Spoilers Star Trek: Lower Decks 4x05 - "Empathalogical Fallacies"
- Thread starter Commander Richard
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I think you're right. I might be mixing it up with what McCoy said in "JOURNEY TO BABEL".
It's been a long couple days... brain drain is making me switch shows, sadly. Apologies for the error.
If we go by a certain narrative, we can ascertain a planet that wants to join UFP simply needs to reach a stage of technological and societal development that is deemed acceptable by UFP.
Once they join, SF is provided access to the space so they build starbases, shipyards, defenses, etc. (if they need to be brought up to the amount that is present in SOL and other major star systems), but the planet at large seems to retain its overall functioning and internal government agencies, including space agenices, ships, etc.
The main bit that changes is that they are part of the UFP... so some aspects will alter as a result, but most of the stuff remains the same.
This could also play against the premise that a planet's own military (if they have any) is automatically absorbed into SF (or has been retconned). Since Vulcans still had the High Command and their own ships in service in the 24th century, it seems to me that the planet just gives SF unrestricted access to its space so they can take over mainly in the defense department, and the planet itself retains the ability to use its pre-existing fleet (which then cooperates with SF fully and defers to them in matters of defense and security).
Under that premise, the main thing that changes is because the planet/system joins the UFP, they enjoy greater protection under a larger alliance from possible invasions or hostile aliens (or at least those that might already be hostile to them).
It’s interesting that “Justice” came across that way to you. I watched the show probably around the time it aired so I’m going off a very old memory but I thought the Edo came across like the white rabbits used in science experiments — vacant and disposable (I say as a then little blond-haired blue-eyed girl). I wasn’t the least bit surprised that there was a twist, my dad read Watership Down to me. All the signs were there.
It was, however, referred to in Lower Decks already. Mariner in "Cupid's Errant Arrow" suspects Boimler’s girlfriend of possibly being "one of those sexy people in rompers that murders you just for going on the grass!"
(No lack of love for bunnies, by the way! I love bunnies! ♥ I hope they all live safe and happy lives! Just referencing the way lab animals are presented in stories, not the way I personally feel about them!)
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I guess that the difference could be StarFleet is the UFP's "Federal Military, Science, Exploration, & First Contact / Diplomacy" branch.
Any local service like the Vulcan's Science Directorate with their High Command could be local to that Planet / Species.
So every species could have folks join both or either services since they're part of the larger UFP family.
Kind of like the US Federal Military & each States National Guard.
You are joking, right? "Master" doesn't appear in the transcript.
The CAST ...the actors who play the characters! Have you heard of them?
Fascinating interpretation. I will have to read Watership Down. Is the DS9 episode "Starship Down" also related?
Interesting she’s allowed to keep that but Ro had to remove her earrings.Steve doesn't even like Lower Decks, but he will defend it over stuff like this
Also Jörg's tweet throwing shade lol
Because Riker was a dick.
Worf gets his baldric but Ro has to forgo her earing? That's some selective enforcement of rules right there.
and in TMP there was an officer wearing native American headdress.
That whole thing with Ro not being allowed to wear her earring made no sense and was really just a clunky means of providing exposition, to shine a light on the fact that Bajorans wear earrings for cultural reasons. In the modern western world, all uniform services including militaries allow their personnel to wear cultural adornments like turbans and hijabs. And Starfleet does allow Worf to wear a twenty pound baldric. There really is no reason Ro wouldn't be allowed to wear her earring.
Sure there is, she didn't ask permission. As Bajorans are new to Starfleet their uniform exceptions aren't in the rules yet. Ro should have asked permission (like Worf probably had to). The fact she didn't ask shows disrespect for the chain of command, which is what Riker was annoyed about.
You don't need to ask permission in western militaries of today to wear cultural adornments with the uniform, so why would you need to in the supposedly non-military Starfleet?
Starfleet: we celebrate diversity as long as you ask first.
With Ro, I think it's simply a matter of her having been court martialed because she disobeyed orders and caused the deaths of 8 other officers. No one on the Enterprise wanted her there initially because of her actions. Even Geordi, who's usually very easygoing, felt she didn't belong in the uniform.
That's a great idea. The caps really capture everything that happens I think.
Then Insurrection would be racist, and all Q episodes too. I don't remember any non-'white' Ba'ku or Q appearances, and the latter are quasi-gods.
There's a famous animated movie as well.
I have never watched “Starship Down” but reading about it I would surmise the title comes from military parlance as in “Black Hawk Down.” The down in Watership Down is from the British landscape “downs” meaning rounded and grass-covered hills.
The part in Watership Down that has given me a lifelong wariness toward all “tra la la, frolic and feast” setups is quite a small part of a very long narrative but it stuck fast in my developing brain. ʅ（◞‿◟）ʃ Oh, the whole book is about rabbits, that’s an important point too. It’s a tenuous connection but that’s how my brain works. (spoilers, I guess?) something’s wrong → these people are clueless → the whole place seems like cuniculture → like that duplicitous warren in Watership Down!
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