Yes I agree.
Perhaps it had limited fuel/crystals and was using its impulse engines when Scott made his announcement. And used the last of its power at Warp to try to escape the Enterprise
Balance of Terror Observations
- Thread starter Dale Sams
- Start date
Perhaps it had limited fuel/crystals and was using its impulse engines when Scott made his announcement. And used the last of its power at Warp to try to escape the Enterprise
I don’t believe the writers screwed up. I believe that the context was indeed that the Romulan ship only had impulse drive. Remember that the original intent was that the ship was designed from stolen Federation plans and that it was meant to resemble the Enterprise’s saucer section, which did not have warp drive. It would have been an experimental vessel and not one of the Romulans’ regular ships. And for all we know, the crew never expected to return home and self-destruction was always meant to happen after the mission to destroy the Earth outposts was complete.
That doesn't seem to fit with trying to escape by tricking the Enterprise with the nuke and the commander saying "Now we go home."
Also all this:
http://www.chakoteya.net/StarTrek/9.htm
COMMANDER: A message was dispatched. You've broken the rule of silence.
DECIUS: Only in code, Commander. To inform our Praetor of this glorious mission.
COMMANDER: Your carelessness might have ended this glorious mission. You're reduced two steps in rank. Return to post.
CENTURION: Take care, Commander. He has friends, and friends of his kind mean power. And power is danger.
COMMANDER: Danger and I are old companions.
CENTURION: We've seen a hundred campaigns together, and still I do not understand you.
COMMANDER: I think you do. No need to tell you what happens when we reach home with proof of the Earthmen's weakness. And we will have proof. The Earth commander will follow. He must. When he attacks, we will destroy him. Our gift to the homeland, another war.
CENTURION: If we are the strong, isn't this the signal for war?
COMMANDER: Must it always be so? How many comrades have we lost in this way?
CENTURION: Our portion, Commander, is obedience.
COMMANDER: Obedience. Duty. Death and more death. Soon even enough for the Praetor's taste. Centurion, I find myself wishing for destruction before we can return. Worry not. Like you, I am too well-trained in my duty to permit it. Continue evasive manoeuvres. Now, back to the first course.
DECIUS: Only in code, Commander. To inform our Praetor of this glorious mission.
COMMANDER: Your carelessness might have ended this glorious mission. You're reduced two steps in rank. Return to post.
CENTURION: Take care, Commander. He has friends, and friends of his kind mean power. And power is danger.
COMMANDER: Danger and I are old companions.
CENTURION: We've seen a hundred campaigns together, and still I do not understand you.
COMMANDER: I think you do. No need to tell you what happens when we reach home with proof of the Earthmen's weakness. And we will have proof. The Earth commander will follow. He must. When he attacks, we will destroy him. Our gift to the homeland, another war.
CENTURION: If we are the strong, isn't this the signal for war?
COMMANDER: Must it always be so? How many comrades have we lost in this way?
CENTURION: Our portion, Commander, is obedience.
COMMANDER: Obedience. Duty. Death and more death. Soon even enough for the Praetor's taste. Centurion, I find myself wishing for destruction before we can return. Worry not. Like you, I am too well-trained in my duty to permit it. Continue evasive manoeuvres. Now, back to the first course.
http://www.chakoteya.net/StarTrek/9.htm
Of course, the writers need not have screwed up if deciding the Romulans were both "impulse only" and "FTL". The two would not necessarily have been distinct back then, in the minds of writers.
The distinction only needs to be applied in the broader perspective - just as the RSE can't be a single star system in that perspective, impulse can't be FTL at any point of Trek pseudohistory in retrospect. But blaming Schneider on "screwing up" for not realizing what the future should bring isn't particularly fair.
Timo Saloniemi
The distinction only needs to be applied in the broader perspective - just as the RSE can't be a single star system in that perspective, impulse can't be FTL at any point of Trek pseudohistory in retrospect. But blaming Schneider on "screwing up" for not realizing what the future should bring isn't particularly fair.
Timo Saloniemi
The Writers Guide makes that most unlikely, and certainly it is the story editor's job to fix terminology before the scenes get shot.
As per yourself mostly agree
except....in a single system model that would lead to a LOT of listening bases in close proximity, totally surrounding the Romulan star. If their primary role is surveillance, wouldn't 3 or 4 be sufficient?
FWIW, here's an interesting excerpt from Schneider's first draft script dated June 21, 1966. The below takes place in the briefing room and is at a time that's before the Romulans fire their weapon on the Enterprise. (Btw, for you purists, I didn't bother with script format... because.)
KIRK
Mr. Spock, let's have the comparison.
SPOCK
...We have the possible advantage of better detection equipment. Several times their maximum speed... They have an invisibility screen; we're keeping tabs only by our most sophisticated sensors which, as you know, can only indicate general areas of space disturbance. They also have a new type of ordnance - range may be equal to our phasers - power presently unmeasured... except we know it is staggering - enormous - beyond anything we've got.
There is a deep, pregnant silence from the assemblage.
DOCTOR
(clearing his throat)
Then our only real edge is speed. Even there, how can we assume they are now traveling at max?
KIRK
Because we've pursued for ten minutes - holding relative positions, to make their Captain believe he has a false echo on his instruments.
DOCTOR
Any reason to think it's working?
KIRK
Some. He's been testing with zig-zag maneuvers, and reduced speeds. But always coming back up to this speed, always back on 973...
(half to himself)
...Which is precisely what I would do were I in his place - and had to get home fast as I could...
FWIW.
KIRK
Mr. Spock, let's have the comparison.
SPOCK
...We have the possible advantage of better detection equipment. Several times their maximum speed... They have an invisibility screen; we're keeping tabs only by our most sophisticated sensors which, as you know, can only indicate general areas of space disturbance. They also have a new type of ordnance - range may be equal to our phasers - power presently unmeasured... except we know it is staggering - enormous - beyond anything we've got.
There is a deep, pregnant silence from the assemblage.
DOCTOR
(clearing his throat)
Then our only real edge is speed. Even there, how can we assume they are now traveling at max?
KIRK
Because we've pursued for ten minutes - holding relative positions, to make their Captain believe he has a false echo on his instruments.
DOCTOR
Any reason to think it's working?
KIRK
Some. He's been testing with zig-zag maneuvers, and reduced speeds. But always coming back up to this speed, always back on 973...
(half to himself)
...Which is precisely what I would do were I in his place - and had to get home fast as I could...
FWIW.
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Awesome, thank you.
So, had the line "several times their maximum speed" survived into the episode, it would have implied that the Romulans certainly did have FTL.
By the way, "ordnance" is rendered according to its common misspelling, "ordinance." Was that your error, or Schneider's? (Apologizes, I'm not trying to criticize, just being curious.)
Oh, yeah, one other thing. The Romulans keep returning to the course that would take them home, more evidence, as if there isn't enough already, that the Romulans were not intentionally on a suicide mission.
Thanks! And LOL at your Robert Mitchum strikethrough!
Whoops, that's a transcription error on my part. Schneider had it correct, and I just corrected it in the original post. Thanks for catching that!
I like that dialogue. Amazing how many holes that would plug.
While I agree (and it does have a ring of WWII tactical discussion verisimilitude), whoever did the rewrite/polish nailed the character pieces and the flow of the beats.
As much as I’d like the holes plugged and the espionage-angle retained, I wouldn’t change one line of what made it to air.
This is probably my favourite episode.
Ah, but that's assuming there existed a Writers' Guide featuring the intended difference between warp and impulse (or, say, phasers and photon torpedoes) when Paul Schneider sat down to create his story, or NN sat down to fix it with his or her red pencil. "Balance of Terror" is a bit early for that.
Timo Saloniemi
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