Will the real Section 31 agent please stand up?

By Roger D. Noriega

I own a few things that have Star Trek printed on it, or the logo of the Enterprise, The Federation, etc. I think that two of my prized possessions are the script of “Yesterday’s Enterprise” signed by John DeLancie and the script of “The Year of Hell Part I & II” signed by Brannon Braga & Joe Menosky. I have a tribble from the episode “Trials and Tribulations” given to me by a friend that was given to him by Terry Farrell. I have visited the sets to Star Trek: Voyager sets 8 & 9 by invitation from Joe Menosky (I wrote and essay on that visit to Paramount Pictures, June 12, 1998 to be exact and one day I may decide to share that story, but that day is not today). My checks have the Federation logo on them, as do many of my dining glasses that are for regular home use. I have fleet admirals bars which I use from time to time and I have a 30^th anniversary Star Trek pocket watch . . . many material things, but frankly not even close to all the things that are out there. I have much more, but I could live without all that except that one something that I am a proud owner of.

I was born April 21, 1969, a few weeks before the Original Series went off the air. My eldest daughter, Ariel, was born April 22, 1994, a few weeks before the Next Generation went off the air. I speak Klingon from time to time and explain to my friends and co-workers that one could interpret the Klingon word SuS’a’ as to mean an explosive gas from someone that one could not mistake as flatulence incarnate! My youngest daughter Giselle, will tell me SoH BangjIH as I love her as well. The best line I’ve heard from both daughters is: jIQong vIneH. At times, I fall asleep at the appointed hour as well. My wife’s favorite line is: jIwuQ – too bad we never have headaches at the same time!

I live a professional life as a government employee (No, I am not a CIA agent) and I have a financial planning business as well. I keep busy and now I am devoting time to the Section 31 website, an endeavor that thrills me to no end. Am I an operative for Section 31? I think so, or am I just a contributor to site? Maybe. I think I am, but lately, I’ve realized that I am a real agent for another cause, maybe a greater cause (cue music to fanfare for Star Trek First Contact or God Bless America . . .)

My first recollection of Star Trek is being in a hospital, in Los Angeles and telling my mother that Star Trek was about to be on television, I was 3 or 4 at the time and I was certain that the show was on and I needed to see it. I was hospitalized for drinking dirty water from Mexico – my first away mission was a failure and I am still-hunted by this fact to this day. I remember that in late 1986, I procured my sisters vehicle and made use of it to get two good friends to an entrance exam on a Saturday and I could not get out of my head the music to Star Trek III – when Kirk steals the Enterprise to save his friend Spock. One of my favorite games was the original Master of Orion and I recall that my friend Peter and I were having a discussion on it. The conversation went something like this:

Peter: You know, Rog, it frustrates me to no end that once you’ve built up one of your colonies and have it going real well and then all of sudden, the Alkari come by and destroy your colony. It is frustrating and it just pisses me off.

Roger: Yeah, Peter, I know. It gets to me too. You know what I do?

Peter: No, what?

Roger: Well, you know how you can save the game from time to time?

Peter: Yes?

Roger: I know that my enemies can come out of no-where so I save the game at a safe spot so if something happens a few turns down the road, I can react to it.

Peter: What do you mean?

Roger: Peter, look at it this way: if an aggressor comes over and destroys my colony or worse, conquers it, I just board my Klingon Bird of Prey, go back in time to the point where I had saved the game and I start again at that point. The next time around, I am ready for them!

Peter: WHAT? That’s cheating.

Roger: No it’s not! I changed the conditions of the game. I don’t like to lose and I don’t believe in a no-win scenario!

A co-worker of mine was once getting on my nerves, actually, he does almost every day and we had a confrontation one day:

Roger: Bill, why do you do this? I told you that if any payroll issues are to be resolved, let me do it.

Bill: I didn’t mean to go around you – Terry told me to handle it and I did. I went directly to Randy.

Roger (Really miffed now): Bill (I shake my head and really pretend to get real angry and then I mouth off)! Bill – if you ever do an end-run around me again, I’ll snap you back so hard that you’ll think that you are first-year student worker again!

You may recognize similar moments from Star Trek and I must tell you that I was clearly acting out the part as the opportunity had presented itself and I had to take it! Star Trek has affected me and my life is a mirror of that. There was a time, that I had taken some of my co-workers to lunch and I admitted to them that I was coming out of the closet and being the actor that I am, I had them believing that I was about to admit to them something that they just could not believe would be true of me. I milked it for all it was and just at the very end, when I could see their obvious discomfort, I would simply tell them that I was ready to admit that I was a Star Trek fan. I had gone public and I was cool with it!

My friend Raul and I had named our respective vehicles by famous registry numbers. I had a 1989 Ford Probe and it went by the number: NCC-1701. His beautiful vehicle was a 240SX, it was known as: NCC-2000. When my brother discovered our given names to our fleet vehicles, he asked me for the registry to his vehicle. Luis was driving a Mitsubishi Précis and I gave it the registry number NCC-648. “Isn’t that the registry number to the U.S.S. Grissom?” I answered yes and he burped out: “Hey, wasn’t the Grissom destroyed?” I gestured to his vehicle parked in our driveway and placed the emphasis on his vision – to take a real good look at his vehicle. “Why you little . . .” I ran off before he could catch me and I have no idea how Raul fared as he was standing next to Luis.

“May the wind be at our backs”,

“May fortune favor the foolish”,

“Let’s make sure that history never forgets the name – Enterprise”,

“Today is a good day to die, but the day is not over yet”.

My love for this TV knows no bounds. When Star Trek The Next Generation was being broadcast, it was all the science fiction that could be found on a regular basis. I worked weekends so I could not always catch most first-run episodes, but I had the chance to see: “Measure of Man”, “Q-Who”, and I remember watching the ending to “Skin of Evil” when Tasha died, while I was at work. When the third season rolled around, I had more time available and I began to watch every episode. The third season remains special for me for it was the first time I could see Star Trek on a regular basis and low and behold, the episodes were fantastic. Compare that season to all other seasons of any Star Trek season. I think you will be hard-pressed to find as many episodes that were as good as these. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane . . .

“Who watches the watchers”, “The Enemy”, “The Defector”, “Booby Trap”, “Deja Q”, Yesterday’s Enterprise”, “The Offspring”, “Sins of the Father”, “The High Ground”, Captain’s Holiday”, “Tin Man”, “Hollow Pursuits”, “Sarek”, “Transfigurations”, and “The Best of Both Worlds”.

You will undoubtedly have a different opinion, but I think we will have one thing in common. My parents did not really care for TNG, but then, I had something to share with them. I now had reason for them to see this show. I had great stories that I could share with them. I didn’t know what would happen and I really didn’t think that far ahead, but I knew that there was something special here. I recorded two episodes back to back and they are “Yesterday’s Enterprise” and “The Offspring”. Two completely different stories, but clearly, great adventures and Star Trek was the forum! I need not share the emotions at this time, but I had material, and I had great stuff to share. I now had purpose: All those that did not know of Star Trek would be invited over to watch the episodes, spoken of at work, argued over in the batter’s box and shared with friends and family and even strangers. I become an ambassador, I became an agent for there was something here that needed to shared, enjoyed and appreciated.

From 1990 on, I accepted my self-appointed ambassadorship and I lived it all the while sharing it with almost everyone I knew. Those that would not listen to the “word”, were not ignored, just simply placed on a list that would require a visit with them in the not to distant future – to try again and share all that Star Trek was and is.

I visited a Star Trek convention in late 1990, in Las Vegas at the old Hacienda, met Marina Sirtis and realized that conventions were not for me! After watching the “Best of Both Worlds, Part II” and “Redemption I & II”, I realized that I wanted to write. Actually, I have always wanted to write, but short stories were my thing. I mean short. I decided to take advantage of Star Trek TNG’s open script submission policy and I wrote my own screenplay entitled “Today Hasn’t Happened”. It was a two part episode which was rather action packed, heavy on story but it missed one crucial element: How did our heroes grow from their adventure? I had several answers, but not one that could justify this story. Our heroes were clearly involved, but it seemed as if they were participants as opposed to moving the story forward. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it lacked a certain realism to it, didn’t have the oomph, which was needed. I intend to one day submit it and try to turn it into a full manuscript, but that day is not today.

While I am not an accomplished writer, I did know one thing: A story must have a purpose and it must exist for a reason. All my life I have seen so many people online and in person and they only wanted to see Q vs. Borg or Data go to old west or Enterprise take on the Empire or Spock meet Data. I find these ideas empty, very annoying and very stupid (Albeit my stupidity is clearly acknowledged as Data did in fact go to the old west!). When people found out that I was writing a story, many ideas were given to me and I grew frustrated because as I told them: You are showing me a window to the house. Show me the floor plan and maybe I can do something. Otherwise, do it YOURSELF.

My efforts to add to the Star Trek universe came up empty. Since I could not write or act, I would continue to share Star Trek with everyone else. In 1990, I was chosen as a character for the Universal Studios: Star Trek: The Adventure. I still have the video as I stared in my own little Star Trek movie. If that is my claim to fame, so be it. I have it on video!

Now I have the opportunity to share with you. I love Star Trek and I feel that it does have meaning to us. It speaks of a future where we will be better than we are now, where we can all live together and that we haven’t killed each other. Star Trek speaks of a future that we can all strive for, it tells us that we can get there, it will be a struggle, but we can get there. Money has no meaning in the future, color has no limit and even physical disabilities can be overcome. Exploration of the cosmos is a metaphor for the human race, which is on an eternal discovery of its own. Star Trek continues to evolve and like the child that we all loved at first, it has maturing and changing – never to be that small child again, yet is still that small child. I have programmed my Outlook calendar with a reminder. The reminder is that I need to be in Montana, on April 5, 2063.

 It may not happen like in the movie, but there is no proof that it won’t. In the same manner that I hold hope for this, I will continue to be an Operative for Section 31. I am a citizen of the Federation and I will defend her at all costs.

Star Trek

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