Why The Star Trek Universe Is Secretly Horrifying

[Tallpine]

the show was centered around that ship and her crew but they could have thrown some civilian love around at least a few times

"Heart of Gold" 

[AJ Dual]

I pretty much gave up on the Star Trek franchise after they mangled the Maquis storyline.

 http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Maquis

After portraying them as terrorists over the course of two series, the Maquis was conveniently wiped out off-screen. Then the Federation goes out of its way to liberate & rebuild the Cardassians....the empire that attacked & terrorized the Maquis in the first place.....  

Right then, I discovered that the Federation was no better than the Alliance....

I give them a bit of a pass on the Maquis. The "portraying them as terrorists"... I never saw that. They had core characters, like Ro Laren, the Bajoran woman played by the actor who was Admiral Caine in the BSG reboot... and the tattoo Indian guy who was pressed into service as Voyagers 1st officer etc. So they had folks of "good character" coming and going from the Maquis, and I thought they always portrayed them as a complicated gray area.

As in, "The Federation's hands are tied by treaty, and breaking the treaty will start a full-scale war. And blowing stuff up and guerrilla warfare is bad, mkay? But yeah, your grievances at being hung out there when we ceded the territory, and how the Cardassians behave are rather valid. And the Maquis are all rather solid and brave individuals." 

I always took away from it, "Everyone's gotta do what they gotta do." Would the Federation really be acting in a responsible fashion if they started a full-scale war over a few thousand people?

Ham-handed as it was, I saw it as STNG, DS9, and Voyager taking a stab at trying to portray some real-world complicated ambiguity, and situations that had no good pat answers.

[RevDisk]

I always took away from it, "Everyone's gotta do what they gotta do." Would the Federation really be acting in a responsible fashion if they started a full-scale war over a few thousand people?

Yes.

[AJ Dual]

Yes.

Well, I would too. 

That said, I respect the fact others may not feel that way. And assuming the proper forms were adhered to in making that decision in a democratic republic that operates with the consent of those it governs, I'd have to accept the decision.  At least in terms of expecting the state to go to war.

And that's where the Maquis stepped in. "Doing what they felt they had to do."

[Ned Hamford]

What does it say for your individual rights when the government can just up and cede your multi-generational home over to the neighboring fascist dystopia?  There was a treaty saying things would be fine and dandy for those left behind, but, uh, yah, the evil empire gave free guns to your neighbors of another nationality that wanted to exterminate you.  So the Cardassians were given free reign to spit on the treaty, but the Federation had its hands tied. 

[RocketMan]

I work in IT. Bad idea. But it'll pay good to repair.  

I can just see the Rev as a Brain Surgeon / Internet BioConnectivity Field Service Engineer

[Scout26]

I can just see the Rev as a Brain Surgeon / Internet BioConnectivity Field Service Engineer

"We Make House Calls !"

[seeker_two]

What does it say for your individual rights when the government can just up and cede your multi-generational home over to the neighboring fascist dystopia?  There was a treaty saying things would be fine and dandy for those left behind, but, uh, yah, the evil empire gave free guns to your neighbors of another nationality that wanted to exterminate you.  So the Cardassians were given free reign to spit on the treaty, but the Federation had its hands tied. 

Those living on the USA's southern border can sympathize...

[Ned Hamford]

Those living on the USA's southern border can sympathize...

I really hope someday I will be telling disbelieving grandchildren about the whole gunwalker thing.  It boggles my mind and I don't enjoy thinking about how, right now, things are really that bad.

[brimic]

Watched ST; Into the Darkness last night and something in it made me think of this thread.

There was a scene where Scotty was grumbling about how the Federation or Starfleet confiscated one of his inventions.

[mtnbkr]

Watched ST; Into the Darkness last night and something in it made me think of this thread.

There was a scene where Scotty was grumbling about how the Federation or Starfleet confiscated one of his inventions.

Scotty developed that invention on Starfleet time and presumably with their resources.  If he had created an invention today in the same manner at a private firm, he would have lost it to them as well.

Chris

[Hawkmoon]

If my planet were dying due to supervolcanism, or imminent asteroid impact etc. and aliens watching us who could have saved us with the push of a button didn't because we were pre-contact?

I'd be kinda pissed.

No you wouldn't. You wouldn't know they were watching, so you would have no reason to be pissed.

And shortly thereafter you wouldn't be anything but dead ...

[MrsSmith]

Scotty developed that invention on Starfleet time and presumably with their resources.  If he had created an invention today in the same manner at a private firm, he would have lost it to them as well.

Chris

This is pretty much a standard in any industry, including the arts. If I'm on staff at a publication and I write something for them, they own it. If I'm a contractor and my contract states that I retain all rights, then what I wrote is mine. Yet another reason to read the fine print and think further than the tip of your nose.

[mtnbkr]

This is pretty much a standard in any industry, including the arts. If I'm on staff at a publication and I write something for them, they own it. If I'm a contractor and my contract states that I retain all rights, then what I wrote is mine. Yet another reason to read the fine print and think further than the tip of your nose.

Yup.  Learned about it in b-school nearly 20 years ago and have seen it in hiring agreements since.  Nothing new at all, but is "extra sinister" this time because it takes place in a fantasy world set far into the future.  Therefore, it is obviously oppression.

Chris

[zxcvbob]

After portraying them [the Maquis] as terrorists over the course of two series, the Maquis was conveniently wiped out off-screen. Then the Federation goes out of its way to liberate & rebuild the Cardassians....the empire that attacked & terrorized the Maquis in the first place.....  

Isn't that spelled "Kardashians"?     (talk about possibilities for a crossover episode...) 

[Perd Hapley]

[MillCreek]

I'd hit it.

[Triphammer]

Weren't the Maquis the  Bajoran resistance during the Caedssian occupation?

[lupinus]

Weren't the Maquis the  Bajoran resistance during the Caedssian occupation?

The Maquis came about when the Federation and Cardassians signed a peace treaty which established a demilitarized zone and ceded some colonies to Cardassian control. The Maquis formed as a resistance against Cardassian rule, and as the Federation gave little to no official help they didn't much care for the Federation either. [/geek]

[Tallpine]

Weren't the Maquis the  Bajoran resistance during the Caedssian occupation?

What about the Thermians from the Klaatu Nebulae 

[zxcvbob]

What about the Thermians from the Klaatu Nebulae  

Besides the Galaxy Quest reference, isn't the Thermian an electronic musical instrument, related to IF section of old superhetrodyne AM radios?

[Tallpine]

Besides the Galaxy Quest reference, isn't the Thermian an electronic musical instrument, related to IF section of old superhetrodyne AM radios?

I dunno ... I was sort of hung over 

[TommyGunn]

Keep it simple! 

[Perd Hapley]

Besides the Galaxy Quest reference, isn't the Thermian an electronic musical instrument, related to IF section of old superhetrodyne AM radios?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremin

[RocketMan]

Besides the Galaxy Quest reference, isn't the Thermian an electronic musical instrument, related to IF section of old superhetrodyne AM radios?

That would be the theremin.