What are your controversial Star Trek opinions?

[Cicero]

I skimmed it. I had seen it before. Has there ever actually been a time when a significant naval power had a navy made of all ships of the same class? I really don't know, but I doubt it. The closest I think the world has come to a cookie cutter fleet would be the Liberty Ships in WW2, but those were freighters.

Aside from a handful of remaining Ticonderoga-class cruisers and three Zumwalt-class, all of the U.S. Navy's major surface combatants (a category that excludes aircraft carriers and amphibious ships) are members of the Arleigh Burke class (classified as a destroyer, but functionally a light cruiser).

We ultimately plan to build ninety-nine of them (seventy-four are in commission), and Japan and South Korea have build a dozen derivatives of slightly different design.

That being said, the Arleigh Burkes aren't direct copies of each other. Beyond individual differences among the ships, Flight I, Flight II, Flight IIA, and Flight III are are visually distinguishable—and the SEWIP Block III ships are especially distinctive.

 

[SurfingtheInterweb]

It didn't help that Roddenberry and Berman gave her little to work with on the show and didn't really want her there. There's only so far we can go with calling Denise a grandstanding quitter when the environment on-set in 1987 and 1988 was hardly the happiest for her.

I didn't know all that. I appreciate the clarification. I certainly wouldn't expect her to join in and get subpar material, especially if Roddenberry was going to be a pig about it

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

That's the thing: I never took it as the whole fleet. It's a fast response task force.

I never thought it was all of Starfleet but a design designed to respond to emergencies and prevent another Mars, Betazed, or Shinzon incursion.

I thought it was a "Rapid Response Fleet" that was "Use In-Case of Emergency".

 

[BillJ]

She felt she was receiving subpar material and when she asked for more was told "It's Picard and Data's show and you're there to look good "

I would have still showed up everyday for my paycheck.

 

[cooleddie74]

Somehow....the Borg Queen returned.

 

[Warp Core Breach]

It didn't help that Roddenberry and Berman gave her little to work with on the show and didn't really want her there. There's only so far we can go with calling Denise a grandstanding quitter when the environment on-set in 1987 and 1988 was hardly the happiest for her.

Or for Gates McFadden, apparently.

 

[drt]

My thoughts on several topics from the last few pages:

Enterprise's speed in TOS: the original 6400c speed from the pitch document is much closer to what's observed in actual episodes (including everything past TOS) than any of the ridiculously slow speeds published in the technical manuals, etc.

Seven's Starfleet career: it's pretty obvious that PIC3 was supposed to be several years after PIC2, but the production somehow screwed up their own dating.

the "copy paste" fleet: does it make more sense to have a fleet of identical ships, or what we usualy see in Star Trek, a fleet featuring several classes of ships that look different but all essentially have the same job and capabilities?

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

but it lacks much needed conflict among the senior staff

One of the most glaring flaws of TNG, or rather, Roddenberry's ridiculous idea that 24th century people are as soulless / heartless / clinical in their natural state as...a robot. Strike that last part--even the B-9 robot from the original Lost in Space came off as being more in touch with human feeling and the ability to have conflict with another (Dr. Smith, of course) than most of the main TNG characters on average.

 

[Snowdrop82]

I see Starfleet as a Military Organization, its pretty much self explanatory as to why they are.

 

[Tallguy]

I see Starfleet as a Military Organization, its pretty much self explanatory as to why they are.

Do money next.

 

[Snowdrop82]

Do money next.

I never quite understood, or even liked the Star Trek concept of no Money. They obviously still use currency in some form. You can never eliminate that.

 

[1001001]

Do money next.

 

[137th Gebirg]

 

[cooleddie74]

 

[Macintosh]

Or for Gates McFadden, apparently.

Far be it from me to defend Berman, but the issue there was Maurice Hurley specifically. Berman was responsible for bringing her back.

 

[Tallguy]

Far be it from me to defend Berman, but the issue there was Maurice Hurley specifically. Berman was responsible for bringing her back.

You think Berman ever calls Kathleen Kennedy to offer support? "It's OK. I built the most successful era of Star Trek ever. Nobody cares."

 

[SurfingtheInterweb]

Not sure if this is controversial, but Julian's enhancements in DS9 are ridiculous and add basically nothing to his character. Would have been more interesting if he were an actual liar or fraud instead of coming up with the idea for the episode and basically reworking an entire 5 seasons worth of character. Siddig didn't like it either.

 

[ananta]

I never quite understood, or even liked the Star Trek concept of no Money. They obviously still use currency in some form. You can never eliminate that.

You can kind of accept the no money concept on TNG because the Enterprise is basically an all expenses inclusive cruise ship in space. But how would that wash on DS9 when we see countless Starfleet officers frequenting Quark’s bar and other establishments? Quark obviously worked for hard currency—you can bet he wouldn’t simply serve free drinks because Starfleet has “evolved beyond the need for money.” How did they pay their bar bill?

 

[Tiran O'Saurus]

I think the usual explanation is that officers on the frontier are given a stipend of "Federation credits", which can be used in dealings with capitalist societies but are useless in the Federation proper, where everything is free.

 

[Tallguy]

I think the usual explanation is that officers on the frontier are given a stipend of "Federation credits", which can be used in dealings with capitalist societies but are useless in the Federation proper, where everything is free.

And why do the frontier societies accept them? What are they getting in return? (Greedy, primitive bastards.) Also, why a stipend? That sounds like scarcity. That would make Ensign W'hoeryou live on a budget. She didn't have to DO that on Andoria.

Jake didn't get any of that stipend in his allowance or he'd have been able to buy a baseball card. Check me if I'm wrong but Jake didn't say he didn't have "enough money". He said he didn't have ANY money. And scoffed at the notion. (Ben raised the boy right, I suppose.) Prophets bless you, Nog.

(Total aside: How did Nog's Dad becoming the Grand Nagus affect his Starfleet Career?)

where everything is free.

Go put together your Federation backed science experiment and see what kind of resource issues you run into.

Why doesn't anyone have their own Enterprise? Or even their own runabout? Just for the weekend getaways to the planet that someone might "own". Kind of like Chateau Picard only bigger. (The Picards "own" that, right?) (I tried to get through this without mentioning the big, beautiful, spacious winery. Just. Couldn't. Do it.)