If the Barzan wormhole was actually stable

[Robert DeSoto]

What do you think would've happened if the Barzan wormhole was actually stable?

USS Voyager would've made it home by season 2.

Starfleet would send ships to start exploring the Delta Quadrant and try to establish relations and maybe even colonies there.

How would that work out?

I think the Federation would kick the shit out the Kazon. Their ships are generally outmatched by an Intrepid class starship. They would not stand a chance against larger, more heavily armed Starfleet vessels like the Galaxy class, Akira Class, Sovereign Class, Defiant Class etc. The Kazon are also divided, fighting amongst themselves. They wouldn't last long in a sustained conflict with the Federation.

I think the Federation would try to send doctors to help the Vidiians, until they started chopping up those doctors for their organs. When the Vidiians start moving in on Federation colonies for more involuntary organ donors, that will probably lead to war. I don't recall seeing Voyager engage a Vidiian warship, so I'm not sure which fleet is superior. But Vidiians don't have transporter technology. I'm sure that will be an advantage for Starfleet in ground combat since they will be able to mobilize and deploy its troops/security teams much faster.

Hirogen hunting vessels are fairly formidable. They could probably link up with other nearby hunting ships and prey on a single Federation starship. Since they are nomads, with no government or and no territory, the Federation would not really be able to wage war with such an enemy.

I don't think the Krenim in its last timeline are a serious threat. They didn't attack Voyager, just simply warned them to stay out of their territory. Likewise, Species 8472 has no interest in attacking Earth unless they believe Starfleet has plans to use biological weapons against them.

The Malon freighters are very well armed, especially considering they are only freighters. I wonder what kind of firepower a Malon warship carries. If they started using the Alpha Quadrant as a dumping ground, that would lead to a serious war between the Malon and the Federation.

If they send the Enterprise into the Delta Quadrant, I think Picard could do a better job establishing diplomatic relations than Janeway. Not that it's Janeway's fault, her mission was just to get home, through alien territory if necessary. Picard also has more experience in diplomatic functions.

But in the end, once the Borg find the wormhole, I think the entire Alpha Quadrant will probably be assimilated. Instead of sending one cube at a time, they could send a fleet. The Federation, the Klingons, The Romulans, none of them will stand a chance. And once they assimilate Bajorans, they will find the Bajoran wormhole. The Borg fleet can go into the Gamma Quadrant and assimilate the Dominion too.

So what are your theories on how the Federation would fare in the Delta Quadrant?

 

[F. King Daniel]

Without Voyager there to stop them, Species 8472 purge our galaxy in their war with the Borg. At the very least, they would have wiped out trillions before they were stopped through other (non-nonoprobe) means.

The end.

 

[Finn]

Actually, I'd worry about the Viidians learning about the Barzan wormhole. They would find the prospect of an entire quadrant unfamiliar with the Viidians too unresistable to ignore for any organ harvesting or medical research.

And to the OP, seem to assume that the Barzan wormhole stayed at where these Ferengi were stranded. If that was the case, many of the races you mentioned wouldn't be encountered, especially the Kremin, Malon and the Hirogen who weren't seen until several big leaps later.

as for the Borg, why would they need a wormhole?

 

[the skullcowboy]

as for the Borg, why would they need a wormhole?

That's like asking why would god need a starship...oh wait

 

[The Wormhole]

What do you think would've happened if the Barzan wormhole was actually stable?

USS Voyager would've made it home by season 2.

Season 3, actually. False Profits, which featured Voyager discovering the Delta Quadrant end of the Barzan wormhole was a third season episode.

And I don't think Starfleet would enter the Delta Quadrant and pick a fight with the Kazon. What would be the point in that? Especially when you consider, that by the time of False Profits, Voyager had already left Kazon space behind them.

 

[Saito S]

I hate to burst the OP's bubble, but if the Barzan wormhole were stable, it probably would exit into the Gamma Quadrant. The fact that the Starfleet and Ferengi shuttles ended up in the DQ, instead of in the GQ (which is where the Barzan probe had ended up, and where the shuttles expected to end up during their test run in "The Price"), was their first clue that it WAS unstable.

Granted, the dialog says that they are 200 light years from where they were "supposed" to be, which isn't THAT far (the location in the GQ where the probe emerged, and the location in the DQ where the shuttles emerged must both be quite close to the DQ/GQ border). But it would hardly be on the doorstep of any of the species Voyager encountered.

 

[Finn]

^Then HOW do you explain the Barazan wormhole's showing up where it did in False Profits??????

If your statement about Voyager was true, it wouldn't have showed up in False Profits....

 

[The Wormhole]

Its Alpha Quadrant end is fixed, but the other end shifts positions between the Gamma and Delta Quadrant. For further information, consult Memory Alpha.

 

[Saito S]

^Then HOW do you explain the Barazan wormhole's showing up where it did in False Profits??????

If your statement about Voyager was true, it wouldn't have showed up in False Profits....

Uh...

Because it WAS unstable. When the shuttles went through in "The Price", it sent them to the DQ, to more or less the same area that "False Profits" mostly took place in. Whereas the probe sent through originally by the Barzans ended up in the GQ, thus, that's where the shuttles expected to end up, and why Data and Geordi were surprised to find they were in the DQ.

My only point was that if the thing WERE stable, as the OP proposes, it would probably go where it went the first time: the GQ.

 

[brian577]

What I don't understand is if the Wormhole regularly switches between the quadrants and was clearly stable on the AQ end. Why couldn't it be determined how often it changed position and plan travel through it accordingly. Allowing the exploration of both quadrants?

 

[Robert DeSoto]

^Then HOW do you explain the Barazan wormhole's showing up where it did in False Profits??????

If your statement about Voyager was true, it wouldn't have showed up in False Profits....

Uh...

Because it WAS unstable. When the shuttles went through in "The Price", it sent them to the DQ, to more or less the same area that "False Profits" mostly took place in. Whereas the probe sent through originally by the Barzans ended up in the GQ, thus, that's where the shuttles expected to end up, and why Data and Geordi were surprised to find they were in the DQ.

My only point was that if the thing WERE stable, as the OP proposes, it would probably go where it went the first time: the GQ.

Was it originally in the GQ? my bad

I was just wondering how the Federation would do if they had access to the Delta Quadrant.

I guess the title should say something like "what if the Barzan wormhole was stable in the DQ"

 

[T'Girl]

Actual if you think about it, if the Barzan Wormhole followed some kind of "route" with it's far end periodically appearing in certain places, that should have made it more valuable, not less.

Where the wormhole terminated in the Delta Quadrant was far from Borg space.

As I recall the episode, the Federation lost out in the bidding process to operate the wormhole, if they had wanted to gain regular passage through it, they would have had to pay for the privilege.

Which would have been interesting.

 

[Infern0]

It's interesting question actually, here are my rambling thoughts

The Kazon

Are far too underpowered to pose any kind of threat to the federation, OR Romulans or Klingons. I doubt there would even be a war, as you say voyager was more than a match for them, so a small fleet consisting of say Galaxy class, Nebula class, couple of Akira class and an Excelsior would make them crap their metaphorical pants, I belive truce would be the best option.

Vidiians, again are smart, they would not last in a war with the federation, i think that there would be aid from the federation and an effort to help them, starfleets EMH programs could be valuable help to them

Talaxians, join the federation

Malon, don't seem to be "big time" enough to be a serious threat, would have serious issues with the federation, who by that time had soverign, promethius and defiant class vessels which far outgun voyager

Borg, don't need a wormhole really so i doubt they become a problem.

Hirogen, I seriously don't see as much of a problem, they would only go after isolated ships, could be some issues, but i see starfleet shutting them down.

So yeah, i think due to the nature of Voyager, these races on the whole are not threat enough to worry starfleet, because they are designed to be just weak enough that voyager alone can survive them, a barrage of quantum torpedoes should handle them well enough imo.

Janeway:

"Hello Kazons, we brought some friends for you to meet"

 

[Timo]

Actual if you think about it, if the Barzan Wormhole followed some kind of "route" with it's far end periodically appearing in certain places, that should have made it more valuable, not less.

Exactly. Although "False Profits" seems to suggest that any attempt at using the wormhole regularly would have led to it going wild like it did in the episode - a lowly shuttlepod firing a graviton pulse was enough to ruin the semi-stability. Our heroes were also able to affect the wanderings of the wormhole's non-Barzan end rather easily. So the predictability of the non-Barzan end's travels might have been quite questionable.

Also, there's something funny going on between "The Price" and "False Profits": in the former, the Delta end is just 200 ly away from the previous location which was in Gamma, which means that both those locations were extremely close to the Gamma/Delta border. Yet there's no reason for the Voyager to skirt that border, especially not in the early seasons, and indeed the onscreen maps show her steering well clear of that region right until the final jump to Earth.

Perhaps Data made a mistake in "The Price" in determining the location of the exit. Or perhaps the Ferengi did manage to get back in (on the next cycle in the exit's wanderings?) and then were spat out to the "False Profits" location...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[T'Girl]

And once they assimilate Bajorans ...

If the Borg got anywhere close to Bajor, the prophets would make them "go away."

 

[Finn]

^Then HOW do you explain the Barazan wormhole's showing up where it did in False Profits??????

If your statement about Voyager was true, it wouldn't have showed up in False Profits....

Uh...

Because it WAS unstable. When the shuttles went through in "The Price", it sent them to the DQ, to more or less the same area that "False Profits" mostly took place in. Whereas the probe sent through originally by the Barzans ended up in the GQ, thus, that's where the shuttles expected to end up, and why Data and Geordi were surprised to find they were in the DQ.

My only point was that if the thing WERE stable, as the OP proposes, it would probably go where it went the first time: the GQ.

You said that the wormhole hardly led to the doorsteps of the races Voyager visited. The events of False Profits negated that comment. It moves all over the places. There is a chance it might have popped up somewhere in Kazon space or Viidian territory at least once.

And how do you know the Barzan wormhole originally led to the Gamma Quadrant? All we know was that when the Barzans found it, the exit was in the GQ.

 

[Saito S]

^Then HOW do you explain the Barazan wormhole's showing up where it did in False Profits??????

If your statement about Voyager was true, it wouldn't have showed up in False Profits....

Uh...

Because it WAS unstable. When the shuttles went through in "The Price", it sent them to the DQ, to more or less the same area that "False Profits" mostly took place in. Whereas the probe sent through originally by the Barzans ended up in the GQ, thus, that's where the shuttles expected to end up, and why Data and Geordi were surprised to find they were in the DQ.

My only point was that if the thing WERE stable, as the OP proposes, it would probably go where it went the first time: the GQ.

You said that the wormhole hardly led to the doorsteps of the races Voyager visited. The events of False Profits negated that comment. It moves all over the places. There is a chance it might have popped up somewhere in Kazon space or Viidian territory at least once.

And how do you know the Barzan wormhole originally led to the Gamma Quadrant? All we know was that when the Barzans found it, the exit was in the GQ.

Wh-
Ghaaaa

I said that IF the wormhole were stable and IF said stable wormhole did indeed lead to the GQ, then in that case it would hardly be on the doorstep of any species VOY encountered.

I don't KNOW the wormhole originally led to the GQ; since it was, in fact, unstable at that end, it could have led damn near anywhere. The GQ is just where the terminus happened to be when the Barzan probe went through it.

It's been correctly pointed out that the terminus location that the Ferengi and Starfleet shuttles emerged from during "The Price" isn't the same as the one in "False Profits." For one thing, there was no planet visible in "The Price", and as I recall, in "False Profits", the wormhole was quite close to the planet. For another, after the Starfleet shuttle leaves and the Ferengi shuttle stays behind in "The Price", that terminus takes off and changes location again. This is in addition to what Timo pointed out about Voyager not being anywhere near the GQ/DQ border at this point in the show.

Since it WAS unstable, there is in fact no way to know where it's been, or how many different exit points it might have had prior to what we saw in "The Price". So technically, we can't know where it would exit if it were stable, either; if it didn't jump around at all, who knows where its terminus might be. I just figured that the first place we hear about in the original ep - the spot in the GQ where the Barzan probe emerged - seemed like the most logical choice.

 

[Anwar]

If the wormhole was stable and they used it to send exploration missions to the Delta Quadrant, encountering VOY's aliens, then those aliens would be better remembered and received because they were in TNG/DS9 instead of VOY. And no one would complain about how the 8472 ruined the Borg because now the 8472 were TNG's creations instead of VOYs'.

 

[RyuRoots]

If the wormhole was stable and they used it to send exploration missions to the Delta Quadrant, encountering VOY's aliens, then those aliens would be better remembered and received because they were in TNG/DS9 instead of VOY. And no one would complain about how the 8472 ruined the Borg because now the 8472 were TNG's creations instead of VOYs'.

Congratulations. You have officially moved to self-parody.

 

[Satyrquaze]

Well, the Starfleet I know does not take part in unprovoked invasions...