posted
This is from the DS9 Season 3 DVD thread, but since it's a separate topic, I figured I'd start a new thread.
I've always had the impression that the origin of the inability to fire while cloaked in "Balance of Terror" was because the Romulan plasma weapon was such a hugely massive device that drew a lot of power.
I would've thought that normal phasers wouldn't draw as much power, thus allowing ships to fire while cloaked. And a normal photon torpedo system would almost certainly draw even less power, making them probably the most practical option -- like with Chang's Bird-of-Prey.
Based on TUC, it's obvious that firing while cloaked can be dangerous because the fire can be tracked to the source. But that doesn't explain why ships should be INCAPABLE of firing while cloaked...
I think that this whole issue (especially in the TNG/DS9 era) is a side effect of an anachronistic plot device from the very first episode. After all, the only reason why the BoP needed to decloak in "Balance of Terror" was so the viewers could actually see it!
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posted
To draw on a comment made on the DS9 DVD thread:
quote:Originally posted by Harry:
quote:Originally posted by Futurama Guy: Obviously Chang & Co. overcame it 80years earlier in TUC for his BoP, why hasn't that been overcome again?
The semi-official explanation is that Chang's cloak and anti-cloak technology develop at a high rate. So, Chang's cloak wouldn't be of any use to the latest Federation cloak detectors. And in turn, a better Klingon cloak means you can't fire through it anymore.
And perhaps 'current' technologies are advancing faster and cloaks are so good that there isn't enough time to develop fire-while-cloak tech.
I recall in "Contagion" - after the Yamato was destroyed, the Warbird appeared, and Picard told the Romulans they were gonna stick around in order to investigate the destruction of their sister ship - the Warbird cloaked and Riker said: "Good, they can't fire when they are cloaked"; and Worf replied: "Unless they have overcome that deficiency".
That would seem to make it appear as if it a one sided issue, in as much as to say overcoming the ability to fire while cloaked is as big a step technologically as the cloak itself was. Much less than a 'arms-race'-type scenario.
Considering what we have seen in "The Next Phase" and "The Pegasus", you might be able to draw the conclusion that the 'phased cloak' is an equally adventurous, if not, more useful device and it was decided to pursue that rather than simply pursing a fire-through-cloak, as either seem to be a rather large step-up from the standard cloaking device, the phased cloak seems to be just an extra step bigger.
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Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
Well, if the cloak in question is of the "spacial distortion field around ship" type cloak, firing through it would represent a serious problem, as the weapon fire would disrupt the field as they exit it. Havinig the shield and the navigational deflector up would also interfere with the cloaking field.
If the cloak is the Suliban, "cloaking particle" cloak, then that problem would not exist. I think the Scimitar might have had that, since they were able to drop their cloak for specific portions of the ship. Plus fire through their cloak, having their shields up while cloaking, etc.
Though, there seem to be a slight disruption in their cloak when she drops out from warp, but I'm not sure why that is.
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posted
I never got how the phasing-cloak was an advantage. How often do you need to fly through asteroids anyway?
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posted
Well, it would be nice if enemy fire (torpedoes, phaser blasts, etc.) just passed through you harmlessly instead of actually impacting
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Kidding right? Weapons would pass through your ship instead of...well through your ship!
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posted
Plus your ship will be able to get inside large defensive fields, the sort that might protect space stations, asteroid and planet bound installations. Also as stated in "Pegasus" a ship will be able to hide within a planetary crust or other usually unreachable places.
posted
Although while hiding in a crust you'd better hope to hell the cloak doesn't fail...
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Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
I think that the fact that we have not seen any other Klingon ships fire while cloaked may have been the byproduct of the Khitomer accords, that the Klingons would not develop such technology. Likewise, the treaty between the Romulans and Federation specifically stated that the Federation would not develop cloaking technology, with the notable exception being the Defiant.
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Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Well it was a Romulan cloak on the Defiant under the auspices of a prearranged agreement. However, I couldn't see why they didn't just recycle the use of the Pegasus cloak. A phasing cloak could have been enough reason to write an interesting story or two.
Anyway, didn't Geordi say something about the Klingons creating/testing a not-so-successful phasing cloak sometime back? Apparently this would seem to fall outside of any agreement preventing a 'firing-well-cloaked' cloak.
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posted
I always wondered what happened to the Pegasus's cloak. I highly doubt that SF would simply destroy it. Someone must've pulled a few strings and kept onto that.
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Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Psyliam: "I never got how the phasing-cloak was an advantage. How often do you need to fly through asteroids anyway?"
Despite the obvious tactical advantages already mentioned, it would be a revolutionary time-saving step in mere space flight, especially advantegous for couriers. An extreme decline in course deviations due to stellar bodies, radiation fields, any concievable obstacle. Much less zig-zagging. They'd be able to shave off weeks in some cases, I'd bet. The only thing a ship would have to heed would be no-fly zones and borders.
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Registered: Aug 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Mucus: Well, it would be nice if enemy fire (torpedoes, phaser blasts, etc.) just passed through you harmlessly instead of actually impacting
Surely if you are already cloaked you aren't expecting things to hit you anyway? How often have cloacked ships ever actually been shot in Trek?
And I'm not buying the "it saves time while travelling" idea either. To quote Mr Adams, space is big. Really big. How often are there going to be things in your way?
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
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