Well, gee, what do you know?! Worf was right!

[diankra]

In some ways, Worf took over what Riker said, back in Encounter in Farpoint, was his role: to say "Are your sure that's wise, Captain?" *

(*Like all Brits, I am now facing the bizarre mind-image of John le Mesurier as Worf...)

[Start Wreck]

Merry Christmas wrote:

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Exactly, why would they have suddenly changed course the first time through?

Yep, that's a pickle. The only answer I can give (aside from Timo's thoroughly reasonable interpretation!) is that, as per Worf's example of the Mobius loop, there was no first time through. Rather, every time through, they were operating under the same information from a 'previous' loop, telling them to change course. Given the same information, any course change would be the same one, every time, even if they tried to randomise it (randomisation in computers is just based on set criteria, after all).

They were wrong, but, hey!

[Timo]

Given the same information, any course change would be the same one, every time, even if they tried to randomise it (randomisation in computers is just based on set criteria, after all).

But the criteria needn't have anything to do with the situation.The course could be set by a random count from a random process at a specific moment - and the moment would depend on when our heroes asked the computer to choose a course. Since we know the loops are non-identical in content (the heroes don't make the same movements and don't speak the same dialogue), the count would not be the same from loop to loop.

Of course, the heroes don't know that the loops are non-identical. But if they proceed from the assumption that they are identical down to the millisecond, then there is no hope at all, no matter what they do or don't do, because perfect predestination is guaranteed (as it's the only possible way to achieve identical loops).

The heroes really have every motivation to think that they are merely stuck in a unique loop, or that a series of loops is taking place but merely around a "strange attractor" of some sort, with multiple different loop options producing the same general result of re-looping, but a suitably and sufficiently different take resulting in a breakaway.

Timo Saloniemi

[Trekker4747]

Problem is in "Yesterday's Enterprise" they KNEW they were in a loop because each time through events grew different as they grew more and more aware of what was happening. It's also a matter of "what do we have to lose?" So if they change course that might be what gets them in the loop. So what?! You're in the loop anyway so either you'll do what you're "expected" to do or you'll get out of the thing that has you trapped.