[WelshAvenger]

*immediately requisitions one personal forcefield for Cushing*

[LogicalLeopard]

Sounds like personal shields are a thing and they might be used in Starfleet Security. I wondered about that, too. The answer probably has to do with budget concerns and plot devices haha I was surprised to hear that, too.

Since Starfleet Security had been stockpiling personal force fields on Earth in case of a planet-wide emergency, that makes me think that they are rare or hard to make. Why else stockpile them? Why only during an emergency? Why planet-wide? Why not use them for minor problems?

Makes me think of Quark in "Business as Usual," "the Breen CRM-1-14 works equally well against moving vessels or surface emplacements. It's guaranteed to cut through reactive armor in the 6-15 cm range, and shields up to 4.6 gigajoules."

The fact that it's able to penetrate shields as being a selling point, tells me that these shields are so effective, that weapons that can overload them are really rare. Maybe it's a relatively new development? Tech from the Borg?

As Chief Tactical Officer, I don't see why security personnel can't use them, it is the 2380s, afterall haha

Yeah, it's hard to tell. They had stockpiles of them, but it doesn't look like they used them in the Dominion War. Could be that the planet in "The Siege Of AR-I Forget The Number" had their stockplile depleted, or the Dominion adapted to them and started using higher weapon settings, like the Breen weapon.<br> I definitely believe it was likely made from Borg tech, like you said.
Here's where you could make it interesting though. It could be fringe technology, and maybe the Ares doesn't have any, but the Naausicans have a cache of them they found in the war. Or maybe the Ares has like thirty, but they dont use them very often, because there's not much need.

[WelshAvenger]

I definitely believe it was likely made from Borg tech, like you said.

I dunno, if Worf can make one from a communicator, then Starfleet R&D can surely make one that doesn't just last two seconds.

I was thinking about the dominion war bit. Imagine the number of casualties that starfleet had on the ground. Now if they didn't recover all the bodies and some of those guys had personal force field projectors when they died, then it's logical to assume that the dominion got a hold of them and found a way to render them useless. Maybe that's why they weren't general issue during the latter stages of the war.

[Scarlett]

Well, to be fair, only the rich had color TVs in the 1940s

[WelshAvenger]

Well, to be fair, only the rich had color TVs in the 1940s

Which is probably why we didn't get one until 1977

I still remember the TV man coming round to install it. I started watching the TV series of Tarzan in black and white and finished watching it in colour.

[LogicalLeopard]

I dunno, if Worf can make one from a communicator, then Starfleet R&D can surely make one that doesn't just last two seconds.

I was thinking about the dominion war bit. Imagine the number of casualties that starfleet had on the ground. Now if they didn't recover all the bodies and some of those guys had personal force field projectors when they died, then it's logical to assume that the dominion got a hold of them and found a way to render them useless. Maybe that's why they weren't general issue during the latter stages of the war.

True, but Worf's shield blocked projectiles. It might have been different against a beam weapon. I was kind of thinking that either Worf read up on recent advancements in technology, and simulated one with his combadge that was at least powerful enough to stop a projectile, or maybe they could stop projectiles with personal shields, but the Borg research helped them make stronger ones that could stop beams. But I dunno, that's just in my head.

That Breen weapon that Allan mentioned was powerful enough to cut through forcefields up to a certain strength. So I'm thinking that was the reason why we didn't see the personal shields - the Dominion just battered them down with higher weapons settings. Or found a way past the frequency. Or maybe it's just a logistics thing - maybe the troops we saw simply didn't have them because they weren't available to them at the time. A ship carrying those to the front lines could be destroyed and boom, there goes your stockpile. Or, maybe they were field tested and determined to be junk, because someone developed some sort of feedback wave that did damage to the wearers.

It may not play a part in the story here, but maybe it might be an interesting element to use down the line.

[WelshAvenger]

It may not play a part in the story here, but maybe it might be an interesting element to use down the line.

Very true. We could adopt the STO personal shield mechanic in the future if need be. Low shield strength (enough to get into cover) and subject to disruption by Tachyon Harmonic waves. Let's face it, it would never be used to go full on berserker in the face of a dozen enemies, that's patently ridiculous. Allowing a second or two to reach cover makes more sense.

[Silynn]

I'm no engineer or scientist (my disclaimer) but I have watched First Contact and played STO ground quite a bit. So, as an "Armchair Fan", I do find this thread of discussion interesting.

When a borg is hit by a phaser, their technology didn't seem to 'block' it as a force field would. It appeared to dissipate it, much like how the shields of a ship seem work. Beam hits ship, beam gets spread out in a small area and the direct damage is nullified or absorbed?

In other Star Trek episodes, when they deployed force fields, it appeared to block everything. An example, and yes it is a STO one, is the engineer Cover Shield. That beast blocks everything... yet the 'personal shield' that you equip on yourself, seems to absorb the incoming fire.

Thus, are these true force fields or more of an man-sized shield (like in STO ground)? Potato, Potatoe perhaps, but I think (well, believe) the two terms and technologies are different.

[Allan Hood]

I might be late this weekend getting my end of the story in; my sisters' family made a surprise visit. Might not get in til Monday.

[Arlu3n]

I'm back from my LOA. I will try to catch up and make a post as soon as possible

[LogicalLeopard]

Very true. We could adopt the STO personal shield mechanic in the future if need be. Low shield strength (enough to get into cover) and subject to disruption by Tachyon Harmonic waves. Let's face it, it would never be used to go full on berserker in the face of a dozen enemies, that's patently ridiculous. Allowing a second or two to reach cover makes more sense.

True. Something that's enough to save your life from a lucky hit or two, but nothing you could charge the enemy with, because, say, three or four good hits will render it useless. And if your enemy is familiar with them and knows how to disrupt them,they're not useable at all. That seems workable from a writing standpoint. It becomes the equivalent of a bullet proof vest. It'll save your life from most things, unless someone is using the right ammunition or just shreds you with hits.

[LogicalLeopard]

I'm no engineer or scientist (my disclaimer) but I have watched First Contact and played STO ground quite a bit. So, as an "Armchair Fan", I do find this thread of discussion interesting.

When a borg is hit by a phaser, their technology didn't seem to 'block' it as a force field would. It appeared to dissipate it, much like how the shields of a ship seem work. Beam hits ship, beam gets spread out in a small area and the direct damage is nullified or absorbed?

In other Star Trek episodes, when they deployed force fields, it appeared to block everything. An example, and yes it is a STO one, is the engineer Cover Shield. That beast blocks everything... yet the 'personal shield' that you equip on yourself, seems to absorb the incoming fire.

Thus, are these true force fields or more of an man-sized shield (like in STO ground)? Potato, Potatoe perhaps, but I think (well, believe) the two terms and technologies are different.

I'm thinking it's more the STO personal shield that absorbs the incoming fire and loses effectiveness as it is struck. Those Cover Shields are fun though. It might be interesting to either use or occasionally improvise a Cover Shield on occasion. Maybe each shuttle has an cover shield pack as part of emergency survival equipment, post-Dominion war.

[WelshAvenger]

I'm thinking it's more the STO personal shield that absorbs the incoming fire and loses effectiveness as it is struck. Those Cover Shields are fun though. It might be interesting to either use or occasionally improvise a Cover Shield on occasion. Maybe each shuttle has an cover shield pack as part of emergency survival equipment, post-Dominion war.

That's a really good idea. A last resort shield to protect the shuttle crew while on the ground. Have some Rep points.

[LogicalLeopard]

That's a really good idea. A last resort shield to protect the shuttle crew while on the ground. Have some Rep points.

Thanks! I think it kind of can be used in the kind of internal roleplay as well. You have this group of postwar veterans, where some of them are old enough to remember when a portable shield generator being standard equipment on a shuttle would be ridiculous. And some of the youngest have never imagined going on a shuttle trip without one. The best thing about the Ares project is that it is set in a time where Starfleet is transitioning back into exploration after a harsh period of war. That provides a lot of great storytelling opportunities.

[Josh Broughm]

Doing a post for Max & was wondering where the primary OPS console is? looking at the sovvie bridge layout & Its a bit unclear. If Data was the Ops officer, wouldn't that mean his position would be on the forward consoles?