Something's been bugging me. It's probably just part of the larger problem of the writers not knowing where the hell anything really is, but still . . .
Wolf 359's present location (which won't change significantly in the next 300 years, relative to Earth) puts it away from the line one would expect a Borg ship to take.
As that shows, the Borg must've come in from far above the galactic plane. And, because our solar system is only tilted off of the galactic plane by 5.5 degrees and slightly above the galactic plane, they must've done some odd maneuvering to come in along a Saturn-Earth trajectory. (It's also possible to use a planetary plotting program like Celestia to figure out which way Saturn was from Earth at that point, but though I've done so before I don't have the results handy at the moment.)
In any case, it always struck me as a weird, weird mystery.
The only coincidental thing I've found is that Wolf 359 lies in the opposite direction from the sun's direction of travel relative to what's nearby (as can be seen somewhat on this page), meaning (in theory) that the density of the local medium would've been at its smallest due to the sun's passage.
But surely that's just coincidental . . . there are, after all, so many other stars around us, or even between here and the Delta Quadrant, that it seems impossible for there to have been so much effort expended on what couldn't have been much gain.
Posted by Griffworks (Member # 1014) on :
Maybe they were taking the scenic route...? Posted by David Templar (Member # 580) on :
Maybe they stopped to ask for directions?
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
Maybe they wanted to quickly assimilate some other species along the way?
Posted by Futurama Guy (Member # 968) on :
Maybe they were looking for the strip club...
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
We have to assume the Borg beelined from their encounter with Picard to Earth, or else Starfleet wouldn't be able to predict that Wolf 359 was a viable intercept point. But we don't have to assume the Borg beelined all the way.
While within the Sol system, I'm sure they took every opportunity they could get to assimilate new defense tech. Jupiter outposts, Mars defense perimeter units, so why not the Titan training range installations as well? If they ever were in a hurry, that hurry ended at Wolf 359.
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by Futurama Guy (Member # 968) on :
Well are you assuming that the Borg went (with stops along the way):
OR...didn't Picard run from the Borg enough...say to that mick-nebula where they hid...would you suppose that that was far enough off the original (presumed) beeline to reset the course for the Borg to nebula---Wolf 359---> Earth.
Just a thought...
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
I somehow doubt the detour to the Paulson nebula really affected the Borg course much. Picard intercepted the Borg while they were on an unspecified but also unwavering course, had a fight, and fled to the nearest possible cover he could find. When he emerged, the Borg caught up with him in mere seconds. The detour would have been a matter of warp-minutes at most.
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :
I would prefer to think that there are anomalies in the galaxy that would be dangerous to the Borg. The Borg are advanced, right? I would like to believe that they have mapped out the dangerous anomalies, and decided to plot the "quickest, most safest route" to earth. Which takes them to New Providence Colony, Zeta Alpha 2, and Wolf 359.
Posted by Treknophyle (Member # 509) on :
IIRC, the Borg utilize a transwarp hub system.
a) We don't know if the emergence points are random, limited and pre-selected, or capable of being dialed in at will to any coordinates desired.
b) We don't know if the borg cube(s) (since there were survivors of the 359 battle in the Delta Quadrant, we should hypothesize at least one other cube) came from some other mission in our quadrant (somewhere 'behind' w359 from Sol's POV), or whether the emergence point was likewise 'behind' W359. Analysis of the timeline in BoBW may allow us to calculate approx where said Point of Origin is for the cube(s).
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
quote: since there were survivors of the 359 battle in the Delta Quadrant, we should hypothesize at least one other cube
This seems unreasonable to me. First Contact showed us that cubes are perfectly capable of carrying auxiliary craft. Rather than bringing in another cube, it seems just as likely that the Borg sent some of their freshly assimilated volunteers back home on a sphere, or whatever, for reasons Mysterious and Borglike.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
The Borg probably detoured to Wolf 359 to wipe out the fleet on pupose. Nothing says "Resistance is Futile" to the general populace like destroying all their defenses in one handy place. Posted by Treknophyle (Member # 509) on :
But why would the fleet rendezvous there?
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
It might have been the closest randevous point for that many scattered ships and once they confirmed the Borg had changed course to intercept them they just stayed put hoping to hold off the Borg untill the Klingon reenforcments could arrive.
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
Hanson: "We've assembled a fleet of forty starships at Wolf 359. We'll make our stand there."
Mark
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
hmmmm...mabye he mentioned the idea to Picard (during their discussion while the others played cards)and via Locutus, thr Borg knew where the fleet would be?
Posted by Treknophyle (Member # 509) on :
Too much supposition.
Occam's Razor - (dictum of logic) states that the simplest explanation is usually the best.
The simplest explanation is that W359 was on a direct line between Earth and the cube flightpath - and that the fleet could reach it prior to the cube passing that point.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Uhhh... guys? I think you're forgetting an important point -- that the Borg wanted Picard specifically. Doesn't it seem possible -- even likely -- that the Borg were snooping around the outskirts of the Federation to find out where the Enterprise was? We already know that they were hanging around the Neutral Zone for a while -- probably the most heavily fortified region of space in the quadrant at the time, and still no one saw them.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Plenty of folks probably saw them in the Neutral Zone....but noone ever saw them again.
Occam's Razor was used on the Borg in their first appearance and was quickly adapted to. That principle of science nolonger has an effect on hem.
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
I think Dan's got it there. The cube was not necessarily heading towards Earth at first. Wherever New Providence was may not be relevant - it's where the USS Lalo was that may cinch it. The cube destroyed/assimilated the Lalo, and the Enterprise went after it. Cube meets Enterprise, gets the idea of assimilating Picard. They get Picard, and THEN start heading towards Earth. I believe it's at that point that Worf reports that they're heading towards Sector 001. This difference in original locations may help determine why Wolf 359 is on the way.
Or, they simply had to divert around something. Maybe the Delphic expanse.
Mark
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Of course, I suspect the real reason is that Wolf 359 is the closest star with the coolest name that isn't way too common. (Alpha Centauri.) Barnard's Star sounds a bit too pedestrian. And who can pronounce Procyon? Sirius would lead to wacky mixups. "Prepare to rendezvous with the fleet." "Where?" "Sirius." "Yes, of course I am." It writes itself!
Uh, yeah. Anyway. Once I saw a car parked at Taco Bell with a custom liscence plate that read "WOLF359."
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
As you can see, Mars is very CLEARLY outside of the direct line from Saturn to Earth.. but it's also not a huge detour if the Borg wanted to take the scenic route and go through the thickest part of the Sol System's defenses.
'Course, if those three pods were the strongest part of the defenses for Earth, then they deserved to get attacked anyway. Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
I blame Gomtu. Fucking space potato.
Posted by MrNeutron (Member # 524) on :
Speaking of Wolf 359, I have the Celestia 3D astronomy program and I cannot find Wolf 359 in it. I wonder if it's got an alternate name (Munich 15040 is an alternate name for Barnard's Star if I recall). Anyone else use this program and have any ideas?
Posted by Futurama Guy (Member # 968) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sol System: Uh, yeah. Anyway. Once I saw a car parked at Taco Bell with a custom liscence plate that read "WOLF359."
yeah, while driving through Kalamazoo, I saw a Ford Explorer (this was the 4-door 'pick-up' style Explorer) that had a customized "Borg" paint job...complete with "resistance is futile" and the red Borg 'claw'/symbol on the tail gate and some pretty slick pinstripes. I actually tried to take a picture of it, but i was going 80mph and i haven't had the film developed yet, so it will be interesting to see how that turned out...
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
"...I cannot find Wolf 359 in it."
Search for Gliese 406.
Also: you are here.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Wolf 359: Also known as Gliese (Gl) 406, Giclas (G) 45-20, Luyten FT (LFT) 750, Luyten Two-Tenth (LTT) 12923, Luyten Half-Second (LHS) 36
Try searching that site more often -- it's a pretty cool reference. Posted by Intruder1701 (Member # 880) on :
I saw an old Plymouth Relient with the plates reading NCC-1864
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
at school i saw a SUV with the reg '74205' .. i wanted to leave a Defiant note or something, but seeing as the owner probably knew nothing of trek since it was a generic truck registry, not a vanity, i decided against it
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jason Abbadon: I blame Gomtu. Fucking space potato.
LOL! Where did that come from!?! LMFAO!! Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
quote:Originally posted by CaptainMike: at school i saw a SUV with the reg '74205' .. i wanted to leave a Defiant note or something, but seeing as the owner probably knew nothing of trek since it was a generic truck registry, not a vanity, i decided against it
Heeh eeeheh
"At the top of the news this hour... Trek nerd beaten up by truck driver in a carpark"
quote: Of course, I suspect the real reason is that Wolf 359 is the closest star with the coolest name that isn't way too common. (Alpha Centauri.) Barnard's Star sounds a bit too pedestrian. And who can pronounce Procyon? Sirius would lead to wacky mixups.
Picard to Sisko: "Have we met before?" Sisko to Picard: "At Barnard's Star" Picard: "Is that a gay bar?" Sisko: *taps communicator* "Ben Sisko to Jake Sisko! Get your stuff - we're leaving!"
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
If Picard really said that, he'd have had that tea set rammed where no tea set has gone before! I really thought SIsko was gonna deck him the first time I saw Emissary. Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
Admiral Hanson, where's the battle?
we're at Sirius..
Yes, i know the homeland security level.. but where's the battle!?
Posted by Eclipse (Member # 472) on :
quote:Originally posted by AndrewR: Picard to Sisko: "Have we met before?" Sisko to Picard: "At Barnard's Star" Picard: "Is that a gay bar?" Sisko: *taps communicator* "Ben Sisko to Jake Sisko! Get your stuff - we're leaving!"
ROTFLMAO!! Posted by Futurama Guy (Member # 968) on :
Easily impressed, eh?
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
This is the course of the borg cube as close as I can tell.
This is the closest conjunction I could find near Dec 2366 and Jan 2367.
I suppose the most obvious reason for such an indirect course would be gravity, even the Borg must appreciate physics, they were probably just being fuel efficient by using the gravity wells of Saturn, Sol and Mars to either slow down from their exit from warp or to help propel them in-system without taxing the impulse drives unnecessarily. Not that I think they're incapable of cutting right across the gravitational incline, just that they're not in any particular hurry and they like to be efficient with their resources.
Posted by blssdwlf (Member # 1024) on :
For some reason I remember that the E-D entered the solar system and managed to go from the outer planet to Earth (or was it Mars?) in a whopping fast time (like faster than light) and supposedly still stayed at impulse. Anyone catch how fast they were going based on time and distance?
Posted by Griffworks (Member # 1014) on :
quote:Originally posted by blssdwlf: Anyone catch how fast they were going based on time and distance?
Whooping fast.
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
Well, at "Warp point-five" the Enterprise managed to get from Earth out past Jupiter before they ran out of music. In TMP, that is.
Mark
Posted by Guardian 2000 (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by blssdwlf: For some reason I remember that the E-D entered the solar system and managed to go from the outer planet to Earth (or was it Mars?) in a whopping fast time (like faster than light) and supposedly still stayed at impulse. Anyone catch how fast they were going based on time and distance?
In BoBW, one would have thought that the Enterprise could've tried to catch up faster by not dropping out of warp at Saturn, which (according to the exquisite program Celestia) ought to be about 10.442 AUs distant circa January 1, 2367 . . . or about 1,562,123,200 kilometers.
Interestingly, though, that's 1.446 light-hours, meaning it would take a ship moving at lightspeed about 90 minutes to traverse that distance. Wasn't the "fastest we could intercept" 42 minutes?
Posted by blssdwlf (Member # 1024) on :
Yep, thats what I thought I remembered
It was whoppin' fast(TM).
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
quote:Originally posted by AndrewR:
quote:Originally posted by Jason Abbadon: I blame Gomtu. Fucking space potato.
LOL! Where did that come from!?! LMFAO!!
"Tin Man" was on TNN the other night.
Posted by Guardian 2000 (Member # 743) on :
This is the closest conjunction I could find near Dec 2366 and Jan 2367.
Helluva cool, but I don't see any need for them to go to Mars. Worf simply stated that they'd broken through the Mars Defense Perimeter . . . that need not imply a flyby.
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
Well, yeah. But then again, we SAW the red planet on screen.
It was a clever shot, really. The three interceptors seem to ascend from Mars or low Martian orbit, move across the screen to the Cube that emerges from the right; the Cube wastes the ships, makes roadkills of their remnants, and flies past the camera so close that it blocks out the spot where Mars previously lay. (Some at the time claimed the shot was faulty because Mars disappeared...)
But Reverend's suggested course seems problematic. It was a Jupiter outpost that first reported the Cube (even though we know there are Starfleet assets at Saturn, too); and later on, we hear that the Cube has silenced the Jupiter outposts. Clearly, the route was even more scenic than Reverend suggests...
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
I just want to know one thing: Where the fuck was Spacedock?!?
Where could it have possibly gone between STIII and TNG? It's got to be billions of cubic tons of mass!
I'd have loved to have seen anything done with Spacedock preparing a defense against the Borg....
And yes, Andrew, "Tin Man" was on the other night. I'd give a testicle to have seen Data strangle that sissy "Tam Elbrin" untill his little telepathic head popped clean off! Didint see that coming did you Mr. Telepath!?
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
"Where could it have possibly gone between STIII and TNG?"
To the far side of the planet.
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
Mark: "Well, at "Warp point-five" the Enterprise managed to get from Earth out past Jupiter before they ran out of music."
Maybe they were trying out the new Barrel Organ Drive. Just have to keep cranking that 30-foot handle. Oompa-oompa-oom-pa-pa.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jason Abbadon: I just want to know one thing: Where the fuck was Spacedock?!?
Risa.
quote:Originally posted by Jason Abbadon: [QBAnd yes, Andrew, "Tin Man" was on the other night. I'd give a testicle to have seen Data strangle that sissy "Tam Elbrin" untill his little telepathic head popped clean off! Didint see that coming did you Mr. Telepath!? [/QB]
I just thought the whole blaming Gomtuu and calling him a space-potato was funny as and very random!
Data could have tried but Elbran would have turned into a giant snake and destroyed the school before Buffy and the Scooby gang... nm
Oh and thanks for the laugh Eclipse... at least SOMEONE has a sense of humour around here!
Oh and about Jupiter station - maybe it was assimilated!?! Maybe Jupiter Station we see in Voyager is relatively new?
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
quote:Originally posted by Cartmaniac: "Where could it have possibly gone between STIII and TNG?"
To the far side of the planet.
Uh..okay, that's the standard explanation taht we're forced to swallow, but it's conviently on the other side of the planet EVERY TIME we see Earth? Very unlikely. Vegas odds kinda unlikely.
Mabye they very slowly carted it off to the Saturn moon system or something after earthbound astronemers complained about the giant christmas ornament in their night sky....
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
We saw Spacedock in Star Trek VI.
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
You're not forced to swallow anything, only to consider:
1) We don't see Earth that often.
2) When we do, we're usually NOT looking down from the orbital plane occupied by Spacedock.
3) Also, while Spacedock is large, planets are HUMONGOUS by comparison. I can't be arsed to do the math, but Spacedock's size relates to Earth's like, uh, a bug's to that of Mount Everest, or something.
4) But since you brought it up, the chance that you *could* spot Spacedock from a randomly chosen position in Earth orbit is roughly one BILLION times smaller than the chance you'd break a Vegas bank.
So, uh, I think its absence can be excused.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
NO can't be: Spacedock's a cow. We've seen earth probably ten times since STIV and we've seen many smaller structures in orbit that are possibly mobile (drydocks, McKinley Station, etc.) but something as large as Spacedock has a huge strategic position. Where was it when the Breen attacked Earth? With all the improvments in security on Earth, I'm sure they would have armed Spacedock. Look what Starfleet did to DS9! I shudder to think what they could have done to Spacedock's weapons potential during the Dominion war. Mabye it was armed and sent to Utopia Planetia as defense....
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
I don't doubt Spacedock is an all-but unassailable star fortress, but you still can't radically alter the orbital trajectory of a massive & otherwise IMMOBILE station without doing some serious re-engineering (which would be impractical).
The Breen caught SF by surprise, but there's no reason to assume Spacedock wasn't instrumental in fending off the attack - if not through direct intervention then through starships that were docked there, a/w/ surface & orbital defenses.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Assuming Spacedock's orbit is geo-synchronous and is above Earth's pole (or at least extremely north of the equator), Spacedock's weapons would cover San Fransisco easily (assuming standard phasers and photons). It's possible the Breen snuck in from under the plane ecliptic, entered Earth's upper atmosphere and attacked San Fran. That way Spacedock could not fire on the Breen ships without stray fire nailing the city they were defending. Might work. Posted by Treknophyle (Member # 509) on :
IIRC my orbital mechanics, if the orbit is geosynchronous - the station has to hang over the equator - or do a 'figure 8' passing the equator.
Space is big. Really really big.
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
At geosync, Earth would be a rather large dot. For whatever reason, Spacedock is always seen orbiting at "only" a few thousand kilometers at most. Even then, with spacedock being 5-6km tall at most, it will STILL be tiny compared to a planet that is about 40 000 km in circumference.
Mark
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
maybe it crashed into Jupiter station
who gives a shit..
BTW, i agree with the current consensus.. most TNG era shots of Earth dont give us enough aspect to truly see everything in orbit, and those that do the station would either be tiny or maybe on the opposite side.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
quote:Originally posted by Timo: But Reverend's suggested course seems problematic. It was a Jupiter outpost that first reported the Cube (even though we know there are Starfleet assets at Saturn, too); and later on, we hear that the Cube has silenced the Jupiter outposts. Clearly, the route was even more scenic than Reverend suggests...
Timo Saloniemi
If you look at my newest thread over at D&C, you'll se a graphic that I've based on that trajectory. As you can see I've put the Jupiter outpost in line with Jupiter's orbit --don't ask me how it avoids Jupiter itself, maybe some kind of drive system keeps the outpost in the same reletive position-- so as the cube travels between Saturn and Mars it encounters the outpost without actually visiting the planet itself.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Who gives a shit about Trek, Borg flight trajectory in the Sol system, Spacedock disapearing or my incorrect use of the term "geosynchronous"?
The term I should have used was "Stationary orbit". (it's been a looong night, forgive me)
Posted by TheWoozle (Member # 929) on :
Scenes of Spacedock have all had Earth look big, behind it, so it HAS to be in a low orbit. Kinda like the ISS is today. Yes, it's huge, but when you get just a few miles from it, it would dissapear into a dot, let alone, a few hundred miles around an orbit with a circumferance of about 30,000 miles. Who knows, starship parking orbits might even be closer then spacedock, so when we see Earth, with a ship in orbit, Spacedock might be behind us...
Anywhy, the real question is, why Wolf 359, which is pretty-much opposite the logical aproach of the Boarg. I like the 'hunting for Picard' answer.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Actually, if you look at the Starcharts book, the BoBW borg attack actually comes from close to the Romulan border, which is consistant with the position of the Wolf system. Although it is in the "southern" area of the border, close to Klingon space.
Perhaps the Borg took advantage of the apparant absence of both Federation and Romulan activity and simply traveled "down" the neutral zone.
Posted by J (Member # 608) on :
quote:Originally posted by AndrewR: Oh and about Jupiter station - maybe it was assimilated!?! Maybe Jupiter Station we see in Voyager is relatively new?
Uh... No. It was a Jupiter Outpost... number 92 I think, or something like that. And the Jupiter Station in "Lifeline" is very old from what the episode implies because Dr. Zimmerman has been working there for many years.
And you're all forgetting something [and I haven't checked this either so I'm no authority either]. The chances are extremely rare that Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars will be near alignment at any point in time. While the flight path of the Borg *MUST* go near Mars [because we saw it] it does not have to go anywhere near Jupiter or Saturn. Saturn wasn't even mentioned and could be on the other side of the solar system [someone can research that]... and the same can be true for Jupiter. All we know concerning Jupiter is that Jupiter Outpost #Something was the first to spot the Borg--- with so many outposts [one would think if it had a number higher than 1, there is more than 1!] they might simply all be spread out over Jupiter's orbit.
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
um.. thats not true.
the cube enters the Sol System, it is clearly shown passing Saturn.
after the commercial break, Shelby reports Jupiter Outpost 92 made visual contact.. and that they didnt expect defenses to be effective.. theres no mention of any Borg attack on anything, only that defenses were failing to halt the advance.. theres also no mention that the outpost is necesarily on or in orbit of Jupiter
then, Mars is shown, and the drones are destroyed.. the Borg are not shown passing Mars closely, and it isnt mentioned if they stopped to assault the planet or any stations.. but its assumed the Borg are making a beeline towards Earth and arent assimilating other stuff in the Sol System..
(after this, the 1701-D is shown dropping out of warp next to Saturn)
Posted by EvilTree (Member # 1027) on :
Have you guys ever thought that the writers of this particular ep probably didn't think of Borg flight path? That they might have just picked out system names out of random? Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
Well, buh. It's rationalizing this stuff that lets many Trek fans live.
Mark
Posted by Futurama Guy (Member # 968) on :
...or die young as a result of ulcers. Posted by David Templar (Member # 580) on :
quote:Originally posted by Futurama Guy: ...or die young as a result of ulcers.
Bah, I'm sure that if we weren't doing Trek, we'd be doing something else equally pointless and life-shortening.
Hmmm.... Shortening.
Posted by MrNeutron (Member # 524) on :
quote:Originally posted by CaptainMike: ...after the commercial break, Shelby reports Jupiter Outpost 92 made visual contact.. and that they didnt expect defenses to be effective.. theres no mention of any Borg attack on anything, only that defenses were failing to halt the advance.. theres also no mention that the outpost is necesarily on or in orbit of Jupiter
Exactly! There's no reason to assume that Jupiter Station has to be in orbit around Jupiter itself. It could very easily be a station that moves along Jupiter's orbit, possibly at a L4 or L5 Lagrange Point.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
quote:Originally posted by David Templar: Bah, I'm sure that if we weren't doing Trek, we'd be doing something else equally pointless and life-shortening.
Hmmm.... Shortening.
Shortening? pointless? "Circumcisions for the fun of it!" !?! "There's a store near you!" Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
Hmm, shortening? Shortening, shortening, shoooorteeeniiiiing. Shortening. Word has lost all meaning.
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
Isn't "shorten" a short of a shrine for the Sherpa?
Timo Shaloniemi
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Well, if we're going by the visual effects, then the Borg clearly weren't heading straight towards Earth anyway. When the cube is shown passing Saturn, the planet it lit off to one side. If the cube was passing Saturn on the way directly towards Earth, then the back of the planet (the part we were looking at) should have been completely in shadow.
Posted by Futurama Guy (Member # 968) on :
Is it possible that it was scouring the system for any possible resistance?
Posted by Griffworks (Member # 1014) on :
That or shortening....
Posted by TheWoozle (Member # 929) on :
quote:Originally posted by PsyLiam: Well, if we're going by the visual effects, then the Borg clearly weren't heading straight towards Earth anyway. When the cube is shown passing Saturn, the planet it lit off to one side. If the cube was passing Saturn on the way directly towards Earth, then the back of the planet (the part we were looking at) should have been completely in shadow.
Okay, so they filmed it LEAVING Earth and played it backwards....
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
quote:Originally posted by Futurama Guy: Is it possible that it was scouring the system for any possible resistance?
Possible, sure. I'm still sticking with the physics and efficiency explanation.
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
...Or the camera was turned upside-down.
There could have been any amount of defenses the cube had to plow through. I find it tough to believe that with every available ship having been blown up at Wolf 359, all Earth had left were three crappy drones. Plus, if the cube DIDN'T disable everything on the way in, what were they gonna do when they got to Earth? Wait for them to show up?
Mark
Posted by David Templar (Member # 580) on :
quote:Originally posted by Mark Nguyen: Plus, if the cube DIDN'T disable everything on the way in, what were they gonna do when they got to Earth? Wait for them to show up?
Well, if the Fleet failed to stop the Cube, I doubt any of the the defenses inside the system would stand a much better chance. Besides, what are the chances of any help reaching Earth from the other planets? AFAIK, the Mars Defense Perimeter drones weren't warp capable. Each planet seem to rely on its own fixed defenses.
Also, if Borg assimilated Spacedock, and/or Earth's defense network, the Cube won't even have to do anything.
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
Or if they can manage to shut down the planetwide powergrid (which is a stupid idea anyway) a la "Homefront"/"Paradise Lost"...
Posted by J (Member # 608) on :
quote:Originally posted by MrNeutron: Exactly! There's no reason to assume that Jupiter Station has to be in orbit around Jupiter itself. It could very easily be a station that moves along Jupiter's orbit, possibly at a L4 or L5 Lagrange Point.
Jupiter Station is in orbit of Jupiter, VGR "Lifeline." But the Jupiter Outposts are, now maybe I'm just nitpicking here, but I get the impression your confusing the two which is why I mention it.
I admit, I was wrong on that Saturn thing... I haven't seen the episode in years.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
quote:Originally posted by J: I admit, I was wrong on that Saturn thing... I haven't seen the episode in years.
Well, if you edit out Shelby's psychosis, both episodes only run about eleven minutes. Worth watching again with your finger poised on the "fast forward" button. Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
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