate the Klingon race with the Genesis probe (that thing will just not go away). The Federation president says that Kirk will face nine violations of Starfleet regulations, the crew of the Enterprise has been stuck on Vulcan for three months, and on top of all that, a computer is trying to find out how Spock feels. There's nowhere to go from here but up.
Well, in The Search for Spock, Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise stole a starship, blew it up, visited a forbidden planet, and apparently six other naughty things, so now they're getting ready to go back to Earth on their stolen Klingon Bird-of-Prey and face the music. There's just one hitch in this plan: the probe. It has now reached earth, shut down main power to... everything... and caused a huge weather phenomenon that blocked out the sun. So, basically, humanity has however long it'll take for Earth to freeze from lack of sunlight to tell this thing to move out of the way.
"When this is over, I'm quitting Starfleet and starting a gumbo restaurant."
In their Klingon ship, Kirk and the crew approach Earth and pick up a distress call from the president with the manly gray beard saying that Earth is under attack, so they pick up the probe's transmissions and analyze it. Since the transmission appears to be directed at the oceans, Kirk has Uhura compensate for the density of the water. When the audio effects are all in, the probe's transmission ends up sounding a lot like whale song; specifically, the extinct humpback whale. There's only one way they can get a humpback whale to answer the probe: The Guardian of Forev-... er... wait, no, the highly dangerous and tricky slingshot time warp maneuver. So there are two ways. We'll go with the dangerous one for now.
When they arrive in 1986, they confirm the date by testing the pollution in the air. Then they go into cloak and land in the middle of a park in San Francisco. After scaring off a couple of trash guys, the crew sets out to downtown. Their mission: 1) find humpback whales 2) get them on board the Klingon ship 3) fix the ship's dilithium crystals so they can go home. They split up to achieve their separate goals. Spock and Kirk go for the whales, Bones and Scotty go to build a proper tank, Uhura and Chekov find some nuclear power to fix the crystals.
Spock would like to take this opportunity to learn karate.
Spock and Kirk easily find some whales after they see an advertisement for the local whale institute where they meet George, Gracie and Dr. Gillian Taylor. George and Gracie are the whales and Gillian is the nice lady who knows everything about them. So Spock and Kirk get to know about the whales in their own unique way: Spock mind melds with Gracie and Kirk seduces Gillian. Meanwhile, Bones and Scotty are having a time of their own getting some plexiglass to make a whale tank. Luckily, they have an ace up their sleeves. They meet with a guy who deals in plexiglass and trade the secret formula for transparent aluminum in exchange for their required plexiglass. Also, Sulu learns how to drive a helicopter so they can lift all that plexiglass to the ship.
Things are just about set to go; Kirk is ready to pick up the whales, the plexiglass is ready to be delivered, everything is running smoothly until Chekov screws things up. He finds the USS Enterprise, the aircraft carrier, and, with Uhura's help, steals some of its nuclear power. Well, the officers on board sense the power drain and go looking for him. He hands the power device over to Uhura who beams up to the Klingon ship. But there's not enough transporter power to get Chekov, too, and he's captured. After escaping by attempting and failing to stun his captors, he runs and jumps off a high platform and hospitalizes himself.
It's possible they just got too high.
Chekov arrives at Mercy Hospital, so now they have to go save him before taking off. But to make matters worse, Gillian decided she wants to help, so she wandered off into the park and ran into the cloaked ship. So they beam her aboard, explain a few things, and then run off to save Chekov. With Gillian's help, they sneak into the hospital and pretend to be doctors. Chekov, a suspected Russian spy, is being kept under guard, but Bones easily tricks them into believing they have an emergency. He has a bit of a fight with the attending surgeon and then Kirk locks the surgeon and his team in a small room. Bones heals Chekov, and they leave. The guards give chase once they see that Chekov is being kidnapped, but they beam up in the elevator and make a clean getaway.
Ok, so, Chekov is safe, the tank is built, the dilithium crystals are fixed, all they need now are the whales. Kirk gets their tracking frequency from Gillian and says his goodbyes. She can't, after all, go to the future with them. Right? Weellll... as soon as he starts transporting aboard the ship, Gillian hops on him and comes with. She's staying whether Kirk likes it or not. With Gillian aboard, they set out to find George and Gracie. They find them right in front of a whaling ship. Still cloaked, they head right over to them and just hover for a bit while the whaling ship takes aim. And then... the decloakening.
Klingons on the port bow, captain!
Successfully having scared off the whalers, Scotty beams up George and Gracie and they make their way to the future. In a great evolution of Spock's revived character, he makes his "best guess" with the calculations for time warp, and they head out. Back in the future, they crash into San Francisco Bay. While the rest of the crew abandons ship, Kirk releases the whales out of the cargo bay and into the ocean. Once they're out, Kirk joins his crew as the whales start talking to the probe. After a delightful reunion and conversation with its good buddies, George and Gracie, the Probe turns around, says "thank you!" and leaves the Sol system in peace. The day is saved! So, now it's time for Kirk to stand trial.
Oh, right, yeah, this was the whole reason they were coming back to Earth, wasn't it? The crew of the Enterprise all stand in front of the president to be judged. Because for some reason the president is the judge in the future. Ready to be taken out of Starfleet forever, they all, including Spock who "stands with his shipmates", they all hear the charges brought to them. And then the president says he's getting rid of all of them in light of them saving the entire Earth, and all. The only charge that sticks, disobeying a superior officer, is directed solely at Kirk and because of it, he is reduced in rank to Captain. Which is basically like grounding a nerd to his room with the Internet still on. And not only that, it wouldn't be Star Trek and Kirk wouldn't be Captain without the proper ship. They head out to the shipyard and find the brand spankin' new USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A. The only proper ship for them to go and "see what's out there."
Overall Thoughts
This had been my absolute favorite Star Trek movie for the longest time until my tastes matured and I learned to like The Wrath of Kahn just slightly better. I love a good comedy sci-fi, especially when that comedy sci-fi involves time travel! Every good Star Trek series needs a comedy relief. "The Trouble with Tribbles" was that for The Original Series and this movie is that for the movie series. And, in fact, this movie was so monstrously successful, that it was almost entirely responsible for green-lighting The Next Generation. Picard would take command almost a year after this movie was released and Trek would never be the same.
For Dave C., I think the soul of this photo is my true story about what happened here nearly 40 years ago. I still get embarrassed, but also laugh at myself and the situation. This curved section of street is still full of chuckholes, railroad tracks and traffic. My tiny true story is below the row of asterisks.
***********************************************************************
I rode a motorcycle sometimes back in the early 1980s. I wasn't in a gang, nor tough, no stereotypes, just loved to go out and find pretty scenery and the like. I either had a Honda 500cc or a Honda 550K at the time of this story. It doesn't matter too much for what I'm going to tell. I had begun a Hubcap company and frequently rode my motorcycle out to the countryside to various wrecking yards looking for hubcaps (wheel covers) to buy for re-sale. I had gone to one such place, absolutely gorgeous with a creek running through the woods, and had it not been for all the rusty junk even in the creek, it would have been so splendid. It wasn't easy to find very many hubcaps that were worth trying to clean up and have at my shop, but I found 11 of them. I know that technically hubcaps are just the center part of the wheel, and the ones that cover nearly the whole wheel are called wheel covers. I also know that most of the general public didn't really know or make use of the difference. Kind of like people asking if you have a Kleenex, don't necessarily care if it is that exact brand. And just when you think they don't care, they do. Anyway the hubcaps I bought from the man with the gorgeous property were 14" to 15" stainless steel full wheel covers.
I had noticed in the back seat of one of the wrecked cars, that there was a soccer ball that seemed to be in really nice condition. I asked the owner of this paradise of junk if I could buy it too. We had already negotiated for the 11 wheel covers to be $1.00 each and he gave me the same price for the soccer ball. I thought my daughter or my Golden Retriever would enjoy it. So the man got his $12.00 and I strapped (with my minimal amount of bungee cord) the 11 full wheel covers and the soccer ball to the back part of my motorcycle seat. I didn't always plan ahead particularly well, but I did have one bungee cord with me, for sure, and maybe two, short little cheap quality things.
There they rode and stayed for about 20 miles from out in the countryside until I got into 42nd St. in Springfield. I wasn't speeding, but I wasn't anticipating this large, busy intersection with its train tracks and chuck holes and a jillion guys coming and going to this huge plant. Bungee cords aren't necessarily designed to hold spheres, and especially not spheres that are strapped on top of 11 large metal disc type things.
I hit the train tracks and all 12 objects went flying! The metal hitting the pavement and each other, and some of them rolling away made a near deafening clatter. The lone soccer ball bounced away from me a few bounces and then almost as if in defeat or embarrassment, just rolled a bit and came to a halt. I believe that every working person in Springfield that day was at that intersection, shaking their head at what dizzy dame would lose 11 stainless steel wheel covers and a soccer ball off the back of her motorcycle. Oh, and they no doubt wondered why the heck they were all strapped on back of my motorcycle anyway. I wasn't hurt, but I was certainly embarrassed as I tried to pull my motorcycle over to the edge of the street and then gather up my stuff. Traffic in both directions was either stopped for me or going very slowly around me and my noisy, bouncy stuff.
It was very embarrassing when it happened, early 1980s. I'm a lady, and the majority of employees entering or exiting the huge company whose driveway is right off this curve, were men. This is 42nd Street in Springfield, Lane County, Oregon USA, still a big curve, still a big company right off it, and still lots of chuckholes, still railroad tracks, and still a very busy street. BTW, I voted for road improvement all these years later, but haven't seen much of it. The large company back then was called Weyerhaeuser. These days it is called International Paper.
Sorry I no longer have a motorcycle, but even if I did I doubt I would go try to re-enact this for my readers. So this picture is of the curve, and the railroad track and one driveway for a huge company, same as 40 years ago, and you'll have to just read my story and imagine what a raucous and embarrassing event this was.
THE END
"DSCN0753maybe"
A little parcel arrived from Japan yesterday filled with scrummy fashion goodies. Thank you to the lovely Asterisk - this dress was a gift to go with the one I bought! 0-0 ^^
You know what is awesome? When your swap partner makes a genuine effort to get to know your likes and dislikes and tries to make something that will truly make you happy!
I have been so blessed by my swap partners! And I almost feel guilty, like I am getting more than I deserve or something.
Can you believe this package? I literally had my jaw hanging open when I opened it! Not just one incredible, fantastic, and adorable mug rug, but TWO!!! AND the sweetest little zippered matroyshka bag, it's so flippin cute, and a darling pattern for a cherry quilt.
Thank you so much Lv2create! They are perfect for me =0) I love them! I even had both of these saved to my inspiration file on my computer =0P
I made 4 more asterisk blocks just for fun! These 4 blocks will become a giant floor cushion for my 6 year old daughter. Based on the following tutorial but with Merran's (Merran2011 on Flickr) modifications...Merran upsized the block to a 12 1/2" block and added LV corners... Original tutorial link here...selvageblog.blogspot.com.au/2010/06/quilt-along-asterisk-.... Here're Merran's modifications to upsize to a 12 1/2" block, start with a 9" background square and use 2 1/2" coloured strips. For the corners cut two 3" squares in the background fabric, cut these in half diagonally then sew to each corner.
Everyone has hidden
experiences that define
and confine them.
More goes on under
the surface
than is realized or
*(whatever makes you happy.)
He is Risen, Alleluia!!
Happy Easter to everyone!
I hope you have a good weekend.
This is another of the Easter chick cards that I designed for the cardmaking workshop that I help to run. It's easy to make, but gives a good result. I've cut out a chick shape in yellow card and cut nicks out of the top part to make it look fluffy. Patterned paper is stuck across the middle, one of the pieces being given a wavy edge with shaped scissors. The feet are punched out hearts stuck on with 3D foam and the beak is a diamond shape bent in half and stuck on so that the beak will open and the eyes are two little punched stars. This one is finished with three punched flower pairs and a cut out flower that I've made with one of the stamps from Hero Arts Quatros set LL064 Asterisks and added it with 3D foam.
arrived : December 21, 2016
the workroom received all 22 colour of the Asterisks collection. Full Metre, Half Metre and Fat Quarter bundles are available while they last.
The camera fitted with an uncoated f/3.5 Zeiss-Opton Tessar and Compur Rapid shutter (1 - 1/400 sec) arrived via ebay in a very good condition with hardly any signs of corrosion or paint chipping and with light tight leather bellows. Even the longer shutter speeds below 1/10 second are not delayed and operate fine.
This camera has a five-pointed star (asterisk) behind its serial number, indicating that it is a pre-war camera on storage sold after the war or was produced in the first years after the war (1945-1949), but made of parts from pre-1945 production. According to its serial number starting with "N", this camera body was produced between 1941 and 1943: camera-wiki.org/wiki/Zeiss_Ikon_serial_numbers
The slightly bluish shining front lens element indicates single coating but seems to be a case of surface oxidation, resulting in natural lens coating. Reportedly, there was a short run of uncoated lenses produced in the newly established West-German Zeiss factory immediately after the war. Zeiss-Opton Tessars produced later were always coated and for indication a red "T" has been engraved into the front cell bezel. According to its serial number, the lens of this camera was produced between 1946 and 1951, presumably already 1946 (see low range number): camera-wiki.org/wiki/Carl_Zeiss_serial_numbers
The Ikonta C (6 x 9 cm format) production line started with the 520/2 model, which again was labeled with its catalog number. The 521/2 model produced from around 1938 until 1952 added a shutter release on the top cover of the body and a double exposure prevention. In the early 1950s, the 523/2 model was launched adding a chrome top plate with an integral viewfinder and an accessory shoe. The 524/2 model produced until 1953 added an uncoupled rangefinder and was also called Ikonta M or Mess-Ikonta. Like the Super Ikontas, the C Ikontas were fitted with either a three elements Novar or a four elements Tessar lens, alternatively with a maximum aperture of 3.5 or 4.5. In contrast to the post-war Ikontas, the pre-war models have uncoated lenses with their focal length given in centimeter (rather than in millimeter) on the front lens engraving. The uncoated pre-war lenses (colorless, not bluish) may flare more strongly and can lead to distorted colors if used with modern color film.
For more Information on uncoated lenses see the excellent article by Andrej G posted by Bellamy under Japan Camera Hunter (JCH): www.japancamerahunter.com/2015/03/film-uncoated-lenses-an...
Pre-war Zeiss Ikon folders require some rethinking with regard to their handling: The shutter release button of the Ikonta C model 521/2 and its successors is on the left (in viewing direction), next to the film winding crank. The button to open the camera is on the right, at the typical shutter button place. The red dot signal next to the shutter release button of the Ikonta 521/2 model indicates that the shutter is ready to fire, whereas a red dot signal for example of my past-war Agfa folders indicates that the double exposure prevention is active and the shutter release is blocked. Furthermore, the tripod sockets of the pre-war cameras have a 3/8 inch mount (rather the current 1/4 inch mount), but adapters are available.
General remarks:
Folding cameras deliver medium format in a truly pocketable form. Their compact size makes them great travel cameras. The basic concept of folders is a flexible structure between camera body and lens so that the camera can be folded up. The bellows as the folding element makes folders compact but is also the weak point of the design by developing light leaks, especially in the folds and the corners. Folders have to be opened by pressing a button on the top plate. Powerful springs release the lens cover and push the lens into working position. As a result of the big negative size, medium format folders give far more resolution than any 35mm camera, along with very smooth images (a huge amount of detail with finer grain and better tonality). The results look very clean and sharp, with a lovely background blur when the aperture is set wide open. Compared to the clinical data of digital sensors, film emulsions deliver more imperfection and therefore appear less sterile. The texture of the grain and the tone of the color produce a certain feel or look, that digital photos lack. High-resolution scans of large negatives deliver an ideal basis for digital picture editing. But you get only between 8 and 16 shots per film roll, depending on the film format.
Using folding cameras requires some care and forces you to make some serious decisions before taking a picture. The shooting procedure is fully manual, which means that all parameters have to be set up by hand: You have to adjust the distance, the aperture, and the exposure time, allowing the time to make sure they are set up correctly. Optimal exposure requires the use of an external exposure meter, which delivers the range of aperture and exposure time combinations available for the given light and personal demands. With their archaic film advance, the uncoupled rangefinder, the front cell focusing, and the lack of an exposure meter, most medium format folding cameras are no point and shoot cameras. But slowing down by carefully adjusting and controlling the decisive photographic parameters increases the amount of satisfying pictures and revaluates each single shot.
But using vintage folding cameras can be highly problematic: Agfa Isolettes, for example, are infamous for the poor plastic material used to make the original bellows. Constant opening and closing over many decades leave tiny pinholes, particularly in the corners. Ikontas and Super Ikontas, however, come with leather bellows, which normally remain light tight for many decades, provided that the camera has been stored carefully. Besides the problems with light leaks, the lubricants used by the camera manufacturers prior to the 1970s or 1980s are another weak point. They often cause frozen or stiff focusing rings and retarding shutters, the latter resulting in strong overexposure. Dust in the shutter mechanism and fungus or haze between the lens elements are further items. For proper function, the lenses and shutters usually must be disassembled, cleaned (sometimes adjusted), and reassembled.
There are only few experts with sufficient know-how. This camera has been checked and sold by Foto Wiesner, Coburg (Germany).
Some valuable tips for using vintage folding cameras have been listed here: www.petrakla.com/pages/folding-camera-tips
Invitation to join our new group “Star Trek Forever” No Limits on uploads!
www.flickr.com/groups/2601080@N25/
Star Trek: Asterisk "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home"
Written by Steve Beaudry
Release Date: November 26, 1986
Written by: Steve Meerson & Peter Krikes and Harve Bennett & Nicholas Meyer
Directed by: Leonard Nimoy
Review
Deep in the outer reaches of space, a monstrous space probe passes by the USS Saratoga and knocks its power out on the way to Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, a Klingon ambassador accuses Kirk of murdering a ship full of Klingons in his quest to exterminate the Klingon race with the Genesis probe (that thing will just not go away). The Federation president says that Kirk will face nine violations of Starfleet regulations, the crew of the Enterprise has been stuck on Vulcan for three months, and on top of all that, a computer is trying to find out how Spock feels. There's nowhere to go from here but up.
Well, in The Search for Spock, Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise stole a starship, blew it up, visited a forbidden planet, and apparently six other naughty things, so now they're getting ready to go back to Earth on their stolen Klingon Bird-of-Prey and face the music. There's just one hitch in this plan: the probe. It has now reached earth, shut down main power to... everything... and caused a huge weather phenomenon that blocked out the sun. So, basically, humanity has however long it'll take for Earth to freeze from lack of sunlight to tell this thing to move out of the way.
"When this is over, I'm quitting Starfleet and starting a gumbo restaurant."
In their Klingon ship, Kirk and the crew approach Earth and pick up a distress call from the president with the manly gray beard saying that Earth is under attack, so they pick up the probe's transmissions and analyze it. Since the transmission appears to be directed at the oceans, Kirk has Uhura compensate for the density of the water. When the audio effects are all in, the probe's transmission ends up sounding a lot like whale song; specifically, the extinct humpback whale. There's only one way they can get a humpback whale to answer the probe: The Guardian of Forev-... er... wait, no, the highly dangerous and tricky slingshot time warp maneuver. So there are two ways. We'll go with the dangerous one for now.
When they arrive in 1986, they confirm the date by testing the pollution in the air. Then they go into cloak and land in the middle of a park in San Francisco. After scaring off a couple of trash guys, the crew sets out to downtown. Their mission: 1) find humpback whales 2) get them on board the Klingon ship 3) fix the ship's dilithium crystals so they can go home. They split up to achieve their separate goals. Spock and Kirk go for the whales, Bones and Scotty go to build a proper tank, Uhura and Chekov find some nuclear power to fix the crystals.
Spock would like to take this opportunity to learn karate.
Spock and Kirk easily find some whales after they see an advertisement for the local whale institute where they meet George, Gracie and Dr. Gillian Taylor. George and Gracie are the whales and Gillian is the nice lady who knows everything about them. So Spock and Kirk get to know about the whales in their own unique way: Spock mind melds with Gracie and Kirk seduces Gillian. Meanwhile, Bones and Scotty are having a time of their own getting some plexiglass to make a whale tank. Luckily, they have an ace up their sleeves. They meet with a guy who deals in plexiglass and trade the secret formula for transparent aluminum in exchange for their required plexiglass. Also, Sulu learns how to drive a helicopter so they can lift all that plexiglass to the ship.
Things are just about set to go; Kirk is ready to pick up the whales, the plexiglass is ready to be delivered, everything is running smoothly until Chekov screws things up. He finds the USS Enterprise, the aircraft carrier, and, with Uhura's help, steals some of its nuclear power. Well, the officers on board sense the power drain and go looking for him. He hands the power device over to Uhura who beams up to the Klingon ship. But there's not enough transporter power to get Chekov, too, and he's captured. After escaping by attempting and failing to stun his captors, he runs and jumps off a high platform and hospitalizes himself.
It's possible they just got too high.
Chekov arrives at Mercy Hospital, so now they have to go save him before taking off. But to make matters worse, Gillian decided she wants to help, so she wandered off into the park and ran into the cloaked ship. So they beam her aboard, explain a few things, and then run off to save Chekov. With Gillian's help, they sneak into the hospital and pretend to be doctors. Chekov, a suspected Russian spy, is being kept under guard, but Bones easily tricks them into believing they have an emergency. He has a bit of a fight with the attending surgeon and then Kirk locks the surgeon and his team in a small room. Bones heals Chekov, and they leave. The guards give chase once they see that Chekov is being kidnapped, but they beam up in the elevator and make a clean getaway.
Ok, so, Chekov is safe, the tank is built, the dilithium crystals are fixed, all they need now are the whales. Kirk gets their tracking frequency from Gillian and says his goodbyes. She can't, after all, go to the future with them. Right? Weellll... as soon as he starts transporting aboard the ship, Gillian hops on him and comes with. She's staying whether Kirk likes it or not. With Gillian aboard, they set out to find George and Gracie. They find them right in front of a whaling ship. Still cloaked, they head right over to them and just hover for a bit while the whaling ship takes aim. And then... the decloakening.
Klingons on the port bow, captain!
Successfully having scared off the whalers, Scotty beams up George and Gracie and they make their way to the future. In a great evolution of Spock's revived character, he makes his "best guess" with the calculations for time warp, and they head out. Back in the future, they crash into San Francisco Bay. While the rest of the crew abandons ship, Kirk releases the whales out of the cargo bay and into the ocean. Once they're out, Kirk joins his crew as the whales start talking to the probe. After a delightful reunion and conversation with its good buddies, George and Gracie, the Probe turns around, says "thank you!" and leaves the Sol system in peace. The day is saved! So, now it's time for Kirk to stand trial.
Oh, right, yeah, this was the whole reason they were coming back to Earth, wasn't it? The crew of the Enterprise all stand in front of the president to be judged. Because for some reason the president is the judge in the future. Ready to be taken out of Starfleet forever, they all, including Spock who "stands with his shipmates", they all hear the charges brought to them. And then the president says he's getting rid of all of them in light of them saving the entire Earth, and all. The only charge that sticks, disobeying a superior officer, is directed solely at Kirk and because of it, he is reduced in rank to Captain. Which is basically like grounding a nerd to his room with the Internet still on. And not only that, it wouldn't be Star Trek and Kirk wouldn't be Captain without the proper ship. They head out to the shipyard and find the brand spankin' new USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A. The only proper ship for them to go and "see what's out there."
Overall Thoughts
This had been my absolute favorite Star Trek movie for the longest time until my tastes matured and I learned to like The Wrath of Kahn just slightly better. I love a good comedy sci-fi, especially when that comedy sci-fi involves time travel! Every good Star Trek series needs a comedy relief. "The Trouble with Tribbles" was that for The Original Series and this movie is that for the movie series. And, in fact, this movie was so monstrously successful, that it was almost entirely responsible for green-lighting The Next Generation. Picard would take command almost a year after this movie was released and Trek would never be the same.
Invitation to join our new group “Star Trek Forever” No Limits on uploads!
www.flickr.com/groups/2601080@N25/
Star Trek: Asterisk "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home"
Written by Steve Beaudry
Release Date: November 26, 1986
Written by: Steve Meerson & Peter Krikes and Harve Bennett & Nicholas Meyer
Directed by: Leonard Nimoy
Review
Deep in the outer reaches of space, a monstrous space probe passes by the USS Saratoga and knocks its power out on the way to Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, a Klingon ambassador accuses Kirk of murdering a ship full of Klingons in his quest to exterminate the Klingon race with the Genesis probe (that thing will just not go away). The Federation president says that Kirk will face nine violations of Starfleet regulations, the crew of the Enterprise has been stuck on Vulcan for three months, and on top of all that, a computer is trying to find out how Spock feels. There's nowhere to go from here but up.
Well, in The Search for Spock, Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise stole a starship, blew it up, visited a forbidden planet, and apparently six other naughty things, so now they're getting ready to go back to Earth on their stolen Klingon Bird-of-Prey and face the music. There's just one hitch in this plan: the probe. It has now reached earth, shut down main power to... everything... and caused a huge weather phenomenon that blocked out the sun. So, basically, humanity has however long it'll take for Earth to freeze from lack of sunlight to tell this thing to move out of the way.
"When this is over, I'm quitting Starfleet and starting a gumbo restaurant."
In their Klingon ship, Kirk and the crew approach Earth and pick up a distress call from the president with the manly gray beard saying that Earth is under attack, so they pick up the probe's transmissions and analyze it. Since the transmission appears to be directed at the oceans, Kirk has Uhura compensate for the density of the water. When the audio effects are all in, the probe's transmission ends up sounding a lot like whale song; specifically, the extinct humpback whale. There's only one way they can get a humpback whale to answer the probe: The Guardian of Forev-... er... wait, no, the highly dangerous and tricky slingshot time warp maneuver. So there are two ways. We'll go with the dangerous one for now.
When they arrive in 1986, they confirm the date by testing the pollution in the air. Then they go into cloak and land in the middle of a park in San Francisco. After scaring off a couple of trash guys, the crew sets out to downtown. Their mission: 1) find humpback whales 2) get them on board the Klingon ship 3) fix the ship's dilithium crystals so they can go home. They split up to achieve their separate goals. Spock and Kirk go for the whales, Bones and Scotty go to build a proper tank, Uhura and Chekov find some nuclear power to fix the crystals.
Spock would like to take this opportunity to learn karate.
Spock and Kirk easily find some whales after they see an advertisement for the local whale institute where they meet George, Gracie and Dr. Gillian Taylor. George and Gracie are the whales and Gillian is the nice lady who knows everything about them. So Spock and Kirk get to know about the whales in their own unique way: Spock mind melds with Gracie and Kirk seduces Gillian. Meanwhile, Bones and Scotty are having a time of their own getting some plexiglass to make a whale tank. Luckily, they have an ace up their sleeves. They meet with a guy who deals in plexiglass and trade the secret formula for transparent aluminum in exchange for their required plexiglass. Also, Sulu learns how to drive a helicopter so they can lift all that plexiglass to the ship.
Things are just about set to go; Kirk is ready to pick up the whales, the plexiglass is ready to be delivered, everything is running smoothly until Chekov screws things up. He finds the USS Enterprise, the aircraft carrier, and, with Uhura's help, steals some of its nuclear power. Well, the officers on board sense the power drain and go looking for him. He hands the power device over to Uhura who beams up to the Klingon ship. But there's not enough transporter power to get Chekov, too, and he's captured. After escaping by attempting and failing to stun his captors, he runs and jumps off a high platform and hospitalizes himself.
It's possible they just got too high.
Chekov arrives at Mercy Hospital, so now they have to go save him before taking off. But to make matters worse, Gillian decided she wants to help, so she wandered off into the park and ran into the cloaked ship. So they beam her aboard, explain a few things, and then run off to save Chekov. With Gillian's help, they sneak into the hospital and pretend to be doctors. Chekov, a suspected Russian spy, is being kept under guard, but Bones easily tricks them into believing they have an emergency. He has a bit of a fight with the attending surgeon and then Kirk locks the surgeon and his team in a small room. Bones heals Chekov, and they leave. The guards give chase once they see that Chekov is being kidnapped, but they beam up in the elevator and make a clean getaway.
Ok, so, Chekov is safe, the tank is built, the dilithium crystals are fixed, all they need now are the whales. Kirk gets their tracking frequency from Gillian and says his goodbyes. She can't, after all, go to the future with them. Right? Weellll... as soon as he starts transporting aboard the ship, Gillian hops on him and comes with. She's staying whether Kirk likes it or not. With Gillian aboard, they set out to find George and Gracie. They find them right in front of a whaling ship. Still cloaked, they head right over to them and just hover for a bit while the whaling ship takes aim. And then... the decloakening.
Klingons on the port bow, captain!
Successfully having scared off the whalers, Scotty beams up George and Gracie and they make their way to the future. In a great evolution of Spock's revived character, he makes his "best guess" with the calculations for time warp, and they head out. Back in the future, they crash into San Francisco Bay. While the rest of the crew abandons ship, Kirk releases the whales out of the cargo bay and into the ocean. Once they're out, Kirk joins his crew as the whales start talking to the probe. After a delightful reunion and conversation with its good buddies, George and Gracie, the Probe turns around, says "thank you!" and leaves the Sol system in peace. The day is saved! So, now it's time for Kirk to stand trial.
Oh, right, yeah, this was the whole reason they were coming back to Earth, wasn't it? The crew of the Enterprise all stand in front of the president to be judged. Because for some reason the president is the judge in the future. Ready to be taken out of Starfleet forever, they all, including Spock who "stands with his shipmates", they all hear the charges brought to them. And then the president says he's getting rid of all of them in light of them saving the entire Earth, and all. The only charge that sticks, disobeying a superior officer, is directed solely at Kirk and because of it, he is reduced in rank to Captain. Which is basically like grounding a nerd to his room with the Internet still on. And not only that, it wouldn't be Star Trek and Kirk wouldn't be Captain without the proper ship. They head out to the shipyard and find the brand spankin' new USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A. The only proper ship for them to go and "see what's out there."
Overall Thoughts
This had been my absolute favorite Star Trek movie for the longest time until my tastes matured and I learned to like The Wrath of Kahn just slightly better. I love a good comedy sci-fi, especially when that comedy sci-fi involves time travel! Every good Star Trek series needs a comedy relief. "The Trouble with Tribbles" was that for The Original Series and this movie is that for the movie series. And, in fact, this movie was so monstrously successful, that it was almost entirely responsible for green-lighting The Next Generation. Picard would take command almost a year after this movie was released and Trek would never be the same.
I went to Sant Elm with Joako and Isa and wanted to try my asterisk bokeh ^^
Don't seem to be asterisks, but I like it ^^
Date: October 2022
Medium: Digital Photo and Digital Photomontage
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Dimensions: 15” x 20”
© 2022 Tony DeVarco
Credit: "Isadora Duncan dancer" (detail) by Arnold Genthe ca. 1915-1923. Glass negative. Genthe photograph collection, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Rights Advisory: No known restrictions. Downloaded from: www.loc.gov/item/2018708201/
Photographer Arnold Genthe: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Genthe
A short documentary on Arnold Genthe by San Francisco historian Gloria Lenhart- www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip2oXayNaCk
Arnold Genthe's 1920 "Book of Dance" scanned by Google Books and found here: www.google.com/books/edition/The_Book_of_the_Dance/R1NN8X...
I used the same stripe fabric through the asterisk and polka dotted fabric of all colors in the block. It was a lot of fun to do.
Between the rows of asterisks is a reply to I gave to a comment down below. It is an idea for one of my tiny true stories that will be in the book I am writing; so this seems like an appropriate place to put it as a reminder to myself, and to provide a sigh and a smile from some of you. I'll need to expand it, edit it and illustrate it...
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Wow, it has been 51 years since my high school would not allow girls to take print shop. I don't know how long after I graduated in 1965 that those rules changed. My yearbook advisor (I was co-editor) happened to be the print shop instructor. We met about the yearbook in the print shop after regular school hours. I was so curious and dying to learn about it. One day, he and I were the only ones there, and I guess I was pestering him again, mildly I'm sure, because I wasn't a brat. He said, "OK, I'll show you a little bit about printing techniques and equipment, but you have to promise you won't tell anyone, not other teachers, students nor anyone at all!" He was afraid he would lose his job if they found out he taught a girl.
Girls also could not take wood shop. At the time, I think boys could not take cooking or sewing.
He also played a practical joke on me about "type lice" and I completely fell for it. I'll try to illustrate what he did when I get further along on my book I'm writing.
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(DSCN0925SOOCPrinterscaselettersinitflickr081316)
It's 4"!! You can find the pattern here... sewtakeahike.typepad.com/sewtakeahike/2013/03/asterisk.html. I'll definitely be making more of these cute blocks!
NETW 250 Final Exam
Purchase here
Description
(TCO1) The Central Office is the place
(TCO2) Like many softPBX systems, Asterisk refers to each leg of a voice call as a ____.
(TCO3) Known as ‘connectionless networking’, this protocol employs a method where IP datagram are sent over a network using a ‘best-effort’ approach. The recipient would not know if the packets sent were received by the intended recipient
(TCO4) These are facility connections from the phone company switch to the residential analog telephones; or the term used for delivering dial-tone to a group of phones
(TCO5) Used by hackers to see vulnerabilities and gain access, it is a systematic process that attempts to identify all of the open and available services on a TCP/IP host
(TCO6) This is a call accounting software that is retrieved from a PBX, where the incoming and outgoing call information are logged. The logged information can contain data as date, time, extension, trunk, caller ID, and duration of call
(TCO7) Along with CTI and ACD, this is a PBX supported application where multiple phones, telephony processes, phone operators, IVR, complex dial-plan, and hunt groups, run in a confined space and take information from customers, then, facilitate a response over the phone
(TCO10) This was the first VoIP standard, ratified by ITU-T in 1996, that addressed having real time communications for video and voice in an unreliable packet network, and applied for PBX-styled signaling that supports packet-based networks
(TCO11) This layer organizes and synchronizes dialogues between presentation entities in the OSI 7-Layer Communications Model
(TCO12) In Ethernet transmission, this is the result when two nodes transmit at the same time, which leads to data loss, re-transmission, delay, or latency
(TCO3) Name and explain the three most important factors that you must protect when Securing a VoIP Network
(TCO4) What makes coaxial cable popular among broadband applications to customer premises? Discuss its advantages
(TCO7) Out of CLECs, ILECs, and TSPs, which of these companies would use VoIP to offer voice services? Explain why
(TCO10) Briefly explain the importance of a Gateway in the VoIP infrastructure
(TCO5) How can it be determined if an ACD has been effective? What information would be provided from the ACD that would be viewed as valuable? List and define three reasons
(TCO6) What is a TMN? Discuss at least two Management Layers of TMN
(TCO8) What are the advantages and disadvantages of replacing a traditional PBX-type phone system with a Wireless IP phone?
(TCO9) What role, if any does, VoIP play in terms of the call center space
(TCO11) Describe what a converged network is and what benefits are derived from that
(TCO12) When deploying a VoIP system, what are some of the critical components that should be looked at in terms of assessing the environment for the readiness of a VoIP deployment
"Splotch/Asterisk" is the result of a nearly five-month long creative collaboration between artists JJ Cromer and Stephen Loya, beginning in late August 2012 and ending in early January 2013. The final results are a dozen original works of which will be on exhibit at the Off-Rhode Studio Gallery in Washington, DC (reception: Saturday, February 9, 1-4PM, 2013).
Story Part is Between the Lines of Asterisks
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Something happened which I thought was incredibly funny and cute and would make a great little Fisher Price Little People (FPLP) story. I gave Anna Leigh, my granddaughter, 16 FPLP all neatly nestled in a box with foam lining for her 4th birthday. There was a row of 8 on top of another row of 8. I took a macro picture before I gave them to her, because I wanted a picture record of them, and figured I wouldn't be able to get that close during her 4th birthday party. She shares the same birthday with a first cousin and it is usually a pretty hectic party.
Back to focusing on the macro picture. Apparently, my camera has facial recognition focusing which I had never happened to notice before. I didn't know it had that function. I was focusing in the top row of FPLP, and their sweet little tiny faces actually registered on the facial recognition. Even if I had known my camera had facial recognition, I would have assumed it was only for human faces. It cracked me up! Not every single one, but about half of them registered as being a little face. How cute is that?
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Story part is between the two rows of asterisks. This stuff is just my file name and some explanatory information about the sets this picture is in.
(3396fisherpricelittlepeople4annas4thbday) Two layers of 8 people in each row. You may be asking yourself what do these have to do with my Anna Leigh Vol. 2 set and my Christmas Time 2008 set. Well, these were one of the gifts I gave to Anna Leigh for her 4th Birthday, and I consider the one month period from her birthday to Christmas to be basically Christmas Time. Just as the County Court House Christmas Tree is considered by me to be "Christmas Time", though they put it up in late November.