How were the Cardassians THAT good?: Communications

[MarkusTay]

Not being able to 'talk to ' Starfleet was a major point of Voyager. In fact, it was THE point of the show for several seasons. They needed the Hirogen network just to send a holographic data-stream to the Alpha Quadrant...

Which brings me to my point, which is related to another point I just posted on concerning 'The Burn'. Why does Starfleet NOT bother to developed BETTER tech when they know about it AND have even used it? They use simple subspace communications since the days of Archer (and yes, I'm crossing into all the shows to make my point), even though B'Elanna absolutely KNEW using a higher (hologram) frequency would allow the signal to go further. Because the Federation operated within such a tiny part of the galaxy (and it truly is tiny), they just didn't need to 'do better'? Where's the science in THAT?!

So yesterday I was doing some research, and came across an entry in the wiki about Internment Camp 371. Now, I didn't really watch DS9 - it wasn't my thing, but I watched enough to get the gist of events that transpired (plus I read a LOT of wiki articles). So I was astounded that Enabrain Tain modified some life-support tech to send a message FROM DOMINION SPACE back to DS9/Cardassia to let Garak know he was there.

SERIOUSLY? Thats about the same distance Voyager was from home. And this leader of the Obsidian Order modified some completely unrelated tech (while a prisoner in a cell!) to 'phone home'? Seems like Janeway and her crew were the 'less-than-stellar' cadets of Starfleet. LOL

 

[FederationHistorian]

Well for one, Tain headed the Obsidian Order, so I’d imagine he’d have to know how to do these things. For another, Cardassians are really good engineers by default, to the point that their creations are very durable. Remember only a handful of Starfleet personnel ever really understood their technology.

Next, I think its less that Starfleet can’t develop the technology and more that they just didn’t bother, as they were explorers and knew that they were in uncharted space, at least for Starfleet. I’m sure that they were aware that charting the Delta Quadrant on their own would help their careers. If they did everything right, they’d only be in the Delta Quadrant for much less than seven seasons.

 

[MarkusTay]

To go with what you said, which ties into what I said ,The Federation - with a few rare exceptions - really stayed 'close to home', on a galactic scale, and when they did move into a new region, they dropped relays/arrays and even starbases, so they 'played leapfrog' and never needed better communications tech, even though they were well-aware better options were available.

 

[Finn]

To go with what you said, which ties into what I said ,The Federation - with a few rare exceptions - really stayed 'close to home', on a galactic scale, and when they did move into a new region, they dropped relays/arrays and even starbases, so they 'played leapfrog' and never needed better communications tech, even though they were well-aware better options were available.

That's BS. Starfleet had a full blown operation a thousand light years from Earth and they didn't act like it was that unusual. That ship Riker almost got as his first command was quite distant.

As for the message from Tain, Starfleet had listening posts in the Gamma Quadrant. Tain knew one of those would pick up the message and get transmitted through the wormhole where DS9 would pick it up. He knew they'd have Garak...his son...look at the transmission and recognize it.

That's it.

 

[at Quark's]

So yesterday I was doing some research, and came across an entry in the wiki about Internment Camp 371. Now, I didn't really watch DS9 - it wasn't my thing, but I watched enough to get the gist of events that transpired (plus I read a LOT of wiki articles). So I was astounded that Enabrain Tain modified some life-support tech to send a message FROM DOMINION SPACE back to DS9/Cardassia to let Garak know he was there.

It's not as if it crossed halfway the galaxy under its own power. Sisko mentions that 'one of our listening posts in the Gamma Quadrant picked it up a few minutes ago' (and then presumably relayed it, through the wormhole).

That still makes it an impressive feat, of course, but it doesn't necessarily prove that the Cardassians were far ahead of the Federation in this respect.

 

[MarkusTay]

I was unaware you could send messages through a wormhole...

Unless its super-tiny, and you send in a probe... that meets another probe coming the other way... but then you get timey-Wimey stuff.

 

[Mytran]

I was unaware you could send messages through a wormhole...

Unless its super-tiny, and you send in a probe... that meets another probe coming the other way... but then you get timey-Wimey stuff.

wasn't that the whole point of the episode Destiny, to set up a system to transmit messages through the wormhole?

 

[STEPhon IT]

Well for one, Tain headed the Obsidian Order, so I’d imagine he’d have to know how to do these things. For another, Cardassians are really good engineers by default, to the point that their creations are very durable. Remember only a handful of Starfleet personnel ever really understood their technology.

Next, I think its less that Starfleet can’t develop the technology and more that they just didn’t bother, as they were explorers and knew that they were in uncharted space, at least for Starfleet. I’m sure that they were aware that charting the Delta Quadrant on their own would help their careers. If they did everything right, they’d only be in the Delta Quadrant for much less than seven seasons.

Falls under hand of the writer. You would think Seska who was part of the OO would've known a thing about transmitting signals through deep space since she some how send love/hate messages to Chakotay from time to time. I guess that skill is convenient when its necessary to tell one writer's story.

 

[Tosk]

wasn't that the whole point of the episode Destiny, to set up a system to transmit messages through the wormhole?

Yeah, but MarkusTay said they didn't really watch DS9. Which is why you'd expect the original question to be more inquisitive and less incredulous.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Tain was using Dominion tech, which was demonstrably more advanced than Starfleet, to send the signal on.

Though Tain was tapping into the life support system, I think it's more likely the life-support system simply provided an unprotected backdoor into the prison's comms systems, where any nondescript signal coming from life-support without loss of environmental control would be viewed as a computer error or low priority leak/malfunction with no immediate need of response. So no guards coming to check it out anytime soon.

The signal didn't have to cross the galaxy like Voyager, "just" the distance from the prison camp to the comms relays at the wormhole and through to the alpha quad.

 

[at Quark's]

State of Flux:

SESKA: I did it for you. I did it for this crew. We are alone here, at the mercy of any number of hostile aliens, because of the incomprehensible decision of a Federation Captain. A Federation Captain who destroyed our only chance to get home. Federation rules. Federation nobility. Federation compassion? Do you understand, if this had been a Cardassian ship, we would be home now. We must begin to forge alliances. To survive, we must have powerful friends. The Kazon-Nistrim were willing to be our protectors in return for some minor technology.
JANEWAY: Minor technology that could change the balance of power in this quadrant.
SESKA: Change it in our favour! That is all that matters at this point. Building a base of power in this quadrant. You are a fool, Captain, and you're a fool to follow her. I can't imagine how I ever loved you. Computer, command XJL.
<nothing happens>
JANEWAY: <scoffing> Surely you didn't expect us to not rescind your computer access privileges before we confronted you? Just out of curiosity, what does 'XJL' stand for anyway? Never mind, I'm prepared to cut you a deal. I'll allow the computer to execute your precious command if you'll hand us over that awesome life-support-into-galaxy-crossing-signal-sender-technology we know you as a Cardassian secret agent possess ... so, you get to escape and after that we'll probably have a few run ins with you escaping every time, but right now, I don't care. I just want to talk to home.
SESKA: It's a simple procedure really. You just quantumfibrillate the transnodic modulator, pushing the signal way deeper into subspace.
JANEWAY: Genius, and so straightforward! Why didn't our engineers ever think of that? Computer, execute command XJL for ensign Seska.
<SESKA beams out>

 

[STEPhon IT]

Hahahahaha! That's really good.

 

[johnnybear]

Tain did also have the added bonus of a stable wormhole within which he could send his signals!
JB