Date: Wed, 4 Mar 92 10:37:22 -0500
From: bryant@husc.harvard.edu
Subject: The newest crewmember

Here's a little info about Ensign Joe Fodder, the newest resident of the
_Heisenberg_...


Date: Sun, 1 Mar 92 13:54:40 -0500
From: mdonahue (Michael Donahue)
To: bryant@husc, mdonahue@husc
Subject: Re:  "yawn"

Thanks, Gwen.
I had a few ideas for Ensign Fodder's appearance.  The one thing that sets him
apart (visibly) from the average redshirt is the presence of two small decor-
ations on his uniform.  Granted, there are many commendations awarded to 
Security personnel, but most of them are posthumous.  One medal is the 
Ultraviolet Heart.  This signifies the same thing as a Purple Heart,
only with much higher frequency.  The other, which no one recognizes, is
a simple ten-year service pin.  it is perhaps the only one of its kind,
since nobody lasts ten years as a redshirt without either getting pro-
moted to a less expendable position or meeting some hideous fate on the 
ManEatingPlantWorld.  Oh well, just ideas.



Date: Tue, 3 Mar 92 15:53:56 -0500
From: mdonahue@husc
To: bryant@husc, donaghey@husc, shectma2@husc
Subject: Re:  ST:TCG "Blind Luck" (PRETTY LONG)

In response to Mr. Donaghey:

As I understood it, redshirts always die so that important characters don't 
have too.  An intensely lethal alien can demonstrate its deadliness by
consuming faceless NPCs (oops, redshirts), sparing anyone who might be 
missed by the audience (Spock, Riker, Kabeta etc.)  Since they are a 
cheesy plot device taken to its extreme, their motivations don't really
have to make sense.  Presumably, any redshirt whose name and/or actions
become memorable to the audience is recognized as being officer material
and is then either promoted to a less expendable post or given a character
hook that necessitates his continued existence (a spy, Picard's long-lost
nephew etc.).  Oh well.

As for Ensign Fodder, there are several reasons why he has remained a redshirt
after ten years.  First, his test and aptitude scores are totally average.
He wasn't supposed to be "smarter than the average redshirt", but Kath 
seemed to feel that he at least had the benefit of experience.  To look at him
(or at his personnel profile), Fodder is the most absolutely ordinary,
unmemorable why-don't-you-go-first-duh-okay-sir character in the Federation.
Second, he is not a leadership figure; he doesn't want the responsibility.
Third, although a legend among redshirts, he has not been noticed by the top brass,
since he has not really accomplished anything except survival, which officers
all do as a matter of course.

Hope this clears things a tad.

Tox
c.k.a. Ensign Joe Fodder, Security