posted
Let's go back to the officer portion of Starfleet and away from the shiny ships...
It would be interesting to see how Starfleet officers would deal with the Dominion War aftermath. The only clue would have been ST:X but unfortunately I was more interested in Troi's wedding and wedding dress than anything... most likely so were the entire TNG cast. But what would the DS9 command crew be like one year after the war? Kira more like a commander than when she originally appeared in the pilot. How is Bashir dealing with going back to regular medicine than being a field medic? Does Ezri know what she is doing on the station? Will Nog adjust well to being the first Ferengi in Starfleet and keep out of trouble? Will Quark finally go to jail?
-------------------- "It speaks to some basic human needs: that there is a tomorrow, it's not all going to be over with a big splash and a bomb, that the human race is improving, that we have things to be proud of as humans." -Gene Roddenberry about Star Trek
Registered: May 1999
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posted
You can see the change in Bashir in call to arms, 'not so boyish anymore' as Garak says. The post war Alpha Quadrent will indeed be an interesting place to be a fly on the wall, section 31 will undoubtedly have a lot to say about the shape of the post-war federation.
-------------------- The disappearance of Donald Love
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posted
Why would that be? The postwar Feds seem to be more interested than ever in cooperation with former or current enemies, a position S31 in its so far known operations has chosen to oppose. Seems the Section either isn't actively interested in actual politics, or then isn't particularly empowered to affect them.
posted
Section 31 went to great lengths to reshape the Romulan government before Shinzon undid all their good work, also the way they handled Admiral Ross was probably replicated with other officers, with it extending its influence among desperate people who would otherwise have gone after them with a vebgeance. 31 probably have a network of people throughout the quadrent bound to them for fear of blackmail or exposure just the way they have Ross by the balls
-------------------- The disappearance of Donald Love
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posted
Ball squeezing must be the primary way to recruit for Section 31... So does that mean Ross is eternally screwed and will drop like a feather when they come asking for a favor?
-------------------- "It speaks to some basic human needs: that there is a tomorrow, it's not all going to be over with a big splash and a bomb, that the human race is improving, that we have things to be proud of as humans." -Gene Roddenberry about Star Trek
Registered: May 1999
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posted
Just a little spelling lesson Grand Admiral Thrawn... Sisko, S-I-S-K-O... def: A Starfleet Captain who survived the massacre at Wolf 359 while serving aboard the U.S.S. Saratoga, Commander of Bajoran and Federation run Space Station Deep Space Nine from 2369-2375. Last known where-abouts: unknown. The Bajoran official declaration is that he is "walking with the prophets". Survived by his two children and second wife, Captain Kasidy Danielle Yates Sisko.
-------------------- "Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica." - Jim Halpert. (The Office)
posted
I bow to your spelling prowess, we've all gotta be good at something, I want you to go right on quoteing regulations... Ross is deffo by the balls, 31 could expose his cooperation to the Romulans, 31 want to protect the Federation by any means, they may even see fit to provoke a war with the Romulans if it is in the long term best interests of the Federation, we could speculate that they used Cartwright in a similar way back in Star Trek six...
-------------------- The disappearance of Donald Love
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posted
Something not being taken into account with these post-Deep Space Nine speculations on Section 31 is that their cover is effectively blown. Although not closure was given, it's possible that the body of a high-ranking Section 31 operative is still sitting in Deep Space Nine's morgue. The Federation Council knows that Section 31 created the Founders' Disease and used Odo to spread it. The command crew of Deep Space Nine knows this, and, thanks to Odo rejoining the Great Link, the Dominion knows this as well.
Now, the Federation Council decided against giving the cure to the Founders until Sisko forced them into it in "What You Leave Behind", so one could conceivably use that to argue against my coming point. However, considering the good PR the Federation likes to maintain, I'd imagine that there would be hearings into Section 31 now that the war is over. Hell, we saw them debating the Genesis Incident in The Search For Spock and this attempted act of genocide would surely be worth investigating (if not just for the general paranoia that the existence of such an organization as Section 31 would generate).
In the aftermath of such hearings, I doubt that Section 31 would remain the powerful organization it was (if it were to allowed to survive at all). An analogous situation would be the tightening of the reigns that Congress undertook with the CIA under Carter (I think -- whoever signed the bill outlawing political assassinations and whatever else the first President Bush complains about nowadays hampering the CIA's efforts). So, either Section 31 goes public and accepts some oversight, or the organization itself is broken down. In either case, it loses power and influence.
Now, on the flip side to that, a new organization could probably arise to assume the mission and methods of the old Section 31. In such a case, though, I think we're looking a new group needing a good amount of time to organize itself and begin exerting its power behind the scenes of the Federation again.
-------------------- The philosopher's stone. Those who possess it are no longer bound by the laws of equivalent exchange in alchemy. They gain without sacrifice and create without equal exchange. We searched for it, and we found it.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Thought it was interesting that when Bashir threatens to expose 31 Sloan says 'lets just say I won't lose any sleep over it' maybe this points to a new phase in the development of 31, that they are actually looking for more attention from the federation? Or at least they are prepared for the consequences.
-------------------- The disappearance of Donald Love
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posted
I think it's short/slang/British English for "definitely being held by the balls" based on the context.
I think Sloan was bluffing about not being afraid of Section 31 being discovered. The Federation lives for it's reputation of being "peaceful", "above the fray", and "gooder than a glass of apple cider with a twist of lemon". The Federation would be exposed as a hypocrit, and the wheels of the PR machine (not to mention the legions of politicians hoping to gain a name for themselves) will kick into overdrive.
-------------------- The philosopher's stone. Those who possess it are no longer bound by the laws of equivalent exchange in alchemy. They gain without sacrifice and create without equal exchange. We searched for it, and we found it.
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posted
To get back to something Thrawn was mentioning in his original post, I would certainly agree that there seems to be a clash of cultures within the Federation. And it's just not filmable, but the Jellico-red-state vs. left-of-Picard-blue-state tension (sorry, I don't see Picard as peacenik as some might) I suspect might run deeper than Starfleet. And I think the answer to Thrawn's question is not answerable given the series. Questions like these are not answerd within the military, they are handled by politics. (That's what politics is there for.) I think a case can be made either way.
One contingency is that the Federation wants to look inward, not unlike the United States in the wake of World War I's carnage. Keep our heads down, don't make waves, and we won't be perceived as a threat to anyone.
Another is that after 5 major galaxy-wide threats in less than 20 years, the Federation feels its survival can only be guaranteed through a more militaristic attitude. The best defense is a good offense.
...To say nothing of the fact of how different generations growing up before, during, and after these events interpret them and how they conflict wiht the assumptions of each. Look at how differently the geneations of WWII, Vietnam, and the Gulf War interpret the current war. A lot is going unsaid (and probably unknown) by the writers and producers.
I have to hand it to Thrawn! This is the most interesting question I've seen posted here in a while. But ultimately, I don't think it's one we can settle given 40 minute episodes light years from the arenas where these decisions are made.
-------------------- "Warfare is the greatest affair of state, the basis of life and death, the Tao to survivial or extinction. It must be thoroughly pondered and analyzed."
"...attaining one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the pinnacle of excellence. Subjugating the enemy's army without fighting is the true pinnacle of excellence."
-Sun Tzu, The Art of War, 6th century B.C.E.
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