Issue #102 May 2018

Hello and welcome fellow OTFers to a very special Star Wars edition of the Blue Report! This edition, if I may say so myself, is a superb one! With so many chatters participating in one way or another, it has become an awesome collaboration of the OTF community that is fun-filled and informative.

With interviews to contests and recipes, we at the Blue Report hope that there is something that will interest everyone, including those not huge on Star Wars.

A special thanks to everyone who contributed to this month's edition and to everyone who reads it!

See you next month and May the Fourth Be With You!

The Outpost10F is a general Sci-Fi / Fantasy chatroom. But of course, a big part of OTF is Star Wars. Especially with new movies coming out thanks to Disney. So what Star Wars stuff does the Outpost have to offer?

The Cloud City Cantina. One of the main themes for OTF is the CCC. But did you know there is a Classic CCC as well? Actually, apparently a lot of people do know about the Classic CCC. According to the login records, (at the time of writing), almost 24% of people use the Classic CCC, while only about 7% use the regular CCC. Star Wars is the second most popular theme. There are a whopping 2250 Star Wars avatars to choose from! You're bound to find a few that you like. Star Wars fans actually have more avatars to choose from than the Star Trek fans do, who only have 1819 to choose from. Of the 246 active OTF users, 101 are Star Wars affiliated.

The CCC was originally created in 1999 by Al, and launched in September 1999. In 2005, the Senate started a new project. Codenamed "SW2", it was originally intended to be a separate room, much like the D'Deridex and Rotarran. However, it was then decided to replace the Cloud City Cantina, and launched during the 2005 anniversary. On September 22, 2010, the Classic Cloud City Contina was re-released, thanks to some help from Ray (Hobbie).

The OTF Twitter team posts Star Wars news on the official OTF Twitter page. Check them out for the latest on Star Wars news. Along with other Sci-Fi / Fantasy news that you might be interested in. Nathalie and her team are doing a great job of keeping us all informed.

There is always the OTF forums as well to discuss the latest news on Star Wars, and other topics as well. Found some new information that you want to share? Start a topic. Got a question? Start a discussion. Found a funny Star Wars joke? Share the laughter.

Do you enjoy fighting as the Republic or Sith in Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR)? Want to play with other people from OTF? Join the OTF Guild! There is a Guild on the Star Forge server for both the Light Side, and the Dark side of the Force. The Light Side Guild is "OTFLIGHTSIDE", and you can contact "Numblahs" to join. The Dark Side Guild is "ImperialOTF", and you can send a message to "Baivoyld" to join. Both characters belong to Mr Numbahs (Robert).

In part of celebrating Star Wars this issue of The Blue Report I asked myself, "Who would the chatters maybe want to see interviewed?" It only seemed natural to ask Al (or Alexis) for an interview. After all he is one of the founding father's of The Cloud City Cantina. And I don't know about you guys but I love hanging out in Classic CCC!

If you're interested in seeing what Al had to say? Click here!

First off allow me to thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me; I really appreciate it!

Al: Yeah, no problem!

As one of the founding father's of the Cloud City Cantina what was your initial drive to add a Star Wars chat to the Outpost?

Al: When I first joined Ten Forward, I did so as a Star Wars fan curious about Star Trek. I really liked the way the site worked and since the very beginning thought it would be cool if there was a Star Wars themed version. Even before the concept was approved I'd made a mock version I called "Ten Forwars" which I wound up using part of for the CCC's design.

How did it feel once you cut the ribbons on the Cloud City Cantina and it became an active room?

Al: Very exciting! And hard to believe we actually made it happen.

Did you ever imagine a Star Wars chat would be so popular among current chatters and chatters to come?

Al: I knew there were quite a few SW fans in Ten Forward already, so I figured it stood a good chance. Thankfully I was right! It's also been great to see how people have continued to enjoy it over the years, through today.

If you could see one change come to the Cloud City Cantina right now what would it be?

Al: Hmm, I'd probably like to see the "classic" CCC be the default CCC again. ;)

How did you feel when all of the chats, including the CCC, merged together so that everyone could chat in the same place?

Al: I was okay with that decision. It was a bit sad that the low attendance made things come to that, but it was the right thing to do.

You do a lot of "behind the scenes" work for the chat; how does it feel to be essentially the code master for the chat?

Al: When I created the CCC I just supplied the HTML & graphics, without access to the site's source code, so it's been wonderful these past few years to have the kind of access I have now. Also with the web development experience I've gained from my job over the years it's been a very nice opportunity to give back to the site that helped me start it all.

Do you ever want to mess around with chat settings just a little bit for a good laugh? (For example: turning everything entirely orange.)

Al: I do! That's basically what happened last Halloween, including the orange! :D

Is there any one particular thing about the chat that you wish you could make better? (For example: a fancier armory that has special effects when somebody is phasered out?)

Al: If I could have a wish magically come true it would probably be one where we'd have a proper authentication system where you'd log into OTF once and not have to enter your name & password every time you wanted to chat. That would be a pretty time intensive and painstaking change though which is why is why it hasn't happened yet.

One last question; how does it make you feel knowing that we all appreciate the work that you do behind the scenes and absolutely marvel at your creativity with things such as the Halloween Spookies?

Al: Aw, that's real sweet and I'd say y'all are just too kind. I have my fun at times and it delights me to hear people enjoy such things as much as I enjoy making them.

Well, I think that's it for now. I just want to thank you again for not only the time you took to answer my questions but for all the work you do around the chat! It's one hundred percent appreciated.

Al: Thanks so much Carol! And you're very welcome. :)

I hope you guys enjoyed that interview as much as I did! It was pretty cool to see what Al had to say I think.

Now that April is under our belt it's that time of the month again! It's promotions and awards time! Woohoo!


Congratulations to the following individuals for their promotions and awards!

Promotions:

CL2 to CL3:
CrypticYT
BigBossMan

Way to go guys! How did they do it? By being themselves and showing up to chat.

CL4 to CL5:
Wyvern aka Leslie
Nathalie aka "Changes Her Handle A Lot"

Major congratulations you two! How did they do it? By working hard and continuing to be wonderful members of our community.

Awards:

Top Geek:
Keith
Awarded for having the most chat hours! We were so happy you could grace us with your presence so often in April!

Senior Officer of the Month:
AJ
AJ has brought some enthusiasm back into the chat, and has contributed greatly to the fun we have been having lately. He also takes his departmental work seriously and is guiding the new direction of the Shuttle Bay.

Unsung Hero:
Carol
Carol has stepped into her role as manager, and is flourishing. She supports Holodeck projects with beautiful graphic work, and has worked hand in hand with Leslie in the re-imagining of the Blue Report. Things are running smoothly because Carol is there!

Congratulations again to our newly promoted officers and the recipients of awards! You guys are all awesome. And just remember; getting promoted isn't everything. The key feature to OTF is fun!

If you have questions, comments, complaints and/or compliments about this month's promotions, you may send a polite inquiry to Katrina.

A long time ago in a virtual galaxy,
there was an outpost near a
forceful disturbance in hyperspace,
which linked multiple 'verses.

To keep this chaos from turning into war,
the local news service tried to keep
the scruffy population entertained with
holo games, to prevent cantina brawls.

For long since forgotten solo-decisions,
these competitions were chewed up and
sent to the asteroid belt like a piece of junk,
there to be sliced up for greedy profit.

Now though, an alliance of herders,
helped by high-ranked royalty,
has overcome the dark, imperious past,
again bringing to light ... Captions!



Here is how it works these days:
- Pictures of various genres are posted, rotating.*
- Using the comment-function, you post your caption.
- You can post a caption for each of the posted pictures.
- A caption can be for example a dialogue the people shown have, or something they think. Or it can be a comment on what you see, what happened to create the situation, or what's likely to happen next.
- Of course, like with everything OTF, you have to stick to the PDs!
- Don't flood the comments, especially not using the same post. In extreme cases, this will disqualify that post.
- Remember that you can't edit your previous posts, so try to make sure you don't post before it's ready to be posted. (Note: if you refresh the page you can delete your comment and start over.)
- You have until a certain deadline to submit your captions, anything posted later won't be counted.
- Using certain criteria, the captions will then be rated.
- The winning captions will be announced on the updates board when the next issue of The Blue Report is released.
* This edition is an exception; since it's a themed Special Edition of The Blue Report.

Click here to see the Caption Contest images!

Image #1

Click the image to view the full size.

Image #2

Click the image to view the full size.

Image #3

Click the image to view the full size.

The deadline to submit your captions is...
MAY 30th 00:00 UTC.

So get your thinking hats on! And remember have fun!!

In a chat far, far away a group of Star Wars fans gathered...These fans came to the chat with a special love for Star Wars. Along with this love for Star Wars fond memories followed. Some of those fans, now regular chatters, have gathered here to share a few of their "special" memories of Star Wars...

Click here to share in some of those special memories.

Handle: Robert
Dossier: 6506
My special Star Wars memory was seeing Star Wars Episode 1 in the movie theater. Then years later I go to introduce my kids to the movie and Isabel is out cold on the couch and David is at the edge of his seat. And that's how I knew I wrapped David into the Star Wars Universe. #NERDparentingWIN


Handle: Adge
Dossier: 951
It's a geeky one - I guess they all are - but I was 14 years old and I had just finished re-watching the trilogy (THE trilogy - at this point, Attack of the Clones wasn't a thing yet) and, around the same time, we had just purchased a PC for the family home, complete with this rapidly growing "internet" thingy. After watching the movies, I went online (complete with awesome dial-up tone) and searched (not googled!) for Star Wars chat. Guess what I found....? Outpost10f.com. Never looked back since, and I often wonder if I'd have ever found our community had I not re-watched the movies and been inspired to search the internet...


Handle: Mashed Potatoes
Dossier: 520
One of my fondest memories of Star Wars is when the Empire Strikes Back was re-released in theatres. I had seen all the Star Wars movies before, but this was the first time that I got to see them in the theatre. My grandpa took me, and we had a great time. Seeing Star Wars on the big screen, especially with my grandpa made me enjoy Star Wars even more. After I got back home, I rented the trilogy again, so that I cold watch it all over again. Though I did have to sit close to the TV for the big screen experience..



Two of our members (CL7 Tycho and CL9 Hobbie) professionally modelling a X-Wing fighter.

Handle: Ayanna
Dossier: 7388
The one that I can remember is going to see Rouge One with my mom. She had never watched an episode of Star Wars and I was explaining to her, in the car, the different characters. She commented, "I'm glad you know the characters so well because I have no clue whos is who." She went with me to see The Last Jedi and will probably go with me to see the Han Solo movie as well.


Handle: Tanya
Dossier: 3625
Going to see Star Wars on the big screen for the first time. It was Episode II, and I went with Andrew Maxwell and Rubicon. I had recently seen the other Star Wars movies for the first time on VHS. The theatre (and the good company) was another experience entirely!


Handle: Soka
Dossier: 10998
The first memory I'll share is pretty old, over 15 years. I was on a visit to my aunt, living several hours away. One evening we went upstairs and she set it up so I could watch a movie from VHS (yep, that's how long ago it was). She put in the tape and hit play.

If you think that's how I discovered SW, you are wrong - that story is too embarrassing to share here.

What it has to do with Star Wars is simply this - the credits from SW were playing. You know, this blue list of names that scrolls over a black background. Even before the sound came on (which usually was delayed with VHS if I remember correct), I said "Hey, this looks like StarWars!" - Well, that' what it'd translate to into English. I actually said it in German.

I didn't watch SW afterwards though, but the movie that had been recorded behind it on the tape - SW would have been in German anyway, which wouldn't have annoyed me at the time, since I don't think I knew English well enough that I'd started watching movies in English yet.
----
The other memories are a lot more recent...

Opening night on The Last Jedi. I went there for the Midnight preview, and I was really excited before - I just didn't know what to expect, if I'd stand out a lot without a full SW costume. In the end it turned out that most people had maybe a t-shirt, and nothing more. Those who stood out were the full costumed ones. Two guys had a light-saber fight before the movie, and there was a Boba (or Jango) Fett. The only reason I went to that Midnight showing was that there were only a handful of times it was shown in English, and this was the only one I had time for.

If you wonder at the lack of costumes, that was because the big party was in the next city over.
----
The third memory was creating the SW-captions event for the WLD.
I actually had to watch the SW Holiday Special for that one - and it wasn't nearly as horrible as I expected.
Once I'd decided to just treat it like a Parody in which the Wookiees are hairy humans with a different culture.


Handle: Carol
Dossier: 2062
My very first memory of Star Wars is pretty special I think... I can remember I was roughly six years old and my dad had rented the trilogy on VHS. He brought it home for all of us to watch even though as far as my mom was concerned both my sister and I were too young. So before we all sat down to watch Star Wars I can remember my mom and dad explaining that it was "pretend" because they were so worried it would scare us. But funnily enough all six (or seven) year old me took away from watching Star Wars the first time was the talking teddy bears. But this began the tradition of watching Star Wars as a family and we'd all go see new movies in the cinema for the first time together. The last one I saw with my dad was Rogue One so it'll always hold a special place in my heart.

Thank you everyone for sharing your "special" Star Wars memories with us. They were all wonderful to read! Do you have any special memories relating to Star Wars or any other fandom? Feel free to share them in the comments!

Hello all,

The Last Jedi has split the Star Wars fanbase, with some enjoying the new movie, and others being left disappointed by the latest offering. Personally, I find myself more in the latter category, so this will be a "dark side" review of the Last Jedi, and the things I found wrong with the movie.

If you're interested in seeing what AJ has to say about The Last Jedi? Click here.

Battle Tactics

When the First Order dreadnaught arrived in the system during the evacuation of D'Qar by the Resistance, one of its first actions is to use its bombardment cannons on the planetary base. Why? This annoyed for a few reasons: firstly, there could have been a treasure trove of data and intel - not to mentioned weapons and supplies - left on the planet during the hasty evacuation - all of which the First Order could have found very useful. So, what do they do? Blow it up. Secondly, the base wasn't going anywhere. Sure, it was deserted (the last transport escaped just as the shots impacted), but even if the Captain was hoping to destroy any Resistance cells still on the surface, he could have GOT THEM ALL had he immediately fired upon the Mon Calamari cruiser, destroying it, which would have left the resistance severely crippled and almost wiped out!

Furthermore, why the slow response in launching their fighters to combat the Resistance bombers and fighters? Any competent tactician would have had the fighters ready to launch immediately after leaving hyperspace and arriving in the system! The idea of interceptors is to intercept enemy targets away from your own ship or base, not wait until they're almost on you! Deploy the fighters early like any rational Captain would have done!

On the topic of tactics, why did Vice Admiral Holdo sacrifice the flagship during the hyperspace ramming manoeuvre? She could have easily moved a freighter, or frigate, and still caused as much damage to the First Order fleet! Traveling at such extreme velocities, any of the other ships at her disposal would have achieved the same goal! Also, why pilot the cruiser herself? Couldn't an astromech have done it?

And don't get me started on blaster fire that "arcs" in space, as if subject to air resistance and planetary levels of gravitational pull...

Snoke

I was left VERY disappointed with what happened with Snoke. Here's a guy, shrouded in mystery, who we expect to be developed and explored quite heavily, and see him become a formidable opponent to the Resistance, doubtless culminating in a battle in Episode IX. However, he (seemingly - doubts exist, but for the purpose of this article, I shall stick to what appear to be the facts) was killed half-way through. If indeed he is dead, this is extremely disappointing, in my view.

Porgs

No. Just, no.

The Casino Scene and DJ's character

The casino scene, and the escape, was very confusing, and annoying. It seemed very forced and almost needless. I found the entire scene boring, if I am honest.

Now, DJ, the character they come across in the prison. He was a good character, but he just... disappeared and was left very much on the fringes. Again, that was very disappointing and I felt it was another missed opportunity.

Rose and Finn

This was so forced, and painful, it was similar to Padme and Anakin. The scene where they both survive a collision at extremely high land speeds as Finn is about to sacrifice himself was extremely frustrating. I like Finn, I like his character, but as he sped towards that canon, accepting his fate, his character arc completed in a brilliant way.... I was rooting for him. When Rose collided with him, I was left very frustrated, I wanted to punch her in the face for it. Firstly, it ruined what would have been a fantastic character arc and ending. Secondly, there is no way they survive that collision, at least, not without extensive injuries. Speaking of which...

Poe Dameron - Ironman

When Kylo Ren destroys the fighter bay, just as Poe is entering the hangar, the explosion is monumental. Poe takes the full-force in the chest/face and just gets back up? I'm sorry, but no. You don't survive a blast like that, your internal organs are soup...

Leia "Superman" Organa/Solo

That... spacewalk? Flight? No. Just... no. I chalked it down to her using the force, but even still, it was utterly ridiculous and I physically facepalmed during it. It was a huge deus ex-machina, more so than the Ewoks, I believe.

So, there's a look at some of thing reasons I did not enjoy The Last Jedi. There were too many blatant errors and too much obvious plot armour for me to be able to enjoy it. It had good points, and there were things I greatly enjoyed, but overall, it left me feeling disappointed, and almost hollow, so it's a no from me.

We all know that Porgs taste wonderful. At least, that's what Chewie says. But he didn't have a side of potatoes. What's up with that? Perhaps there were no potatoes on that planet.. Poor Chewie..

But if there had been potatoes, what potato side dish would Chewie have picked?

Personally, I think that Porg's would taste great in some Poutine. BBQ Porg Poutine would sure hit the spot. A little BBQed Porg, some French fries, and some cheese curds, and you have a wonderful dish.

Click here for the porglicious recipe.

• 1 Porg
• 1/2 TSP Salt and Pepper
• 3/4 Cups Hickory Barbeque Sauce
• 2 Cups Gravy
• 6 Russet Potatoes, cut into strips
• 1 Cup White Cheese Curds
• Olive Oil

1. Season the porg on all sides with salt and pepper.
2. Place the porg into a slow cooker and pour in the gravy and BBQ sauce.
3. Cook the porg on high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.
4. Pull the porg apart using two forks until it's' shredded, and keep it warm.
5. Soak the sliced up potatoes in hot water for 10 to 30 minutes.
6. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 350F.
7. Add a bunch of the fries to the hot oil, and fry until the French fries are cooked through and crispy on the outside. Drain and toss with a little salt.
8. Stack some French fries on a plate, add some porg and top with the cheese curds. Pour some gravy over the top and serve while hot.

Chewie would of course have to be careful not to get BBQ sauce in his fur, but it would be well worth it! Nothing hits the spot like a good serving of poutine.

Perhaps next time that Chewie visits Ahch-To, he'll remember to bring along some potatoes to go with his Porgs. And some gravy, cheese curds and BBQ sauce.

In a galaxy far, far away a young Sith Apprentice roamed...

This young Sith Apprentice was in search of the finest bakery in which she could get her Master a tasty treat. Happening upon a small bakery in the middle of practically nowhere, Jakku, the Apprentice found a master baker. The Master Baker was a fiesty and tiny woman who listened carefully to the Apprentice's dilema. Once the Apprentice had finished speaking the Master Baker spoke, "You should learn this recipe I have. I made it once for my son's 7th birthday in honor of Lord Vader. Learn it and learn the skill of cake decorating...Your master will reward you!"

In honor of Star Wars Day I'm teaming up with one of our resident bakers, Nathalie, to bring you a tasty cake recipe and a simple how-to for decorating a Darth Vader cake!

If you're interested in reading about the Darth Vader cake Nathalie made? Click here!

The recipe that Nathalie used can be found here. It's a simple yellow butter cake. The directions are for two cake pans but you can easily use any pan.

If specifically making this recipe for a Darth Vader cake make sure to add black food coloring to the chocolate frosting. Let it sit for about 20 minutes so the color can reach it's full depth before you start frosting it. Also; depending on how detailed you want the frosting to look be aware it might take you a while to decorate. With the detail that Nathalie put in? It took her a few hours to do with a couple of breaks to rest her arms.



Nathalie did mention that she found the cake a little dry. So maybe up the 3/4 cup milk to a full cup of milk. That might combat the dryness. Or if you like your cake a little dry? Stick to the 3/4 cup milk.

If you're interested in get the same cake pan as Nathalie? You can find it here for purchase.

If you give this recipe a try and make a Darth Vader cake? Let us know in the comments below!

Have you ever wanted to step back in time to the old days of The Republic? To fight before Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, to be a Jedi before Luke Skywalker became a master, or to roam the galaxy before Han Solo became a ruggidly handsome pilot? It's possible! You can do all of this by playing Star Wars: The Old Republic.

To help me learn more about Star Wars: The Old Republic I reached out to one of our resident players, CL6 Ayanna, with a bunch of questions. A self-proclaimed addict of Star Wars: The Old Republic Ayanna was more than happy to answer my questions.

To learn more about SW: TOR click here!

What is your favorite thing about the game?

Ayanna: The thing I love most about it is that you can play by yourself or with others depending on your mood.

What is your favorite character class to use?

Ayanna: So far my favorite character class to play is the Imperial Sniper; it seems to have the best storyline.

Do you have a favorite weapon you like to use?

Ayanna: I don't have a favorite weapon that I prefer to use. But with the weapons you always have the option to change them out for bigger and better weapons.

Are there any subclasses to characters?

Ayanna: Yes! There are subclasses; play as a Jedi and choose between Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Smuggler or Trooper. You can even play as a Sith has Sith Warrior, Sith inquisitor, Bounty Hunter and Imperial Agent. Each one of those has another subclass within it as well.



Click the image to check out Ayanna's character.


What is your favorite planet?

Ayanna: My favorite planet so far is Corellia; especially if you play an Imperial Sniper you get to fight against the Wookiees.

Are there a lot of solo missions?

Ayanna: Every mission is solo or you can play it with a group. The higher up you go it gets harder playing solo so thats when you might want to consider joining a guild.

Do you find it easy to play by yourself or is it better in a group?

Ayanna: I had no problem playing by myself. Though I think a lot of it depends on the character you chose.

How customizable do you find the game?

Ayanna: It is very customizable; you can even chose to create weapons that you can use or you can sell them to get money to buy better weapons.

Does your character have a ship?

Ayanna: Yes, my character has a ship, all characters get a ship at a certain level. You can customize it to compete in flashpoint missions offered in the ship command center.

Are there lots of ship classes?

Ayanna: Not that I have noticed. Though I only generally play Sith as thats my prefered character to play.

Is it a subscription game or do you just have to buy the game once?

Ayanna: You can play for free but you are limitied in some things like medical probes, you only get 5, and can only have 350,000 in credit. Or if you pay to play you can have unlimited probes and unlimited credit for buying supplies with.

Why did you start playing SW: TOR?

Ayanna: I started playing it because I was looking for a new Star Wars game to play. I really enjoy that it is easy to play solo or in a group.

Thanks for your time and your answers Ayanna! If you're interested in checking out and playing Star Wars: The Old Republic? Click here to give it a shot.

Once again, Missy (CL5) has taken the time to find links to news and products that might be of interest to her fellow chatters. With the theme of Star Wars in mind, she has found us five links for our perusal.

Click here for the links.

How the Last Jedi Novelization Connects To A Galaxy of Star Wars Books and Comics
BB-8 and Porg Puppeteer Brian Herring on His Journey to the Last Jedi
Remasters of the First 6 Star Wars Soundtracks Coming May 4th
Meet the Wookie - An Interview with Joonas Suotamo
Solo: A Star Wars Story Products Revealed

We hope these links were interesting and informative for you!

Do you love hanging out in the chat, but feel like you could be contributing to the community more? Then you've come to the right place for we have job openings that just might be the perfect fit for you!

The Shuttle Bay
The Gaming Team is looking for applicants to fill the following positions:

Team Leader
Assistant Team Leader
Member

You can apply for any of the above positions by emailing AJ and Brent. Ensure you include your chat handle and preferred method of contact in your email.

Should you wish you apply for a leadership role, also include the following information:

Position interested in
Any Relevant Experience
Statement of Interest

As either a Team Leader or member, you will have the opportunity to shape the direction and really make the Gaming Team flourish as we move forwards!


The Holodeck

Blue Report Contributors

Anyone wishing to be a Blue Report Contributor may e-mail Carol and Leslie.

Please include in the e-mail:

Your name
Dossier #
Type of article(s) you would like to write

The deadline for any submissions to June's issue of The Blue Report is May 30th.