Dolphins are people too. Cetecean ops as canon!

Discussion in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' started by RAMA, May 12, 2010.

  1. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

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    Ok..so just when you think you know everything about STNG, you are thrown for a loop. I was well aware of Andy Probert's work for the Online game where he designed an "aquatic lab"...but I didn't realize there was a "cetacean ops". Apparently it was mentioned in the STNG technical manual(perused it but didn't see it in the contents)...and also in 2 episodes of STNG.

    Then of course for ST:Online:

    Neat huh?

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    http://www.ottens.co.uk/forgottentrek/tng_2.php
     
  2. GeorgeKirk

    GeorgeKirk Commodore Commodore

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    Really, Cetacean Ops was Sternbach's idea? I always thought it was Probert's.

    It's a shame we couldn't see the interiors of the Enterprise-D rendered with modern technology; it'd be great to see all the large open areas that the ship was supposed to have.
     
  3. Alrik

    Alrik Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    It would be nice if someone with the tech and tallent could do something with these ideas. I would love to seem them brought to life.
     
  4. Hober Mallow

    Hober Mallow Commodore Commodore

    I'm trying to bury my memories of Darwin from seaQuest. This thread isn't helping.

    Frank Welker's voice: "Caaaaaap... teeeeeeen... Peeeeee...caaaaaaaard." Whistle.
     
  5. Myasishchev

    Myasishchev Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I like to think of it as a neutrino detector that just happens to have dolphins in it.

    Also, if dolphins are human-level intelligent, isn't referring to their cage as "Cetacean Ops" vaguely degrading? Like calling the bridge "Primate Ops"?
     
  6. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

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    No, no, no it doesn't have to be THAT way..think Uplift Saga!!!!

    Well its not a cage...let's call it a habitat...and "cetacean ops" is an operations area like any other, I don't think Data minds when his console is called "ops".

    RAMA
     
  7. CaptainStoner

    CaptainStoner Knuckle-dragging TNZ Denizen Admiral

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    I suppose the dolphins and whales get ocean leave, water conditions permitting.

    Really makes me wonder where Perpetual was going with their STO before the snafu.
     
  8. T'Girl

    T'Girl Vice Admiral Admiral

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    If there were (during TOS) Human mostly and Vulcan mostly starships, by the 24th century were there Cetacean mostly starships in the fleet. The corridors were three quarters water with a gaseous atmosphere near the ceiling. They would be assigned to investigate the oceans and waterways of interesting worlds. After all the majority of the surface of a class M world is water. They would beam into the waters of these world, interact with the aquatic lifeform they found there (who would of course speak using the same squeaks and clicks). Sometime the cetaceans would fire the ships phasers at enemy ships, who's Captain and crew were also cetaceans. And in a homage to Jim Kirk, occasionally the cetacean Captain would get himself a little tail. :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
     
  9. darkwing_duck1

    darkwing_duck1 Vice Admiral

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    There was nothing wrong with Darwin...communication between two entities that do not share a common language, let alone common communications formats is going to be primitive at first. I would have liked to have seen Darwin's syntax and vocabulary improve as the seasons progressed.

    Think of Darwin and "Bridger's Folly" as the earliest beginnings of human/cetetian cooperation, and it's easy to extrapolate what the 24th century with its superior tech could achieve in that area.
     
  10. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

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    Apparently dolphins are really horny!! Perfect captain! :lol:
     
  11. Ar-Pharazon

    Ar-Pharazon Admiral Premium Member

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    Didn't a TNG novel have a cetacean crew member, at least a "visiting" one?
     
  12. darkwing_duck1

    darkwing_duck1 Vice Admiral

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    I want to say it was either Imzadi or Dark Mirror, but I don't remember for sure...
     
  13. T'Girl

    T'Girl Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Diane Duane's Dark Mirror did, been a long time since I've read Imzadi.
     
  14. Myasishchev

    Myasishchev Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Gang rapists, actually; at least many of them.

    If we acknowledge dolphin sapience (tantamount to personhood) does this mean we have a duty to enforce our criminal law upon them?
     
  15. Agenda

    Agenda Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    I'm trying to be open minded, but this concept is too "out there", even for Trek.
     
  16. Ra'min

    Ra'min Lieutenant Junior Grade Red Shirt

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    The Xindi supposefly joined the Federation at some point, so there may be xindi-aquatics crewed ships in starfleet. :)
     
  17. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

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    I guess we could call them pre-sapient life forms...in the Uplift novels, Dolphins are only able to understand "our" language, use tools, and speak because they have been genetically and mechanically modified..but once they are, they are considered sapients with rights.

    RAMA
     
  18. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

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    ...and they also make war, kill, hunt and more. Humans are of course..masters of these.

    RAMA
     
  19. darkwing_duck1

    darkwing_duck1 Vice Admiral

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    In the Trek universe, at least some species of cetatians are fully sentient, as witnessed in ST IV.

    The real-life problem in addressing the issue one way or the other is our utter lack of a common referential system, and the lack of compatable communicative organs.
     
  20. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

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    I could accept they have a very advanced culture, its just not one suited to evolve out of their niche.

    We don't really know if humpbacks were that intelligent in STIV, they communicated, but we don't know if it was just instinctual or if the probe was just checking on "pets" or if they have a child level IQ.

    RAMA