[77] While this part was in the works, Ardie noted that it was too bad I couldn't use Collect Telegram from a Mad Dog, which is the title of an actual Hunter S. Thompson piece (collected in The Great Shark Hunt. I really liked the vibe it gave, so I filed it in the back of my head, and the next morning the variation I ended up using popped into my mind. With its overtones of time travel and drug frenzy, I thought it was perfect, and I'm still very fond of it.

[109] Radiation poisoning doesn't really kick in this fast or have these exact effects, but hey. It's still more realistic than the Incredible Hulk's comics origin. :)

[142] According to Star Trek III, this is also what photon torpedo casings are made of.

[147] Gryphon's so giddy, he's quoting Pink Floyd.

[173] 450 Röntgen Equivalents in Man, under the old system. A dose of 450 rem is fatal in 60% of cases within 30 days - acute radiation poisoning. For comparison, Harry Daghlian, the first person to be killed in a criticality accident, received about 500 rem and was dead in three weeks.

[206] Contrary to popular misconception, pon farr (the septennial Vulcan mating frenzy) is not the only time Vulcans can get busy; it's just the only time they must (and, by extension, the only time that strict Surakites will).

[237] Dr. Duke stocks his fridge at home with the not-for-export version of Asrial's Finest Pale Ale, which is labeled in Cheltarese, a language which does not exist in the universe Valeris comes from. The company insists that it's the same as the export version, which is labeled in Standard, but Dr. Duke does not believe them, and pays exorbitant amounts of money to smuggle "the real stuff" from Salusia.

[350] Admiral Cartwright's enmity for Gryphon dates to well before the latter's Starfleet career; the admiral, as a commodore, strenuously opposed the "civilian consultant" program under which G spent the Enterprise's first couple of tours, and when he eventually attained enough influence to kill it, Gryphon turned around and joined Starfleet, annoying him even further.

[405] The idea with this little segment (in which I shamefully stole Geoff's New Frontier trailer music, though I did have his permission) was one of those artsy semi-silent, semi-montage action sequences where the music cue is the dominant thing. That was hard to convey in text.

Lord, here comes the flood
We'll say goodbye to flesh and blood...

[454] The Jim Kirk of the Split Infinitive universe is believed by his contemporaries to have perished during an incident that interrupted the christening of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B), which he was aboard as a Retired Dignitary for the ceremony.

[481] Along with several classmates, they then sailed the ship to Hawaii, partly to prove that the Vikings could've made it there if they could've gotten across North America, but mostly just for something to do during the summer holidays. In Academy circles, this is known as "going Heyerdahl".

[625] Only Duke's closest friends know that really is the long-preserved 20th-century gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Most who know of Thompson's works believe he died long ago and that Duke is a modern-day disciple of his philosophy paying homage.

[696] I was so tickled by the implication that "City on the Edge of Forever" was all just McCoy hallucinating that he and the others had traveled in time that, when Geoff suggested it, I jumped right on it.

[700] "This Side of Paradise", which, among other things, contains Captain Kirk's immortal line, "Right next to the dog-faced boy!"

[743] Archimedes, the ancient Greek investigator of nature who is credited with articulating the principle of leverage, is reputed to have said, "Give me a place to stand and I will move the world."

[790] Dr. Selar's UF characterization is pretty much my own whim; she's a bit of a cipher in the one TNG episode she actually appears in, and I hadn't read any of the Peter David novels in which she appears until long after she'd been introduced to UF. Indeed, I've tried to stay away from referencing that version whenever possible.

[793] Hands down, my favorite Selar line ever.

[802] Here in the real world, the makers of Mountain Dew decided that it needed to be Edgier or something and renamed it "MTN DEW". The 24th century's "MDW" is my way of mocking that trend. Perhaps by 2400 it will have become "M".

[848] And this, for its part, is probably my favorite Jamie line - especially because from another character's mouth, it might've been snide or cruel, but from her it's just a friendly pat on the head.

[971] The original models had hyperdrives, which is why (in UF) they don't have warp nacelles. That embedded warp drive is a retrofit.

[988] Their true purpose is sinister.

[1015] Originally, this was mistakenly written as "on Musashi," leading to the notional outtake dialogue: ["Uh... sir, we're already on Musashi." "Well, then! Mission accomplished! Beer for all my men!"]

[1020] Of what actual value an acting order of promotion is when it can never be logged with Starfleet Command is questionable, but nobody among the Invincible's survivors is thinking far beyond the immediate mission right now.

In the updated Sid Meier's Pirates! (and possibly the original, I wouldn't know), if you are on good terms with the Spanish, it is entirely possible to receive word that one of the (Spanish-flagged) villains has been sighted in the very same port you're visiting. And may have even kidnapped the Governor's daughter while he's in town. Rescuing her is then a simple matter of bidding the Governor farewell and walking over to the tavern.