Rewatch value of this one is kind of weak, because everything happens so many times... with small differences. It can get boring.
"Cause and Effect" -- an interesting point
- Thread starter martok2112
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The real mind bender was the beginning of act 2 when they are at the poker game again. I imagine the stations got phone calls, because it really looked like they had screwed up the feed & reran act 1 again, because unless you really focus on details, that second time though is almost indistinguishable from the 1st, for about a minute, except for some camera angles, & the omission of Data shuffling the deck.
It isn't until a staunch close up on Riker when he gets the jump on Crusher calling his bluff, & they talk about having a "Feeling" that the viewer begins to sit up & take notice that it's not the same scene being rerun, but the same moments being relived. Very subtle stuff, & I find that stuff wonderful to witness on repeated viewings. All the variances that they do in that episode are sublime. Where we are when Bev breaks the glass, the ways in which they halt the moment as it's happening, all the angels in the crisis, the different POVs of each time the ship blows up (The best being shown from inside the bridge). It's a directorial jewel.
If anyone was on duty in the main shuttle bay, they were probably inside the control booth.
On screen in shuttle bays 2 & 3 we saw a upper level control booth with a window to observe the bay below. It is safe to assume that there is an air tight door to the booth.
Somewhere online there's a 3d "walk through" of the main shuttle bay, based off the technical manual. It gives you a sense of just how large the main bay is, and shows several doors and observation/control booth.
I think this is a case where the simplest solution (closed, air tight door) is the most logical. (V's super-data magically emergency beaming floating crewmembers)
On screen in shuttle bays 2 & 3 we saw a upper level control booth with a window to observe the bay below. It is safe to assume that there is an air tight door to the booth.
Somewhere online there's a 3d "walk through" of the main shuttle bay, based off the technical manual. It gives you a sense of just how large the main bay is, and shows several doors and observation/control booth.
I think this is a case where the simplest solution (closed, air tight door) is the most logical. (V's super-data magically emergency beaming floating crewmembers)
But the problem wasn't lack of door-opening power - the problem was said to be the computer malfunctioning and keeping the door shut against the wishes of the users. LaForge was "clearing" and "bypassing" all he could, and still the computer refused to open the door. And the manual override was a problem because the plasma fire got between them and the override...
Except there clearly isn't. Unless it's a forcefield that slams in place to seal the open sides of the booth whenever needed.
One would think there would be forcefields available just about everywhere in the ship - Picard was able to call one to be established at an arbitrary location in the middle of the bridge in "Allegiance", even. These would be unlikely to work too well if the computer was so broken as to refuse to open doors for emergency use, though. Even if they were idiotproof, work-on-batteries tech to start which, which they might not always be.
Timo Saloniemi
Except there clearly isn't. Unless it's a forcefield that slams in place to seal the open sides of the booth whenever needed.
One would think there would be forcefields available just about everywhere in the ship - Picard was able to call one to be established at an arbitrary location in the middle of the bridge in "Allegiance", even. These would be unlikely to work too well if the computer was so broken as to refuse to open doors for emergency use, though. Even if they were idiotproof, work-on-batteries tech to start which, which they might not always be.
Timo Saloniemi
The main hangar is HUGE. It's likely there's a whole section that's just shuttle parking and landing strips where personnel don't generally spend most of their time anyway outside of entry/egress from support craft. Highly likely then that any personnel on the main hangar were in a shielded/protected/pressurized area where the decompression of the main deck would not have put them at risk.
Yet we did see people loitering in the smaller shuttlebays at various random times. Why would this bigger place be an exception, in terms of frequency of visits or density of people present?
But yeah, the bigger the space, the likelier that the people would be X meters away from the actual space doors, and therefore less likely to be blown out by the wind. Although this also means they would be likelier to be X meters away from the walls, thus with more air to push them out...
Timo Saloniemi
But yeah, the bigger the space, the likelier that the people would be X meters away from the actual space doors, and therefore less likely to be blown out by the wind. Although this also means they would be likelier to be X meters away from the walls, thus with more air to push them out...
Timo Saloniemi
There might be some automatic protocols to beam anyone out of there should the bays suddenly depressurise for whatever reason. Of course whether the transporters were working or not, is a different question.
And sometimes in space you just gotta take one for the team, end of story.
And sometimes in space you just gotta take one for the team, end of story.
The areas around parked shuttles and other auxiliary craft that are ready for immediate launch and not in another bay or behind another door (I was thinking, and I could be wrong, that current aircraft carriers have a "bay" beneath the deck to house some aircraft) could have forcefields up 24x7 as a back up safety. But we don't know if, the forecefield were working as every other system was failing.
Happily, it was more a case of random systems failing (even if LaForge called those "all main systems"). Too bad that main, secondary and tertiary propulsion were among those...
I wonder whether the weapons would have worked? And why Worf never suggested using those? Had Picard finally crushed his ego for good?
Timo Saloniemi
I wonder whether the weapons would have worked? And why Worf never suggested using those? Had Picard finally crushed his ego for good?
Timo Saloniemi
Perhaps they were too close? It's possible that in the time allotted Data could have come up with and input a torpedo firing pattern that could safely, or least without inflicting too much damage, explode and move one or both ships enough to avoid a collision. A torpedo should provide more energy to move the Enterprise than decompressing the main Shuttle bay.
Worf's angle there would probably be "We're shieldless, so they are probably shieldless, too - let's blow them up and we're safe!"... No need for finesse.
But as said, when Picard asked for suggestions, the situation did not appear to be absolutely life-threatening yet. So Worf would have been dismissed once again.
Timo Saloniemi
But as said, when Picard asked for suggestions, the situation did not appear to be absolutely life-threatening yet. So Worf would have been dismissed once again.
Timo Saloniemi
It's a nice episode... until all systems fail near the temporal rift, all the ones that are needed at the moment, still, artificial gravity works, life support works...
TAS had the crew wearing force field/life support belts which acted as EVA suits- don't see why TNG couldn't have their version of that to be worn by on duty personnel in the Shuttlebays. That and some magnetic grip shoe soles to keep them in place in case of an unanticipated depressurization. Considering the advances in technology they could be even built right into the uniform as standard when you were assigned there.
To be fair, it's not like we ever get enough of a listing of what is and isn't working to make any sort of real determination of how 'selective' it is.
And this is far from the only episode where gravity and life support functioned while everything else failed. I'd call "Disaster" a more blatant example of that kind of selective failure.
It's artificial gravity that is the real super system on Federation Starships. In The Last Outpost ships power is being drained and everyone is huddled together on one deck because life support is losing power, all systems are losing power, but gravity is working fine.
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