Persistent, Niggling Questions

[NAHTMMM]

Originally Posted by Nate the Great

So I just read an article saying that it was Mulgrew who torpedoed the Janeway/Chakotay romance...


PNQ: Would this have really worked?


Upon reflecting on it for a bit, I don't think it had any chance of working. Chakotay did a good job of playing a role that would attract her, but it wasn't feasible in the long term. For Janeway to be able to truly connect with him she would have to willingly remove her armor, and I don't think she's capable of that while commanding a ship.

I haven't watched Voyager much but it just feels like a forced romance between the male and female leads to me.

I agree she would have had a hard time lowering her armor to have a proper relationship.

[Nate the Great]

Today on Reddit I found an interesting fan theory to explain how the NX-01 could be called Enterprise without messing up prior continuity...


In the timeline before the Borg or E-E went back in time, the NX-01 was not the Enterprise because there'd be no reason to use the name, it wasn't that special. So Dulmer and Lucsly were right in saying six Enterprises.



But then the crew of the E-E introduced Cochrane and Lily to the idea of a "starship Enterprise". So in the Post-First Contact timeline they decided to use the name for the NX-01.



Have I mentioned lately how the Mirror Universe exists because Beverly's attempts to wipe Cochrane and Lily's memories of the Borg and TNG crew failed and he flipped a coin?

[Nate the Great]

PNQ: If you could wish for a Trek show to magically appear with age and time appropriate cast and crew, what would it be?


Let me give an example to clarify. Back in the '90s they were thinking of doing an Excelsior show with Takei, etc. So we'd be using Takei as he was in the early '90s, the established creative staff as they were in the early '90s, etc.



Or would you want to see the intended Phase II show, without Spock and with Decker and Ilia filling the proto-Riker and proto-Troi roles in the early '80s?


Do you think a TOS Season Four could've maintained the appropriate quality (if the budget went up from Season Two)?


Do you think Enterprise would've improved if they had a Season Five?


How about a post-Voyager show where they go back to the Delta Quadrant using some form of slipstream drive? Keep some of the Voyager cast but introduce new people, visit with Voyager guest stars, etc.? Neelix would just be a guest star, probably Chakotay would be replaced with a new guy who keeps Janeway on a leash, etc.

[Nate the Great]

Inspired by Facebook...


PNQ: If the captain and first officer died at the same time and you had to promote the next most senior officer to be captain, which one would do the best job in the long term?


The Facebook post automatically jumped to Tuvok as the obvious choice, but I'd like to discuss the others: Scotty, Data (or would it be Crusher?), Dax, and Trip.


Personally I would go Beverly. Scotty has proven himself in a pinch but would never be happy in the big chair long term. Data as he was in TNG just wasn't ready yet (and they really should've expanded his role in Redemption Part Two-why was that just a two-parter again?). Jadzia proved herself in the Dominion War on a temporary basis, but would she be able to handle it long term? And Trip...was he ever in command? I don't remember (then again, I don't think I watched any of Season Four except for that stupid finale).

[Nate the Great]

So Paramount is putting the pilots of the shows up for free on their YouTube channel, no doubt to drum up interest for Paramount Plus...



PNQ: Is "The Cage" the best choice to entice people who have never seen TOS to their service?


Not that it's a bad episode, but let's face it, this episode couldn't sell Star Trek to the networks, only the potential of a show. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" did a much better job, and if we're allowed to go beyond the pilots into any early episode, "Balance of Terror" is exciting and still shows the heart of the Trek ideal.



I won't even get into the differences between TOS Pike and SNW Pike, mainly because I don't know what they are. I know that I'll have to watch SNW one of these days, but I won't have the chance for a long time.

[Nate the Great]

James Earl Jones died today, so it's time to ask the usual favorite role question. And just for variety's sake, Darth Vader is off the table.


Probably Mufasa for me. But if we want to get more obscure there's always The Sandlot and Field of Dreams. I haven't seen either since my childhood but you can't say he didn't give memorable performances.

[Nate the Great]

PNQ: How often has there been a justifiable reason for the holodeck safeties to be turned off?


From an in-universe standpoint, of course. All I can think of is Data's Borg program in Descent. It's a foolhardy and dubious reason, but there was a reason.

[Nate the Great]

An article asking whether or not Seven saved the show.

My biggest problem is the rather harsh Kes bashing...

PNQ: Was Kes really "a terrible character, saddled with an actress who didn't have the charisma needed to curry an audience and a fairly one-note character who was more trouble than she was worth"?

This surprised me. I liked Kes. The writing around Neelix and the love triangle with Tom was subpar, but that doesn't reflect on Lien's performance.

[Nate the Great]

Inspired by a YouTube video...


PNQ: Why was the Enterprise-A decommissioned after only seven years?


That's right, STIV was 2286, and STVII was 2293.


The simplest explanation of course is that the E-A was merely one of the older Constitution-II ships that was renamed to give to Kirk. The book Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise says that this happened to the Ti-Ho. Roddenberry suggested that it was the Yorktown which we saw damaged during the whale probe crisis. If this is true it could mean that the E-A had simply gotten too old to be considered for active duty anymore. Presumably all of the gremlins in the Excelsior had been rooted out by Sulu and Starfleet felt the design was ready for the flagship spotlight.



The Shatnerverse novels are a completely different timeline, of course, but there the E-A is decommissioned by one of Kirk's old rivals out of spite and scheduled to be destroyed in a weapons test. The E-A is later destroyed defending a planet.


The comics reveal that the E-A ended up in the fleet museum and Scotty visited it.



But what do you think?

[Nate the Great]

Courtesy of a Facebook post...


Someone had a theory that Nick Locarno was Tom Paris, he just went to the Academy under a pseudonym so he doesn't get preferential treatment for being Admiral Paris' son...


PNQ: Opinions?


Personally I hate it. Even in Tom's introduction we are given sufficient details to know that they're different. Furthermore I just can't reconcile the idea that Nick did what he did in an effort to impress his father, it was simple arrogance and wanting to go out in a blaze of glory. Tom would never deliberately pilot in a dangerous manner if it could put other people at risk.

[Nate the Great]

Thinking about Tom Paris another question occurs to me...


PNQ: Why is there a Federation Naval Patrol in the first place?


Wouldn't that be under the purview of the individual planetary governments?

[Nate the Great]

PNQ: Why did the Bajorans choose to apply the name "Prophets" to the wormhole aliens?



After all, generally speaking prophets speak for gods, they aren't actually gods themselves. Sisko better fits the definition of "prophet", doesn't he?

[Nate the Great]

I just saw another image of the NX-01 with the added stardrive section...


PNQ: How does that make sense?


The ship was designed based on the center of gravity being in a certain place, the warp and shield bubbles being of a certain shape and size, etc. Adding a stardrive would muck up all of these factors and yield a less efficient ship, wouldn't it?

[Nate the Great]

So I'm watching the SF Debris review of "Indiscretion" again, and Chuck notes that Bajor is stronger and united since the end of the Occupation...


PNQ: When did that happen?


It's hammered into our heads over and over throughout the series that it's a provisional government. Something that's supposed to be temporary as the people pull themselves together and sort out what they want the real government to be.


Sure, Bajor's economy has been strengthened by the wormhole, but that doesn't equate to the people as a whole. We saw what amounted to a civil war at the start of Season Two, that doesn't seem "united" to me.


Somehow we're supposed to believe that Shakaar taking over fixed everything, but it really didn't. And all of a sudden Bashir is about to join the Federation, when did they get ready for that?


Frankly there should've been an official announcement that there's a new constitution and that the government is no longer "provisional", then an announcement that Bajor will enter a one year transitional period to join the Federation, then Sisko and the Prophets telling them that it's not time yet. Then a new civil war between those who believe Sisko and those who think he's a false Emissary. Then when the war is over the Prophets say that Bajor can join the Federation.

[Nate the Great]

It's days like today that I'm reassured that I'm not the most obsessed Trekkie in existence. On Reddit someone asked how Harry Kim can have his own quarters when it was clearly stated in "Lower Decks" that ensigns have to share quarters.



PNQ: Opinions?


This particular nit never occurred to me. And now that it has I'm willing to explain it with "ensigns who are senior officers are exceptions to the rule."


Then again, having Harry and Tom be roommates would've introduced some interesting subplots.



For that matter, having a bunch of the quarters being damaged by the Caretaker wave and forcing everyone except Janeway to have roommates also would've introduced interesting subplots for the first few years.

[Nate the Great]

So I'm watching a Trek clip where a character's luggage consists of a single hexagonal box the size of a duffel bag (I think we saw it on screen in that binary number episode). The only actual luggage we see is one uniform and a PADD...


PNQ: What is realistic luggage for a junior officer on a starship?


It occurs to me that the uniform is unnecessary, the replicator can make a new one and your precise measurements would be part of your computer profile that follows you as you transfer ship to ship (replicator presets, preferred decorations, etc.). And let's assume that you only need one PADD that is only used as a netbook equivalent: most of it is just an Internet access device, very little onboard storage required.


So what else? Presumably any religious or cultural decorations would be shipped via cargo pod and beamed into your quarters. Maybe I could understand taking one physical book with you in your luggage, but no more. A small selection of nonreplicable snacks? I don't know.


How much gold pressed latinum would a junior officer be expected to carry with them? For that matter...


PNQ: If uniforms don't have pockets, how do Starfleet officers carry their latinum?


I mean, do Ferengi only insist on hard currency for transactions with other Ferengi? How often did we see Starfleet officers on DS9 handle latinum, other than Dax during Dabo games, of course.

[Nate the Great]

So I see that another YouTube video has been made with the premise of "which is the best Star Trek captain", and once again I ask myself...


PNQ: How do you define the best Starfleet captain?


I'm sure at least some of you have heard the fandom expression "you bring Picard to win a negotiation, Kirk to win a battle, and Sisko to win a war." But note that these require different skillsets, ones that can't be overlapped altogether. There will always be deficiencies.


There are situations where I'd want Janeway to be in command, others for Spock or Kira or Maxwell or freaking Matt Decker! But which would be above competent for any possible mission?


Feet to the fire, I'd choose Kirk if I had the guarantee that Spock would be right there beside him. As a team they're more versatile than any of the other captain/first officer teams in my opinion.

[NAHTMMM]

Originally Posted by Nate the Great

So I'm watching a Trek clip where a character's luggage consists of a single hexagonal box the size of a duffel bag (I think we saw it on screen in that binary number episode). The only actual luggage we see is one uniform and a PADD...


PNQ: What is realistic luggage for a junior officer on a starship?


It occurs to me that the uniform is unnecessary, the replicator can make a new one and your precise measurements would be part of your computer profile that follows you as you transfer ship to ship (replicator presets, preferred decorations, etc.). And let's assume that you only need one PADD that is only used as a netbook equivalent: most of it is just an Internet access device, very little onboard storage required.


So what else? Presumably any religious or cultural decorations would be shipped via cargo pod and beamed into your quarters. Maybe I could understand taking one physical book with you in your luggage, but no more. A small selection of nonreplicable snacks? I don't know.


How much gold pressed latinum would a junior officer be expected to carry with them? For that matter...


PNQ: If uniforms don't have pockets, how do Starfleet officers carry their latinum?


I mean, do Ferengi only insist on hard currency for transactions with other Ferengi? How often did we see Starfleet officers on DS9 handle latinum, other than Dax during Dabo games, of course.

I think some decorations would be more than decorations. Something your parents gave you before you shipped out. A delicate statuette that you don't trust anyone but yourself to carry. It's interesting to consider how people might treat unique items in a world where anyone can just replicate an exact Mona Lisa.

The uniforms could also be designed to be "broken in" like a baseball glove. I think they're supposed to keep you warm when it's cold and cool when it's hot, while looking like fabric you'd wear today, so we're clearly into technology indistinguishable from magic. We can't say how such technology would be implemented. Maybe the fabric adapts to your specific body temperature over time, to optimize comfort. Might simply need to be worn for a while to get microscopic burrs to either close on each other or get abraded off. I don't know.

[NAHTMMM]

As for captains, allowing for the era in which they were written, I take Kirk as the best. As one of the fivers says, it's a law of the universe that it's impossible for him to lose.

But eras really play a factor, both in our world and in the Trek universe. What was expected of a captain, what training and technology were available, what TV viewers expected of a great leader. Picard may be a better captain than Kirk in the same way that a decent major league batter today is better than Babe Ruth, but is that really the answer we're looking for? A general today has access to far more training, theory, and technology than Alexander the Great ever did, but only one of the two will be remembered by history. And as you say, it's also about personal preferences.

[Nate the Great]

Lately I've been watching reviews of The Muppet Christmas Carol, and I keep finding people who think that it's the best version of the story in general...


PNQ: Seriously?


I'm sorry, but as much as I love MCC, it leaves too much out to be called definitive, particularly from Scrooge's past. Furthermore his characterization was completely mishandled. In MCC he was always a little jerk, to the point where you wonder how Belle fell in love with him in the first place. In the original story he was a good man who loved his sister, but after she dies in childbirth and he loses the woman he loves and even his only friend, he falls into the black hole of cynicism and distrust. He doesn't collect money to be rich, he collects money to never be poor again.