With the permission of Tegra 2, we
have docked while Engineering runs a diagnostic of the ship's
ecosystem which they claim has a glitch in its
time continuum.By sonya hammond
With the permission of Tegra 2, we
have docked while Engineering runs a diagnostic of the ship's
ecosystem which they claim has a glitch in its
time continuum.
This unexpected break in routine offers me the opportunity to indulge in my favorite holodeck program, an archaeological dig complete with authentic artifacts from early Earth civilizations.
My latest finds are partially preserved 20th century examples of printed journals known as 'newspapers' which reported what were, one assumes, the planet's most important daily events. The fragments I recovered, while not complete, indicate typical upheavals prevailing at the time involved the countries of Rwanda, Somalia, Haiti and Yugoslavia, some of which no longer exist.
Details of these struggles are minimal since the bulk of reported news involved a dual murder case in America about which so much was written that one must assume it was considered more worthy of attention. [This odd ranking of priorities may be an example of Lack of Official Support Syndrome.]
Reports of this case indicate a virtual outpouring of adulation on behalf of a man considered a 'hero' in spite of his implication in the savage murders of two victims apparently not deemed sufficiently heroic to be of more than legal interest. [The journals do not specify the period's requirements for hero status, but possible implication in murder was obviously not a detriment although one of the victims was the man's ex-wife.]
While numerous other murders, as well as issues of international importance, were perfunctorily reported on a daily basis, none of them received the amount of attention bestowed on this man whose unspecified previous deeds had presumably made some unparalleled contribution to mankind's welfare.
Interest in every facet of the case was so intense that 'television' entertained viewers with live pictures of the hero who inexplicably at one point rode a wild horse along a 'freeway' accompanied by a police escort. The newspapers report that activity throughout the nation was paralyzed as the populace gave its full attention to television, purportedly due to the possibility that the hero might blow himself to bits on camera.
There are gaps in ensuing reports, but the hero was eventually taken into custody and subjected to a televised court trial that became the only available entertainment according to one irritated devotee who claimed her 'talk show' was preempted because of it.
The possible fall from grace of a national icon mesmerized audiences whose interest in every aspect of the case may offer insight into some peculiar facets of social behavior at the time.
Experts debated everything from forensics to extra sensory perception. Television panels speculated on the hero's facial expressions, the decor of his prison cell, and whether he was permitted sufficient exercise while incarcerated. His children and ex-wife's dog were interviewed.
While evidence that he might have battered his ex-wife, traces of his blood and apparel were found at the scene of the crime, and questions regarding his whereabouts at the time seemed to indicate possible culpability, a jury nevertheless acquitted him. This signaled the beginning of endless debate by numerous new experts, apparently called in to replace the previous experts whose predictions had proved incorrect.
A subsequent trial, the basis for which defies logic, although not televised, was reported in minute detail and resulted in awarding the families of the slain victims all of the hero's assets although by this time there was considerable debate over whether he had any.
Unfortunately, I was forced to cut short my visit to the holodeck when Engineering advised that they had achieved particle stream confinement of the power grid. My research, therefore, was terminated before the fate of the hero's assets was determined, and due to Star Fleet's insistence that I spend more time on the bridge, it may be some time before I can continue my investigation.
I look forward, however, to studying other primitive records for references to what may have been a previously undocumented religion involving the worship of 'heroes.' I also hope to find a possible connection between this sect and reports from the same period of the televised activities of a family sharing the hero's last name and what may be a familial connection with the Greek poet Homer.
These are the sorts of discoveries that make reputations in archaeology, and I must admit that I have been reassessing my career options lately. This 'going where no man has gone before' bit may sound like a big deal, but in the 20th Century, at least, it would never have qualified as the stuff of which heroes are made.
©sonya hammond 1997