In "Cold Front", the implication was they were supposed to have been destroyed if not for Suliban interference.
For those who missed it: Was this made by bored Star Wars fans since we all know the Star Wars and Star Trek factions are comparable to the Capulets and Montagues, but with the possible addition of various mind-altering substances? As far as parodies go, this feels far more like a well-polished fan-made-from-the-peanut-gallery flick than anything else. (Maybe a vignette that belongs in a Futurama episode, but as actual branded Star Trek?) On one level, some moments are genuinely funny, and some moments are such pure cheese that's so far beneath the level of "corny" that even I have to wince and that's not an easy task... It all just feels out of place -- especially with those goofy noosey collars. It all just doesn't feel like anything that belongs in any genuine Star Trek episode. Again, it's far more worthy of Futurama. Then again, it is a Short Trek and there is more leeway and creative liberty to go all over the map. At least Mr Roper isn't turning to the camera and grinning directly at it after making the joke.
If that is indeed what was supposed to happen all along, then that means the Federation was never meant to exist, since Daniels later pulling Archer out of the 22nd century means the Federation never existed.
Almost like the writers were making it up as they went along without any kind of cohesive plan for how the timeline should turn out (See also: Daniels hinting that Earth no longer exists in his time, and then later his headquarters is in New York)
Thank God it didn't. That would negate all of DS9, TNG (Picard/Worf/Data/Riker crossovers), VOY and on.
I'm not sure that part of the episode was meant to be taken seriously; even Memory Alpha has been flagging that information from that scene with the disclaimer that it may be non-canon.
Yes, yes, we must remain of the Body. In all seriousness, though, I do think that taking five in regards to these things is something that the fanbase as a whole really should do. I find continuity errors annoying and suspect that I'll have to suck it up a bit when I get the chance to watch all the DSC stuff. But, still, it's just a show and not worth getting angry over.
So you're saying Voyager is set in this alternate timeline First Contact created that you claim exists? (it doesn't)
...the ion pod, perhaps? Personally, I interpret it to be Edward's Vision™ in his final moments, as he asphyxiates beneath his endless pile of tribbles...I could even picture him trying maniacally to eat his way out before becoming overwhelmed and expiring! (OR DID HE???) That's precisely why the fine print recommends one "shave cereal with Edward brand Tribble Razor included in Tribble Cereal Super Salon playset (sold separately)" and "chew thoroughly"!
Anything aired after FC would have been set in the rewritten timeline. The changes to the 22nd and 23rd century seem to lead to a very similar 24th.
In my STAR TREK ADVENTURES game, I state that time is actually constantly changing backwards and forwards. I use Doctor Who as an example. Determining canon is pointless in a setting where time travel is a constant never-ending danger for all faster-than-light civilizations.
All that really means is that Archer becomes integral some time after the timeline is changed, after the original history is diverged, after Temporal Cold Wars and Archer being saved.... Something like this: So in the original TOS timeline, no NX01, no Archer, and the Federation is just fine.....At some point after Kirk, temporal policing becomes a thing, due to all of the "recklessness" - people start paying attention to what "should" have happened. This draws a lot of attention to all of the changes caused by First Contact, and the 22nd century is a shambles. The Federation is almost never formed. The future Time Dept, in order to preserve history, sets into motion the events outsiders called a "temporal cold war," using Archer and the NX to...... right what once went wrong and set events in motion that will still lead to the formation of the Federation. Broad strokes are the same, but everything is a little bit different than originally depicted in TOS. By the time the 23rd comes around again, things like secret Borg Tech and Section 31 are in play, leading to Spore Drives and what not, and things get crazy for awhile, but get back on track for a similar V'Ger, Khan, and Klingon political thread that largely leaves the 24th century unchanged.
I don't believe in predestination - all that means is a time loop has rewritten the timeline so many times that the original fabric is forgotten. It doesn't mean there wasn't an original timeline unfettered by tampering. A predestination paradox IMO is just extremely corrupted timeline looping on itself.
Except Daniels actually does specify that in the new Archer-less timeline, everything is the same up until the Warp 5 program started, then everything diverges because of Archer's absence.
The question was intentionally raised in the audience's mind (just as similar ones had been right from "Broken Bow" [ENT]), but they deliberately stopped short of drawing that implication: DANIELS: Silik is the one who prevented the reactor breach. ARCHER: Are you implying Silik was sent here to save my ship...and if he hadn't, we would have been destroyed today? DANIELS: [shaking his head in the negative] I'm not implying anything. All I'm saying is that I was assigned here to capture Silik when he came aboard... [...] SILIK: Did they tell you that ridiculous story about their noble efforts to protect history? The great Temporal Accord? They're lying to you, Jon. None of it is true. Whoever contacted you is working for another faction. They didn't come here to protect history. They came to alter it. Who do you think was responsible for the antimatter cascade that nearly destroyed your ship? It was them. I was sent to prevent it. ARCHER: And why would you want to do that? The first time we met, you tried to kill me. SILIK: I saved your ship because I was instructed to. ARCHER: By whom? What does Enterprise have to do with your temporal war? SILIK: I'm not privy to that kind of information... At best, it was left ambiguous and open to interpretation. (How fully truthful and forthcoming are either Daniels or Silik being with Archer? Which has the less limited slice of the big picture? What exactly is the 'true' difference between "protecting" history and "altering" it, and to whom, and in what context?)