Star Trek, ALWAYS My Way!

[Admiral2]

At long last, you may now feast your eyes on Missing Man, the fourth thought-provoking episode of Star Trek, My Way.

Yep. That's right. The fourth episode. It's the shortest episode I've written and it ended up taking the longest time to write, and in the meantime a lot of the themes have already been covered in other stories and the script-based reboot fics are like three and four eps ahead of me. (Sigh...)

But anyway, here it is. You may read it and judge for yourselves whether it was worth all the time I spent on it. (Even I'm not sure how much I like it, but in its defense it has technobabble and dead redshirts, for those who are nostalgic for such things.)

Also, from now on I'm going to just post new stories in this one thread, which is what I probably should have been doing all along. Along with the new stories I'll also try to squeeze in some related material now and then.

Read, Review, Kvetch, Question, Whatever, and I'll try to get back to you swiftly when you do.

 

[Gibraltar]

Good news! I'll be digging into this tonight. Me, some ST: My Way, a glass of wine and a roaring fire.

Mmmmm. Lil' bit o' heaven.

 

[Gibraltar]

Simply… wow.

A poignant and heartfelt story about service and loss and the randomness with which fate can snatch away comrades-in-arms. Very well done.

I came away from the story liking your version of Janice Lester, and hoping that in time she will come to achieve the captaincy she strives for. She may be driven and ambitious, but so is everyone else who’s occupied the center seat on a starship (well, heh, almost everyone aside from the occasional errant engineer). This Lester is also human enough to occupy that seat, after a decade or so more experience.

SPOILER WARNING!!:
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At the mention of Minos Corva, I’d briefly thought your baddies would be Cardassians (I'm guessing someone's been re-watching Chain of Command . Only after the encounter with the native in the subway tunnel did I figure our that they were Tellarites, or ‘Tellerites’ in you’re My Way universe. I’ve been asked to inform you that Master Chief Tark vociferously objects to their portrayal in this story.

I, however, thought they were presented to very good effect here. I very much appreciate Pike’s misplaced anger, looking for someone, anyone on the surface to hold accountable for the fate of the Independence. He had to actually go down to a bombed-out planet and kick around in the rubble before he could be convinced there was no one left who could rightfully be held to blame. That’s the most genuinely human reaction we’ve seen out of your Chris Pike so far.

Damn fine story all the way around, Admiral. I, my merlot, and my crackling fire thank you profusely for providing a worthy night’s entertainment. :thumbsup:

 

[Admiral2]

Gibraltar said:
Simply… wow.

A poignant and heartfelt story about service and loss and the randomness with which fate can snatch away comrades-in-arms. Very well done.

I thank you.

I came away from the story liking your version of Janice Lester, and hoping that in time she will come to achieve the captaincy she strives for. She may be driven and ambitious, but so is everyone else who’s occupied the center seat on a starship (well, heh, almost everyone aside from the occasional errant engineer). This Lester is also human enough to occupy that seat, after a decade or so more experience.

I'm glad you like her. Actually, she may not get that captaincy. I haven't decided yet. I introduced her here as a hedge against possible future stories. I'm still trying to decide if I'll redo some TOS stories MY way, and one of the eps I'm considering is "Turnabout Intruder". (Yes, you read that right.) If I do, I want Janice to have some kind of backstory in the context of the series.

Still, if TI comes it will be in Season five, and I'm not even halfway through the first season yet, so I have plenty of time to decide.

SPOILER WARNING!!:
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At the mention of Minos Corva, I’d briefly thought your baddies would be Cardassians (I'm guessing someone's been re-watching Chain of Command .

Didn't have to rewatch it. The setting came from my favorite line of the episode, which is burned into my memory:

JELLICO: "Data, I want to be in Minos Corva in one hour."

This, for me, defines Captain Jellico. He didn't pussyfoot around it like "Data, how long to Minos Corva at such-and-such Warp Factor?" He picked a destination and a deadline and he expected Data to make it happen. Period.

Jellico is THE MAN.

Only after the encounter with the native in the subway tunnel did I figure our that they were Tellarites, or ‘Tellerites’ in you’re My Way universe. I’ve been asked to inform you that Master Chief Tark vociferously objects to their portrayal in this story.

Simply remind the Master Chief that Kirk's Enterprise encountered at least one parallel Earth that made the same Big Mistake as the inhabitants of MC2 Gemini, so he can consider the Tellerites simply a less smart parallel race to his people.

I, however, thought they were presented to very good effect here. I very much appreciate Pike’s misplaced anger, looking for someone, anyone on the surface to hold accountable for the fate of the Independence. He had to actually go down to a bombed-out planet and kick around in the rubble before he could be convinced there was no one left who could rightfully be held to blame. That’s the most genuinely human reaction we’ve seen out of your Chris Pike so far.

See, I'm just going to have to take your word on that. As far as I'm concerned he's been perfectly human throughout the series. He just isn't normally obsessed, fanatical or angst-ridden. He was given a job and he's doing it. This ep is just the first time he's experienced such a deep, personal loss.

Now, If that's what you want to see all the time I could kill a family member of his every episode, but eventually I'll run out of family members...

Damn fine story all the way around, Admiral. I, my merlot, and my crackling fire thank you profusely for providing a worthy night’s entertainment. :thumbsup:

You're welcome and Thanks again for the good word!

 

[Gibraltar]

See, I'm just going to have to take your word on that. As far as I'm concerned he's been perfectly human throughout the series. He just isn't normally obsessed, fanatical or angst-ridden. He was given a job and he's doing it. This ep is just the first time he's experienced such a deep, personal loss.

Now, If that's what you want to see all the time I could kill a family member of his every episode, but eventually I'll run out of family members...

I hadn’t meant to imply Pike has been portrayed as being robotic, only that so far we’ve seen him as the personification of professionalism. This is the first time we’ve seen him come face-to-face with personal loss on this scale, and it was refreshing to get a glimpse of the man behind the command persona.

 

[CeJay]

Muchos excellente, mon senior. :thumbsup:

You have clearly delivered yet another exciting entry into your re-imagination of the Star Trek universe. I continue to be fascinated by your terrific attention to detail. Your precise military procedure is reminiscent of those really cool submarine movies/stories and equally tense.

The story-line here seems less complex that in previous stories but not less fascinating. The conclusion seemed obvious enough (I never held out much hope that they would find Indy alive) but it is the aftermath of the discovery and the reactions of Pike and the others where the true heart of this story lies. Like Gibraltar, I really liked Pike’s immediate reaction to the disaster and his need for some form of retribution. It is refreshingly different to the way somebody like say Picard would have handled the situation.

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed however to find your story not delving deeper into those questions of anger, sorrow and the need for answers. You spent plenty of time establishing the situation and trying to find the missing ship but I was a bit let down when you decided to resolve the matter as quickly as you did. Especially with the introduction of the ultra-ambitious Lester I would have thought that you would have had plenty of opportunities for additional conflict over the right course of action.

My second point of concern here was Lester herself. No, I really did like the character, no doubt about that. And I would love to see her return in future stories. My issue comes from the strong parallels between the Lester/West relationship and Montoya/and her friends and colleagues. While Lester is obviously not Montoya and you did a great job of creating a unique character, I felt that by the end of the story it followed too much the I’ve-learned-something-new-today pattern of previous stories. In fact the last Lester/West encounter seemed very reminiscent of previous scenes featuring Montoya.

Well, you know that I always try to find something to criticize in the best of stories. Regardless of those issues this one was truly moving and I was completely captivated by it from the very beginning. I was perhaps a bit disappointed that it wasn’t longer but on the other hand I’m glad I didn’t have to wait years for this instalment. I still think that while Star Trek MY Way has a somewhat uninspired title, it still is something special out there in the realm of Trek inspired fan-fiction.

Now to settle in for the wait for the next adventure.


QUESTION: Five Seasons? Really? Wow, you’ve planned quiet an epic here then. How many episodes do you plan to produce per season? Also I love the idea of Turnabout Intruder (the body swap episode, right?) in the My Way fashion. I’m fascinated to see how such a uniquely sci-fi concept as a body swap will work in your Trek setting.

 

[Admiral2]

CeJay said:
Muchos excellente, mon senior. :thumbsup:

I thank you.

You have clearly delivered yet another exciting entry into your re-imagination of the Star Trek universe. I continue to be fascinated by your terrific attention to detail. Your precise military procedure is reminiscent of those really cool submarine movies/stories and equally tense.

The story-line here seems less complex that in previous stories but not less fascinating. The conclusion seemed obvious enough (I never held out much hope that they would find Indy alive) but it is the aftermath of the discovery and the reactions of Pike and the others where the true heart of this story lies. Like Gibraltar, I really liked Pike’s immediate reaction to the disaster and his need for some form of retribution. It is refreshingly different to the way somebody like say Picard would have handled the situation.

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed however to find your story not delving deeper into those questions of anger, sorrow and the need for answers. You spent plenty of time establishing the situation and trying to find the missing ship but I was a bit let down when you decided to resolve the matter as quickly as you did. Especially with the introduction of the ultra-ambitious Lester I would have thought that you would have had plenty of opportunities for additional conflict over the right course of action.

What opportunities for additional conflict? Lester would have had to risk pissing off people she's trying to impress, which she wasn't willing to risk until seeing the natives gave her a reason to.

My second point of concern here was Lester herself. No, I really did like the character, no doubt about that. And I would love to see her return in future stories. My issue comes from the strong parallels between the Lester/West relationship and Montoya/and her friends and colleagues. While Lester is obviously not Montoya and you did a great job of creating a unique character, I felt that by the end of the story it followed too much the I’ve-learned-something-new-today pattern of previous stories. In fact the last Lester/West encounter seemed very reminiscent of previous scenes featuring Montoya.

I'll try this one more time, then I'm not going to address another comment like this again. CeJay, the entire mission is a learning experience for the whole damn fleet! It is not beyond the realm of possibility for Lester to go through the same type of experiences that Montoya has gone through. Montoya learns stuff. Lester learns stuff. Even Pike learns something every once in a while, and I'm sorry if the lesson-an-episode bothers you or anyone else, but I'm not changing it, because learning as you go is kinda the point of On-the-job Training!

Well, you know that I always try to find something to criticize in the best of stories. Regardless of those issues this one was truly moving and I was completely captivated by it from the very beginning. I was perhaps a bit disappointed that it wasn’t longer but on the other hand I’m glad I didn’t have to wait years for this instalment.

See? Silver lining.

I still think that while Star Trek MY Way has a somewhat uninspired title, it still is something special out there in the realm of Trek inspired fan-fiction.

Thank you, but the title isn't meant to be inspired. It's simply a statement of fact.

Now to settle in for the wait for the next adventure.


QUESTION: Five Seasons? Really? Wow, you’ve planned quiet an epic here then.

Well, there's not much of a plan. Just a general idea of how the series will go.

How many episodes do you plan to produce per season?

I gave up the notion of 22 eps per season ages ago. Right now I'm aiming for thirteen eps this first season, and if I survive it I'll decide how many I'll do in subsequent seasons.

Also I love the idea of Turnabout Intruder (the body swap episode, right?) in the My Way fashion. I’m fascinated to see how such a uniquely sci-fi concept as a body swap will work in your Trek setting.

So am I.

 

[baxart]

I "Always", look forward to these!!
Thanks, and Keep 'em coming!

 

[Admiral2]

baxart said:
I "Always", look forward to these!!
Thanks, and Keep 'em coming!

Thank you, and I will!

 

[Admiral2]

And now, dear readers, feast your eyes upon The Heirs of Proteus, the fifth, spine-tingling episode of Star Trek, MY way! This one has it all, folks! Alien life-forms, technobabble, interpersonal conflict, and if you're not careful you may learn something before its done! Enjoy!

(You may, of course, offer feedback in the usual places.)

 

[TimmyWl]

It was good in the way of action...but towards the end it seemed more of a prelude on what was to come than an original story. I did like the previous one...

 

[CeJay]

I've just finished the first segment and as usual I'm hooked. This is a fantastic tale that promises to get even better.

I had expected a story about Montoya's field trip intercut with your previous story but this works much better as a stand-alone.

I do have one question though. Close to the end of segment one during the crew meeting Girardi concludes that Enterprise will be held up because the hospital ships will have to collect the bodies from Independence. Does this mean Flores did tell the crew what happened after all?

 

[Admiral2]

Yes, Girardi said it soon after Flores told everybody what happened. Thanks for the good word.

And thank you, too, Timmy! It's not so much a prelude as it is a lead-in. You'll understand when I post the next story, which I just started working on. Are you just joining us in this or have you read the other stories in the series?

 

[CeJay]

Weird, I could have sworn it was segment one, I'll have to re-read that passage.

Also one thing I forgot to mention. When Montoya approached the water all I could think was: "Man, has this girl never seen a horror movie before?!"

 

[Admiral2]

CeJay said:
Weird, I could have sworn it was segment one, I'll have to re-read that passage.

You were right. I wasn't thinking about how I titled the chapters when I first posted the response.

Also one thing I forgot to mention. When Montoya approached the water all I could think was: "Man, has this girl never seen a horror movie before?!"

She probably hasn't. Horror movies are more Goren's thing.

 

[TimmyWl]

And thank you, too, Timmy! It's not so much a prelude as it is a lead-in. You'll understand when I post the next story, which I just started working on. Are you just joining us in this or have you read the other stories in the series?

I have read the other bits in the series...

 

[Admiral2]

TimmyWl said:

And thank you, too, Timmy! It's not so much a prelude as it is a lead-in. You'll understand when I post the next story, which I just started working on. Are you just joining us in this or have you read the other stories in the series?

I have read the other bits in the series...

What did you think of them?

 

[CeJay]

Another great entry in the Star Trek: My Way series. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

It also proved that your semi-realistic series can handle science-fiction concepts as well as TV show.

I really like how you have taken concepts and aliens from the show and re-invented them here. You have done this so well that I feel these story lines would have been fit for Enterprise.

The action here was fun and fast and my only complaint (as usual) was that everything was over too quickly. The overall length however was alright as it made for a fun and easy read.

As you know I'm normally not a big fan of your epilogues but this time even I can't disagree with Pike's treatment of Montoya. She clearly acted out of line and has to take responsibility for what happened under her command. One thing that I did find interesting is that her reasons for acting so senselessly – the news of the loss of Independence - were never really addressed.

Question: Was Janice Lester the name of the science officer in the previous installment? Wasn't that Kirk's nemesis in one of the episodes? I missed that connection.

 

[Admiral2]

CeJay said:
Another great entry in the Star Trek: My Way series. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

It also proved that your semi-realistic series can handle science-fiction concepts as well as TV show.

Thank you, but I've been using at least one science fiction concept consistently since I started the series: travel between stars. Don't I at least get brownie points for that?

I really like how you have taken concepts and aliens from the show and re-invented them here. You have done this so well that I feel these story lines would have been fit for Enterprise.

In season one maybe, before ENT's writers started going all stupid...

The action here was fun and fast and my only complaint (as usual) was that everything was over too quickly. The overall length however was alright as it made for a fun and easy read.

They'll probably start getting longer from here, but not that much longer.

As you know I'm normally not a big fan of your epilogues but this time even I can't disagree with Pike's treatment of Montoya. She clearly acted out of line and has to take responsibility for what happened under her command. One thing that I did find interesting is that her reasons for acting so senselessly – the news of the loss of Independence - were never really addressed.

And it won't be, mainly because I was writing from Pike's POV, and he doesn't really give a damn what her problem was. He stated his position thusly: "Get over yourself!"

Question: Was Janice Lester the name of the science officer in the previous installment? Wasn't that Kirk's nemesis in one of the episodes? I missed that connection.

Yes and yes, and remember, earlier in this thread I said that I might do "Turnabout Intruder" so I wanted Janice Lester to have a backstory in this series?

 

[Gibraltar]

Another fantastic installment to your series, Admiral! :thumbsup: I love that you gave the science team something to do while Enterprise was dealing with the situation from the previous story. The realism with which you portray the circumstances (and people's reactions to them) in your stories gave the tense scenes here added gravity. You've taken a creature we all know from the Trek universe, and by altering the scenario surrounding First Contact gave us a Stephen King-esque confrontation that gave me chills.

Oh, and I loved Pike's referencing Lester at the end of the story. That man never pulls his punches.