we@vax135.UUCP (Will Equitz) (07/04/84)
I recently went to see ST III (again) and couldn't figure something out. What was the "baton-like" implement that the Captain of the Excelsior was holding during various times. He has it on the bridge and in his cabin when called to pursue the Enterprise and I think when he says "good-night" to Scotty. I looked pretty hard and for the life of me it STILL looks like a broken squash racquet. Maybe it is.
friedman@uiucdcs.UUCP (07/05/84)
#R:vax135:-72400:uiucdcs:24900050:000:909 uiucdcs!friedman Jul 5 10:02:00 1984 > I recently went to see ST III (again) and couldn't figure something out. > What was the "baton-like" implement that the Captain of the Excelsior was > holding during various times. He has it on the bridge and in his cabin > when called to pursue the Enterprise and I think when he says "good-night" > to Scotty. I looked pretty hard and for the life of me it STILL looks > like a broken squash racquet. Maybe it is. Looked to me like nothing more or less than an old fashioned Swagger Stick, an item carried by very Gung Ho military officers, usually of high rank, and always VERY military almost to the point of caricature. Not what I'd expect of the average Star Fleet officer (juding by the ones we met in the series), but it certainly does not strain my credulity to find such an officer here and there in Star Fleet. Also, it adds to my impression of that officer as an overblown, pompous ****.
moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer) (07/05/84)
>What was the "baton-like" implement that the Captain of the Excelsior was >holding during various times? An electric cattle prod? (see, things have changed a bit in This Man's Space Navy....) "Judas Priest, Jim...." Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc. {cornell,decvax,ihnp4,sdcsvax,tektronix,utcsrgv}!uw-beaver \ {allegra,gatech!sb1,hplabs!lbl-csam,decwrl!sun,ssc-vax} -- !fluke!moriarty
merchant@dartvax.UUCP (Peter Merchant) (07/06/84)
{ I see noooothing! }
It looked vaguely like a 23rd century riding crop to me
(a la Colonel Klink)
--
Peter Merchantjrb@wdl1.UUCP (07/13/84)
#R:vax135:-72400:wdl1:2700008:000:315 wdl1!jrb Jul 12 15:20:00 1984 The broken squash raquet is a 'swagger-stick'. They are carried by military officers as an indication of their officer-hood. I conjecture that is either derived from a riding crop or from the fasces of the Romans. John R Blaker UUCP: ...!fortune!wdl1!jrb ARPA: jrb@FORD-WDL1 and blaker@FORD-WDL2