Greg Chaffins – Page 317

If Only I Had A Shuttlecraft

If you have watched any science fiction you probably have seen them, these small sleek ships zooming about on their various missions. From the Galileo to a Viper, from a runabout to a transport, these crafts have moved not only the characters but the plot as well on many adventures. Now, wouldn't it be grand if one of these wonderful imaginary ships could be left behind in a remote location or even a backyard for a simple soul to find and make their own?

Imagine it, lunch on the moon. Dinner on Mars. Paris for a cup of real French Vanilla. The world and beyond would be at your fingertips.

I know that I could get up in orbit really fast; I have seen the TV shows. In mere minutes I could be orbiting the Earth, looking for the perfect parking spot by one of any thousands of malls. The daily commute would be a non-issue, with highway traffic being a mere spot down below.

I do have to say that parking garages would be a bit tricky to navigate, unless they have an open top level. Then if it was raining that could be a bit tricky to arrive neat and dry. However, if it was a transporter equipped shuttle I could just beam from the parking spot to the office, no problem. As a matter of fact, if it was transporter equipped there could be days that I could use the shuttlecraft without it ever leaving the garage.

If it wasn't transporter equipped then it would be cool if it had blasters of some kind. That way, in a pinch, I could always make a place to park it. Very handy for those crowded days and event parking.

But a personal shuttlecraft would not be just for work. It is, after all, the original ATV (All Terra Vehicle). A trip to the mountains would be a pleasure. It would work great for hunting trips as well (now this is where a blaster equipped model would shine). If I had one with the skids for landing I could take it skiing – imagine the air time on a ramp that would be possible with the engines! Of course, along with these outdoors uses a camo paint job would be logical, but you have to draw the line somewhere.

Imagine tailgating with a shutttlecraft. You could have the whole crew along, and if it is equipped with a food synthesizer you would have an endless supply of fresh beer and pizza. You would be the hit. In the case that you did not have a food synthesizer and wanted to barbeque fast, well, again those blasters would be handy. Just be careful not to barbeque everything.

Yes, if only I had a shuttlecraft I would be, well, a nerd with a shuttlecraft. But to be honest that sounds good to me. Now, where shall I go today?

Aloha from the Beach,
greg

How Would Gene Roddenberry Feel about Trek XI?

Greg Chaffins

So, how would Gene Roddenberry feel about the upcoming Trek XI movie, which is actually a prequel to the original Series but featuring his characters?

Apparently he would feel quite good about it. In his own words, from 1981 letter to the fans, taken from “Star Trek:Creator – The Authorized Biography of Gene Roddenberry”

"…I think it would be wonderful years from now to see Star Trek come back with an equally talented new cast playing Spock and Kirk and Bones and Scotty and all the rest as they say tomorrow’s things to tomorrow’s generations"

How much more perfect could it have been worded than that?

I am looking forward to this movie, definitely, and it is a great thing for Star Trek fans. However, I do not feel, as some others do, that if this movie does not do so well it could mean the end of the Star Trek franchise for some time to come. If anything it could help to find new fans, which in turn may seek out other fan efforts and keep all things Star Trek happening. So far it would seem that the possibility of the movie failing is nothing to worry about if it stays on its current course. While it is a fine line to please the hardcore fans and the general populace, I can't help to think that both the timing and the production crew are just right.

Aloha from the Beach,
greg

2008 Hugo Award Nominees

Greg Chaffins

Best Novel (382 ballots cast)

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins; Fourth Estate)
Brasyl by Ian McDonald (Gollancz; Pyr)
Rollback by Robert J. Sawyer (Tor; Analog Oct. 2006-Jan./Feb. 2007)
The Last Colony by John Scalzi (Tor)
Halting State by Charles Stross (Ace)

Best Novella (220 ballots cast)

"The Fountain of Age" by Nancy Kress (Asimov's July 2007)
"Recovering Apollo 8" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Asimov's Feb. 2007)
"Stars Seen Through Stone" by Lucius Shepard (F&SF July 2007)
"All Seated on the Ground" by Connie Willis (Asimov's Dec. 2007; Subterranean Press)
"Memorare" by Gene Wolfe (F&SF April 2007)

Best Novelette (243 ballots cast)

"The Cambist and Lord Iron: a Fairytale of Economics" by Daniel Abraham (Logorrhea, ed. John Klima, BantamSpectra)
"The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" by Ted Chiang (Subterranean Press; F&SF Sept. 2007)
"Dark Integers" by Greg Egan (Asimov's Oct./Nov. 2007)
"Glory" by Greg Egan (The New Space Opera, ed. Gardner Dozois & Jonathan Strahan, HarperCollins/Eos)

"Finisterra" by David Moles (F&SF Dec. 2007)

Best Short Story (270 ballots cast)

"Last Contact" by Stephen Baxter (The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, ed. George Mann, Solaris Books)
"Tideline" by Elizabeth Bear (Asimov's June 2007)
"Who's Afraid of Wolf 359?" by Ken MacLeod (The New Space Opera, ed. Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan, HarperCollins/Eos)
"Distant Replay" by Mike Resnick (Asimov's April/May 2007)
"A Small Room in Koboldtown" by Michael Swanwick (Asimov's April/May 2007; The Dog Said Bow-Wow, Tachyon Publications)

Best Related Book (173 ballots cast)

The Company They Keep: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as Writers in Community by Diana Glyer; appendix by David Bratman (Kent State University Press)
Breakfast in the Ruins: Science Fiction in the Last Millennium by Barry Malzberg (Baen)
Emshwiller: Infinity x Two by Luis Ortiz, intro. by Carol Emshwiller, fwd. by Alex Eisenstein (Nonstop)
Brave New Words: the Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction by Jeff Prucher (Oxford University Press)
The Arrival by Shaun Tan (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form (270 ballots cast)

Enchanted Written by Bill Kelly Directed by Kevin Lima (Walt Disney Pictures)
The Golden Compass Written by Chris Weitz Based on the novel by Philip Pullman, Directed by Chris Weitz (New Line Cinema)
Heroes, Season 1 Created by Tim Kring (NBC Universal Television and Tailwind Productions)
Written by Tim Kring, Jeph Loeb, Bryan Fuller, Michael Green, Natalie Chaidez, Jesse Alexander, Adam Armus, Aron Eli Coleite, Joe Pokaski, Christopher Zatta, Chuck Kim.
Directed by David Semel, Allan Arkush, Greg Beeman, Ernest R. Dickerson, Paul Shapiro, Donna Deitch, Paul A. Edwards, John Badham, Terrence O'Hara, Jeannot Szwarc, Roxann Dawson, Kevin Bray, Adam Kane
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Written by Michael Goldenberg, Based on the novel by J.K. Rowling, Directed by David Yates (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Stardust Written by Jane Goldman & Matthew Vaughn, Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman Illustrated by Charles Vess Directed by Matthew Vaughn (Paramount Pictures)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form (259 ballots cast)

Battlestar Galactica "Razor" Written by Michael Taylor Directed by Félix Enríquez Alcalá and Wayne Rose (Sci Fi Channel) (televised version, not DVD)
Doctor Who "Blink" Written by Stephen Moffat Directed by Hettie Macdonald (BBC)
Doctor Who "Human Nature" / "Family of Blood" Written by Paul Cornell Directed by Charles Palmer (BBC)
Star Trek New Voyages "World Enough and Time" Written by Michael Reaves & Marc Scott Zicree Directed by Marc Scott Zicree (Cawley Entertainment Co. and The Magic Time Co.)
Torchwood "Captain Jack Harkness" Written by Catherine Tregenna Directed by Ashley Way (BBC Wales)

Best Professional Editor, Long Form (187 ballots cast)

Lou Anders (Pyr)
Ginjer Buchanan (Ace/Roc)
David G. Hartwell (Tor/Forge)
Beth Meacham (Tor)
Patrick Nielsen Hayden (Tor)

Best Professional Editor, Short Form (257 ballots cast)

Ellen Datlow (The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (St. Martin's), Coyote Road (Viking), Inferno (Tor))
Stanley Schmidt (Analog)
Jonathan Strahan (The New Space Opera (HarperCollins/Eos), The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume 1 (Night Shade), Eclipse One (Night Shade))
Gordon Van Gelder (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction)
Sheila Williams (Asimov's Science Fiction)

Best Professional Artist (205 ballots cast)

Bob Eggleton (Covers: To Outlive Eternity and Other Stories (Baen), Ivory (Pyr), & The Taint and Other Novellas (Subterranean))
Phil Foglio (Cover: Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures, Vol. 2 (Meisha Merlin), What's New (Dragon Magazine Aug. 2007, Girl Genius Vol. 6-Agatha Heterodyne & the Golden Trilobite (Airship Entertainment))
John Harris (Covers: Spindrift (Ace), Old Man's War (Tor, pb), The Last Colony (Tor))
Stephan Martiniere (Covers: Brasyl (Pyr), Mainspring (Tor), The Dragons of Babel (Tor))

John Picacio (Covers: Fast Forward 1 (Pyr), Time's Child (HarperCollins/Eos), A Thousand Deaths (Golden Gryphon))
Shaun Tan (The Arrival (Arthur A Levine Books))

Best Semiprozine (174 ballots cast)

Ansible, edited by David Langford
Helix, edited by William Sanders and Lawrence Watt-Evans
Interzone, edited by Andy Cox
Locus, edited by Charles N. Brown, Kirsten Gong-Wong, & Liza Groen Trombi
The New York Review of Science Fiction, edited by Kathryn Cramer, Kristine Dikeman, David Hartwell & Kevin J. Maroney

Best Fanzine (157 ballots cast)

Argentus, edited by Steven H Silver
Challenger, edited by Guy Lillian III
Drink Tank, edited by Chris Garcia
File 770, edited by Mike Glyer
PLOKTA, edited by Alison Scott, Steve Davies, & Mike Scott

Best Fan Writer (195 ballots cast)

Chris Garcia
David Langford
Cheryl Morgan
John Scalzi
Steven H Silver

Best Fan Artist (139 ballots cast)

Brad Foster
Teddy Harvia
Sue Mason
Steve Stiles
Taral Wayne

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Science Fiction Writer

An award for the best new writer whose first work of science fiction or fantasy appeared during 2006 or 2007 in a professional publication. Sponsored by Dell Magazines.
Joe Abercrombie (2nd year of eligibility)

Jon Armstrong (1st year of eligibility)
David Anthony Durham (1st year of eligibility)
David Louis Edelman (2nd year of eligibility)
Mary Robinette Kowal (2nd year of eligibility)
Scott Lynch (2nd year of eligibility)

Well, there you have, the 2008 Hugo award Nominees. There is some great Scifi here from last year. There are several others I would like to see up there are not, but plenty that I am pleased with being there. Isn't it great to see that new and quality SciFi is still getting out there?

Aloha from the Beach,
greg

Star Trek: New Voyages are 2008 Hugo Award Nominees

Greg Chaffins

Who said fan fiction was not quality?

Hugo Awards, named after the Amazing Stories editor Hugo Greensback, are given out once a year for the best Science Fiction or Fantasy works of the year before. This has been going on since 1953, and the latest nominees for 2008 have just been announced. In the Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form category, we have Star Trek: New Voyages: "World Enough and Time" on the ballot, along with Battlestar Galactica "Razor", Doctor Who "Blink", Doctor Who "Human Nature" / "Family of Blood", and Torchwood "Captain Jack Harkness".

This shows that is not only the spirit the Star Trek is alive, but that it is gaining some respect out there. The New Voyages are fan works that rebuilt the sets from scratch and made new adventures. The effort has received some official kudos, with George Takei (TOS's Sulu) and others even playing parts. For more information, and to watch the shows, go to www.StarTrekNewVoyages.com.

To be honest, I am quite pleased with all of the nominees. The New Voyages are fun, Doctor Who is always pleasing, Torchwood is a great swashbuckling XFiles, and Battlestar Galactica is sure to entertain and intrigue. At this point I really do not have a favorite in this category, but if the New Voyages win it would give a good shot in the arm to more Trek, which is always wonderful. (When it comes it Trek I have never been one of those "less is more" mongers).

More details about the nominees:

Battlestar Galactica "Razor" written by Michael Taylor, directed by Félix Enríquez Alcalá and Wayne Rose (Sci Fi Channel) (televised version, not DVD)
Dr. Who "Blink" written by Stephen Moffat, directed by Hettie Macdonald (BBC)
Dr. Who "Human Nature" / "Family of Blood" written by Paul Cornell, directed by Charles Palmer (BBC)
Star Trek New Voyages "World Enough and Time" written by Michael Reaves & Marc Scott Zicree, directed by Marc Scott Zicree (Cawley Entertainment Co. and The Magic Time Co.)
Torchwood "Captain Jack Harkness" written by Catherine Tregenna, directed by Ashley Way (BBC Wales)

Aloha from the Beach,
greg