#command gold

Bind #9

Vulcans are Fangirls Too by @jouissants

Date Completed: 12/28/2024

Size: Octavo. 10,838 words, 116 pages.

Copies: 1 (for now...)

My former college roommate has been obsessed with Star Trek since she was a kid, 100% shipped Kirk & Spock, but had somehow missed the world of fanfiction.  Since we routinely give each other whatever strange new craft we’re learning, she needed a fanbinding gift for Christmas.  I wanted a fic that was short enough that it didn’t feel like I was giving her an assignment but still long enough to have a real plot, plus not too fluffy and not too angsty.  "Vulcans are Fangirls Too" was the goldilocks fic.

I am now in love with Octavos (8 pages per side of printer paper).  They’re so small and cute and perfect for stories around the 10,000 word range.  I had fun finally using the “command gold” bookcloth in my stash and I think I’m finally getting the hang of HTV - it turned out nearly perfect this time.

Formatted in LibreOffice Writer with Liberation Serif as the body text font, Eras ITC for the title page and page numbers, and Federation Classic for the spine title. There are several letters in this story so I used the Ink Free font for Kirk's handwriting and Segoe Print for Spock.

Finished late at night right before going to visit and exchange presents the next day.

I had some Star Trek Fabric left over from other projects, so naturally...

This Star Trek fan is ready to set off to explore the final frontier! This dedicated fan comes with: Starfleet Delta sunhat with black and gold ribbons (it can be worn on the reverse for a different silhouette), yellow sunglasses with glitter details, command gold hair tie, clear futuristic necklace, Starfleet Delta purse, command gold Star Trek Enterprise dress, clear futuristic shoes, Number One doggie companion, and the doll herself.

USS Enterprise, NCC-1701. Under command of Captain James T. Kirk.

I imagine it’s because he’s also Chief Science Officer, and it’s his rank that allows him to be XO, rather than specifically being on the Command track. I believe that even a captain doesn’t have to wear the command colour if they were, say, a CMO to begin with.

We see Lt. Hansen three times in The Original Series. The first two appearances occur during both Menagerie I and Menagerie II. While Kirk and Spock were on Starbase 11, Hansen seems to have been in command at that point. But if not then, Spock definitely turned over command to him when he was about to turn himself in to Dr. McCoy for treason. The first photo depicts Lt. Hansen returning control of the ship to Captain Kirk. In the second half of The Menagerie, Hansen appears in his assigned duty as helmsman. 

The third time comes during Court Martial. Lt. Hansen mans the helm again as he did in The Menagerie. What is interesting, though, is that he is a member of the skeleton crew who stayed on the ship when the rest had been transported down to Starbase 11. 

It’s always dangerous to make assumptions based on so little evidence. But it appears perhaps Hansen was another one of those wearing command gold who had already risen to the level where he could be entrusted with the command of the Enterprise for brief periods of time. And his skill as helmsman (in absence of Sulu) must have been regarded highly enough to be one of the few considered to be essential personnel during the events of “Court Martial.”  Again, this is all speculation on the writer’s part and is no way stated in any episode he appeared in.  The actor who portrayed Lt. Hansen, Hagan Beggs, already knew James Doohan before getting the part. Beggs was born in Northern Ireland but raised mainly in Canada, the two had run into each other before in the Canadian acting circles. Beggs not only had acting experience, but he had experience as a set decorator and props coordinator as well.  But Hagan claims he did not get his part because he knew Doohan. His agent had sent him over to audition for the character of Lt. Hansen. Once he had the part, he remembers being in awe of the Enterprise bridge set. He had acted on TV sets before, but nothing like this one. Since he was already in “The Menagerie” and it was being filmed back to back with “Court Martial,” he was again given the part of Lt. Hansen for that one as well. Beggs remembers that most of the crew, such as Leonard Nimoy and Nichelle Nichols, were very nice to him on the set. But as soon as William Shatner finished his lines on the set either during rehearsal or filming, he immediately returned to his trailer. So Hagan never had a chance to get to know Shatner, although he remembers Gene Roddenberry as also being very friendly. At the end of Court Martial, Roddenberry expressed his regret that he would not be keeping the part of Lt. Hansen because he wanted to spread the role of helmsman out more, which Hagan took to mean he needed a more diverse crew. However, Beggs did not suffer for work after Star Trek. In fact, at some point, he decided to remove his role as Lt. Hansen from his resume because he thought pushing a few levers did not look too impressive. However, he later realized the phenomenal popularity of the show and put it back on. 

Fandom Challenge Day 1: Star Trek AOS

Lieutenant Sara K. Johnson, Starfleet Diplomatic Corps

“Captain, with all due respect-”

“Don’t worry,” Jim gave the shorter brunette a smile, the kind she had come to realize she’d later regret. “I think I can handle this one with the usual landing party.”

“Remind me again-- the last time you did that, it ended in a near-intergalactic diplomatic crisis.”

“It’ll be fine,” he casually hand-waved. “Just trust me.”

She turned and huffed, “Yes, Captain. I’ll be at your beck and call if you need advice. As usual.”

As Jim headed to the transporter, Bones leaned on the console by the purse-lipped diplomatic officer.

“Do you want me to tell him?” he asked.

“What,” she raised her own eyebrows in response to his, “that this society is a little more delicate than his hand in diplomacy usually comes across with?”

“This is why you’re the diplomat, I would’ve just pushed the issue.”

“Patience, Leonard McCoy,” she said honestly. “The captain’s hare-brainedness must be handled with complete patience.”

2014 Halloween

BreezyBree and @seven-of-nine-lives​