Club Admiralty Blog

A blog about life in general, in as many languages as I can manage. Ενα ιστολόγιο περι ζωής, πολυγλωσσο - σε όσες γλωσσες εχω μεράκι να γράψω.

Review: Star Trek The Next Generation: Mirror Broken - Origin of Data

Saturday, Jun 29 2019, 04:00Comic Book, Entertainment, goodreads, review, Sci-Fi, Social Media, Social Networking, StarTrekPermalink

Star Trek The Next Generation: Mirror Broken - Origin of Data by David Tipton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I got this one as part of a Lootcrate. This comic traces the origin of data in the mirror universe. I do find the borgification of data interesting. I'd love to know more about the borg in the mirror universe in subsequent comics.

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Review: Star Trek: Discovery Annual 2018

Friday, Jun 28 2019, 04:00Comic Book, Discovery, Entertainment, goodreads, review, Sci-Fi, Social Media, Social Networks, StarTrekPermalink

Star Trek: Discovery Annual 2018 by Kirsten Beyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I rather enjoyed this short trek into how Stamets discovered the spore transportation technology and how he got into starfleet. A little bonus at the end you get to see how Tilly comes on-board the Discovery. I got the impression from the TV show that cadets see now part of crews as some sort of work-study but apparently Tilly is a special case!

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Review: Fear Itself

Thursday, Jun 27 2019, 04:00Discovery, Entertainment, goodreads, review, Sci-Fi, Social Media, Social Networks, StarTrekPermalink

Fear Itself by James Swallow
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book felt very much like a TNG episode in DSC skin.
It was a fine book to explore a bit of Saru's background (but I think some things in the book were in conflict with what we've learned of Saru on the show. There are Trek episodes that I put on in the background (they are fine, I just do other things while the show is on), and episodes that I pay close attention. Ithink this book was an "in the background" book for me. Still good, but I didn't hang onto every word.

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Review: Star Trek: Discovery - Succession

Wednesday, Jun 26 2019, 04:30Comic Book, Discovery, Entertainment, goodreads, mirrorUniverse, review, Sci-Fi, Social Media, Social Networks, StarTrekPermalink

Star Trek: Discovery - Succession by Kirsten Beyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This comic gives us a glimpse of the mirror universe, specifically what's happening with Mirror Burnham. Georgiou is gone (she's in the prime universe), so people assume she is dead. Someone else is, Michael's "cousin" is on the throne, but there is treachery afoot. In typical mirror universe fashion there are lots of twists and turns in the plot and the person who ends up as emperor is...unexpected. This was a fun read :-)

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End of Backward Compatibility Program

Sunday, Jun 16 2019, 09:18compatibility, E3, Entertainment, Microsoft, video games, VideoGames, XBOXPermalink

During this year's E3 conference Microsoft announced the next gaming console (Scarlet) which will debut next year (which means that I'll get in in four years from now...). It will be backwards compatible with the original xbox, the 360, and the One. In order to achieve that, the Backwards Compatibility team for the Xbox One is stopping their work on the current console in order to focus on the next. Overall I should say that I am pretty happy. Most of my xbox games are compatible with the One, but there are a few notable omissions. I really wish that some of these were already backwards compatible...but I guess that this won't happen now. There is always hope that they will become BC in the next console release.

So what's left in my list that's not compatible?

Azkend (freebie when I got my 360, but it would be cool to play on the one...)
Bionic Commando re-armed
Mortal Kombat 9
Mortal Kombat Arcade Collections
Max Payne
Max Payne 2
Max Payne 3
Dark (OK, not the best of games, but it would be nice to attempt to play it again)
Stranglehold
Dishonored (it exists on the One for cryin' out loud!!!)
Watchdogs (ditto)
Diablo III (ditto)
Halo 2 (original xbox version. I know the Master Chief collection has it, but I don't need to buy an entire collection for one game I own...)
Robotech Battlecry (original xbox, compatible to the 360, so why not the one?)
Battlestar Galactical (ditto)
Star Trek Shattered Universe (ditto)
Wolfenstein (original xbox)
Wolfenstein (360 sequel)
Alpha Protocol
Alone in the Dark
007: Quantum of Solace
Remember Me
Kane and Lynch
Titanfall (exists on EA's subscription service, so I don't get why it's not already BC)
Arkham City: Blackgate Edition
Crimson Alliance (this was a freebie, haven't played it yet)
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

I hope these become BC one day, so I can put my 360 in a closet somewhere :-)

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Review: Desperate Hours

Saturday, Jun 15 2019, 09:04Books, Discovery, Entertainment, goodreads, Sci-Fi, Social Media, Social Networks, StarTrekPermalink

Desperate Hours by David Mack
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Interesting story set one year before the "vulcan hello" pilot for the series. It includes the Enterprise and Pike (and Spock). Having seen Anson Mount as Pike really helps visualize this story in my mind's eye. There are some inconsistencies with the series - e.g., Saru's planet referred to "Kelpia" instead of "Kaminar" and getting the sense that Kelpiens are subterranean species.

Overall the story of fighting some ancient dreadnought was interesting. I feel like the Burnham-Spock bonding sub-plot gives those two characters a better history than what was presented on-screen in Season 1, but it feels a little incongruent with Season 2.

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Review: Star Trek Online: The Needs of the Many

Friday, Jun 14 2019, 09:11Books, Entertainment, goodreads, MMORPG, Sci-Fi, Social Media, Social Networks, StarTrekPermalink

Star Trek Online: The Needs of the Many by Michael A. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an interesting read, and it definitely adds some more context to STO's Undine arc (which made the Undine Infiltration in the game make much more sense. The book is told from the lens of Jake Sisko who is interviewing many well-known (and not so well-known) characters in the Star Trek universe about the first war with the Undine. About the only "continuity glitch" is that they refer to Riker as a Captain; which was the case when this book was written in the Titan Series of books, but since this takes place in the future, Riker has been promoted to Admiral. Oh well. Overall quite enjoyabe.

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On an accolade roll! -- well... I was...

Sunday, Jun 2 2019, 14:17Entertainment, MMORPG, online, Sci-Fi, StarTrek, video games, VideoGamesPermalink

I was in a bit of a roll with accolades on Star Trek Online; Accolades I hand't earned on the first play through. For some of these missions I haven't gone back to them in years. That said, I think I am done with the accolade hunt for now. Some are event-specific accolades (Summer event, or Arena of Sompek) that come around once in a while (summer even should be here "soon"), and others are TFO related that make it hard. Some of the MACO accolades for example require that the person/team get all optional objectives for a TFO. This was easy in space-based missions, but it seems impossible in the 3 ground TFOs (at least with a PUG anyway). Some mission-based accolades require some herculean feats (like preventing ANY damage to a toon, or destroying a ridiculous amount of swarm ships that may not even spawn). So...I guess STO accolades are a bit on hiatus until and event comes along. Here's what I've gotten so far tin this latest round:

Act of Conscience

Refuse to give Garak a rare bottle of Bajoran Distilled Kanar during the weekly episode Second Wave.

Alternative Allies

Speak with all 16 named characters in the Tholian base. Three in the receiving area: Franklin Drake, one of your Engineering BOFFs and D'Tan. Eight in the mess area: Slamek, one of your Tactical BOFFs, Morn, Elim Garak, T'nae, Va'Kel Shon, Obisek and (after getting food from the replicator) Richard Castillo. Five in the living quarters: B'vat, one of your Science BOFFs, Farek, Nelan and Tasha Yar. - for some reason I thought I had done this when I first played through, but I guess I missed a few...

I.S.I.S. Expert, Tactical Thinking, and Best Served Cold

These next three accolades all share the same medal.

ISIS expert: You read all of the prisoner bios while playing Facility 4028.

Tactical Thinking: Used the plasma leaks on the S.S. Azura to your advantage. (in Stranded in Space)

Best Served Cold: You destroyed Farek's ship at the end of Operation Gamma. (I was the good guy in all play-throughs previously and let Farek go)

Detective

Your expert detective skills have saved an innocent man from a fate he didn't deserve. - I had started and kept failing this mission a number of times in the past before giving up. This time I got it :-)

Disciple of Sun Tzu

Read the journals of the Temporal Liberation Front leaders in Til the End of Time[sic]

Don't quit your dayjob

Another one I missed in the same anniversary event as "alternative allies" - basically mess up everyone's task when you assign them tasks (something which I never tried to do in the past!)

Flagship Downed

Assist all downed crew in the Halls of the Lleiset. - again, something I didn't always do, especially if I was speeding through the mission in the past

Flip Flop

Denied Amnesty to the Vaadwaur and attained the maximum number of allies after having dropped to the minimum. - something I never did in the past because...again...playing as the good federation captain.

Like an open PADD

You get this if you do a proper interrogation of the Na'Kuhl prisoner in Temporal Front. I guess I didn't hit X for "doubt" enough in past tries :P

Sacrifice for the Greater Good

After disabling the Benthan ship, Commander Eldex wants to destroy it and Seven of Nine wants to spare it. Choose "It's an unfortunate situation, but I agree with Eldex." then either option that follows. - Again, something I didn't do in the past because of playing as a good guy

Soft Touch

Granted Amnesty to the Vaadwaur in "Difficult Choices" and dropped to the minimum number of allies possible. - just like flip flop, you had to run this small mission 10 times to completion... I hate those.

Nanostream Manipulator & Champion Chaperone

Two accolades, one image:
Nanostream Manipulator: Learn to create Nanostream Energy Cells (second wave)
Champion Chaperone: Save all escaping ships while leaving DS9 during the weekly episode (second wave)

Divide & Quickly Conquer

Defeat all three dreadnoughts in Borg Disconnected within one minute of one another. - this was pure luck as the other people in the TFO had builds that blasted the enemies out of space! Thank you nameless PUGs!

getting to the route of things & mining survey

Two accolades, one image:
Getting to the route of things: Still available if done during mission Heading Out or Celes System Patrol. This was part of the now defunct "war is good for business" missions - but it is accessible still in the Celes System. The other accolades of this mission are not. Boooo.
Mining survey: Fly Through the Hole in the Large Asteroid in Stranded In Space - quick and easy

Network Security

Completed the tactical option while playing the weekly episode Of Bajor. One of three career-specific accolades. I really wish Cryptic would combine these across our characters (I am sure I've earned the engineer and science officers versions of this)

voth entry denied & spaceside assistance

Two accolades, same medal image

Voth Entry Denied: Complete the Voth Invasion in the Undine Space Battlezone and receive the Tier IV reward. - something I never got because I didn't hang out in the Battlezone too much (just flying through for missions)

Space Side Assistance: Basically help random ships (that may spawn or not) in the Undine Space Battlezone.

Starbase Security & Cunning and Guile

Two accolades, same medal

Starbase Security: Investigated the reports of sabotage on Starbase 114 in the Celes system.

Cunning & Guile: Basically go undetected in 23rd century Drozana Station.

Lobes for Business

Basically here you have to overpay Quark for goods in "Second Wave". Something I never did because at the time I didn't have enough latinum (now I do!)