tinyurl.com/b3bpe -> www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/columnists/tim_chitwood/11281515.htm
"We thought about how meticulous those Civil War re-enactors are about ha ving historically accurate uniforms and equipment," says OTB President H ugh Lessjo. "We have Star Trek fan clubs in our area, and Sunday's battle re-enactmen t already includes a 'what-if' scenario featuring a Confederate countera ttack," says Lessjo. OTBs, or "Outside The Boxers," as they call themselves, are unconventiona l thinkers who believe "there are no stupid ideas," Lessjo says. " So the OTBs asked battle organizers: Why not attract a wider audience by staging a second "what-if" battle sequence in which a starship crew join s the conflict? Unwilling to openly ridicule the idea, organizers set up a meeting for Le ssjo, Confederate re-enactors and a local Star Trek club -- the latter t wo in full regalia. First the Confederates said they wouldn't associate with "Trekkies," and the Star Trek fans said they preferred "Trekkers." The Confederates all laughed, and "that right there got things off on the wrong foot," Lessjo says. "One of the Trekkers said Starfleet's prime directive wouldn't let the cr ew introduce superior technology to a primitive culture," Lessjo says. That riled the Confederates, provoking one to shout: "Y'all just go fight for the Yankees then! Both sides abruptly drew their weapons, and Lessjo ducked under a table a s the firing commenced, he says. He did not crawl back out until the smo ke cleared, and by then the Trekkers had withdrawn from the field. "It turns out replica Civil War guns use real gunpowder, whereas 'Star Tr ek' phasers have only a battery-powered bulb that lights up," says Lessj o "You don't go up against a guy with a firearm if all you've got is a flashlight." So thinking outside the box yielded an unexpected answer to OTB's hypothe tical question: "We proved Civil War soldiers would win a battle against the crew from 'Star Trek,' " Lessjo says, chuckling.
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