Star Trek Interphases

09
Oct
2015

Review – Supply and Demand

A Look at Supply and Demand

Supply and Demand adds a dark underbelly to the E2 timeline.

Background

I wanted to cover a small and rather distasteful piece of The Three of Us that I gave hints of but never actually got a chance to show ‘on screen’. Hence Sandra takes center stage.

Plot

Barking Up The Muse Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | Leighton Meester | Sandra Sloane | Supply and Demand

Sandra Sloane (image of Leighton Meester is for educational purposes only)

During the E2 timeline, because the male to female ratio had a skew that was so heavily in favor of about two to three men per every woman (the ratio is canon), I decided that someone would take advantage of the situation and, to put it euphemistically, put out for some privileges. Enter Sandra and her business.

Because of the skewed ratio, and because she is alternately bored and depressed (and is overly horny and aggressive due to her poorly treated depression), Sandra hits upon an idea that, to her, is irresistible. She will supply sex, yes, and to anyone in the lower level crew who shows an interest. However, there is just one catch: it’ll cost ya.

As for the senior staff (which I sometimes write Chef and Shelby Pike the Botanist as being, sometimes not), she does not want anyone telling them a thing. And, for several months, no one does. The business, such as it is, flourishes.

Story Postings

Rating

The story has a T – MA rating.

Upshot

I really love the idea of someone taking advantage of the horribly skewed ratio, and doing something particularly nasty with it. The Sandra Sloane character works particularly well for this. In addition, she taunts Chef and makes him really pay for wanting to spend time with her.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Interphases series, Review, 0 comments
14
Aug
2015

Portrait of a Character – Lakeisha Warren Crusher

Portrait of a Character – Lakeisha Warren Crusher

Lakeisha Warren Crusher gives Wesley his soul.

Origins

When writing Crackerjack (spoiler alert!), I wanted very much for Wesley Crusher to end up wed to a woman of a different race. Enter Lakeisha.

Portrayal

Lakeisha is played by actress Viola Davis.

Personality

Friendly and personable, Lakeisha is also rather talented.

Portrait of a Character – Lakeisha Warren Crusher

Viola Davis as Lakeisha Warren

She plays the French horn in the Starfleet band. She and Wes meet because she’s playing at Will Riker and Deanna Troi’s wedding, which takes place during Imprecision.

During Overture, when Wes seeks her out and visits her at her dorm (she’s still at Starfleet Academy), she is in the midst of practicing a new song. She’s a little late starting.

Relationships

Wesley Crusher

Lakeisha’s only known relationship is with Wes. While the young lovers are kept apart for a while as he sows a few small wild oats to work for Mack MacKenzie, they stay together and remain true.

Theme Music

Lakeisha’s theme music is The Who’s Overture, from the rock opera Tommy.

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Lakeisha Warren Crusher

Viola Davis as Mirror Lakeisha

There are no impediments to Lakeisha existing in the Mirror.

She would have to be far tougher, as all women in that universe are. Given the time frame, she would likely be beheld to a man for her safety and basic necessities. Does a Mirror Wesley exist? I haven’t explored this yet, and the idea intrigues me.

Quote

“This flag officers’ concert, it’ll be done in a few days. We’ll post mortem it, but it’ll still be less than a week. After that, I’ve got classes and the usual, you know how it is. Confidentially, rumor has it that the whole thing is a front for them coming in and doing some recruiting for Section 31.”

Upshot

I adore Lakeisha and, as I continue to write the Barnstorming series, she’ll be seen more and more.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Interphases series, Portrait, 1 comment
24
Jul
2015

Portrait of a Character – Judy Kelly

Portrait of a Character – Judy Kelly

Origins

This character is canon, although she only has a first initial. She is seen during the Vox Sola episode. For the E2 timeline, I wanted her to be in the first and semi-unexpected relationship.

Portrayal

As in canon, Judy is played by actress Renee Goldsberry.

Portrait of a Character – Judy Kelly

Renee Goldsberry as Judy Kelly

In addition to Star Trek: Enterprise, she has also been on soaps. The Memory Alpha image in particular does not do her justice (the garage mechanic-style unis were not flattering to a lot of the actors). In Reflections Down a Corridor, I have Chang lump her with other women he considers to be ugly – Patti, Susie, and Lili. Hence it was a bit of an unexpected twist to put her into the first marriage on the ship after the first kick back in time.

Personality

Friendly and approachable, Judy is reliable but mainly stays out of the spotlight. I do not give her promotions, commendations, or any sort of authority. But not everyone becomes captain, or even ensign. There are those who quietly serve, and Judy is one of those people.

Relationships

Michael Rostov

In canon, they are friends. In the E2 timeline, I wanted them to be a lot more than that. In Reflections Down a Corridor, they are the first new couple to get together (technically, Tripp and T’Pol predate them).

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Judy Kelly

Renee Goldsberry as Mirror Judy

There are no impediments to Judy existing in the Mirror Universe. Empress Hoshi will only hold onto female crew members if they are very competent or are not serious sexual competition, preferably both. Judy fits the first criterion but not really the second.

But Goldsberry, for real, is a singer. In the Mirror Universe, singing would be a viable career even for the oppressed women of the other side of the pond. Because I write artistic Mirror Universe denizens as being elites, Judy could even be wealthy.

Quote

“I don’t need other prospects.”

Upshot

Minor characters, with nearly no screen time, can still have rather rich lives in fan fiction. Judy is one such character.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Hall of Mirrors, In Between Days series, Interphases series, Portrait, 5 comments
23
Jun
2015

Portrait of a Character – Oscar (Osh) Tiburón

Portrait of a Character – Oscar (Osh) Tiburón

Osh had an unlikely origin.

Origins

In the E2 timeline, I wanted to show the first pregnancy as being utterly unplanned. I needed a heterosexual couple for this, so I created Trace and Osh.

Portrayal

Oscar is played by actor Javier Bardem (who I also have playing filmmaker Carlos Castillo).

Barking Up the Muse Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | Javier Bardem

Javier Bardem as Oscar (Osh) Tiburón (image is for educational purposes only)

As is the case with the Carlos Castillo character, I wanted a versatile actor of Latino descent.

Personality

Taciturn and maybe a little shy, Oscar is even more of a strong, silent type than Jay Hayes, his commanding officer. He is also a semi-lapsed Catholic, insisting on a full Catholic mass for his wedding on the one hand, but also engaging in premarital sex on the other. So he is a bit conflicted.

In Shell Shock, he is a part of the group that runs after, and eventually apprehends, the perpetrator. This act exonerates Malcolm.

Relationships

Tracey Carter

Tracey pursues Oscar rather aggressively, giggling like a schoolgirl over him when discussing his finer points with her roommate, Maryam Haroun. She is an Engineering crewman and so their schedules do not always mesh. Once their daughter, Amanda, is born, Oscar is a bit overwhelmed. Amanda is a rather loud crier and is not, at least at the start, the easiest child to raise.

Mirror Universe

Oscar could exist in the Mirror Universe; there are no impediments to him doing so.

Barking Up the Muse Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | MU Osh

Javier Bardem as MU Osh (image is for educational purposes only)

For a strong and fast MACO, there are opportunities on the other side of the pond. Some are regular work opportunities, but others exist in serving the Empress Hoshi Sato directly. I created the character after I had written the main In Between Days books, so Oscar does not appear there. But there is no reason why I can’t retcon him in.

Quote

“It would only be right if we were to marry.”

Upshot

Whenever I need a fast runner, Oscar will be there.
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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Hall of Mirrors, In Between Days series, Interphases series, Portrait, 1 comment
05
May
2015

Portrait of a Character – Mara Brodsky

Portrait of a Character – Mara Brodsky

Mara Brodsky makes a point.

Origins

I wanted a character who would not fall into line, who would epitomize a lot of the less than savory activities going on during the E2 timeline. Enter Mara.

Portrayal

Mara is played by actress Maura Tierney.

Portrait of a Character – Mara Brodsky

Maura Tierney as Mara Brodsky

This actress has been in a number of different productions on television and seems to be rather versatile.

Personality

A bit of a cypher, Mara seems to be the kind of person who acts first and thinks later. Her husband’s own description of her is that she is in denial. She is an engineering crewman and is never promoted during the E2 timeline. I haven’t decided if she does any better during the prime timeline.

Relationships

Robert Slater

During Entanglements, they marry, but she strays. In The Three of Us, when she has what they both believe to be their child, the baby’s skin is darker than expected and so it is obvious that the child is not Robert’s.

Walter Woods

The man who Mara has been sleeping with is Walter. Because of the cuckolding, their child, Jeffrey Woods, has his blood tested in order to assure paternity with 100% accuracy. This leads Shelby to suggest that all of the children be tested, so that paternity can be perfectly known. Phlox agrees with her, as the gene pool is so small that the only way it can all work out genetically is if the parties who have children together are as distantly related as possible.

In Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, the relationship with and marriage to Robert are sidestepped, and Mara and Walter end up together from the beginning.

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Mara Brodsky

Mirror Mara

Mara exists in the Mirror Universe and, in fact, in Throwing Rocks at Looking Glass Houses, is credited with being one of the developers of the first agony booth.

Empress Hoshi would only keep women around if they were both very competent and not a sexual threat. Mara fits the first requirement and is likely old enough to fit the second as well.

Quote

“Walter, this is your son.”

Upshot

This is a character I don’t know too well (and I created her!). I might have occasion to expand on her some more if I return to the Mirror Universe, particularly earlier in Hoshi’s despotic reign.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Interphases series, Portrait, 1 comment
13
Mar
2015

Portrait of a Character – Victor Brown

Portrait of a Character – Victor Brown

Victor Brown has a less than honorable time of it in my stories.

Origins

This character is canon, although he was rarely on screen and only had a first initial.

What is always interesting and challenging for me is to try to put some flesh and blood onto bare bones canon characters.

This character is without a doubt one of those.

Portrayal

As in canon, Victor is played by stunt performer Yoshio Iizuka.

Personality

Portrait of a Character – Victor Brown

Yoshio Iizuka as Victor Brown

In the E2 timeline, Victor is one of the men who behaves rather badly. However, when he’s backed into a corner, he ultimately does the right thing, mainly to repair his marriage.  When accused, he (and Neil Kemper) confess to Captain Archer, they get lighter sentences than the others, in the matter of the attack on Patti Socorro.

Relationships

Cassandra Lester

Cassie is even less defined and I have very little on her, except that she is a Navigational Crewman.  They do not have children in either iteration/kick back in time.

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Victor Brown

Mirror MACO Victor Brown

This character exists in the Mirror Universe.

There is very little about him in the Mirror, although he is injured in the attempt to capture Slar (a Gorn), an attempt that causes Ian Reed to lose an eye. As for what happens to Victor afterwards, it’s anybody’s guess.

However, given the horrific medical care that I write for the Mirror Universe, and the fact that he is a lower level crew member, he would likely be patched up quickly in order to fight another day, but with few niceties. Would Empress Hoshi have him on her ship?

Only if he could prove loyalty to her, and no loyalty to Reed. And even then, maybe not. Far as she’s concerned, he’s cannon fodder and nothing more.

Quote

“Chang is saying that it’s not going to matter what we do or say, but I think it does matter. And even if it does nothing to my sentence or whatever the captain has in mind, it may make a difference with Cassie. And that’s all I really care about. I gotta repair my marriage. I am gonna break this code of silence.”

Upshot

There are a ton of these extra performers who had few lines. It is often a fascinating challenge to give them some depth. I hope I’ve done Victor some justice.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, In Between Days series, Interphases series, Portrait, 0 comments
06
Mar
2015

Portrait of a Character – Amanda Cole

Portrait of a Character – Amanda Cole

Amanda Cole is more than Phlox’s wife. And she’s more than someone for T’Pol to be jealous of.

Origins

The character is, of course, canon.

Portrait of a Character – Amanda Cole

Noa Tishby as Amanda Cole

She is a MACO Corporal and, in canon, had a bit of a fling with Tripp Tucker, as they both had the destruction wrought by the Xindi prototype weapon, and Floridian childhoods, in common.

Furthermore, in canon, in the E2 episode, she and Phlox marry and have nine children.

Portrayal

As in canon, Amanda is played by Israeli actress Noa Tishby.

Personality

Brash and maybe a little pushy, Amanda is the kind of person who goes after whatever she wants. If I were writing more of a prelude to the E2 stories, I probably would have included a confrontation between her and T’Pol.  That might happen in the future; I’m not sure.

Relationships

Phlox

During the first kick back in time, in 2037, Phlox is recruited to play Santa Claus. Unbeknownst to him, the members of the crew stand in line to request gifts. The first two children aren’t born yet, so the lineup is solely composed of adults. And Amanda is first. Surprising him, she sits on his lap, an act that he finds pleasing. Her sexual aggressiveness is what kick starts their relationship.

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Amanda Cole

Noa Tishby as Mirror Amanda Cole

I do not believe that there are any impediments to Amanda existing in the Mirror Universe. She was not a part of either of the Star Trek: Enterprise canon Mirror Universe episodes, but that does not mean that the character was necessarily not there.

I write most Mirror Universe women as being overly sexed and beholden to men. I think Amanda would be. Here, she’s the tough MACO. There, she’s yet another sexpot, looking to snag a strong man before her looks fade, someone to protect her and her eventual children.

Quote

“Sure. Captain, I wanna tell you, I want to thank you for, for this, this opportunity. … I just, I never thought I’d become a mother.”

Upshot

This is a character that wasn’t used too much in canon, and probably should have been. So I suspect that real-world issues changed that, as the show was facing cancellation during that season. If that hadn’t happened, and she had been in a few more episodes, who’s to say where the writers would have taken the storyline? As is the case with many things with Enterprise – Star Trek fanfiction to the rescue!

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, In Between Days series, Interphases series, Portrait, 0 comments
24
Feb
2015

Portrait of a Character – Sekar Khan

Portrait of a Character – Sekar Khan

Sekar Khan, I should have kept you!

Origins

For the E2 stories, I wanted the Quartermaster character (the position is canon, but there was no named character working in it, in the series) to be rather active.

Portrait of a Character – Sekar Khan

Dev Patel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Much like Crystal Sherwood, Sekar (the name is pronounced like ‘shaker’) would be a creative person.

Portrayal

Chandrasekar is played by actor Dev Patel. I like this smart, handsome actor and feel he would play the kind of guy who stays in the background until the E2 scenario rears its ugly head. And once it does, he gets a ton to do, and suddenly becomes a rather important person indeed.

Personality

Pleasant and a bit self-effacing, Sekar mainly stays to himself. He’s a part of the crew during the Xindi War but is wondering what to do with himself. However, once the ship is sent back in time, he becomes busy. Brides need approximations of gowns. Babies need onesies. The crew has to plow fields … something. Sekar gets the call, again and again, to conjure up new things more or less out of thin air. He does so with creativity and aplomb.

Relationships

Hoshi Sato

Sekar’s only known relationship is with Hoshi. In both iterative kicks back in time, they marry. However, in the first scenario, she dates both him and José for a while, before finally choosing him. Ironically, in the prime timeline, she refers to him as old what’s-his-name when dating Ted Stone, in There’s Something About Hoshi, a strong indication that he left the ship at the end of the hostilities.

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Sekar Khan

Mirror Sekar

There is nothing preventing Sekar from existing in the Mirror Universe. I write Mirror artists as being elites, so he would possibly be a rather wealthy man.

Would Empress Hoshi be interested? The idea intrigues. Perhaps I’ll write it someday.

Quote

“I guess it’s a way for the single people to get close. You know that dancing is a vertical expression of a horizontal desire.”

Upshot

I made Sekar for the E2 timeline, and I think he served that purpose rather well. So will I bring him back? His portion of the timeline has limitations. But it’s not outside the realm of possibility, particularly in the Mirror Universe.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, In Between Days series, Interphases series, Portrait, 3 comments
06
Feb
2015

Portrait of a Character – Derek Kelby

Portrait of a Character – Derek Kelby

Origins

The character, of course, is Star Trek Enterprise canon, but he didn’t have a first name.

Portrait of a Character – Derek Kelby

Derek Magyar as Kelby

I used the actor’s own first name, as he needed something.

Because he is a Commander in canon, but that’s the fourth season, I figured he could be at a lower level during the fourth season. As in canon, he works in Engineering.

Portrayal

As in canon, Kelby is played by actor Derek Magyar.

Personality

Something of a stick in the mud, Kelby is particularly stiff in his earlier years. In Where No Gerbil Has Gone Before, he, along with Meredith Porter, engages in the shenanigans with a lot more reluctance than the others exhibit. While I don’t overtly put them together, I do have Aidan MacKenzie suggest it.

However, he’s not totally without romance. In On the Radio, reference is made to him having spent the night with Patti Socorro during the events of More, More, More! However, even he can get into trouble. In Shell Shock, along with Malcolm, he’s one of the suspects in the rape of Ruby Brannagh. In Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, it’s confirmed that he never married in the first kick back in time. He also accidentally recorded the single men singing Santa Claus is Coming to Town, a recording heard as a transmission by the second iteration ship.

Relationships

Patti Socorro

With Chef Will Slocum dead in the second iteration, Patti and Derek marry. There is virtually nothing on their relationship, except that she was the third to last woman to wed, as opposed to second to last in the first iteration.

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Derek Kelby

Mirror Kelby

The character is known to exist in the Mirror Universe, although he’s an Ensign and not a Commander.

Quote

“Believe me, nobody wants to see Oslo this time of year, unless they like skiing.”

Upshot

Much like in canon, Derek isn’t seen much and isn’t heard from much. This stick in the mud character is not easy to write.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, In Between Days series, Interphases series, Portrait, 1 comment
03
Feb
2015

Review – Everybody Knows This is Nowhere

Review – Everybody Knows This is Nowhere

Everybody Knows This is Nowhere works on a ton of levels. It is one of my best fan fiction works.

Background

I enjoyed writing the E2 Star Trek fan fiction stories a great deal, but I figured out after a while that it had to be two kick backs in time, rather than just one.

Barking up the Muse Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Otherwise, some of the scenes that I really wanted to put into the storyline would have been impossible or nearly impossible, without smashing canon to smithereens. Everybody Knows This is Nowhere rather neatly fixes all that.

Plot

After an initial kick back in time, the descendants of the Enterprise meets the current ship but it’s actually a second iteration of three. The second iteration is kicked back, too, and the bulk of the book is about the second iteration’s trials in the Delphic Expanse.

Review – Everybody Knows This is Nowhere

I Only Want to Be with You (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With certain things known, such as crew members’ sexualities and mate preferences, a lot of stress of the first three books essentially disappears. Therefore, almost everyone opts for an ‘instant replay’. But then some things go wrong, and not everyone can get what they want or who they want. In keeping with what I had established in Together, Lili ends up with José Torres.

Music

Story Postings

Rating

The story has an M rating.

Upshot

So this book is far sadder but also more spiritual. Lili has to heal from some horrible hurts, and she doesn’t treat José too well at all in the beginning. Hence I suppose that having her behave somewhat rottenly at times really pulls her out of the Mary Sue category for good. The story, I feel, hits its marks well, and ultimately soars.


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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Interphases series, Review, 12 comments