Star Trek cast blames the bosses

[wingsandsword]

-- still a devoted LUGTrek fan.

*looks happily at shelf full of LUGTrek materials*

Y'know, it's a real shame they folded when they did. That's only one of two non-d20 games I have any actual interest in running (New WoD being the other), and I think that system works very well for Star Trek.

With no new canonical trek due out for anywhere from a few years to a decade, it's the best time possible for RPG companies and reference manual makers, as they can get well underway and make plenty of books without having to worry about next week's episode completely contradicting everything you just wrote. Too bad Decipher is treating its Trek RPG like a obstacle of contractual obligations, just like UPN treated Enterprise. Maybe we'll see an updated Star Trek Encyclopedia or Star Trek Chronology in the coming years, who knows.

 

[Vigilance]

While this may be non-canon, a LUG game product titled, The Price of Freedom: The United Federation of Planets Sourcebook, might give you some understanding of its bureaucracy.

-- still a devoted LUGTrek fan.

I have a lot of the LUG Star Trek books myself, I'll look for that particular one.

I just firmly believe there are interesting stories to tell in the Alpha Quadrant in the TNG era and don't know why Bermaga kept telling us we needed something "different".

Never mind that their definition of "different" was TNG in a different place (Voyager) or time (Ent).

Its really astonishing how much better Ent Season 4 was, when they actually started to show how the UFP came to be was.

Chuck

 

[Ranger REG]

Its really astonishing how much better Ent Season 4 was, when they actually started to show how the UFP came to be was.

Just so that no one forget... credit should be given to Manny Coto with writers Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens (except for the series finale episode, which are written by B&B).

Now I can't wait for Enterprise: Season 4 DVD set to hit the store shelves.

 

[Vigilance]

Just so that no one forget... credit should be given to Manny Coto with writers Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens (except for the series finale episode, which are written by B&B).

Now I can't wait for Enterprise: Season 4 DVD set to hit the store shelves.

Noooo remember, according to Berman Season 4 was NOT the "Manny Coto" show, he and Braga were INTIMATELY involved in Season 4 just as much as they had been with Seasons 1-3.

The fact that it was better after Manny Coto took over and hired a couple of writers who actually KNEW their trek was pure coincidence

 

[Ranger REG]

Noooo remember, according to Berman Season 4 was NOT the "Manny Coto" show, he and Braga were INTIMATELY involved in Season 4 just as much as they had been with Seasons 1-3.

*blows raspberry*

What a frickin' liar. I mean Berman, not you.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I hope "take a long break" is your code words for "resign and never set foot in California ever again."

Or possibly Live Long and Prosper's evil twin: Drop Dead and Immediately Decay. (Accompanied with the LL&P hand gesture inverted.)

The Auld Grump

 

[S'mon]

The one time we see Starfleet just take over and start policing everywhere was in DS9 "Paradise Lost", where a rogue Admiral tries to stage a coup, overthrow the President and rule the Federation by martial law. Note that this almost starts a civil war as direct day-to-day Starfleet policing was seen by the citizens of Earth as creating a police state, and Starfleet directly ruling was seen as a blatant power grab by many (those who supported the coup were given misinformation that it was to protect Earth and Starfleet from Changeling infiltrators).

I haven't seen this episode, I'm sure I'd enjoy it.

 

[S'mon]

There is also the Prime Directive, which still applies to member worlds, preventing the Federation from taking a hand in any "purely internal" issue.

The Prime Directive is not to interfere with the development of pre-Warp civilisations, how can that apply to member worlds? In any case it doesn't apply to humans (ie Earth).

 

[Umbran]

The Prime Directive is not to interfere with the development of pre-Warp civilisations, how can that apply to member worlds? In any case it doesn't apply to humans (ie Earth).

Well, they haven't been terribly consistent with what the PD really says. But I concur - the real Prim Directive is to not interfere with less advanced civilizations. Generally, that's judged to be pre-warp civilizations. It is supposed that anyone who can develop warp technology is grown-up enough to deal with on an even keel.

The Federation does also have a policy of not interfering in purely internal matters of their members. They often even try to keep hands off non-members, but the Klingons made it impossible for the Feds stay out of the way.

 

[Vigilance]

The Prime Directive is not to interfere with the development of pre-Warp civilisations, how can that apply to member worlds? In any case it doesn't apply to humans (ie Earth).

This policy of non-interference prevents Starfleet from influencing the normal development of any civilization, particularly those that are pre-warp drive.

^That is from Star Trek's official website, which matches how I have seen the PD used. It is not *just* for pre-warp civilizations, but also a way to ensure the internal sovereignty of all worlds, including member worlds.

During the brutal Cardassian occupation of Bajor in the early 24th century, the Federation refused to act on the grounds that the occupation was an internal matter of the Cardassian government and to help the Bajorans would violate the Prime Directive.

^And here is an example of this application of the Prime Directive from the wikipedia entry for the Prime Directive. Both the Cardassians and the Bajorans were warp-capable and many in the Federation clearly had a sympathy for the Bajorans but Starfleet did not step in.

Not only did the Bajorans have warp drive of their own, but several members of their species (Ensign Ro mentions the "other Bajorans in Star Fleet") were even members of Star Fleet. Jean-Luc Picard was clearly an admirer of their culture and an advocate for the Federation to act, yet they did not.

By the 24th century the Federation had begun applying the Prime Directive to warp-capable species, refusing to interfere in internal matters such as the Klingon Civil War.

^And here is an example from TNG of the Prime Directive applying to two warp-capable factions of the SAME species (the Klingon civil war). Even though Picard and Star Fleet wanted Gowron to win and not the Duras Sisters, they would not interfere.