"Shockwave" - what happened to Earth?

[F. King Daniel]

Re-watched the "Shockwave" two-parter today. I'd forgotten how much fun it was! The mission to the Suliban ship, Archer and Daniels picking through the ruins of 31st century Earth, the Suliban capturing Enterprise.... lots of adventuring.

I must admit, Daniels MacGuyvering a holographic temporal communicator out of a 22nd century communicator, tricorder and a copper ladel from post-apocalyptic Earth was a stretch, and the fake core breach pyro seemed way too elaborate considering the short time they had to set it up, but they didn't ruin it. Nor did Archer's infamous gazelle speech.

But what happened to Earth in the future that Archer ended up in? Archer vanishes from the 22nd century, there's no Federation, and so Earth is destroyed by.... who? And when? The Romulans, Klingons or Cardassians would subjugate rather than annihilate. The Xindi would rather blow a planet to smithereens with a giant clockwork Death Star rather than just ruin cities and kill everyone. The Borg would assimilate.

So, who could it be? And when? Some time after Romulans were well known enough to habe library books written about them. Long enough for the building Daniels worked in to be built.

 

[Deks]

Given that Shockwave occurred after 1 year of the NX-01's adventures in space, one has to keep in mind the temporal variables.
First, the Borg wouldn't come into play most likely because SF might not even excavate the 2 drones and some of their tech from the ice on Earth as seen a year later.
The Xindi hardly come into play.
The Sphere-builders were also mucking with the timeline and were part of the TCW.
If Archer is gone in the 22nd century suddenly, the sphere builders would see this, or would likely continue with their conquest without needing the Xindi in the first place, and there would be no Federation to stop them.

Whole plethora of temporal events to be taken into account which would likely be altered a lot if Archer was left for 'disappeared' in Shockwave.

 

[ChristopherPike]

It all depends on how long those ruined buildings had been left standing I'd say. Since the show would still be almost totally Enterprise-centric at this point, it's down to something Archer wasn't around to do or a knock-on consquence of that.

Humanity not pursuing a deep space program when they did? Not forming alliances beyond somewhat unhelpful Vulcans?

 

[BillJ]

The Romulan War.

 

[T'Girl]

In the early twenty-fifth centruy, all replicators rose up and destroyed their Human masters, after years of abuse and mistreatment. Victory was theirs, and to the victory went the spoils. They claimed the Earth for their own.

What you saw in that episode was the result of the Replicator War of Independence

 

[Alrik]

The Romulan War.

Far too early. Those books would never survive that many centuries. Perfect example. Last March when I was in Washington, I went to see the founding documents. Both The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution are barely legible anymore, and they're stored in a controlled environment.

 

[BillJ]

The Romulan War.

Far too early. Those books would never survive that many centuries. Perfect example. Last March when I was in Washington, I went to see the founding documents. Both The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution are barely legible anymore, and they're stored in a controlled environment.

Well the science of Star Trek usually doesn't mesh with that of the real world...

 

[horatio83]

I have been in antiquaries that featured books over 500 years old which were in fine shape and they weren't particularly special books or kept in controlled environments.
I am no chemist but I think that among different types of paper the quality varies to quite some degree.

 

[T'Girl]

[Both The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution are barely legible anymore, and they're stored in a controlled environment.

For decades both of those documents were displayed in direct sunlight, which is a part of the problem.

I am no chemist but I think that among different types of paper the quality varies to quite some degree.

Acid-free paper and hemp-paper would last longest. Also if the pages were some kind of plastic, or were coated, they would last thousands of years if even mildly protected from direct elements.

 

[Disruptor]

The obvious answer is a Wizard did...er...Romulans, because that's what Archer reading the title of the book seems to allude to.

NERO!

Oh, wait, then the planet would be gone.

 

[jespah]

I figure it's a series of events/a long garden path of problems. Perhaps -

• Archer is removed, the Suliban win and destroy the NX-01.
• The Vulcans step in and defend humans as we have nothing else to really use (the Columbia is a while from being completed).
• The Suliban are defeated by the Vulcans. The Xindi War never happens (it really isn't supposed to happen anyway).
• The relationship between the Vulcans and the humans becomes even more strained, as now we really owe them for saving our collective bacon. The Earth is plunged into a 500-year Dark Ages when it comes to space travel. Kirk and Picard (among many others) live out their lives on Earth, doing whatever. Whoever invents whatever finally replaces books is never born. Resentment grows.
• The first thing that happens once the Earth emerges from its Dark Ages is, a powerful and nasty leader is elected (think Colonel Phillip Green). His one mission is to go after the Vulcans.
• Instead of Nero destroying Vulcan, humans do.
• Without Vulcans, humans roam the galaxy, as space traveling badasses. Our first contacts with many species go, er, a lil caca. We have almost master-slave relationships with the Trill, the Betazoids, etc. Our most equivalent relationships are those that predate the Archer disappearance, such as with the Xyrillians.
• We have a decent arms-length relationship with both the Ferengi and the Klingons, as they respect our badassery.
• We commit genocide on the Romulans.
• In the beginning of the 31st century, we are attacked by everyone we've pissed off. They throw in their lot with the Borg (oopsie; big mistake there). They lay waste to Daniels' office building, etc.
• Remaining humans are assimilated by the Borg.

 

[spot_loves_data]

It's been a while since I've seen that one. Do they actually state that there was an attack by another species? If not, I'd guess it was a civil war, or maybe a brutal meteor shower.

 

[EmperorTiberius]

Re-watched the "Shockwave" two-parter today. I'd forgotten how much fun it was! The mission to the Suliban ship, Archer and Daniels picking through the ruins of 31st century Earth, the Suliban capturing Enterprise.... lots of adventuring.

I must admit, Daniels MacGuyvering a holographic temporal communicator out of a 22nd century communicator, tricorder and a copper ladel from post-apocalyptic Earth was a stretch, and the fake core breach pyro seemed way too elaborate considering the short time they had to set it up, but they didn't ruin it. Nor did Archer's infamous gazelle speech.

But what happened to Earth in the future that Archer ended up in? Archer vanishes from the 22nd century, there's no Federation, and so Earth is destroyed by.... who? And when? The Romulans, Klingons or Cardassians would subjugate rather than annihilate. The Xindi would rather blow a planet to smithereens with a giant clockwork Death Star rather than just ruin cities and kill everyone. The Borg would assimilate.

So, who could it be? And when? Some time after Romulans were well known enough to habe library books written about them. Long enough for the building Daniels worked in to be built.

That was my favorite part. It mimicks the real nature very well. All the ingredients are around us, but it takes knowledge to use them.

As for Earth, I thought it was quite obvious that it was the race from the 28th century which was manipulating the time line to eliminate Federation.

 

[Skywalker]

Earth, believing the Federation was restricting its development, started a war in an attempt to break away and go its own way. The other Federation planets responded in force and devastated Earth, leaving it in a ruined, pre-industrial state.

And I totally didn't steal that idea from another show.

 

[cylkoth]

• Without Vulcans, humans roam the galaxy, as space traveling badasses. Our first contacts with many species go, er, a lil caca. We have almost master-slave relationships with the Trill, the Betazoids, etc.

How exactly do us badass Earthers sneak up on a planet full of telepaths?
Sorry, but I just can't get the image of a roaming gang of thugs trying to creep up on someone who could read minds (and emotional broadcasts).

 

[jespah]

We create a diversion by throwing out telepathic messages about The Jersey Shore. The Betazoids become addicted to so-called reality television and we swoop in for the kill.

 

[7thsealord]

We create a diversion by throwing out telepathic messages about The Jersey Shore. The Betazoids become addicted to so-called reality television and we swoop in for the kill.

I think it more likely that this would lobotomize the Betazoids en masse. Same end result, though.

 

[jespah]

Well, there ya go.

Actually, I figure there is some way to defeat the Betazoids (I keep wanting to call them Betas, a la Brave New World), else we would just throw 'em at the Borg and other species who seem undefeatable.

 

[BillJ]

I figure it's a series of events/a long garden path of problems. Perhaps -

• Archer is removed, the Suliban win and destroy the NX-01.
• The Vulcans step in and defend humans as we have nothing else to really use (the Columbia is a while from being completed).
• The Suliban are defeated by the Vulcans. The Xindi War never happens (it really isn't supposed to happen anyway).
• The relationship between the Vulcans and the humans becomes even more strained, as now we really owe them for saving our collective bacon. The Earth is plunged into a 500-year Dark Ages when it comes to space travel. Kirk and Picard (among many others) live out their lives on Earth, doing whatever. Whoever invents whatever finally replaces books is never born. Resentment grows.
• The first thing that happens once the Earth emerges from its Dark Ages is, a powerful and nasty leader is elected (think Colonel Phillip Green). His one mission is to go after the Vulcans.
• Instead of Nero destroying Vulcan, humans do.
• Without Vulcans, humans roam the galaxy, as space traveling badasses. Our first contacts with many species go, er, a lil caca. We have almost master-slave relationships with the Trill, the Betazoids, etc. Our most equivalent relationships are those that predate the Archer disappearance, such as with the Xyrillians.
• We have a decent arms-length relationship with both the Ferengi and the Klingons, as they respect our badassery.
• We commit genocide on the Romulans.
• In the beginning of the 31st century, we are attacked by everyone we've pissed off. They throw in their lot with the Borg (oopsie; big mistake there). They lay waste to Daniels' office building, etc.
• Remaining humans are assimilated by the Borg.

Wouldn't V'ger or the Whale Probe wipe out humanity before a lot of this stuff could happen?

 

[jespah]

Or that.