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, Halloween is almost here, and that means putting the finishing touches on our costumes ... or in Carl's case, reconsidering his costume (we can only hope!). So go buy a bunch of apples for bobbing, call your dentist, and let the festivities begin! What? You mean to tell me that with all that candy lying around, you're not going to make a dentist appointment? Oh, I get it, you're prepping for your costume next year, as a Ferengi ... hmm, I guess that shows commitment... Anyway, I love this time of year, because right now we get to bask in all our glory as fans! Just think, we get to wear our uniforms and what-not, and for the better part of a month we party the way Cadets graduating from the Academy do, and no one gets to say anything! Actually, come to think of it, another fun thing about Halloween is seeing how many other people whom you'd never suspect put on a Starfleet Uniform, letting their inner fan see the light of day ... or would that be, the moon of Halloween? Whatever, but maybe the spirit of the season will allow others to not only understand just one of the many reasons why we enjoy fandom so much — it puts a little fun into the stressful realities of our daily lives — but it also lets those who are shy about their fandom see that it's okay.

Of course, there are times when I wish certain people would be a little more shy about their fandom ... I think you know what I'm talking about ... but I digress...

Hey look, a question about a costume! Oh, wait...

Hey Kate!
Do you think my new girlfriend Jessica would consider me sexy if I wore my Starfleet-uniform when we're having sex?
Thanks from Lt Commander Jonathan of the Starship OXFORD.

Dear Lt. Commander Jonathan of the Starship Oxford,

Okaaay...well... You do mean a...uniform with pants, not one of those creepy little Skant things, right? Ewww! (Sorry, I'm still trying to shake that image.) Well, does Jessica know that you own a Starfleet Uniform? If she has no clue about this, then I think this is something you need to inform her about before, um, springing it on her in this way. Maybe go to a Halloween party with her, in your uniform, and see if things evolve from there. It's perfectly fine to spice up your private time with some costumes — not that I'm any expert on this! — but I think this is something you need to agree on before... you know, before. Who knows, maybe there is a certain little costume that she'd like to wear for you. Remember, you don't know what she'll think is sexy until you ask her, or at least spend some time with her. On the plus side, though, there are obviously a whole bunch of women who find the Starfleet Uniform sexy — look at how often Riker and Kirk scored.

Hi Kate,
I'm usually the last person to ask for advice from someone I don't know, but Star Trek has always held special places in my life so I figure why not ask. I first would like to say that my fiancée and I have both been fans of Star Trek since we were children thus proving that love does exist for Trekkies. However, I recently started working on a master's degree and my fiancée is in another state finishing her BA. Granted, it is not as if we are in different quadrants, but sometimes it feels like we need a warp conduit in order to be with each other. Sometimes I feel like Kirk and think I shouldn't have taken the promotion. Do you have any thoughts that might help two star-crossed lovers plot a course to Risa?
Yours in peace,
Jacob

Hey Jacob,

I really am flattered that you thought of writing to me about this. Long-distance relationships are never easy, and it takes real love to make them work. Oh, congrats by the way on your engagement! I love weddings ... and shopping ...I know, I'm such a girl. Anyway, I suggest making the most of the modern technology you have at your disposal, that won't cost you your entire wedding budget. For example, there are plenty of free e-cards on the net, so send them like crazy — it won't change the mileage between you, but it might close the distance by making you both smile. Plus, maybe send her a little stuffed animal to snuggle with — and before you send it off to her, spray your cologne all over it. Okay, yeah, it's kinda cheesy, but girls like cheesy little tokens of affection like that. And since you're both fans, maybe you could try watching one of your favorite Trek episodes while on the phone to each other — use those free night and weekend minutes! Not a substitute for cuddling in front of the TV, but it's still together time, corny as it may sound.

But speaking as a girl, here is something else you can do to make the distance seem not so distant. I'm sure despite her studies your fiancée is making wedding plans, so why not offer to lend her a hand. What I mean is, send her some ideas, maybe a few pictures of things you like or things she might like. It's your wedding too, and it would mean a lot to her if you stay actively involved in the planning — even if you can only do it a little at a time because of the schoolwork. That also goes for planning your future life — discussing where you want to live, what kind of apartment or home you want to find, etc. As hard as it may be right now, keep looking toward the future and making plans in that direction — you won't be in school forever — and remember, you'll always have Risa. (I'm not sure what that means, but you brought it up!)

Dear Kate,
I am doing a college project on how popular culture has influenced people's views of nature. I decided to do Star Trek as my topic because it gives me an excuse to watch the episodes. I was wondering how you think Star Trek influences our view of nature. I suppose it could be weird to think of Star Trek having anything to do with nature, but many people associate the frontier with nature and the Enterprise's mission starts off with the words "Space, the final frontier..." Also, it seems that Star Trek constantly takes issues that are of concern in the present day and puts them in a futuristic sense. I feel like there have been many episodes that have dealt with humans' relationship to nature and wanted to know what you thought of them and how you think they have influenced viewers' viewpoints on nature and possibly other issues such as global warming and resource conservation. Thank you for reading this. Live Long and Prosper.
Brandon B.

Hey Brandon,

Sure, Trek has had messages about the relationship between humanity and the environment — I mean, look at "Star Trek IV," the whale movie — and there was that TNG episode about starships and their warp drives mucking up the space inside a solar system... Hey wait a minute, I see what you're trying to do! This is your project — I'm not going to write your paper for you! Nice try buddy! Aren't there websites and ads in the back of school papers for that kind of thing?

Okay, moving on...

Dear Kate,
I'm wondering whether or not it's practically an impossible task to find a new Kirk for Star Trek XI. It was a good choice to have Zachary Quinto [I hope I spelled it right] as Spock and even more happy that William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy are starring in it as Kirk and Spock [and it'll possibly be set around TOS] but I think it was just luck that they found Zachary and it will be like a million times harder to find somebody to star as the new Kirk [I still don't understand that bit -- are they basing it before or after Kirk died? Oh well, it'll be fun to find out, that's for sure]. But anyhoo, do you think they'll ever find the next Kirk???
Captain M. C. Brown
P.S. Did Carl ever recover from the news that you were going to work on startrek.com? [You're doing a great job, keep it up.]

Hey Captain Brown,

Thanks for writing about this — obviously you sent this in before last week's casting news came out. But first things first, let me clarify part of your question: Sadly, Shatner has not signed on to be in the new movie. Are J.J. and his team are talking to him? No clue! But yes, Nimoy is definitely in the movie. So that's cool! And as impossible as it may have seemed, the new Kirk has been announced, along with the new Bones. I don't know about you, I definitely want to see more photos of this kid — especially ones of him in uniform — before I make up my mind on whether he's going to be an okay Kirk. But so far I will say this: Chris Pine ... well, he looks a lot like his dad (you know, "Sarge" on CHiPs?) — which isn't a bad thing — but I'm not sure I like the idea of Kirk having blue eyes. Hopefully that will be corrected with contacts. At least Chris Pine is basically unknown, which most people seem to think is the best way to go — sure is a heck of a lot better than Matt Damon! (Seriously, can anyone say "Matt Damon" anymore without thinking of his marionette in Team America? Well, I can't...)

As for Karl Urban, our new Dr. McCoy, I think he is a good actor and a really nice guy. And he's not bad to look at ... problem is, Bones always had a lot of charm to him, but I never thought of him as "good-looking." I think Karl — Urban, Karl, not Carl Carl — is a very interesting choice, but I wonder if he may be a little too muscle-y? (Kinda reminds me of an old yellow pinball machine I saw once that was made when the Motion Picture came out, and everyone in the drawing had huge muscles! It's pretty hysterical — the artist was way too generous.) Anyway, it makes me question whether or not the whole cast may be a little too good-looking ... but I guess that's something I could get used to.

And as for Carl, I think he's okay now with the whole me-writing-for-startrek.com thing. Besides, he likes that I have to ask him about Trek stuff and it gives him an opportunity to reiterate his super-advanced knowledge of the subject. There's just way too much Trek for me to keep track of. How do you guys do it?

All right gang, I think that'll do it for this week, and who knows — maybe in a few more days we'll find out who the lucky actor is that'll get to play Captain Pike. You all saw the poll on the site about that, right? I gotta say, there are some names on there that I never would have thought of, and some are really good! So I guess we'll just have to wait and see if J.J. & co. agree with you guys. (Ray Liotta, are you available?) Okay everyone, have a fun and safe Halloween! 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!