I saw that Steam Trek link as well. Sounds like a groovy concept, though I have some criticisms.
Call me a snob, but the site is full of spelling errors. For one, they can't decide on how to spell "phogiston", and the prologue seems to confuse "loose" with "lose". I don't know how much of this is an archaic affectation, but it doesn't ring true to me. The database section on Earth says: "Britain, as it is generally referred to currently, is the home planet of human kind or "The Britain's"." I'm not even British and I can think of many things wrong with that sentence.
And I think they leaned on the Trek derivation a little too closely. Klinkons? Romlians? Eck. Though I admit a nice touch was the "Ferenshi", supposedly an offshoot of exiled French nationalists...
I would like a navy buff to look at this and see how true the culture rings to them.
But I must admit I'm intrigued enough by the idea of "if H.G. Wells produced Star Trek" that I might continue to check up on it. Indeed, it looks like they have some positions open, and with all the linking going on, it might really take off soon.
--Nick Bensema Mon Sep 8 21:25:20 2003
Speaking as a Navy buff, I can tell you that little enough about Star Trek itself rings true. Did Ensign Kim get a promotion in 7 years? (admittedly, Voyager could've been incredibly top-heavy with officers if everyone got promoted according to a traditional schedule).
Have you ever heard of a real ship that has an officer at the helm, and a more senior officer on the lee helm? Why is it that the only enlisted ratings they have are general-purpose engineer, yeoman (secretary), and security officer (red shirt, of course)?
As for Steam-Trek, I can't figure out what heliographic means in re: its subspace communications (helio = Sun-related), and the Aether Marines should still be the Royal Marines (to keep down mutinies). The ship is commanded by a Commodore which doesn't smell right, because Commodore is often a temporary rang issued to a Captain in order to promote him over (possibly senior) Captains of the vessels in his command, but the ran is only appropriate where a group of ships is present, and by that I mean military ships, not the myriad of coalers, water ships, and oxygen barges that supply Dauntless with the requisite elements of her propulsion.
I'm not sure when the rank of Midshipman was replaced with Ensign, but it probably followed the establishment of Naval Academies which happened before the steam age.
--LAN3 Tue Sep 9 01:55:34 2003
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