SomeGuy

If the Holodeck were real I wouldn't go near the thing. I have a very easily addicted personality. When I really like a thing, I tend to obsess over it. Take Star Trek for instance. I've probably spent more hours watching Trek than it takes a medical student to become a brain surgeon. I know I've spent enough money on Trek merchandise to have purchased a new second car. I started drinking Earl Grey Tea simply because Picard drank it, and I was never a tea drinker before the third or fourth season of TNG. I can't imagine what I'd become if I started living out fantasies in a holodeck.

A little off topic, but I was also annoyed by Ben Sisko's total lack of a distinctive Louisiana accent. I lived in St. Landry Parrish for almost four years in my teens, and Sisko was about as Louisiana creole as the Klingons were pacifists.

I'll vote for the Doctor. IMO, while Seven was somewhat interesting, and Jeri Ryan is a very talented woman, Seven was little more than eye candy. And I sort of resent her for replacing Kes (Jennifer Lien), a character and actress I loved.

Robert Picardo is outstanding. I love the depth and the humanity he brought to the Doctor.

"Nkosi Sikelel 'Iafrica"

by Ladysmith Black Mambazo

The Enterprise would win, and it wouldn't be very difficult, either. The E can remain at a relatively great distance and lob salvo after salvo of torpedoes at the Super Star Destroyer. Given that the torpedoes should be at least as powerful as thermonuclear devices, the SSD could be chopped up piecemill. SSD shields are good at repelling laser fire, very small asteroids and proton torpedoes, which don't seem to be in the same class as Trek photon torpedoes (and certainly not in the tactical range of quantum torpedoes) from my reading of Star Wars novels (I'm a SW junkie, too - and Battlestar Galactica), but something like a photon torpedo could knock those shields out in one or two hits.

SSD turbo-laser fire doesn't seem to have any remarkable range, so I doubt they would even impact the E's deflectors if she maintained a distance of a quarter AU or so. And if the SSD launched it's unshielded tie-fighters, well, the E's tactical computer is capable of engaging multiple targets with the phaser arrays. So much for those gnats.

To be honest, given what I've seen of Star Wars starship technology, I'm pretty sure the Federation, Klingons, and maybe the Romulans could successfully engage and defeat the Empire in open warfare.

Just my two cents.

A friend of mine is an entomologist. She was telling me that a similar phenomenon occurred at the turn of the last century in the early 1890s. Newspaper accounts from then can be used to graph instances of bee vanishings from the midwest to the west coast over a period of around 3-years. She believes it may be cyclical in nature.

I personally haven't a clue why this is happening.

I liked Zek and Moogie. They reminded me of my grandparents. Even the ears, as far as my grandfather is concerned.

"Loi"

by Koffi Olomide

I'm afraid I haven't purchased any of them.

I have to admit, Picard's accent always annoyed me. I mean if the man was supposed to be French, they should have hired an actor that could do a reasonably passing French accent. I'm afraid Patrick's accent was about as believable as Dick Van Dyke's atrocious cockney accent in Mary Poppins. I still cringe when I see that film.

But being that Patrick was obviously the perfect choice to be captain of the series, they probably should have simply changed Picard into an Englishman. I mean, why not? England has a storied naval tradition. And Picard seemed rather fond of Nelson anyway, often mentioning Trafalgar during moments of crisis. I doubt a Frenchman would think back so fondly on the Lord Admiral.

If I had to serve under one of the officer's listed it would be Picard. He's a thinking commander, and rarely allows his emotions to run away with his common sense when dealing with a threat or some crisis. Sisko and Archer are both good choices as well. Kirk, in my opinion was often much too reckless. And Janeway was not a favorite character of mine. She came across to me too often as hypocritical, dressing down her subordinates for some perceived breach of conduct or protocol and then doing the exact same thing herself.