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As many Star Trek fans know, there's a struggle going on right now among four Scottish cities, all of which want the honor of being named the future birthplace of Montgomery Scott. It isn't just that there's potential tourist money tied up in the question. It's also a matter of pride and hope. A city that anticipates becoming the birthplace of Montgomery Scott must also anticipate that it will be a thriving metropolis several hundred years hence.

There is no debate about the future birthplace of Benjamin Sisko. He will be born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 2332. His father, who owns the restaurant Sisko's Creole Kitchen, will cook many of the dishes for which the city is famous, and the Starfleet captain will introduce that food and culture to his crew on Deep Space Nine. We see New Orleans under difficult circumstances on the series - shapeshifters have infiltrated Earth and the planetary power relays are knocked offline - yet the city, and Earth, prevails.

I don't have to tell anyone that right now, Benjamin Sisko's future birthplace is underwater. Not only its future but its past and present are being lost along with thousands of lives. "The Big Easy" has survived hurricanes before, and floods, epidemics, wars, plus clashes among the English, French, Spanish, Africans, Native Americans, Caribbean Islanders, Northerners, Southerners and others who found their way across the Gulf or down the Mississippi. New Orleans is a city where each of these cultures has kept and celebrated its traditions while coming together to form a community. It's a US version of IDIC. This is a city whose people and culture and ideology are so important to our future.

I had these paragraphs written before I saw Bill Kowinski's latest column at Soul of Star Trek; he's written a much more comprehensive (and more political) article about the relevance of New Orleans to Star Trek's history and values, but I still felt that I had to say something. Wherever you are, what's happening in New Orleans is not remote. It's happening to all of us and to our future. And it's something we may be able to do something about before this particular piece of Star Trek lore is washed away.

Trek BBS Today

Below are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:

-How come bad humans in SF can be reformed so easily?

-Is TNG "Star Trek Lite"?

-What was your saddest day as a science fiction fan?

More topics can be found at the Trek BBS!

Trek Two Years Ago

These were some of the major news items from September 2003:

• Braga: MACOs Will Enhance 'Enterprise'
  Executive producer Brannon Braga said that Enterprise's new Military Assualt Command Operations team would not only beef up the ship's security forces but also provide storytelling possibilities:

  I think there's something interesting about having these soldiers on board. We can use them to highlight regular characters, because there's some inherent conflict to be had in it. Having them around will allow us to do some cool stuff on an action level, which will be evidenced in the first episode...they're here to service our regulars, not to supplant them.

• Is 'Enterprise' Losing Faith of the Heart?
  Reports stated that the producers of Enterprise were considering changing the theme song, possibly with new music by an electronic band. Other stories said that the opening credits with images of historic travel would be revamped and that the words "Star Trek" would be added to the series' logo.

• Trinneer Looks Forward to a Tougher Trip
  "I don't know how plain old pissed-off he is," Tucker actor Connor Trinneer said, but he revealed that his character would mourn his sister's death and develop a darker edge in the wake of the Xindi attacks.

More news can be found in the archives.

Poll Results

Below are the results of the most recent TrekToday poll:

Best Ears! Vulcans! 53.7% - (585 Votes) Ferengi! 24.3% - (265 Votes) Mirkwood Elves! 16% - (175 Votes) Jem'Hadar! 3.1% - (34 Votes) Gorn! 1.4% - (16 Votes) Talosians! 0.8% - (9 Votes) Yridians! 0.4% - (5 Votes) Total Votes: 1089

Please vote in our new poll on whether you would like to see the Star Trek franchise rebooted.

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