WI: The Enterprise completes its five year mission (Star Trek survives for 5 seasons)

Who should be captain of the Enterprise-D in this timeline's TNG?

  • Patrick Stewart (same as OTL)

    Votes: 50 68.5%
  • Patrick Bauchau

    Votes: 6 8.2%
  • Yaphet Kotto

    Votes: 5 6.8%
  • Rutger Hauer

    Votes: 11 15.1%
  • Someone else (specify who in the comments)

    Votes: 1 1.4%

  • Total voters
    73
  • Poll closed .
Reagan vs Hart in 80 would be a hard fight for Ronnie- Hart is young, charasmatic and not 'tainted' by a previous Admin (probably) so as long as he can keep it in his pants then he stands a good chance I'd have thought.
Reagan as President in 76 means that unless some large dramatic changes in both the economy and Foreign Affairs (Especially Iran) , he has the same problems that Carter faced in 80 when up for reelection .
 
Reagan as President in 76 means that unless some large dramatic changes in both the economy and Foreign Affairs (Especially Iran) , he has the same problems that Carter faced in 80 when up for reelection .
Maybe I could do Reagan in 76 and Glenn in 80/84 to really let the butterfly wings flap? You explained exactly why Reagan would be a vulnerable incumbent in 1980 if he were elected in 1976, which I mentioned earlier

A NASA man in the White House to really supercharge spending for the space program? Glenn would have made an exemplary president. The only issues with Glenn are that he's a centrist and the Democratic base is moving left at this point, and Annie Glenn, his wife, is painfully shy and would probably hate being First Lady. A Glenn presidency would also cause the US not to go too far right, as he would tame both the right and the left in American politics and be a president for the vast majority of the American people

I absolutely love the principle of doing inversions in alternate history, and that's what I would be doing if I made Glenn the president in the 80s
 
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Chapter 91: September 1974, the start of the Animated Series
ITTL, Star Trek TAS begins on September 7, 1974. The intro remains the same:


EPISODE 1: BEYOND THE FARTHEST STAR. This was the first episode of TAS in OTL and is the first ITTL as well. Air date: September 7, 1974. Written by Samuel Peeples. All episodes in this first season are directed by Hal Sutherland.

EPISODE 2: THE LORELEI SIGNAL. This was the fourth episode of TAS in OTL. It becomes the second episode ITTL. IRL, this was the only time Uhura commanded the Enterprise; this is the second time she does so ITTL. Written by Margaret Armen. Air date: September 14, 1974

EPISODE 3: THE SURVIVOR. This was the sixth episode of TAS in OTL. It becomes the third episode ITTL. Air date: September 21, 1974.

EPISODE 4: THE MAGICKS OF MEGAS-TU. This was the eighth episode of TAS in OTL. It becomes the fourth episode ITTL. Air date: September 28, 1974.

In response to the cartoon premiere, Paramount and Gene Roddenberry agree to a line of Star Trek action figures to be created by Mego Corporation. IRL, Mego created 8" Star Trek action figures.

Two news articles for today: President Muskie proposes education reform, and former President Nixon's trial begins.


MUSKIE DEMANDS GREATER INVESTMENT IN AMERICAN EDUCATION

September 12, 1974

At a campaign stop for Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson III in Chicago, President Muskie proposed an overhaul in the American educational system. "It is not enough that children in American cities simply go to school and wander into an aimless existence," President Muskie said. "We must improve schools for all Americans, including African-Americans. If we re-elect Senator Stevenson and other Democrats around the country, I will pass a sweeping education reform that will turn our urban schools into education factories, not pipelines for incarceration and poverty." The $10 billion landmark legislation to build and improve American schools is deadlocked in a Senate committee at the moment, and the President is frustrated with the fact that it has not been passed out of committee for a full floor vote. Muskie is criss-crossing the country for various candidates. He recently appeared in Florida to support Democratic candidate Richard Stone, who is locked in a very close race with Republican Jack Eckerd, the scion of the Eckerd pharmacy chain. Muskie also plans to make stops in Vermont, where Democrat Pat Leahy is running a close race with Richard Mallary. Later in the month, Muskie will also make a trip to Kentucky to support Democrat Wendell Ford in his close election fight with Republican Marlow Cook.


NIXON TRIAL BEGINS IN FEDERAL COURT

September 24, 1974

Former President Nixon was in attendance for the first day of his trial in respect to his actions during the Watergate burglary. Nixon was indicted for one count of obstruction of justice in March for ordering the FBI to halt its investigation into the burglary, and one count of conspiracy for directing his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, to conceal the events of the burglary to the American public in 1972. Federal prosecutors are seeking a one-year prison term for the former President if he is found guilty on the two criminal charges. Nixon's lawyer, James D. St. Clair, argued for the defense that Nixon had nothing to do with the scandal, because the individuals involved in the burglary were so far beneath him in the chain of command that they were acting on their own accord. A circus atmosphere has developed over the trial, with Nixon supporters picketing the District of Columbia federal court with "Witch Hunt" placards, while Nixon detractors had posters depicting the 37th president as an "evil, bloodthirsty warmonger" who is being "brought to justice." The trial is expected to take three to four weeks to complete, before a grand jury decides on Nixon's fate.
 
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ITTL, Star Trek TAS begins on September 7, 1974. The intro remains the same:
I saw the Star Trek Animated Series before I ever saw the Original series .
After about 6 weeks , the channel in Washington DC area , started showing the TOS after the episode of the Animated Series .
In some ways, I still think of the music from the Animated series when I think of Star Trek.
Will the Animation be any better then it was in the OTL?
 
Do we still get Lt Alex and M'Ress in the Animated Series ?
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main-qimg-72b40801c777c2d5450080bd41fdce2f-c

Since Uhara proven she can command , it be interesting to see her character take on more Command roles and spend less time at the Communication Counsel.
Also would explain why they introduced M"Ress
 
Do we still get Lt Alex and M'Ress in the Animated Series ?
f5cc2927dcadca1ab0c667b683928b5b.jpg
main-qimg-72b40801c777c2d5450080bd41fdce2f-c

Since Uhara proven she can command , it be interesting to see her character take on more Command roles and spend less time at the Communication Counsel.
Also would explain why they introduced M"Ress
Yeah, and we get Ilia too at some point because I want some continuity between TOS, TAS and TMP. TAS's primary cast is Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Chekov (who was not in TAS in OTL), Ilia, M'Ress and Arex. Sulu and Uhura don't make a lot of appearances. Takei is busy in local government in LA and Nichols is on Broadway, about to break out as a huge star there.
 
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I'll see if I can get two updates in today. It'll be sizable because I'll have to go through eight episodes, plus the 1974 midterm elections, plus a couple of other stories, but it might be worth it to advance the timeline a bit. I really want to get to 1978 pretty quickly and I'm not at the end of 1974 yet
 
Chapter 92: October 1974
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Two updates today. One is going to be October 1974, while the second one is going to be the 1974 midterms in November. I'll split them up into two posts. First, the episode updates and other events in October 1974.

EPISODE 5: ONCE UPON A PLANET, written by Chuck Menville and Len Janson. Air date: October 5, 1974. This was the ninth episode of TAS IRL, but is the 5th episode ITTL.

EPISODE 6: THE TERRATIN INCIDENT, written by Paul Schneider. Air date: October 12, 1974. This was the 11th episode of TAS IRL, but is the 6th episode ITTL.

EPISODE 7: THE AMBERGRIS ELEMENT, written by Margaret Armen. Air date: October 19, 1974. This was the 13th episode of TAS IRL, but is the 7th episode ITTL.

EPISODE 8: THE SLAVER WEAPON, written by Larry Niven. Air date: October 26, 1974. This was the 14th episode of TAS IRL, but is the 8th episode ITTL.


NIXON PLEADS GUILTY TO CONSPIRACY CHARGE, SENTENCED TO HOME CONFINEMENT

October 11, 1974

After a meeting with Senators Hugh Scott and Barry Goldwater, former President Nixon agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge related to the Watergate burglary in June 1972. The court determined that Nixon demonstrated contrition for his behavior while President, and decided to sentence him to three months of home confinement in Washington, D.C. and three months of home confinement in California. Senators Scott and Goldwater were concerned that the circus atmosphere surrounding the trial would damage Republican prospects in the upcoming midterm elections. "We know that President Nixon's actions were not defensible, and we told him about it. We feared that we would lose another four or five Senate seats along with another 15 seats in the House of Representatives if the trial continued into the election," Scott said. "Now, I believe we can limit the damage or potentially make gains in both houses of Congress with Watergate no longer an issue for the American people." President Nixon's lawyer, James D. St. Clair, was also pleased with Nixon's sentencing. "Although the President was not truly involved with the burglary, we are glad that he will not be serving a prison sentence. The President is a solitary man anyway, and six months of just sitting at home in DC and California is practically nothing." President Nixon's underlings were not so lucky. John Ehrlichman, H.R. Haldeman, and John Mitchell are all facing prison sentences after testimony from former Nixon White House Counsel John Dean implicated each of them in the coverup.


BILL GATES, PAUL ALLEN FOUND SOFTWARE COMPANY IN NEW MEXICO, MICRO-SOFT

October 1974

Young whiz kid programmers Bill Gates and Paul Allen declined the offer to join MITS, instead creating their own company, called Micro-Soft, to produce software for microcomputers. Gates and Allen are currently writing a BASIC software for the Altair 8800 microcomputer, developed by MITS. It is believed that the two programmers have also been contacted by the United States Air Force to assist with their computer programming needs. "We believe that Micro-Soft could become the largest software company in the world in the next decade," Allen said. "Computing will only expand and expand, and within the next few years, the American people will be able to buy their own personal computers. We want to be at the forefront of software development for all the computers that are expected to be developed over the 1970s and 1980s." Time will tell if Mr. Gates and Mr. Allen will follow through on their promise. We at Popular Electronics will fill you in on all the latest computing advances as they occur.

NOTE: Microsoft was founded on April 4, 1975, in New Mexico IRL.
 
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1974 Midterms, plus a breakdown of the Senate afterwards
MIDTERM ELECTIONS LARGELY A WASH: DEMOCRATS SLIGHTLY EXPAND MAJORITIES

November 6, 1974

Democrats narrowly won the 1974 midterms, but their gains were slight, due to a middling economy and the resolution of the Watergate scandal. The Democrats won five seats in the House of Representatives to increase their margin to 253-182, while they gained one Senate seat overall, to expand their majority to 60 in the upper chamber. In Colorado, Gary Hart defeated incumbent Republican Peter Dominick. Democratic challenger Wendell Ford defeated Republican incumbent Marlow Cook in Kentucky, while famed astronaut John Glenn unseated Republican incumbent William Saxbe in Ohio. Patrick Leahy, a young state attorney in Vermont, surprised Republican Richard Mallary in Vermont, in an election that could go to a recount. Frank Church, considered to be one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the country, narrowly held his seat over Republican Robert L. Smith.

It was not all bad news for the Republicans in the Senate. Jack Eckerd, of the Eckerd pharmacy chain, narrowly defeated Democrat Richard Stone, who President Muskie campaigned for in both September and October. Richard Lugar, the mayor of Indianapolis, unseated Democratic incumbent Birch Bayh in Indiana, while David M. Stanley won the open seat in Iowa vacated by Democrat Harold Hughes with 52% of the vote against Democratic house representative John Culver. George McGovern, thought to be safe for reelection in South Dakota, was shocked by Republican Leo Thorsness, a Vietnam prisoner of war for several years. Ronald Reagan, who campaigned for Republicans across the country, was disappointed in the midterm results. "There is no way that we should be losing a single seat as the party out of power," Reagan said. "We are completely rudderless as a party, and someone has to set it right."

COMPOSITION OF THE SENATE AFTER THE 1974 ELECTIONS. An asterisk indicates that this is a departure from RL. Democrats have 60 seats, Republicans have 39, and there is 1 independent.

Alabama: James Allen (D), John Sparkman (D)
Alaska: Mike Gravel (D), Ted Stevens (R)
Arizona: Paul Fannin (R), Barry Goldwater (R)
Arkansas: William Fulbright (D), John McClellan (D)
California: Alan Cranston (D), John Tunney (D)
Colorado: Floyd Haskell (D), Gary Hart (D)
Connecticut: Lowell Weicker (R), Abraham Ribicoff (D)
Delaware: Joe Biden (D), William Roth (R)
Florida: Lawton Chiles (D), Jack Eckerd (R)*
Georgia: Herman Talmadge (D), Sam Nunn (D)
Hawaii: Daniel Inouye (D), Cecil Heftel (D)*
Idaho: Frank Church (D), James McClure (R)
Illinois: Adlai Stevenson III (D), Charles Percy (R)
Indiana: Vance Hartke (D), Richard Lugar (R)*
Iowa: Richard Clark (D), David M. Stanley (R)*
Kansas: Bob Dole (R), James B. Pearson (R)
Kentucky: Wendell Ford (D), Walter D. Huddleston (D)
Louisiana: Bennett Johnston (D), Russell Long (D)
Maine: William Hathaway (D), Kenneth Curtis (D)*
Maryland: Joseph Tydings (D)*, Charles Mathias (R)
Massachusetts: Ted Kennedy (D), Edward Brooke (R)
Michigan: Robert P. Griffin (R), Philip Hart (D)
Minnesota: Walter Mondale (D), Hubert Humphrey (D)
Mississippi: John Stennis (D), James Eastland (D)
Missouri: Stuart Symington (D), Thomas Eagleton (D)
Montana: Mike Mansfield (D, Majority Leader), Lee Metcalf (D)
Nebraska: Roman Hruska (R), Carl Curtis (R)
Nevada: Paul Laxalt (R), Howard Cannon (D)
New Hampshire: Norris Cotton (R), Thomas J. McIntyre (D)
New Jersey: Harrison A. Williams (D), Clifford Case (R)
New Mexico: Pete Domenici (R), Joseph Montoya (D)
New York: Jacob Javits (R), Richard Ottinger (D)*
North Carolina: Jesse Helms (R), Robert Barren Morgan (D)
North Dakota: Milton Young (R), Quentin Burdick (D)
Ohio: Howard Metzenbaum (D)*, John Glenn (D)
Oklahoma: Henry Bellmon (R), Dewey F. Bartlett (R)
Oregon: Mark Hatfield (R), Bob Packwood (R)
Pennsylvania: Hugh Scott (R, Minority Leader), Richard Schweiker (R)
Rhode Island: Claiborne Pell (D), John Pastore (D)
South Carolina: Strom Thurmond (R), Fritz Hollings (D)
South Dakota: James Abourezk (D), Leo K. Thorsness (R)*
Tennessee: Howard Baker (R), Bill Brock (R)
Texas: John Tower (R), Lloyd Bentsen (D)
Utah: Jake Garn (R), Frank Moss (D)
Vermont: Winston Prouty (R), Patrick Leahy (D)
Virginia: Harry Byrd (Independent), William L. Scott (R)
Washington: Warren Magnusen (D), Henry "Scoop" Jackson (D)
West Virginia: Robert Byrd (D), Jennings Randolph (D)
Wisconsin: William Proxmire (D), Gaylord Nelson (D)
Wyoming: Clifford Hansen (R), Gale W. McGee (D)
 
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You might have some of the stories in the Animated series done as two part stories .
Develop some of the Characters with the extra time.
That's what I think I'm going to do, because the live action series writers always wrote with an hour in mind
 
Chapter 93: End of 1974
I'm going to close November and December 1974 out with the episode updates to finish Season 1 and then boldly go into 1975 tomorrow. We'll actually use the remaining five episodes that I didn't use yet that were made IRL.

EPISODE 9: THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER. Written by David P. Harmon. This was the 15th episode of the first animated season IRL. Air date: November 2, 1974.

EPISODE 10: THE JIHAD. Written by Stephen Kandel. This was the final episode (16th) of the first animated season IRL. Air date: November 9, 1974.

EPISODE 11: THE PRACTICAL JOKER. Written by Chuck Menville. This was the third episode of TAS's second season IRL. Air date: November 16, 1974.

EPISODE 12: ALBATROSS. Written by Dario Finelli. This was the fourth episode of TAS's second season IRL. Air date: November 23, 1974.

EPISODE 13: THE COUNTER-CLOCK INCIDENT. Written by John Culver. This was the final episode of TAS IRL, as there were only six made in season two. Air date: November 30, 1974.

Now at this point, I have to start making up some quick synopses of stories that could work as cartoons, so I will do my best.

EPISODE 14: A TEMPORAL QUANDARY. The Enterprise enters a temporal anomaly and is transported back to 2155, where the United Earth-Romulan War breaks out. The Enterprise crew debates whether to involve themselves in the war, with the crew at loggerheads over what to do. Eventually, Kirk, Spock and McCoy agree that the timeline must remain as it is, and return back to the future. However, they meet the ancestors of Lieutenant Stiles, who was on the bridge in BALANCE OF TERROR, who attempts to persuade the extremely advanced Enterprise to intervene and give humanity a decisive advantage in the war. Air date: December 7, 1974.

EPISODE 15: ILIA. On Delta V, the Enterprise onboards a new ship psychiatrist, Ensign Ilia, who at first disturbs the crew with her telepathic and empathic powers. The crew must learn how to deal with Ilia, who means no harm but is inadvertently causing the crew to act out against each other with her powers. Eventually, Kirk is able to work out matters with the crew, and Ilia becomes a positive influence on the ship. Air date: December 14, 1974.

EPISODE 16: GORN PRIME. The Enterprise is ordered to interdict shipments of dilithium to Gorn pirates, but they discover that the Kzinti are holding the Gorn ships hostage. Kirk must work with the Gorn, who he does not trust, in order to stop the Kzinti from attacking Gorn Prime, their home world. Kirk rediscovers the Gorn captain that he refused to kill in ARENA. Air date: December 21, 1974.

Just one story for December 1974:

NICHOLS, VERDON, RIVERA TO STAR IN CHICAGO BROADWAY MUSICAL

December 1974

Nichelle Nichols, currently playing Miss Lynch in the hit musical Grease, will join with Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera to star in the Chicago musical, which is expected to hit Broadway stages in early 1975. Nichols will play the part of Velma Kelly, a vaudevillian and murderess who kills her husband, while Rivera, a Tony Award winner from Anna and a star in the famous West Side Story, will play Roxie Hart, another female who murders her lover. Verdon will reportedly play Mama Morton, the matron of the prison, who gives favors to the prisoners. It is believed that Jerry Orbach, the Tony Award winning actor in Promises, Promises, will play the male lead, Billy Flynn. Barney Martin is also signed on to play another male co-star, the simple-minded husband, Amos Hart. The star-studded cast is expected to wow Broadway audiences, and the risque material is expected to provide some extra shock value that musical fans are sure to lap up with pleasure.
 
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EPISODE 14: A TEMPORAL QUANDARY. The Enterprise enters a temporal anomaly and is transported back to 2155, where the United Earth-Romulan War breaks out. The Enterprise crew debates whether to involve themselves in the war, with the crew at loggerheads over what to do. Eventually, Kirk, Spock and McCoy agree that the timeline must remain as it is, and return back to the future. However, they meet the ancestors of Lieutenant Stiles, who was on the bridge in BALANCE OF TERROR, who attempts to persuade the extremely advanced Enterprise to intervene and give humanity a decisive advantage in the war. Air date: December 7, 1974.
While I think this would be a excellent episode of Star Trek, Would the censors allow a episode about war on a 70's Saturday Morning Show?
 
While I think this would be a excellent episode of Star Trek, Would the censors allow a episode about war on a 70's Saturday Morning Show?
They had the Enterprise fighting a Klingon battlecruiser in More Tribbles More Troubles in TAS IRL. There's no actual fighting in this episode, just a debate and an observation that the humans start out on the wrong side of the war. The moral of the story is that interfering in a fight that isn't yours is bad, which is OK for kids and teenagers. The Enterprise crew debates whether to rescue Stiles because they could alter the timeline, and Kirk decides to do so because they determine that Stiles will die later in the war anyway. The ending will be similar to TOMORROW IS YESTERDAY, where Stiles will have no recollection of what happened, so the timeline is not altered.
 
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They had the Enterprise fighting a Klingon battlecruiser in More Tribbles More Troubles in TAS IRL. There's no actual fighting in this episode, just a debate and an observation that the humans start out on the wrong side of the war. The moral of the story is that interfering in a fight that isn't yours is bad, which is OK for kids and teenagers. The Enterprise crew debates whether to rescue Stiles because they could alter the timeline, and Kirk decides to do so because they determine that Stiles will die later in the war anyway. The ending will be similar to TOMORROW IS YESTERDAY, where Stiles will have no recollection of what happened, so the timeline is not altered.
Fair enough.
Who do you see as the authors of those episodes ?
(Nice work on them by the way.:cool:👍)
 
I should clarify: Interfering in a fight that could alter the timeline is bad. In the story, Spock determines that if the Enterprise interferes, the Romulans will eventually develop ships that will overpower the Federation, which is part of the reason why they have to refuse Stiles. As for the authors, name your pick, DC Fontana, Margaret Armen, Larry Niven, James Blish, even Sondra Marshak as part of the fandom could write a half hour cartoon treatment if they wanted
 
Chapter 94: January and February 1975
I won't write that big an update today. I'll cover the restart of the Vietnam War in the next update, March 1975, which is when it restarts IRL and the North quickly wins. However, with 75,000 American troops still in theatre, they might not win as quickly this time. Today we're going to get that education bill passed, the first space shuttle gets its name, just like IRL, and a recollection from a Star Trek convention ITTL held at Madison Square Garden in February. ITTL, conventions are big enough to be held in arenas like the Garden.

1975 Golden Globes: Leonard Nimoy is nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture--Drama, Comedy or Musical ITTL for playing Thomas Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, but he loses to Fred Astaire. IRL, Bruce Dern was nominated for the same role, but lost to Fred Astaire.


LANDMARK EDUCATION REFORM PASSES CONGRESS, HEADED TO MUSKIE'S DESK

January 25, 1975

After two years of wrangling, the Senate passed one of President Muskie's most important initiatives, a sweeping public education overhaul. The bill passed 51-48 in the Senate, with one abstention. Key points of the education reform include $10 billion for reconstruction of urban schools left blighted in the last decade, another $4 billion in rural education, and a set of national standards for mathematics and English education. President Muskie hailed the bill's passage, stating that "this is a continuation of the Great Society we began in the 1960s and the New Deal we began in the 1930s. Every child in this nation must receive a quality education to compete with our rivals in the Warsaw Pact, who devote great resources to ensuring their children can read and write. No longer will the United States trail any nation in the world in educational achievement." Perhaps the most notable part of the bill is the establishment of a Cabinet level position and federal branch of government called the Department of Education. Critics argued that a nationalized Department of Education would take matters out of the hands of knowledgable teachers who promote creativity in their classrooms. "I know that education was always a local endeavor," President Muskie said. "However, to compete with the rest of the world, some standards in basic subjects, such as reading and arithmetic, must be codified. We will not prevent teachers from pursuing the best options available for their students, but there must be accountability in how well students read, write and solve mathematics problems."


FIRST SPACE SHUTTLE TO BE NAMED ENTERPRISE

February 12, 1975

National Aeronautics and Space Administration chief Dr. James Fletcher has already decided on a name for the first space shuttle, to be rolled off the development line next year. "Of course we are going to call it the Enterprise," Dr. Fletcher said. "There is no better name to call this prototype spaceship." The space shuttle will be officially called a Constitution-class spaceship, according to NASA. Dr. Fletcher cited the World War II aircraft carrier and the starship from the television series Star Trek as inspirations for the name. "The real Enterprise was pivotal in our victory in the Pacific against the Japanese in the last world war, and Star Trek's Enterprise is what we aspire towards in our distant future," Dr. Fletcher noted. It is expected that the space shuttle will begin flights into orbit in 1978. However, NASA is currently short on the type of mission specialists they require for manning the new craft. "We plan to have seven members of the crew on our manned missions, and only two of them are supposed to be pilots. We have no problem attracting pilots. Therefore, the remaining five crew members must be scientists, as we intend out shuttle missions to be scientific in nature. We must train scientists to be astronauts, which will be a rigorous process."


Nichelle Nichols recollects the Star Trek convention at Madison Square Garden in February 1975 ITTL:

I knew walking into the legendary Madison Square Garden that fans of my old series liked to join together in large groups and rent out hotels for the weekend. Usually, I would reunite with Leonard, Jimmy, Dee, George, Walter, and even Bill Shatner when the large New York conventions rolled around and I was in musical theatre on Broadway in the 1970s. However, this was supposed to be the largest Star Trek convention in history. Over three days, a total of 60,000 fans were expected to attend, filling the Garden each day on President's Day weekend. It was almost like a secular version of a Billy Graham revival when one of us walked on stage and received the roars and appreciation of the crowd. I was about to star on Broadway in Chicago at about this time, and would later be honored for my role in that production at the 1976 Tony Awards. But there was no greater thrill than being on the stage at the Garden, perhaps the most famous venue in New York City. I remember about 500 female fans at that convention dressed up in red Starfleet uniforms who could not wait to see me at the autograph tables.

On the final day, all the cast members were invited to speak to the standing room only crowd of 20,000. When it was my turn, I walked to the center of where the basketball court normally is and shouted out, "It's always a wonderful day to be a Trekkie!" The crowd applauded and swooned. I then continued into my speech. "Who remembers when I took command of the Enterprise? Should I be the captain instead of Bill?" The crowd laughed at first but started chanting Captain Uhura! I was almost in stitches, because I knew that I was only in command for one episode in our original run and one episode in the cartoon at that point. Then things got really serious. I was asked a question about a future Star Trek movie. I wish I could have given them a better answer, because all of us were just slowly reuniting, working in different places on the cartoon at the time. I could only say that a movie was possible, and it was certainly not definite at the time, because we were all doing different things with our careers. But they would be pleased with the movie we made three years later, even if it was a little too warlike for my tastes. As it turned out, my character played a pivotal role in saving the Enterprise in the first movie. That convention convinced me that Star Trek was an indelible part of the national fabric, and a series of movies was inevitable. I think it convinced Bill, Leonard and Dee too, because without them, there was no possibility of a Star Trek movie or the six that we eventually made.


Note: IRL, the US Department of Education was created during the Carter Administration, a few years later.
Note: IRL, President Ford names the first space shuttle Enterprise in 1976. There's no persuading required of NASA or the President ITTL.
Note: NY had large Star Trek conventions but none which were three day events at the World's Most Famous Arena
 
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I won't write that big an update today. I'll cover the restart of the Vietnam War in the next update, March 1975, which is when it restarts IRL and the North quickly wins. However, with 75,000 American troops still in theatre, they might not win as quickly this time. Today we're going to get that education bill passed, the first space shuttle gets its name, just like IRL, and a recollection from a Star Trek convention ITTL held at Madison Square Garden in February. ITTL, conventions are big enough to be held in arenas like the Garden.
And, if that's the case, then a lot more South Vietnamese manage to leave before it eventually falls (if South Vietnam is still around when monsoon season starts, for instance)...
 
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