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Old 01-31-2020, 05:31 AM
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Nate the Great Nate the Great is offline
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CRUSHER: You're showing the same distorted readings. Not as severe as the others, but

I'm reminded of the villain Peek from Batman Beyond. Long story...

(Data and Wesley are examining the terrorist device)
DATA: A subspace field coil with an isolated power source. Curious.

It's a bomb, of course it has an isolated power source. Seriously, hire a fan for peanuts who actually cares about Treknobabble!

DATA: But it was proven to be fatal. To use this technology would be an irrational act.
PICARD: We may be dealing with irrational people, Data. Is there a way to trace this?
LAFORGE: With an adaptive subspace echogram, maybe?

Subspace echogram? There are times I get afraid that the writers come up with Treknobabble by throwing magnetic technology terms at a fridge.

CRUSHER: I live in an ideal culture. There's no need for your kind of violence. We've proven that.

DS9 proved that wrong, didn't they? Also, I do wish Federation citizens would stop calling their own culture ideal. That's the kind of thing that can only be judged by an outsider.

FINN: Yes, I've read your history books. This is a war for independence, and I am no different than your own George Washington
CRUSHER: Washington was a military general, not a terrorist.
FINN: The difference between generals and terrorists, Doctor, is only the difference between winners and losers. You win, you're called a general. You lose

Washington committed guerrila acts against a military, not terrorist acts against civilians. Big difference.

FINN: How much innocent blood has been spilled for the cause of freedom in the history of your Federation, Doctor?

In the cause of freedom? Not many. Military casualties, yes. Civilians, no. That's why you can't call terrorism a gray area. It's not and never will be.

DATA: I have been reviewing the history of armed rebellion and it appears that terrorism is an effective way to promote political change.
PICARD: Yes, it can be, but I have never subscribed to the theory that political power flows from the barrel of a gun.
DATA: Yet there are numerous examples where it was successful. The independence of the Mexican State from Spain, the Irish Unification of 2024, and the Kensey Rebellion.
PICARD: Yes, I am aware of them.
DATA: Then would it be accurate to say that terrorism is acceptable when all options for peaceful settlement have been foreclosed?

Terrorism is not a revolution! Stop acting like they're equivalent!

FINN: I'm not releasing you. I need you here.
CRUSHER: To find a way to reverse the effects of the dimensional shift? I can do that right now. Stop using it!

A big problem here is that Crusher would want to help these people anyway. Is there really no equipment on the ship that might have a better chance than a medical tricorder? Even if the odds are slip, Crusher would take it.

(He gets a laser tool and cuts it off the core)
LAFORGE: Transporter room, lock on my signal and stand by to transport two kilometres off the starboard nacelle.

Two kilometers? You do remember that the ship itself is a kilometer long, right? And that the transporter range of the ship is 40,000 kilometers? What did specifying two kilometers do except annoy nerds like me?

PICARD: I should have beamed you up.
CRUSHER: You wouldn't dare.
PICARD: Oh yes I would, and should.
CRUSHER: Without my permission?
PICARD: If you don't follow orders.
CRUSHER: If you'd give reasonable orders, I'd obey.

It doesn't work like that, Beverly. You either obey, refuse and be disciplined, or transfer to a ship with a captain whose orders you will obey.

PICARD: They're mad.
CRUSHER: I don't know any more. The difference between a madman and a committed man willing to die for a cause. It's all become blurred over the last few days.

No, they're mad. They're attacking civilians instead of the military using a device that they know will kill them. No part of this is sane.

CRUSHER: But he did have reasons. The medical supplies, the arrests. Jean-Luc, if we really examined our role in all this

You can't justify the actions of terrorists? Maybe if these had been true revolutionaries only attacking the military you could make the issue gray, but you can't! The microsecond civilians die you have lost the high ground!

FINN: I am not here to hurt you. Just hear what I have to say. Your people are safe. How long they stay that way depends on you. We demand an embargo and trade sanctions levied against Rutia. The Federation will blockade the planet. No ships will be allowed in or out. This will continue until the government of Rutia consents to talks mediated by a Federation council. You have twelve hours to make your decision.

You kidnap Starfleet officers and expect a fair trial by the Federation? Good luck with that.

CRUSHER: Jean-Luc, there are some things I want to tell you in case we don't get out of this.

Now's not the time for this, Beverly!

Nitpicker's Guide

* How did the terrorists know where the Enterprise was and the floorplan well enough to teleport on board? And how do they have a computer powerful enough to compensate for the relative motion between the planet and the ship. Even if we assume that the ship is in geostationary orbit, you'd still need to tweak the coordinates.
* If they're in a city suffering from terrorist attacks, why aren't their tricorders set to continuously scan for weapons and explosives?
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mudshark: Nate's just being...Nate.
Zeke: It comes nateurally to him.

mudshark: I don't expect Nate to make sense, really -- it's just a bad idea.

Sa'ar Chasm on the 5M.net forum: Sit back, relax, and revel in the insanity.

Adam Savage: I reject your reality and substitute my own!

Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Crow T. Robot: Oh, stop pretending there's a plot. Don't cheapen yourself further.
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