Date: 20 May 2014 02:52 Title: Founding Fathers
So awesome, and I loved the ending line in this. Brilliant!
Author's Response: Thanks TS! Glad you liked it.
Date: 20 May 2014 02:10 Title: Past Prologue
I really loved the lighthearted, uplifting feeling of this, and also the look at the different cultures and peoples of the Federation. Not that familiar with Archer or Solkal, but like the characters presented here.
Author's Response: Thanks GK! Nice to know that the ficlet worked just as much for those who don't have any ENT experience as those who do. Thanks for the comment!
Date: 19 May 2014 22:31 Title: Past Prologue
Hah! That was just as good as the first chapter, but for different reasons. Nice way to link the events of 100 years ago with the events of today, and nice move by Archer to play on Solkar's past actions to get him to repeat them today. The feeling of brotherhood, and unity--despite the obvious differences in temperaments and personalities--of the original member races showed clearly as well. Understanding others' quirks, and faults, and accepting them--nay, celebrating them--anyway is what leads to true friendship and tolerance between peoples. Good on ya for showing that.
Author's Response: Thank you LBD. I definitely want to show a progression through these ficlets, which is why I wanted to space them over this 700 year period rather than say a 7 year period. I'm glad that is coming across, just have to hope I manage to continue it through the next ones as well. Thanks for the comment!
Date: 19 May 2014 22:30 Title: Founding Fathers
Nice scene and those last two line were grand and well crafted well done.
Author's Response: Thank you very much. Always difficult to know how to finish these things, constantly tinkering, so nice to know you liked it!
Date: 19 May 2014 20:54 Title: Founding Fathers
First class, CS. Capturing Archer well and then there's Solkar. Being reminded of the Star Trek book series 'Day of Honour'. Albeit this being the UFP version. First rate as I say.
Author's Response: Wow Mac, way to make me blush! Thanks so much. I hadn't thought of the link to 'Day of Honor' though seems obvious now that you mention it. Thanks so much!
Date: 19 May 2014 20:53 Title: Past Prologue
Utterly amazing, CS. Weaving into this world that is so little explored of the 21st Century in Trek. I shall read on...naturally.
Author's Response: Sure I had responded to this one already... :) Thanks Mac. Glad you liked it and the next chapter, hope you'll enjoy the rest as well.
Date: 19 May 2014 20:08 Title: Founding Fathers
Ah, this piece warms my heart. The affability of Archer comes through here, as well as the development he's experienced from once distrustful of Vulcans to very welcoming towards them. Well done.
Author's Response: Thanks! It's funny, everyone has mentioned the change in Archer, it wasn't done on purpose but I'm glad that it came across anyway! :) Thanks for the review
Date: 19 May 2014 19:47 Title: Founding Fathers
Ha ha! Captain Archer getting Ambassador Solkar to have a drink with him. I could imagine his distaste of alcoholic beverages. Another great piece Sarine and I cannot wait to see what you come up with next for Day #3.
Author's Response: Yeah, Vulcans and alcohol are not necessarily the greatest of combinations. Thanks for the comment. Tomorrow - Pike!
Date: 19 May 2014 19:00 Title: Founding Fathers
Aw man. I loved that. A neat call back to First Contact and to the previous entry too. Nice linkage and all adds to the terrific theme you are weaving for this week. I really dig it. Here, we see Archer has made the leap (not Quantum) to be embracing of Vulcans and the role they played in humanity's future/past and the role they all share in the formation of the Federation. It works really well as a summation of where things have progressed and what the history and journey was all about. It's not just about nations/powers alone but about people and their growth and why the Utopian vision is the vision that underlies everything (even when it perhaps realised). The choice of characters was spot on and fitting and it was great to see Archer a little more deft at navigating speeches and working with vulcans and recognising the momentous moments (gazelle speech anyone?). Solkar was made of win too. Hee, hee.
Author's Response: Glad you like the theme and the weaving MF, that is definitely what I was going for. I am building towards something, but in the meantime, I'm enjoying revisiting the past. Archer and Solkar seemed like the key to this era and I really wanted to see them together. I had a totally different idea planned initially but then I was reading through Memory Alpha and saw the reference to the bottle of whisky Cochrane gave to Henry Archer and the rest just kind of fell into place. I'm glad you liked what I did with Archer, not the easiest character to write. Thanks!
Date: 19 May 2014 16:11 Title: Founding Fathers
What a lovely callback to first contact! I really liked that; the nod to continuity. It seems in the future, they have less trouble with 100 years than we do today, in remembering the lives of those who came before. I wonder how much of that is due to technology, like recordings and archives of audio and that.
Author's Response: Hi SL. One of my objectives for this was to do that whole call back to the past thing so you'll see regular nods to what happened in the ficlet before. I think technology plays a role, but also extended lifespans for humans and the presence of long-living alien races (ie Solkar who was able to be present at First Contact but is still both alive and entirely conscious at the time of Archer). Glad you liked it.
Date: 19 May 2014 15:48 Title: Founding Fathers
I loved this. A warm and intimiate scene in the midst of a massively momentous occasion. How very Archer to find a way to connect like that. He wasn't my favorite captain, but his heart was pretty much always in the right place and I loved his optimism. Sometimes it bordered on stupidity (okay, sometimes it crossed the line wayyyyy into stupidity territory) but in this case, it was just right. Well done.
Author's Response: Thanks. Yeah, Archer never did quite know where the line was, though I think he got better as the series progressed. When I decided to write about Federation Day, there were no other characters I could possibly use except for these two, especially with Solkar's link back to Cochrane. Glad you liked it!
Date: 19 May 2014 14:53 Title: Founding Fathers
Oh, cool!
And the ending, all I could think of was the old Folger's commercial, "We've secretly replaced this genuine Kentucky bourbon with Zefram Cochrane's stuff that tasted like fermented mouthwash. Let's see if the delegates notice."
Author's Response: Don't know the commercial but I'll take your word for it! :) Glad you liked it.
Date: 19 May 2014 04:48 Title: Past Prologue
First Contact is without a doubt my favorite of the TNG movies, and I loved this little insight into how Lily and Zefram met. Great job! You really captured the spirit in which Cochrane was portrayed in the film.
Author's Response: RogueJawa, yeah mine too. I always liked the portrayal of Cochrane, especially the look on his face when he actually gets out into space - a true redemption. Glad you enjoyed this little scene.
Date: 19 May 2014 03:19 Title: Past Prologue
This was a great story. I always stand in awe of people who can mix humor and horror because I've never been good at it myself. It has been a long time since FC for me, but you csptured the characters beautifully. Looking forward to the next installment.
Author's Response: Thanks Gatekeeper. Wow, means a lot that you think I managed to capture the character so well.
Date: 18 May 2014 23:23 Title: Past Prologue
I have to say I really enjoyed this one. Truly a great setup for Sloane & Cochrane. You have a good premise here. I cheered at the revelation of Cochrane. WEll done.
Author's Response: Thanks very much Mick. I enjoyed writing them and happy everyone seems to have liked my portrayal. We'll see tomorrow if people like how I handle Archer as much... :)
Date: 18 May 2014 22:59 Title: Past Prologue
Awesome start, and great job with Zefram! Can't wait for more!
Just a question, were the Mutes talked about in other stories, or did you come up with them yourself? Crazy stuff; I wonder if they'll be coming back into this?
Author's Response: No, I invented the Mutes wholesale as they say, but they seem a logical result of WW3. No plans at the moment to use the mutes again, like I said in the intro this is gonna be more of a time-spanning story, next ficlet will be set 100 years later with completely different characters. Thanks for the comment!
Date: 18 May 2014 22:10 Title: Past Prologue
Oh, man. Talk about a breathless beginning. Is it bad I squealed a little when I saw it was Bozeman and Cochrane and Lily you were writing about?
Author's Response: Not at all! Squeal away! Hope you won't be too disappointed with the other characters I use in the later ficlets.
Date: 18 May 2014 21:35 Title: Past Prologue
This was great! Kinda figured it was Cochran, but that did nothing to dispel the tenor of fear you painted here, or somehow lessen the impact of that first meeting. Terrifying and humorous at the same time, you don't know whether to stand quaking in your boots or bust out laughing - much like some of the scenes in FC. Well done, and can't wait to see where you take this.
Author's Response: Yeah, I always liked the mix in FC of humour and horror, with the Borg on the ship and Riker and Troi and the others with Cochrane down on the planet. I didn't intentionally emulate it but it came out that way, so yay! :) Thanks for the kind comment.
Date: 18 May 2014 20:38 Title: Past Prologue
Ah, now this is wonderful. I'd always wondered how and when Cochrane and Lily had met and why she owed him. Nice opener to an even larger story, I should think.
Thanks for sharing this!
Author's Response: Thanks very much! Yes, more of a prologue to a larger story - tomorrow we jump 100 years to the Founding. Glad you liked it!
Date: 18 May 2014 20:34 Title: Past Prologue
Oh, Cochrane. I could definitely see this as the way the two ended up meeting. Lily seemed to owe him one in FC and that's why she stuck around. Love the atmosphere of this piece and the mutes -- chilling stuff.
Author's Response: Thanks TF! This one was actually a very late addition to my idea for the FF, but I needed a seventh story and one that resonated with the founding of the Federation while being set before, and this seemed a good fit. I also like the idea of Lily owing Cochrane something - there had to be some reason why she stuck around. Glad you liked it!
Date: 18 May 2014 18:26 Title: Past Prologue
Okay, that was just badass and perfectly done. LOVE IT. Point of correction, it's spelled "Bozeman," but other than that ... you captured Cochrane's and Sloane's voices perfectly and I love the sort of Hunger Games or zombie apocalypse vibe you brought with the "mutes." Very cool. I can't wait to see where you take this.
Author's Response: Thank you! And for the point of correction as well, I've gone back and edited it. I did a little research before hand since my knowledge of this era is restricted to First Contact and the stuff we did last year in the Multiverse thing. So glad that you liked what I did with these great characters. Next stop: The Founding of the Federation
Date: 18 May 2014 17:52 Title: Past Prologue
I kinda figured it was Zef once the shots rang out. I do so love these characters!
Author's Response: Yeah they are great aren't they? I always loved what First Contact did with the Cochrane character and Lily was just kick-ass. Thanks for the comment!
Date: 18 May 2014 17:44 Title: Past Prologue
Ooooh. I love the premise of this. This should be a little snapshot of the Federation's history I'm thinking. And despite the low key nature of this piece it is actually a fascinating and enthralling piece. Meeting Lily meeting Zefram was great. And you made them fit canon but they felt like they were your characters too such was the life you gave their interaction in even such a brief glimpse. It was hardly auspicious but certainly fitting. Loved it and the humour you conveyed and the promise of what's to come makes me all the more excited.
Author's Response: Yes, exactly. A snapshot every 100 years from 2061 to 2661. Some familiar faces but also some fantasizing about the future of the Star Trek universe. It's sort of supposed to be a little 'backdoor pilot' as it were for a longer story I'm kicking around. I'm so honoured that you feel I both fit them to canon but also appropriated them - for a fanfic author I doubt there is any greater compliment! :D Me beaming! Thanks again
Date: 18 May 2014 16:33 Title: Past Prologue
Nice piece CS, You've got Zefram and Lily first meeting to feel believable and be both a little scary and a little funny.
Author's Response: Thanks FB. Glad you enjoyed it and that it hit that sweet spot between scary and funny, was what I was aiming for.