Kate is a freelance writer who offers her advice on a wide range of subjects drawn from her own Trek life experiences. The views and opinions expressed by Kate are hers and hers alone... and trust us, she has opinions! Click here to send your question to Kate.

Hey Everyone!

Well, I don't know about you ... or how many of you were there ... but I just gotta tell you one of the highlights from the Vegas Con this past weekend — aside from the photo ops with Connor! The costumes were simply amazing! And I'm not talking about the people who work at Quark's ... but wow! The Q in judge's robes — nice! All the Klingons, Starfleet officers, the girl from the first Trek movie (sorry I don't know her character name — I guess I should look that up on the site huh? Okay hang on...) Lt. Ilia ... the Orion Slave Girls, oh! And I even saw an Orion Guy! You know, green with bolts on his head. That was really cool! I think that's the first one of those I've ever seen. Oh, and there was even someone dressed like Archer and he had a really cute giant, and I mean giant, stuffed Porthos! That was a really nice touch to add to the costume — accessories are always a good idea! Oh, I guess I should clarify that — that's "stuffed" as in a plush toy, not that he let him loose in the buffet. Yes, with all the amazing food in that town, there is just far too much stuff to fit into a few days. Especially with all the commotion of the convention scheduling and getting to and from the small rooms to the big room then back to the dealers' room for the photo ops, stopping to check my hair... What? You really think I'm not going to make sure I look my best for my photos with Connor?! Hmmm, let's see... that's two mentions of Connor in the opening — I guess I should probably move on to your questions before I continue to ramble and umm... start getting compared to Carl and his obsession with the Orion Slave Girls. Yeah... I'm going to stop talking about Connor now.... Darnit, that's three times now! Okay, okay, really I'm moving on to your questions. Ooh, here's a good one...

Hey Kate!
What do you think would have happened between Trip and T'Pol if the series had continued?
Sincerely,
12-almost-13-year-old trekkie

Dear 13-year-old-trekkie,

Y'know, that's really hard to say... Probably not much. I think Trip (ha! — you thought I was gonna say Connor didn't ya?!) more than likely would have continued to have his heart broken by the emotional cold Vulcan.

P.S. Down deep I think T'Pol really liked Archer, in that "I like you but I know we can never be together" way.

Dear Kate,
I've got a serious question, and need the opinion from an American citizen. My Name is Tarik K., I live in Hamburg Germany.

In November I will marry my fianc?e. There is a problem we have regarding which name we will choose as family name, hers or mine. The problem with my name is that its origins are Arabic. Due to the international terrorism she is afraid, that if there is a war between the western world and the Muslim world, that the name could compromise our future, especially when there are children. In her opinion they could suffer from prejudice, when that before-mentioned war is coming.

Germany was lucky enough not to suffer from terrorism so far, but she is convinced that it's only a matter of time until the first bombs will go off in Berlin and Hamburg, therefore the mood in society will change and everything Arabic will fall victim to prejudice and disadvantages caused by fear of the public.

As an optimist and Star Trek fan I'm more optimistic regarding the future and the relations with the Arab world. I would very much like to continue my family name, especially because I'm the last one of that family in Germany.

What is your opinion? Thank you for your opinion.

kind regards from Hamburg (HH) Germany
Tarik

Dear Tarik,

First things first, congratulations on your upcoming marriage! That is very exciting! But also I am very deeply touched that you are seeking my input on this.

Okay, so the way I see it is this: I think it's really great that you are both taking the future of your children into consideration. It really is a shame that as a planet we are living in fear of each other and how something like a name or the color of your hair can affect your quality of life.

Well, true, it has been done where the husband and wife decide to take her name. But sometimes both names are combined with a hyphen. That way each name continues to exist, and we can only hope that by the time your children are adults and get to choose how they go by, that there will be no issue with an Arabic name. We can only hope. You could also, to be a little off the wall, take the letters from both of your names and create a new name that would be entirely your own and allow you to start anew with each other. Another possibility is to give the children middle names that could temporarily serve as last names ... and again, let's hope it never has to come to that, but the human race is obviously still going through some growing pains ... and you could even use a name from your favorite Trek character, like Kirk or Janeway. How great would that be for your children to learn that their parents thought so much of the messages of acceptance and coexistence that you decided to symbolically pass them on to them?

Just a few thoughts from an American citizen. Be brave, and remember, the greatest strength of the human race is its diversity, and we must be steadfast in that belief, especially in times of trials and tribble... er, tribulations.

Hi Kate:
What is the dogs name on the new star trek enterprise?
Thanks, Thomas

Hey Thomas,

Wellll... if you've read all of today's column up to this point, you should have your answer. HINT: It's in the opening paragraph.

Hey Kate...
I have been a Trekkie for as long as I can remember... I'm 24 and live in the biggest city (in terms of area) in the world, Davao City, Philippines. I have gotten to know other Trekkies here in our city, cuz it's not that popular here. People choose Star Wars over Star Trek here cuz of all the action. Anyway, my friends and I would like to put up our own Star Trek club here... what do I do? Hope you can help us not only through the column but also in terms of really helping us develop the Star Trek Fandom here in our city...
Many thanks and live long and prosper.
Colin
(Capt. Kirk #11)

Hey Colin!

So... Capt. Kirk #11 — is that like Kirk turned into a Borg or something? Anyway, ah yes, one of the great debates in the world of fandom — Star Trek or Star Wars. Well, here's what I say: Since you have friends who like both, don't limit yourself! Start a Sci-Fi Club! And then alternate your activities and time accordingly. Maybe at one meeting it's all Trek and then the next Star Wars and then the next Planet of the Apes and then Lost in Space and so on! This way people can pick and choose when they want to participate while still filling out your membership. But the most important thing is to have fun — even if you only have three or four people, that's cool too! It's all about having a good time! As far as how to start organizing a club in the Philippines ... well, sorry, you're on your own about that.

Dear Kate,
If the next Trek movie is as good as it's hyped up to be, and don't get me wrong, I hope it is, will you sign my Tribble(s)? Either that or take a few hundred? I'm up to 1,771,561 of them. My 3 dogs can't move in our living room anymore...

Also, while I'm not on the subject, can you tell my class that Trek deserves to be acknowledged as a global icon for scientific progress and exploration? They don't believe me that the Space Shuttle Enterprise was named after good ol' 1701.
Live long and prosper,
Trekker450

Hi Trekker450,

So really, what's the deal? Have the Borg invaded and I missed it because I was in Vegas? The one before you was Kirk #11 and now you're Trekker450? Just when I thought I was starting to get a grip on all this Trek stuff... So wait, you want me to sign a Tribble? Is that like putting in one of those tracking chips I put in my cat? 1,771,561 of them, huh? Maybe you should try giving 'em to your students or have a Tribble sale to raise money for your school — people always like fundraisers. And your students don't believe you? Well, Carl showed me a great, I'm told legendary, photo of the entire Classic cast, including Gene and Majel, in front of the Enterprise shuttle. Maybe you should locate that and show it to them! That right there should help you get your point across. And if nothing else, it will really show the fun fashion of the time — leisure suits and Nichelle's stylin' hair! Oh! And how could I forget DeForest Kelley's signature bell-bottoms! Ultra polyester cool!

Well gang, I think this is a great place to stop for this week, y'know, closing the fashion circle. So to everyone who was at Vegas, I hope you and all your goodies have a safe trip (I didn't mean to do that one, honest! It just kinda came out) to whichever planet or continent you call home and I'll chat with everyone later. Oh, and hopefully we all won't take too long to recover in every aspect, including body, mind, and wallet! Later!

If you wish to ask Kate a question or need some advice on your own Trek life, you can write to her at columns@startrek.com with the subject "ASK KATE." (Letters are subject to editing at Kate's discretion.)

Letters to Kate become Kate's sole property. Submitting to Kate relinquishes all ownership rights to, or any claims for financial or other consideration in connection with the submitted material, including any ideas, suggestions, script ideas, anything. This goes for you too, Carl!