Riley Frazier

[Bry_Sinclair]

All the ships that Cube attacked were not necessarily destroyed more so than boarded and their crews assimilated. The Cube didn't have to release a Sphere, because all that wreckage was recycling itself into a new Borg Fleet... Or at least the larger chunks. Maybe they took back booty, and maybe the Borg issued a retreat order when they saw that the Cube had been lost?

That is an idea I hadn't considered and would be very plausible. They boarded the Roosevelt and began assimilating the ship and crew, but were no where near ready before the Cube moved out of Wolf 359, or for the E-D's arrival.

Then following the incident above Earth they were ordered to return to the DQ. They could have easily developed a transwarp coil and gotten out of UFP space before they were noticed.

Thank you Guy.

 

[Lynx]

So it's all about paperwork.

I would guess. I mean, I can't imagine that someone would be punished for leaving a position that he doesn't want to be in. That's not good for the person in question or for Starfleet. More oppressive governments on Romulus or Cardassia might have different rules, but the Federation seems to be okay with people coming and going as they please, as long as they don't break any rules in the process.

--Sran

Tuvok also left Starfleet for an amount of years.

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

I wonder what Riley's friends' and family's reactions were when they found out she wasn't killed at Wolf 359, was miraculously freed from the Borg years later, yet didn't want to return home and would rather kick it with her new drone posse.

 

[Tiberius]

Are their Starfleet deserters? Can't you quit whenever you like? Or do you sign up for a set amount of years and are then legally bound to it?

Ensign Stefan DeSeve from "Face of the Enemy" would be another, he deserted when he defected to the Romulans.

One thing always did puzzle me about Riley Frazier, how'd she get out to the DQ? Are they implying that following Wolf 359 the Cube launched a Sphere that travelled all the way back to Borg space with several assimilated crewmembers from the battle? Seems a very odd thing to do in the middle of an invasion (surely they would need every available drone for taking on something the size of the UFP). And they managed to do it without it being detected.

I just figured that the drones beamed over to some of the ships at Wolf 359, assimilated the crew on those ships and then flew the assimilated ships to the DQ. In my novelization of tBoBW (link in signature), I mention that they detect some Federation engine signatures heading away from Earth.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

I just figured that the drones beamed over to some of the ships at Wolf 359, assimilated the crew on those ships and then flew the assimilated ships to the DQ. In my novelization of tBoBW (link in signature), I mention that they detect some Federation engine signatures heading away from Earth.

And it makes perfect sense, too! Federation technology was still new to the Borg at the time of "The Best of Both Worlds," so they'd have wanted ships to take back to the Collective.

--Sran

 

[Guy Gardener]

Federation technology was shit.

They thought Q snapping his fingers was a "stardrive" in possession of the Federation, which is what they really wanted.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

^Did the Borg know that? They clearly wanted something from the Federation, or they wouldn't have bothered with them in the first place. They took Picard because they wanted a spokesperson who could relate to humans, but that had nothing to do with Starfleet's technology or equipment.

--Sran

 

[Guy Gardener]

The Enterprise arrived out of no where in Q-Who?. They chased it, and then ZOOM. The bastard just left them for dust.

The Borg ignore inferior embarrassing species. To get their hands on Omega, the first bread crumb they assimilated was a low tech world that had a campfire story about "something way cool".

They might have thought "Q" was a human built stardrive in the beginning, a delicious piece of technology, but quickly they would have realized that the assimilation Humanity was merely a necessary stepping stone to the eventual assimilation of the Q Continuum.

 

[Tiberius]

^Did the Borg know that? They clearly wanted something from the Federation, or they wouldn't have bothered with them in the first place. They took Picard because they wanted a spokesperson who could relate to humans, but that had nothing to do with Starfleet's technology or equipment.

--Sran

The way I see it, the Borg went back in time in FC so they could send information about the future to the Borg of the past. I base this on the following points:

1. Apart from a few shots fired towards the surface when they first arrived, the Borg did nothing at all to stop Z's flight until AFTER the deflector dish was destroyed. Once the dish is destroyed, the Queen tells Data, "There's been a change of plan," and the Borg start trying to stop Z again.
2. And what were they doing with the dish anyway? Calling for reinforcements? The Borg didn't need reinforcements, Humanity was in terrible shape. And anyway, they could easily assimilate people to increase their numbers. it's far more logical to me that the deflector dish was an attempt to send the 21st century Borg information about the 24th century Federation and/or 24th century Borg.

So, the message that the Borg send tell the Collective about the Federation gets the Queen in the 24th century curious, and she sends two ships. The first is the one that the Hansens found and followed back to the DQ. The second is the one we saw in Q Who. It comes along, assimilates a Federation outpost and some Romulan outposts (The Neutral Zone), then figures that Humans and Romulans aren't very different to what the Borg can find back in the DQ. And it's a waste of resources to go halfway across the galaxy to get something you can get in your own backyard. So the ship starts back home.

But then Q flings the Enterprise into the Cube's path, and the Borg are all of a sudden, "How did this ship get out here?" They try to assimialte it to find out, but then Picard says he needs Q, and Q sends the Enterprise back to the Federation.

The Borg figure that the Feds have some cool engine technology that they must have missed, and the Cube turns around and heads back towards Earth, and we see it again in BoBW.

Also, I never bought the idea that the Borg wanted Picard as a spokesman. What, only a Human Borg could say, "We will assimilate you, resistance is futile?" I think it's more likely that the Queen wanted to use Picard as an example, as a way of showing how much power she had over the Federation.

 

[Guy Gardener]

You're forgetting that the Borg think that the Borg are the good guys, and everything they do is in the best interest of the galaxy. They are not trying to kill anyone, in fact the Borg are trying to save the galaxy from itself.

Their aim is to improve quality of life.

Picard's inclusion into the process allowed for the Borg to dramatically reduce the anticipated loss of life during the assimilation of the Federation, which probably took a great weight off their conscience.

 

[Timewalker]

A box that comes with hot water and electricity. Yes there must be some status otherwise there would be no beach not covered in mansions. It's a shame all we see of future evolved humanity is on starships though, where the captain's quarters are smaller than an average apartment. Picard's estate doesn't count since that has been in the family through WWIII.

But Picard doesn't actually need a lot of material stuff out in space. He can replicate books, clothes, food, furniture (if he wants something other than Starfleet Standard)... and recycle it when he's done with it. If he wants it back again, he can replicate it again. And for everything else, there's the holodeck.

Whereas in the 21st century... well, I now own a Kindle, but that doesn't mean I've stopped buying physical books. And I don't own much furniture that isn't dedicated to holding books, tapes, DVDs, various other things in my SF collection, or else it's furniture to facilitate using my computer and my craft activities.

In other words, I do not own either a couch or dining table. Neither is important to me since I live with my cats, and hardly ever have company. My TV is small, and my cats have more "luxury" furnishings than I do!

So Picard doesn't need the space to accommodate all his material wants and needs at the same time. Unlike me, he doesn't need to be literally surrounded by shelves and shelves of physical books to feel comfortable.

I believe there must be an underclass of creative and/or whacky drop outs who find having everything stifling, just as we have people today who find having everything (which we do) stifling. I want to know what the graffitti looks like in the 24th century on earth. I hope there is still yarn bombing.

I may regret asking, but WTF is "yarn bombing"?

 

[Guy Gardener]

http://www.google.co.nz/images?q=ya..._group&ei=MpTYUc6xMYXliAef8YH4Ag&ved=0CCMQsAQ

 

[Timewalker]

Actually, some of that is rather artistic and cheerful. The only equivalent I can think of locally is in winter, when somebody feels sorry for the statue of my city's founder. The statue is sitting on a park bench on the corner of Gaetz Avenue and Ross Street, the middle of downtown. They put a toque and scarf on him so he doesn't get cold.

 

[Guy Gardener]

How well is the Lincoln memorial guarded?

Kids must be falling off Abe all the time.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Actually, some of that is rather artistic and cheerful. The only equivalent I can think of locally is in winter, when somebody feels sorry for the statue of my city's founder. The statue is sitting on a park bench on the corner of Gaetz Avenue and Ross Street, the middle of downtown. They put a toque and scarf on him so he doesn't get cold.

Yes "artistic and cheerful" is the very thing it is

I get excited every time I see yarn bombing and there's rather a lot of it in Melbourne at times.

And good point about the replicator and the stuff. Being able to just order up something cool and then toss it back in knowing you can get it again.. OMG! I COULD SHOVEL MY WHOLE HOUSE INTO IT! and then anything I actually missed I could reclaim!

I can see that though plenty planet side would still want actual objects with histories it would not be uncommon to live a very minimalist life, just making what you want at the time and not holding onto it because it's always available. Perhaps this is why Janeway's quarters are full of historical pieces that look like she raided a museum's gift shop, the only items the minimalists cherish are things with actual history attached to them. And personal sentiment, such as her photo of the dog and that man who gave up on her.

 

[Kevman7987]

Yarn Bombing? Seems like something hipsters or hippies would do. I dislike such things...

I look around at my room in my house and I can see so much stuff that wouldn't be here if I had a replicator. So many knick knacks and shelves of books and what have yous that I would have shoved back into the replicator after I was done with them and would just re-replicate if the mood struck me to use them again. Heck, most of the things I collect (action figures and what not) would never exist physically if I could just replicate what/who I want for displaying purposes when the mood struck me.

I also see things with historic or personal value to me that would remain on display rather than be used as matter for the replicator.

I would have so much extra wall/floorspace...

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Yarn Bombing? Seems like something hipsters or hippies would do. I dislike such things...

You dislike public art?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

As long as it can be quickly removed without damaging whatever it's covering, I don't see the problem with yarn bombing. It's not like TP-ing, which can be a to remove.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Bombing, by some definitions, is art without permission.

Public art, by some definitions, is the town council handing over a wad of rates payers money after you've put forward a prospectus and they agreed-to or censored part to all of your vision, and green lit whatever husk survived committee, probe and commission.

Knitting takes a very long time. Even knitting the bulk of your undetonated yarn bomb elsewhere means that this "art" is going to take weeks in construction... Unless it's just something the "artist" acquired from a salvation army thrift shop, and then picked and unpicked the seams which lacks any soul to the endeavour whatsoever.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Yarn bombers usually don't bomb things that are going to cause problems for anyone. Tree trunks, bicycle racks, sign posts..