News Introducing Fact Trek

[Kor]

In 2011 Stephen King wrote a time travel book set in contemporary times entitled "11/22/63" and yep, it's another JFK must die story.

Aside from being about JFK, what I found intriguing in this story was King's time travel premiss. The way he had it, the protagonist would go through a time portal that just existed, no time machine. This portal was permanently fixed in time; that is no matter when you go through, it's always to the same date in 1958.

So if you go through the portal to 1958 and change history, return to the future and don't like the change, all you have to do is go through the portal again to the same date in 1958 and everything is reset and what you did before is undone.

So when the hero decides to save Kennedy, it means he has to wait five years from 1958 to 1963 to save him, making a life for himself in the Dallas area while he waited.

After finally saving Kennedy, the hero returns to his own time to find things are much worse. But all he has to do is go back to 1958 again and everything he did in those five years is erased and his contemporary world is back to normal again.

Robert

That makes me think of the Simpsons vignette "Time and Punishment" since it involved repeatedly traveling back to the same point in time. Of course it was a parody of Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder," but in Bradbury's story it wasn't possible to visit a point in time that had already been visited.

Kor

 

[Maurice]

I'd like to visit a point in time when we weren't talking about this whole JFK thing....

 

[Phaser Two]

In 2011 Stephen King wrote a time travel book set in contemporary times entitled "11/22/63" and yep, it's another JFK must die story.

Aside from being about JFK, what I found intriguing in this story was King's time travel premiss. The way he had it, the protagonist would go through a time portal that just existed, no time machine. This portal was permanently fixed in time; that is no matter when you go through, it's always to the same date in 1958.

So if you go through the portal to 1958 and change history, return to the future and don't like the change, all you have to do is go through the portal again to the same date in 1958 and everything is reset and what you did before is undone.

So when the hero decides to save Kennedy, it means he has to wait five years from 1958 to 1963 to save him, making a life for himself in the Dallas area while he waited.

After finally saving Kennedy, the hero returns to his own time to find things are much worse. But all he has to do is go back to 1958 again and everything he did in those five years is erased and his contemporary world is back to normal again.

Robert

This was adapted into a one-season streaming show that I enjoyed.

 

[Hofner]

I'd like to visit a point in time when we weren't talking about this whole JFK thing....

Ha, sorry about that. I couldn't resist despite risking your disapproval.

By the way, I was very glad to hear about Barbara Baldavin. I've always liked her a lot in Balance of Terror.

Robert

 

[Maurice]

Ha, sorry about that. I couldn't resist despite risking your disapproval.

I get thread drift...it's part and parcel. But it's unfulfilling and somewhat disheartening to create something that's about trying to be as accurate as possible and then have people come into the topic and bat around old unproven rumors as if they were real.

The tagline of our Dos Trequis post seems apt: "Stay skeptical my friends."

 

[Hofner]

I get thread drift...it's part and parcel. But it's unfulfilling and somewhat disheartening to create something that's about trying to be as accurate as possible and then have people come into the topic and bat around old unproven rumors as if they were real.

The tagline of our Dos Trequis post seems apt: "Stay skeptical my friends."

A lot of times in bbs's like this one there's not much feedback. But because of you and @Harvey, I've kinda started checking my "facts'.

For example, not long agoI was going to repeat the old story of Robert Heinlein inventing the waterbed. But then I checked with wikipedia and found, of course, it's not true so I said nothing.

But all you're hearing is the people repeating the myths and not me keeping my mouth shut.
I may make frivolous posts but I try not to repeat myths.

I appreciate the work you guys do; as a long time Trekkie, I enjoy finding out the truth as far as it can be known after so long.
Robert

 

[1001001]

A lot of times in bbs's like this one there's not much feedback. But because of you and @Harvey, I've kinda started checking my "facts'.

For example, not long agoI was going to repeat the old story of Robert Heinlein inventing the waterbed. But then I checked with wikipedia and found, of course, it's not true so I said nothing.
Robert

That's ridiculous.

Everyone knows JFK invented the waterbed...






I'll show myself out.

 

[Neopeius]

I'd like to visit a point in time when we weren't talking about this whole JFK thing....

The torture will stop when the next article is posted! :

 

[Maurice]

The torture will stop when the next article is posted! :

I’d like to point out that the JFK was in full force before I posted the Dos Trequis piece. So clearly new content isn’t enough.

 

[Neopeius]

I’d like to point out that the JFK was in full force before I posted the Dos Trequis piece. So clearly new content isn’t enough.

Oh, now that you mention JFK, did you know that, in Star Trek II, Spock was going to be the grassy knoll shooter? Crazy, right? I can't remember where I heard it...

 

[Harvey]

The torture will stop when the next article is posted! :

Just need to finish one of a dozen pieces we have in various stages...

 

[plynch]

My teetotaling father in law, stationed near Dallas in the army, would be the designated driver for his army buddies who would go drinking. He chatted w Jack Ruby numerous times in his club.

 

[publiusr]

Any alterverse writing of Nixon and Proxmire at Dealy Plaza?

 

[Maurice]

Any alterverse writing of Nixon and Proxmire at Dealy Plaza?

Okay, I'm done.

Have fun.

 

[PCz911]

I watched

I watched the Red Dwarf episode at the time and I think it was in the context of the world view at the time that Kennedy was revealed as a womaniser having affairs with movie stars and not as noble as he is made out. I think in the 2020s we just don't care as much about those things. I didn't think that Kennedy was treated too badly. In the episode he saw that some of his decisions had caused terrible things to happen and it didn't take much convincing from the Red Dwarf crew to convince Kennedy that for the better good of the planet and Kennedy's legend. Showing Kennedy to be a good but not perfect man. Really it was j"inspired" by COTEOF without the romance.
However I cringe as much as the rest of you as the thought of Kirk or Spock being involved in Kennedy's assassination as Star Trek isn't comedy like Red Dwarf and a movie isn't going to be filled with irony and laughs.

By the time of this dwarf episode, one of the two key talents behind writing had left and the show ceased being brilliant and became… average at best.

 

[Ssosmcin]

I've asked about this before but is there any documentation anywhere that can confirm the number of episodes (and which) had the Electric Violin theme? The numbers tossed around vary and are usually based on memories or the original DVDs (which are too many). And if Where No Man always had the theme missing sound effects and narration...

 

[mb22]

. And if Where No Man always had the theme missing sound effects and narration...

I remember that "Where No Man..." was missing the sound and narration in late 70s syndication.

 

[Warped9]

I remember that "Where No Man..." was missing the sound and narration in late 70s syndication.

I started watching in 1970 and I don’t recall the narration ever being there.

 

[Christopher]

I started watching in 1970 and I don’t recall the narration ever being there.

Me neither. After all, the narration wasn't written until the regular series went into production.

 

[Ssosmcin]

I get that, but it was the third aired episode so the narration would've been written by the time it was ready for broadcast. It's also missing the "created by" credit of the first two aired episodes so it was probably created later.

I tend to believe that the version we see today is the version that it's always been, but the question has come up in the past so that's why I posed it. It just seems odd that the third aired episode is not only missing the narration but also the sound effects in the opening credits.