Force Of Nature

Today at work I was given an “Inter-PEN-tion” by my coworkers at Family Speech. My boss came over to me and said something to the order of “Paul we’ve pretty much concluded that you are the one chewing on the pencils around, we figured it out when it was happening last year and it just started again this fall”. THANKS! I was then given a package of pens with a post-it note on them that said “Paul’s Pens”.  I think I turned about as red in the face as the Abercrombie pants I was wearing today. I then spent the rest of the afternoon at work paranoid that I chewed my pencils and didn’t realize it. I didn’t chew all afternoon, Yeah! I left work feeling I had taken the fall for a kid who was chewing on the company pens but then again maybe I am a pen chewer. It is a good thing I work in a place that I enjoy my coworkers enough to tolerate a little semi-awkward jibe like this now and then. By the way I am so proud of my little “interPENtion/intervention” word joke that I plan on riding it until the wheels fall off!

I didn’t write down my stats today but I will be honest it was a bit of a lame workout. I need to find a way to change up my workout a little bit in the next few weeks. I am considering taking some time off of Star Trek as soon as I have finished season 7. Nothing is set in stone yet but I may take a little bit off and watch a season of a half hour comedy then get back into Star Trek.

Force of Nature

The Enterprise is investigating the disappearance of a Federation supply ship the Fleming. The ship was last seen in the Hekaras Corridor, a safe pathway through a dangerous portion of space. The area is littered with subspace disturbances and the corridor is the only way to travel this sector. While investigating the Fleming the Enterprise runs into a Ferengi ship that has been disabled by a buoy in the corridor. The Enterprise is then attacked by a small ship that disables it in one shot. The Enterprise is then boarded by two Hekaran scientists who have evidence that warp drive is destroying the fabric of space itself. Picard, LaForge and Riker agree to send the research to Starfleet but this isn’t enough and one of the scientists then decides to blow up her ship to cause a warp rift. The warp rift demonstrates what will happen if warp drive is continually used in this area. The remaining scientist, Rabal, works with the Enterprise to find a way out of the rift but before they can leave the Enterprise discovers the Fleming in the center of it! Data and LaForge now work to find a way out of the rift and to save the crew of the Fleming. Of course they manage to save the crew and now they are faced with a daunting challenge, recommending to Starfleet that warp drive be limited. Starfleet and the Federation issue a statement that all ships must limit their warp use to no greater than warp 5. There is also a fun subplot of Data trying to train his rebellious cat Spot with little success.

The episode is essentially an allegory for the “save the environment” that became extremely popular in the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s. The show does a nice job of being entertaining and still carrying a hefty message for the public.