Question: star trek and current events

Lillian88 · July 10 2010, 12:01 AM

Hello,

I'm new to this site, but I have had a burning question for some time now.
I was wondering, does anyone know how people in the star trek universe find out about current events? I'm not talking about starfleet officers and alien officials, mean like regular, not-constantly-being-shot-at-people. How do normal people on earth find out what is happening with allied planets 1000's of lightyears away. In are world we use the internet, the media and other ways of finding out about are world, but I never say any evidence of this within any of the shows. Does anyone have any thoughts on this.

kkozoriz1 · July 10 2010, 01:27 AM

There;s representatives of the media on board the Enterprise-B at the start of Generations. Also, Jake Sisko is a reporter for the Federation News Service during the Dominion War on DS9. Some sort of advanced internet sounds likely.

The novel series Star Trek:Vanguard has a reporter as one of the main characters. You should check it out. It's my most highly ranked novel series right now.

C.E. Evans · July 10 2010, 09:15 AM

They may not call it the internet anymore because it's such a dated term by then. They might refer to it by the devices they use to contact people or access information over stellar distances (computers, tricorders, PADDs). In a way, we're already doing that today, except we're using name brands for various devices.

The Federation likely has a network of subspace relay stations that can transmit information at speeds dozens of times faster than the fastest starship at maximum warp. At that velocity, it may take only a couple of weeks for news of something that happens 10,000 light-years away to reach Earth...which really isn't all that bad given the incredible distance...

T'Girl · July 11 2010, 10:53 PM

Easily could have a environment where there's too much news (we kind of have this now), there's so much coming in from thousands of worlds that you can't sort it out. So you'd tell the computer your preferences, and you'd be presented with only that.

David cgc · July 11 2010, 11:22 PM

kkozoriz1 wrote:

Also, Jake Sisko is a reporter for the Federation News Service during the Dominion War on DS9.

As an aside, some of the people who see the 24th Century Federation as a kind of stealth Orwellian regime point to the Federation News Service as evidence, but there's not much reason to believe it's state-run, or the "official" news of the Federation, any more than the USA Today or the American Broadcasting Company is. It's just a name.

More on-topic, in TUC, says she heard about the new Klingon Chancellor being inducted on the news. IIRC, the Starfleet Academy computer game (set between TFF and TUC) featured newscasters on Earth in a few of the cutscenes, expositing about current events. I don't remember any details, though, so I couldn't say if there was any way to tell if it was the Academy or Starfleet's internal news station, the San Francisco news, or a planetary or interstellar network.

diankra · July 14 2010, 11:14 PM

There's a piece in one of the 'Best of Trek' fan writing anthologies from the early 1980s, with Kirk having to face a media interview just after Wrath of Khan. It's along the lines of...
"So, Admiral Kirk, how did this attacker who'd hijacked the Reliant manage to damage the Enterprise, with substantial casualties, when Starfleet regulations clearly state..."
"Are you really telling me that 20 years ago, on finding one of the greatest war criminals of the 20th Century alive, you simply decided to give him a planet on your own authority?"
"This isn't the first time you took command of your old ship and immediately made a potentially fatal error, is it? I've been leaked these files on your conduct during the 'wormhole problem' with the Enterprise's warp drive during the V'Ger incident."
Etc, etc.

If facing a hostile interviewer, whether press or Congress-equivalent, Kirk could be made to look very bad over his conduct in large numbers of episodes. And that goes for all the other captains too.

Ensign_Redshirt · July 25 2010, 12:51 PM

David cgc wrote:

kkozoriz1 wrote:

Also, Jake Sisko is a reporter for the Federation News Service during the Dominion War on DS9.

As an aside, some of the people who see the 24th Century Federation as a kind of stealth Orwellian regime point to the Federation News Service as evidence, but there's not much reason to believe it's state-run, or the "official" news of the Federation, any more than the USA Today or the American Broadcasting Company is. It's just a name.

Or maybe the Federation News Service is just the Federation's version of PBS or BBC...

iguana_tonante · July 25 2010, 01:38 PM

David cgc wrote:

As an aside, some of the people who see the 24th Century Federation as a kind of stealth Orwellian regime point to the Federation News Service as evidence, but there's not much reason to believe it's state-run, or the "official" news of the Federation, any more than the USA Today or the American Broadcasting Company is. It's just a name.

Well, honestly, there are people who would find anything to tell you that 24th century Federation is a totalitarian communist dictatorship whose complacent population dare not speak their mind for fear of Starfleet reprisal...

captcalhoun · August 7 2010, 08:14 PM

we saw a news broadcast of some kind in Endgame's future scene, rerunning footage of Voyager's return.

Captain Robert April · August 7 2010, 11:01 PM

[James Earl Jones]

THIS is FNS.

[/James Earl Jones]

July 10 2010, 12:01 AM	#1
Lillian88 Cadet	Question: star trek and current events Hello, I'm new to this site, but I have had a burning question for some time now. I was wondering, does anyone know how people in the star trek universe find out about current events? I'm not talking about starfleet officers and alien officials, mean like regular, not-constantly-being-shot-at-people. How do normal people on earth find out what is happening with allied planets 1000's of lightyears away. In are world we use the internet, the media and other ways of finding out about are world, but I never say any evidence of this within any of the shows. Does anyone have any thoughts on this.

July 10 2010, 01:27 AM	#2
kkozoriz1 Fleet Captain Location: Centrelea, Nova Scotia	Re: Question: star trek and current events There;s representatives of the media on board the Enterprise-B at the start of Generations. Also, Jake Sisko is a reporter for the Federation News Service during the Dominion War on DS9. Some sort of advanced internet sounds likely. The novel series Star Trek:Vanguard has a reporter as one of the main characters. You should check it out. It's my most highly ranked novel series right now.

July 10 2010, 09:15 AM	#3
C.E. Evans Vice Admiral Location: Saint Louis (aka Defiance)	Re: Question: star trek and current events They may not call it the internet anymore because it's such a dated term by then. They might refer to it by the devices they use to contact people or access information over stellar distances (computers, tricorders, PADDs). In a way, we're already doing that today, except we're using name brands for various devices. The Federation likely has a network of subspace relay stations that can transmit information at speeds dozens of times faster than the fastest starship at maximum warp. At that velocity, it may take only a couple of weeks for news of something that happens 10,000 light-years away to reach Earth...which really isn't all that bad given the incredible distance... __________________ "Shout, shout, let it all out..."

July 11 2010, 10:53 PM	#4
T'Girl Vice Admiral	Re: Question: star trek and current events Easily could have a environment where there's too much news (we kind of have this now), there's so much coming in from thousands of worlds that you can't sort it out. So you'd tell the computer your preferences, and you'd be presented with only that.

July 14 2010, 11:14 PM	#6
diankra Commodore Location: UK	Re: Question: star trek and current events There's a piece in one of the 'Best of Trek' fan writing anthologies from the early 1980s, with Kirk having to face a media interview just after Wrath of Khan. It's along the lines of... "So, Admiral Kirk, how did this attacker who'd hijacked the Reliant manage to damage the Enterprise, with substantial casualties, when Starfleet regulations clearly state..." "Are you really telling me that 20 years ago, on finding one of the greatest war criminals of the 20th Century alive, you simply decided to give him a planet on your own authority?" "This isn't the first time you took command of your old ship and immediately made a potentially fatal error, is it? I've been leaked these files on your conduct during the 'wormhole problem' with the Enterprise's warp drive during the V'Ger incident." Etc, etc. If facing a hostile interviewer, whether press or Congress-equivalent, Kirk could be made to look very bad over his conduct in large numbers of episodes. And that goes for all the other captains too. __________________ "Some days are better than others. They say that where I come from." "Loudly, I imagine, on the day you left." (Blake's 7 - Rumours of Death)

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August 7 2010, 08:14 PM	#9
captcalhoun Admiral Location: gone	Re: Question: star trek and current events we saw a news broadcast of some kind in Endgame's future scene, rerunning footage of Voyager's return.

August 7 2010, 11:01 PM	#10
Captain Robert April Vice Admiral Location: In selfless service to fandom, on the road to becoming a Star Trek trivia god...	Re: Question: star trek and current events [James Earl Jones] THIS is FNS. [/James Earl Jones]