fusion patrol | photographing starship models | lower

fusion patrol | photographing starship models | lower decks | new officers

o u r 46th ye ar | i ssu e 1 | s ep tem ber / o c to ber 2020

t h e u n i t e d fe d e r at i o n o f ph o e n i x

The United Federation of Phoenix (UFP) is the Southwest’s oldest Star Trek and science fiction fan organization, continuously operating since 1975. The club meets bi-weekly at various locations around the Phoenix metropolitan area. As a group we have picnics, go hiking, watch movies, play games, take trips, and are active in the volunteer community. You are about to read Subspace Chatter, our official publication, which highlights science fiction and fandom events, spotlights our members, and provides a resource for all things UFP. If you are in the area and would like to attend one of our meetings, email us at [email protected]

i n t h i s i s s u e

020304

0609101111

Table of contents and creditsCaptain’s Log by Dr. Kimberly SmithPhotographing The Model’s Best Side by VFX Artist David StipesFusion Patrol by David MattesonLower Decks by Dr. David A. WilliamsIncoming TransmissionsOfficial UFP club briefingNew UFP officers revealed

EDITOR/DESIGNERUFP CONTACTEMAILWEBSITE

David MattesonDave [email protected]

We aim to highlight the interests of our diverse membership. Help us by contributing your story to Subspace Chatter. Email us today!

CAPTAINFIRST OFFICERRECORDS OFFICERCOMM OFFICER

Kim SmithAnnette Sexton-RuizWalt BartlowVictor Bugg

ON THE cOvEr: Former UFP members acting in costume as part of the popular 90’s cable access TV show “Fusion Patrol.” Story on Page 6.

2 | SubSpace chatter

Captain’s Log, stardate 202009.16.

Well here we are six months into the Covid-19 pandemic! The UFP is going strong with our Zoom meetings, which usually attract 10-16 members, and the occasional socially-distant pool party or wine tasting!

At our last meeting we elected the following officers by acclamation: Captain Kim Smith, First Officer Annette Sexton-Ruiz, Communications Officer Victor Bugg, and Records Officer Walt Bartlow. Thank you to our 2020-2021 officers for their service.

We have ordered pint glasses (which had issues so we received a refund), wine glasses, and T-shirts during this pandemic for individual members to

purchase. We still have wine glasses ($10) and a few 45th Anniversary T-shirts ($15) left for sale.

Yearly fees are due now to retain your existing membership, or join the UFP. Please mail a check for $15 per person to United Federation of Phoenix, PO Box 37224, Phoenix, AZ 85069. You could also pay by PayPal by contacting myself at [email protected] for instructions.

UFP membership comes with many perks, including being a part of our

private mailing list, which we serve up info on all sorts of virtual Trek-related events you can “attend”

online! For example, did you know that Gates McFadden and Marina Sirtis are appearing at Sorcery&Spectacle? Learn about the making of Star Trek II at deschuteslibrary.org. And there are two star-studded days of TNG panels at GalaxyCon,

including Q&A and autograph signings from the comfort of home!

I hope all of you are staying safe and healthy. Live long and prosper.

Dr. Kimberly Smith - UFP Captain

B Y K I M S M I T H , U F P C L U B C A P T A I N

captain'S log VIRTUALLY TOGETHER

SubSpace chatter | 3

Visual effects shots in a Star Trek episode require a combination of input and work from a variety of people and sometimes

present unusual design challenges. Star Trek Voyager episode 129 “Prototype” required a new spaceship to be designed and photographed. The story involved the Praylor and the Cravic, two warring robotic cultures. Their spaceships were identical except with one grayish and the other tan in color.

The producers called upon our in-house designer, Rick Sternbach, for spaceship designs. Rick provided producers with top/bottom/side view designs for the new spaceship. Based on the top view they went with the design which was ultimately used.

I thought that the top design was interesting as well. However, the side and front views of the ship revealed that the fuselage was flat and elongated with enlarged top and bottom structures; not nearly as interesting as the top or bottom views. I was concerned about how to photograph it effectively. Since the best features of the spaceship were the top and the bottom I needed to design shots where the camera is looking up or down on

the model. My challenge was to avoid any side or front shots. Like photographing actors you want to get their

“best side” to emphasize their most attractive

features.

It was decided that a physical model was to be constructed. Master model maker/VFX artist, Tony Doublin, delivered the model in three and a half weeks for $15,000. The spaceship was painted a middle gray color to allow easy color-shifting during digital compositing to distinguish between the Praylor and Cravic crafts. The model was photographed at Image G studios with their motion control system in mid-November 1995.

By David Stipes | Star Trek Visual Effects Supervisor & UFP Member

photographing the model’s best side

Praylor/Cravic top ¾ view by Rick Sternbach


For solitary shots of the spaceship, I used wide-angle lenses to enhance the sense of scale. When the two ships were together I still used wide-angle lenses but designed the shots to look as if I had used a telephoto lens to compress the perspective and feature their most interesting shapes.

My favorite shot (shown above in filmstrip) involved the two big spaceships and a Voyager shuttle. The diminishing size of the shuttle revealed the huge scale of the robot’s ships which were to be twice the size of Voyager. I also wanted a sense of the Praylor and Cravic crafts being perilously close and strafing each other. This allowed me to look down on one of the ships and simultaneously look up at the other again at their best angles.

Based upon rough storyboard sketches, the motion-controlled camera was positioned very close to the model representing the Cravic ship. The camera and ship move was programmed and photographed. The model was repositioned to represent the Praylor craft and a second camera/model move was programmed and photographed. The Voyager shuttle was then programmed and filmed.

Compositing and weapon effects animation was accomplished at Digital Magic facilities.

Focusing upon the strengths in the spaceship designs solved my challenges and inspired some fun and visually exciting Star Trek Voyager shots.

David Stipes is a visual effects consultant, artist and compositor. In 1992 David joined the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” team, and two years later received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Visual Effects. Embracing the change from physical models to computer effects, David championed the use of CGI in several Star Trek series over the years. Recently David has lent his talents to productions filmed right here in Arizona. As a member of the United Federation of Phoenix, David offers his unique insights from his professional life to fellow fans through his contributions to this publication. Learn more at davidstipes.com.

This is an in informative publication only, and is not for profit, for sale, or for commercial use. All “Star Trek” titles, associated names, and imagery are the sole property of Paramount Pictures. Star Trek is a registered trademark of CBS Corporation.

Praylor/Cravic ship, approx side view


FUSIONpatrol------------------

DiD you know that several members of the ufP haD their own tv show in the 1990’s?this is the story of “Fusion Patrol.”

Fade-in on anchorwoman Patty Kirkpatrick shuffling papers at her desk while Good Evening Arizona resumes its nightly news. She looks into the camera lens with sobering concern.

“Have you seen what’s on cable lately?” – Kirkpatrick asks. “We’re not talking about HBO or Showtime. We’re talking about Public Access, and 3-On-Your-Side is about to open your eyes.”

In the 1990’s, long before You-Tube, it was nearly impossible for the average Joe or aspiring filmmaker to get an audience. Television production is expensive and most people didn’t have access to a video camera. But a unique channel in Phoenix was changing all that.

Arizona used to grant a broadcasting license to Dimension Cable (later Cox Cable), and along with that

license came a provision for public access. That is a channel open to residents of the city to use as they saw fit without any censorship. You could have a show about religion, music, culture and even nudism. This of course led to many questionable programs which were of concern to the TV viewing audiences of the time. But while some protested the programming, former UFP member Eugene Glover saw an opportunity to embrace the service to create something different for the fandom community.

“Sometime in late 1993, a few friends and I tuned into Public Access and stumbled across a program called Argyle Socks. We watched the show with a horrific fascination akin to staring at an auto wreck.” – Glover said. “Three young men stood in some semi-constructed building taking turns smoking, spitting and reciting the lyrics to heavy metal songs.”

While shows like Argyle Socks and the infamous John Frazzini Presents were giving headaches to the straight-laced viewing audiences of the time, their shoestring production

values gave Eugene Glover an epiphany. If they could do it, why couldn’t he? In fact, without any prior filmmaking experience, Glover was convinced he could create something better, more coherent and hopefully more professional. At least compared to what else was on.

“One night following a club meeting at my house, the stragglers and I were tuned in to Public Access. It was so awful that we were compelled to watch, much like how a mute TV in a restaurant commands your attention.” – Glover continued. “I did research on Public Access and the concept fascinated me—the democratization of television. I cashed in my income tax return and bought a camcorder.”

Glover assembled a small team, including his best friend, David

Laskowski (member of Dr. Who fan club TARDIS) and co-worker Woody Harper (member of the UFP). Joining the initial trio were UFP members Jeff George, Lee Whiteside, Jim Cryer, Morgan Hunt, Matt Addickes, John Kittlesrud, Alice Harper, John Wheeler and other friends and family.

story by david matteson featuring eugene glover


--------- “Woody and I came up with the name, out of one of those lunchtime discussions. We were discussing the history of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and all the non sequitur names that they had (Owl-Stretching Time, etc.) and were trying to think along those lines. We chose the word “fusion” because it had a science sound to it. We chose “patrol” because Woody recently bought an old Jeep and we thought it would look cool to paint “Fusion Patrol” on the side. We figured we’d film shots of the jeep flying over sand dunes, like in that old show Rat Patrol. That never happened, but the name stuck.” – Glover explains.

“We intended on making a show to provide info to the nerdy sorts, like convention schedules. We tried to use public access for what it was intended for – getting

the word out and letting smaller communities have a voice. It was also intended showcase others’ work. We knew that there were frustrated filmmakers out there. People wanted to put together their “fan film” but had nowhere to show it. Initially, we managed to get a few submissions, UFP’s Star Trek the Home Movie being one of them.”

However, the submissions were few, and the crew was forced to create their own original material. Most skits were improvised and rarely did they write scripts. Eugene would call up his friends and whomever could show up would star in the show that week. They’d kick around ideas for an hour then start shooting in his living room the same day.

“In the episodes where we’re seen sitting around the table deciding on

what to do, that is far more organized than the actual process.” – Glover discusses. “For starters, we’d sit on the comfy sofas, then go to the table to shoot the fake brainstorming, which mirrored the real brainstorming. There were occasional

times where we actually had a near-fully-baked idea on paper. These were really difficult to do because volunteer time is notoriously unreliable. The UFP had a picnic at Encanto Park one Saturday. We convinced people to participate in the Running Benny Man skit. Our ongoing protagonist, the Running Man, dashed through the park, screwing up the fun activities,

picking up a chain of angry chasers, ala the Benny Hill show, set to Yakkity Sax. That was a challenging day. Everyone was keen to do it, but sometimes the heart is willing but the body, not-so-much.”

Some of the original ideas that Eugene and team filmed for Fusion Patrol include a skit for a new TV channel titled “The Pledge Break Channel.” The idea being that PBS was getting more and more like an all-pledge break station, so why not do the job right and just show all pledge breaks without any real programming?

Glover soon learned that breaking into television, even just the public access variety, wasn’t so easy. Dimension Cable wasn’t happy being forced to provide public access, and performed the bare minimum


required by their contracts. The equipment was terrible – using retired S-VHS decks removed from the backs of Arizona Sports Network vans. This made editing difficult and the process frustrating for everyone.

“We had to ration our cuts as much as possible. It forced me to start pre-editing at home and eventually completely editing at home. Also, you had an allotment of two three-hour sessions per month in-studio, most of which were during the day when I, like everyone else, was at work.” – Glover remembers. “You were expected to provide 13 episodes per quarter, but they’d allow you to air the same episode up to 4 times, meaning you could get by on 4 episodes per quarter. They also didn’t accept scheduling requests and our show would screen at random, usually at 1 am.”

These challenges drove Eugene to invest in non-linear editing hardware. As Fusion Patrol’s shooting seasons progressed, and technology advanced, so did Eugene’s ambitions.

“I’m a hack who really wanted to not be a hack. That didn’t happen, but I had a lot of fun making Fusion Patrol, even if I cringe watching the old episodes. I wanted to keep getting better and to justify the computer equipment purchases. I wanted to make a “real” show.”

In his heart, Eugene really wanted to make Star Trek, but his limited

budget meant less of the halls of the USS Enterprise and more of the hallways of his house. Cue: Fusion Patrol: 1999, with six fully-written scripts, a cast of dedicated actors, and budget for props and set design.

“The premise, which was about accidental explorers stuck in a house floating in outer space was driven by necessity. Also the absurdity of the idea, along with the long-standing jokes about the

scientific inaccuracies of Space: 1999 made me want to do it even more.” – Eugene explains.

“That version of the show crashed and burned because it was too ambitious. The model that we had for our original Fusion Patrol series was that people showed up when they could. This couldn’t work for a scripted program, and it took months to shoot the first episode because people couldn’t show up when needed. We could shoot around some of that, but when particular combinations of characters had to appear together, shooting had to be scrubbed.”

Despite it’s troubled production run and random late-night scheduling, the Fusion Patrol team was gaining some local recognition.

“I was in a sandwich shop and noticed a woman that appeared to be staring at me. As she approached, just as politely and kindly as can be she asked, “Excuse me, but aren’t you that guy on Fusion Patrol?” This was not what I was expecting. Taken aback

all I could manage was, “yes.” “My girlfriend and I LOVE your show! We watch it all the time!” I was amazed.” – Eugene concludes.

While Fusion Patrol’s time on the airwaves came to an end with Fusion Patrol: 1999, Eugene adapted his work into the novella Spacefall, which is available in paperback on Amazon.com. He continues to take on new video projects with Lone Locust Productions. And he keeps the Fusion Patrol name alive on his science-fiction and fandom reviews podcast at fusionpatrol.com.

the concePt fascinateD me— the Democratization of television.


The latest entry into the Star Trek television franchise began on Thursday, August 6 with the premiere of Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek’s first animated comedy. Executive-produced by Mike McMahan (Rick and Morty) with animation by Titmouse, Inc., the show takes a comedic look into the lives of four Starfleet ensigns who work on the lower decks of the USS Cerritos, a not-very-important California-class starship that focuses on ‘second contact’, visiting worlds newly admitted to the Federation. The four ensigns, Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), D’Vana Tendi (Noëll Wells), and Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) clash with various other crewmembers, aliens, and four bridge officers, Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis), first officer Commander Jack Ransom (Jerry O’Connell), security chief Lieutenant Shax (Fred Tatasciore), and chief medical officer Dr. T’Ana (Gillian Vigman). The story takes place in the TNG era, approximately a year after the events of the movie Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). As of this writing the first 6 of 10 episodes have aired on CBS All-Access.

The show is definitely tongue-in-cheek, and does not take itself too seriously. It works best when the humor is derived from crazy situations rather than stupid actions of the characters. Still, the show is made by folks who have a deep love of the Star Trek franchise, and every episode is filled with Easter eggs and call backs to all prior TV series and movies, including the 1970s animated series. Most episodes that have aired so far have the characters speaking at a very fast pace, typical of modern animated TV shows. But just in the first six episodes we see character growth in all four ensigns. The focus is on human commanders-in-training Ensigns Mariner (a Kirk-like, rule-breaking bad ass who is secretly the daughter of Capt. Freeman) and Boimler (a no-nonsense, by-the-book, high-strung nerd), whom Mariner takes under her wing to make more ‘street smart’ to put him on his desired Captain-track. Science Ensign Tendi (an Orion female) is very excited to be in Starfleet and eager for every assignment, and

finds friendship from engineering Ensign Rutherford, who has a Vulcan cyborg implant and would rather spend his time crawling around Jeffries tubes. Most episodes have an A- and B-plot pitting Mariner-Boimler and Tendi-Rutherford in various silly situations, where they try to extract themselves while still upholding Starfleet principles, usually learning something along the way.

Fans have been told to expect some

surprises in the remaining four episodes, including appearances by legacy characters, including Q (John DeLancie). So far J.G. Hertzler (General Martok, DS9) has appeared, voicing a Drookmari pirate captain. The show was approved for a two-season order, and McMahan has said they are well into writing the stories for season 2, which will hopefully air late in 2021. All episodes can be watched on CBS All-Access.

By Dr. David A. Williams


welcome to 3188 adAs part of CBS’s “Star Trek Day” celebration, the first real look at Discovery’s upcoming 3rd season return is finally here.

In the new trailer, the USS Discovery crew drop arrive in the year 3188 and find themselves in a galaxy where an event known as “The Burn” served as a catalyst for the Federation’s near-collapse.

There’s also a brand new logo for the series. As Star Trek: Discovery leaves the 23rd century behind, a new streamlined title design joins the crew in the far future.

Producer Alex Kurtzman related the reasons behind the logo change during the Discovery livestream panel; the original design used in Season 1 and 2 was meant to evoke the Klingon War, and as the story has progressed away from Klingon involvement, the show’s title design needed to evolve as well.

Discovery returns on October 15, exclusively on CBS All Access.

John de lancie as qStar Trek: Lower Decks showrunner Mike McMahan spilled a few spoilers about some familiar voices we’ll be hearing in the last

five episodes of the first season — including famous Next Generation and Voyager man of mischief Q, voiced of course by John de Lancie, reprising the role for the first time since 2001’s Voyager Episode “Q2.”

While McMahan stressed that de Lancie’s time as Q in an upcoming episode is very much a small moment in length, the near-cameo shot of those famous Q Continuum judge robes made a starring role in the new late-season trailer, which debuted during Star Trek Day.

Also, three-time Star Trek guest star Kurtwood Smith — who appeared in Voyager, Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country — will be voicing an alien role in an upcoming season as well.

Star Trek: Lower Decks airs Thursdays on CBS All Access.

Klingon BloodwineAfter last year’s successful debut, the team from Star Trek Wines returns for another round of releases this fall — this time from Qo’noS!

From the far reaches of the Klingon Empire comes the 2020 release of Klingon Bloodwine, produced with help from the Klingon Language Institute and one that’s been in the works for more than a year.

“We spent time researching with leaders of the Klingon Assault Group and Klingon Language Institute to get the cultural and historic elements rights. From there, we focused on design elements, including a special silk screen process with a unique mesh texture that gives the bottle a certain gravitas.”

Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were cultivated to produce strong flavors that glisten a vibrant ruby color in the glass. Bottled with 4 unique corks.

You can purchase Klingon Bloodwine now at startrekwines.com.


tReK at galaXYconJoin the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation on Sept 19th - 20th at Virtual GalaxyCon 2020!

Video Chat One-to-One, Get Personalized Autographs, and see a FREE Live Stream Q&A with the cast.

Saturday Sept 19th 9am (AZ)

- Jonathan Frakes “Cmdr Riker”- John de Lancie “Q”- Gates McFadden “Dr. Crusher”

Sunday Sept 20th 11am (AZ)- Marina Sirtis “Deanna Troi”- Denise Crosby “Tasha Yar”- Brent Spiner “Cmdr Data”

Learn more about this exciting event at galaxycon.com.

the new officeRs of the united fedeRation of phoeniXThis past meeting the UFP voted to elect a new slate of officers. Most are returning to their previous roles, with one first-time officer—Victor Bugg—joining the crew. This is the first UFP election in club history that has been held entirely online from remote locations around Arizona. Your officers for our 2020-2021 year are...

CAPTAIN Kim Smith

FIRST OFFICER Annette Sexton-Ruiz

RECORDS OFFICER Walt Bartlow

COMM OFFICER Victor Bugg

t-shiRts and RenewalsIt’s September again, which means the anniversary of Star Trek the original series, the anniversary of the founding of the UFP, and the annual renewals of club dues! To keep your membership current, please send a check for $15 to: The United Federation of Phoenix P.O. Box 37224 Phoenix, AZ 85069.

We hope you continue to be with us as we celebrate 45 years of the UFP and beyond! Members can receive a free copy of our 45th Anniversary issue of Subspace Chatter (while supplies last). And you can pick up newly-designed T-shirts for $15 (all sizes up to XL, $17 for 2XL and above) by emailing Captain Kim for more info at [email protected].

Join ouR adventuResThe United Federation of Phoenix (UFP) is the Southwest’s oldest Star Trek and science fiction fan organization, continuously operating since 1975.

This summer we have held bi-weekly Zoom meetings and small, safe gatherings at Kim & Dave’s house with swimming, wine tastings, and of course discussing Star Trek!

If you are into Sci-Fi and are in the Metro Phoenix area, consider attending one of our meetings. We would be glad to meet you. Email us at [email protected] for more info.

oFFicial brieFing


The United Federation of PhoenixP.O. Box 37224Phoenix, AZ 85069

Welcome to the Southwest’s oldest Star Trek and science fiction fan organization, continuously operating since 1975. The UFP is a collective of like-minded men and women from all walks of life who get together to have fun, engage in activities, and celebrate our shared love for Star Trek. Inside these pages is “Subspace Chatter,” our official bi-monthly publication, which spotlights our members, and provides a resource for all things related to the UFP! If you like Sci-Fi and are in the Phoenix area, we want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] for info.

THE UnITEd fEdERATIOn Of pHOEnIx

The UFP’s 46th year begins with the election of new club officers. Captain Kim Smith discusses remote meetings, and membership renewals in her Captain’s Log. Star Trek visual effects expert David Stipes teaches us about filming miniature models and showing off their best side. Dr. David A. Williams takes an in-depth look at the first half of the new animated comedy series Star Trek: Lower Decks. David Matteson interviews former UFP member Eugene Glover to explore the making of the 1990’s public access TV series Fusion Patrol, in which several UFP members were involved. We reveal the latest Star Trek news. And we wrap it up with our official club briefing, showcasing UFP news and upcoming activities.

InsIdE THIs IssUE Of sUbspAcE cHATTER

Documents

fusion patrol | photographing starship models | lower