Miracle In Salem

The state of TIAH

June 10th, 2006

in 1692, Bridget Bishop, a young woman of the Salem township in Massachusetts, is taken to the gallows to be executed on charges of witchcraft. With the noose around her neck, Bishop cries out to God to save her and punish those who are about to murder her. When the trapdoor of the gallows opens, the support beam holding Miss Bishop breaks, letting her drop harmlessly to the ground. The beam falls on Justice William Stoughton and Reverend Samuel Parris, who were standing on the platform to watch Bishop's death, and cracks open their heads, killing them both. Shocked by this apparent miracle, the village frees Miss Bishop and decides that impressionable little children might not be the best of witnesses against evil, after all.

in 1966, the Hays Office orders Warner Brothers to make substantial changes in their film adaptation of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf? or face harsh penalties from the censorship board. Reluctantly, Warner Brothers agrees to the changes over the objections of stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and the tepid result, bereft of the colorful language and sexual situations of Albee's play, garnered little box office and much critical disappointment. “If they'd left in the good stuff,” Ms. Taylor said, “we'd have made enough money to not worry about the fines.” Taylor and Burton decided that the Hays Office needed to be challenged, and released their controversial Home Movie the next year without review by the censors. This highly provocative independent film contained language and situations that would have given Hays a heart attack, and there was even a brief glimpse of Taylor's breasts and Burton's buttocks. It not only broke box office records, but also the power of the Hays Office over Hollywood's film makers.

in 2017, the Quorato, the alien vessel that the human crew of the Eagle find themselves guests on, takes aboard the golden device that had transported them here. Commander Patterson and her crew take a good look at it in the light of the Quorato's cargo bay. The Quarai crew of the alien vessel also take a look. Captain Kikao asks a few specialists to examine the device. “These guys, they very good,” Kikao tells Commander Patterson. “No worries, they figure this thing out.” Patterson nods, then warns, “Just don't activate it again. There's no telling where we'd end up from here.” The alien captain looked almost eager to try. “That would be something, wouldn't it?” Patterson immediately regretted telling the captain, because the aliens began working all over the device, obviously looking for a way to turn it on. “Oh, well. How much farther can we go?” She turns back to her own crew, and a couple of them look like they share the Quarai's curiosity about activating the device, but are restraining themselves out of courtesy to her. She sighs, then says, “Go ahead.” They join the alien press around the device, trying to figure out what it does, how it works, and where it might send them if activated again.

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf? to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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Good long fiction from the AH. See a review of Warp at Universe Pathways Magazine

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