[deuZige]

Wouw! I am absolutely stoked with the exciting and creative discussions going on here!

First of all welcome to all the "new" additions to our "family" here! Excited to see so many of you joining us! I hope we'll live up to your expectations!

Second of all i think there's wiggle room for non-alpha/beta quadrant species to have come to the UFP over the past few years with the Dominion War, The Wormhole and other means. I would like to caution against, already mentioned, to much Q's and Traveler like explainations.... or caution against is to harshly put maybe. Its more a request actually. There's lots of ways the distance can be crossed without resorting to finger-snapping godlike help.

I've done it myself with Dnare, the Squadron commander.

i also have no problem with a stow-away, though its going to take some very creative writing and some extensive knowledge of the interior of the sovereign, not to mention starfleet security protocols and technology, to pull it off imho. Being the top of the line, bleeding edge ship class in the fleet i think it might be the hardest ship in the fleet to hide on. On the other hand, it's a big ship so there's bound to be lots of nooks and crannies hardly anyone ever goes.

A challenge to be sure!

About the refit of the Ares, i'm sure there's going to be some differences with the original Sovereign that are geared towards the long range exploration aspect, and the projection of Starfleet as an exploration organization vs. military organization. That's inevitable as far as i'm concerned. But remember it is a refit, not a redesign so basically the outer hull should be pretty much unchanged (maybe fit on a module between the nacelle pylons, functioning like that of the Nebula class module?). Decks and spaces inside might be re designated and somewhat reorganized but here also, its a refit, not a redesign.
Well, that's my opinion at least. The Cap'n is the final authority on that, not in the least because he's creating the model of the Ares, which i think is awesome by the way!

Anyway i'm sure it'll all work out in the end. I can already tell we have a very creative and knowledgeable bunch of people gathered here, which for me is exciting, humbling and scary at the same time somehow!

I am excited and eager to see what you gentlewomen and gentlemen come up with!

Regards to all!

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[supplemental] Remember that the Sovereign has over 800 crewmembers. If there's a position not listed you would like to have added, hit us up with a pm and we'll see if we can add it!![/supplemental]

[KaiserKirk]

Wow, that is one hell of a post Deuzige.

Now I have a question for all. If you watched the video on one of my latest posts then you know it details what Cardassia and most importantly Starfleet would be like after the Dominion. And in my opinion, it fits into the lore very well. So my question is; At this time is Starfleet the Militaries Starfleet we saw during DS9 and the end of VOY. The Ares is the first exploration ship since the Dominion so I don't see why not.

If it is still militaries than we can expect a massive crackdown on rules and regulations, if we have a stowaway then this would come into play as the crew would be pressured to do as Starfleet regulations say... even if it may be somewhat immoral.

I just think it is interesting to think about how Starfleet would act if it was still its Dominion war self instead of changing back into a passive exploration institution.

[Scarlett]

I thought Starfleet was always the "chamber militant" of The Federation? While also being the exploratory arm because of the starships ...

[KaiserKirk]

I thought Starfleet was always the "chamber militant" of The Federation? While also being the exploratory arm because of the starships ...

Yes though you could technically say they where a military organisation inside the UFP, they where far, far more pacifistic when dealing with other nations. Always looking for a peaceful resolution rather than a fight. The ships, codes of conduct and crew where are designed for finding new life and exploration, not war. That all changed when the Dominion showed, Starfleet redefined itself, crews and captains started to become hard veterans of a long war and started to act like it. Starfleet at this time and for a while after was mobilized and ready for a fight. Crews got so used to fighting that when it stopped... they didn't know what else to do. It felt to them like fighting was their whole life in Starfleet and Starfleet HQ decidedly acted that way as well.

[Bugsy6]

I can't decide whether to be a doctor or the CMO assistant.

Can someone give me an idea of what the CMO assistant role night entail.

Sent from my F8331 using Tapatalk

[KaiserKirk]

I can't decide whether to be a doctor or the CMO assistant.

Can someone give me an idea of what the CMO assistant role night entail.

Sent from my F8331 using Tapatalk

I'll send you all the details of the medical ranks and what you might need to do in RP through PM.

[deuZige]

Yes though you could technically say they where a military organisation inside the UFP, they where far, far more pacifistic when dealing with other nations. Always looking for a peaceful resolution rather than a fight. The ships, codes of conduct and crew where are designed for finding new life and exploration, not war. That all changed when the Dominion showed, Starfleet redefined itself, crews and captains started to become hard veterans of a long war and started to act like it. Starfleet at this time and for a while after was mobilized and ready for a fight. Crews got so used to fighting that when it stopped... they didn't know what else to do. It felt to them like fighting was their whole life in Starfleet and Starfleet HQ decidedly acted that way as well.

Hmm, i'm not sure i agree here. From its very beginning Starfleet has always been an organization for exploration. At least, that was the vision of Gene Roddenberry we all started out with. A wagon train to the stars, furthering "The final frontier". Before and after every conflict we know of Starfleet has always returned to that role. After the Xindi affair, after the Earth-Romulan war, after the fight(s) with the Klingons and so on, Starfleet always returned in earnest to its main role of exploration. Ofcourse the Dominion War was the worst war the Federation ever faced and is sure to have left it's mark on Starfleet but i think that, because the war was relatively short, there are more than enough people in the fleet left who joined starfleet to be explorers.

The only reason that Starfleet always seems to wind up doing the fighting for the Federation is because they're the only organization with the ships and the technology to do so. Lets not forget that in the end the only "warriors" celebrating the victory over cardassia were the Klingons, and not the Federation, in the persona's of Admiral Ross and Captain Sisko who refused to drink on the death of millions of Cardassians.

Kirk142 makes it sound as if the Dominion war lasted for generations, or a lifetime. It was in fact only 2 years, or 5 if you want to include the cold war leading up to the Dominion War.

Again, ofcourse the Dominion war left its mark on Starfleet, the Federation and the Officers who served during the Dominion war. But to see the effects it had on the UFP, Starfleet and the officers i think we should look more to Nemesis (the last bit of canon after which our mission begins) than to the DS9 episodes.

So i think the core values, ethics and the spirit of Starfleet has been and still is the exploration organization its always been...

am i alone in this?

[Allan Hood]

There'd likely be a lot of Cardassians that collaborated with The Dominion and thus are not popular on their homeworld anymore. Akin to Nazi collaborators in European countries following WW2. Someone like that would have a good reason to try and escape plus, when found, would be a very polarising influence on the crew as a lot of back stories include suffering from the Dominion War. Isn't the Ares first stop Cardassian space?

That's a good idea. We'll be running relief and supplies to several Cardassian colony worlds, doesn't necessarily have to be Cardassia to pull of that idea. Our stowaway could jump on from any of those stops.

It might be interesting to have a Cardassian stowaway that the crew feels responsible to protect. Will they objectively protect him/her or feed into their prejudice? It'd be like TNG crew trying to trust a Romulan. Remember Simon Tarse? Worried about being judged based on being a quarter Romulan.

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Evening all,

I'm new to the forums and I'm looking to quench my RPG thirst. I have done forum RPGs before but not Star Trek or in this narrative style.

I would love to give it a go. I was thinking about the Diplomatic Officer position or a Science Officer.

As a newcomer any suggestions on which position?

Ollie

Sent from my F8331 using Tapatalk

Welcome to the game and thanks for the interest. Pick a position that you feel a natural tie to so you can somehow draw on what you already know about the matters that pertain to your character. Write about what you know, that way it kind of flows easier, for me anyway.

I've always had a passion for physics, ST's pseudoscience/technobabble, religion, and I'm a fencer haha I use all that and throw it at my character.

[KaiserKirk]

I would have to agree with you Allan, I always try to base my character on myself so I can really get into 'character' and no continuity issues appear.

As for that massive post by DeuZige, as you know I already have my opinion but yours is very interesting as well.

[Allan Hood]

Haha yes very funny but still factual. I agree entirely that some Cardassians would want to harm the Areas crew out of hatred, contempt or fear! Captains and Admirals in the navy committed major war crimes by UFP standards and a majority then join the True Way in the Badlands where they tried to create an alliance with the Terran Empire. A lot of the politicians that supported the Dominion probably went into hiding as well.

We can think of untold amounts of ways to integrate a Cardassian plot into the story, good or bad.

They'd probably see us as trying to "occupy" them while we're trying to supply them. Their perspective of our motives vs our perspective of their motives might be intense. The Cardassians might be seeing what it's like to feel like a Bajoran.

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VOY: Endgame Notes

1. It took Voyager 7 years to get home in the series. That episode stated that it eventually took the ship 22 years to get back to the Alpha Quadrant if the transwarp hub hadn't been taken as a shortcut. This means it would take at least 15 years for a Talaxian to reach Federation space.
2. Star Trek: Voyager concluded in the year 2377 and Star Trek: Ares starts in 2381. There's a 5 year gap in between the two.

I am not against having a Talaxian on board but there is no way one could join us at this point in time. It is too soon for anyone to travel the distance required without a breakthrough in transwarp or slipstream technology.

I think the Vulcan character would be good.

I totally agree with everything you said, but I don't want to shut the door at the possibility of a Talaxian making it to the ship UNTIL we here the canon based logic. It seems impossible to me, can't think of how it'd be likely, but I'm open to any ideas anyone has about anything. Doesn't mean they'll all make it into the story but I don't mind looking really hard at it to see if it's possible.

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Yes though you could technically say they where a military organisation inside the UFP, they where far, far more pacifistic when dealing with other nations. Always looking for a peaceful resolution rather than a fight. The ships, codes of conduct and crew where are designed for finding new life and exploration, not war. That all changed when the Dominion showed, Starfleet redefined itself, crews and captains started to become hard veterans of a long war and started to act like it. Starfleet at this time and for a while after was mobilized and ready for a fight. Crews got so used to fighting that when it stopped... they didn't know what else to do. It felt to them like fighting was their whole life in Starfleet and Starfleet HQ decidedly acted that way as well.

That's going to be UFP's nature, regardless. This had to happen also after the Romulans and Klingons, too. It's not that the Federation is passive, but that war is a last resort. Even with the Dominion War, fighting was still a last resort, but when the Federation was in a corner, they fought as a military.

I don't see the Federation as either being passive OR military; it's always going to be rooted in peaceful cooperation of semi-autonomously planets. During peacetime, which we're in now, which TNG was about, was way more utopian, all about keeping the peace that has been built up since before TNG.

We're going to run into semantics; we all really totally agree with each other on this. Whether we like it or not, the Federation's 'military' service is Starfleet haha don't forget, this is the 24th century version of our 21st century understanding of a future military. It's the best equivalent we have.

"Captain Picard stated that "Starfleet is NOT a military organization [by Roddenberry's standards]; its purpose is exploration" in TNG: "Peak Performance", despite Starfleet using military ranks and procedures and always appearing as the Federation's first line of defense. "
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/U...ion_of_Planets

The writers are stressing that the purpose of 21st century militaries is NOT exploration at all. The difference is that Starfleet emphasizes peace and exploration over war, whereas, it's the opposite right now by 21st century standards.

"Although few attempts were made to canonically establish the exact nature of the Federation, the writing staff of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine were eager to clarify this. "We are always trying to push, to see what you can get away with, what you can't, what you can say about the Federation," explained Ira Steven Behr. "Is it military? Not military? Rick Berman felt very strongly that it is basically a trading alliance. So [...] now the viewers know [that]. A lot of people think of the Federation in basically military terms, but that's not really what it is." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 46)"
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/U...ion_of_Planets

[KaiserKirk]

Well, the planet Talaxar which is the Talaxian homeworld did explode before VOY even started, and this event sent refugees in all directions looking for a new home. It is possible that a Talaxian refugee ship accidentally went into another stable wormhole and ended up in or somewhere close to UFP space. Hell if the planet was destroyed before even TNG then the galaxian refugees would have had plenty of time to cross the quadrant. I still think it is highly unlikely it could occur but it is still a good idea to explore and see if it could in some way be possible.

And about your response to my earlier post about the Cardassians Allan. I think the would welcome the Federation after all the UFP is helping them, giving them supplies and much-needed resources to stay alive. If you watched the video from Lore Reloaded that I posted above then you know where I am coming from. The UFP has always been there for them, (excluding the border wars and the Dominion war obviously). and when they rebelled against the Dominion they where treated not as bitter enemies by the Federation and most importantly Starfleet, they were treated as equals and with respect. Many citizens now rely on Starfleet just for food after the Klingons decimated their infrastructure. But I still agree that there will be some who see the Ares as violating their space and may even take action. Hell, the True Way from the badlands might even try to stop us!

[Allan Hood]

Well, the planet Talaxar which is the Talaxian homeworld did explode before VOY even started, and this event sent refugees in all directions looking for a new home. It is possible that a Talaxian refugee ship accidentally went into another stable wormhole and ended up in or somewhere close to UFP space. Hell if the planet was destroyed before even TNG then the galaxian refugees would have had plenty of time to cross the quadrant. I still think it is highly unlikely it could occur but it is still a good idea to explore and see if it could in some way be possible.

"Talax was seized by the Haakonian Order in the year 2356, after the Talaxian unconditional surrender concluded the Talaxian-Haakonian War. (VOY: "Jetrel")"
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Talax

Looks like Talaxians could be in the Alpha/Beta Quadrants? Of course, the Federation hasn't encountered them, yet, otherwise it'd break canon.

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And about your response to my earlier post about the Cardassians Allan. I think the would welcome the Federation after all the UFP is helping them, giving them supplies and much-needed resources to stay alive. If you watched the video from Lore Reloaded that I posted above then you know where I am coming from. The UFP has always been there for them, (excluding the border wars and the Dominion war obviously). and when they rebelled against the Dominion they where treated not as bitter enemies by the Federation and most importantly Starfleet, they were treated as equals and with respect. Many citizens now rely on Starfleet just for food after the Klingons decimated their infrastructure. But I still agree that there will be some who see the Ares as violating their space and may even take action. Hell, the True Way from the badlands might even try to stop us!

I agree that the Federation would welcome Cardassians, but would Cardassians feel the same toward the Federation? From a human perspective, logically, of course they should. But, their nature, culture, pride is all different than the Federation.

"Cardassians had a xenophobic attitude towards other species..."
"Cardassians were similar to Romulans in their xenophobic tendencies
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Cardassian

"For instance, irony in the Human tragedy Julius Caesar was lost on Elim Garak, who thought Caesar a fool for not suspecting that Brutus would betray him."
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Cardassian

It seems that their culture is very suspicious, especially if we're helping them after the war. We should be "brothers" but they suspect their "brothers" may kill them haha

[KaiserKirk]

Yes, they did, but after the Dominion War, they actually started to change their way of life because they saw it as the cause of the war. This is from a civilian point of view obviously. The masses saw that because of the way they were at the time caused the complete destruction of their empire and the now mass starvation. Plus the Federation and its ideals are now making themselves very apparent in Cardassian life. It reminds me of the Australian Royal Engineering Corps that went to war-torn countries where the people and where they lived were in ruin. They rebuild towns and cleared forgotten mines from recent wars. The people in these towns adored the troops praising them and what they did. When they left they left such an impact that the old ways of the countries where abandoned.

In WW1 the treaty of Versailles crippled the German economy and the citizens got desperate and the great depression started and so on. This lead to the people feeling so crushed by the Entente that they supported a man like Hitler. But after the war, the Allies took a different approach. They helped the people rebuild their bombed cities. And this made all the difference because now the German people were exposed to the ideals of the British, French, Americans and the rest of the Commonwealth. This proved apparent when the Berlin blockade took place. The NATO powers flew supplies to the starving German people while the Soviets blockaded the roads and railways, this turned the West of Berlin completely over to the side of the Allies against the Russians.

The North Korean people believed that the Americans where evil because the government told them so 24/7. They don't have any exposure to the outside world so you can't blame them for believing. The Cardassian government, mainly the Obsidian Order silence anyone who would say against what the state wanted.

That's enough of that rant haha, I may be wrong but this is my reasoning as to why I believe the Cardassians would embrace the UFP... After all, if you were treated so kindly after doing so much wrong if your life depended on the UFP with their food supplies, then wouldn't you start to question the old ways, the ways that lead you into this situation twice in a century?

[Brask]

"Can anyone remember when we used to be explorers?"

https://youtu.be/uDAWjxTxVtU?t=1m4s

[KaiserKirk]

"Can anyone remember when we used to be explorers?"

https://youtu.be/uDAWjxTxVtU?t=1m4s

Ah that's one of my favourite Star Trek movies, funny every time I watch it I never remember Picard saying this remark in the Turbolift.