I'd assess who can come up with the best technobabble.
Do you have what it takes to write for Voyager? A quiz in 25 questions
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Technobabble is easy. All you have to do is reverse the coolant flow to the plasma manifolds, depolarize the warp matrix, recalibrate the external sensors to produce a thoron pulse, decarbonize the prefire units in the phaser array, replace a torpedo's photonic warhead with a canister of inorganic neurotoxin, and configure the internal holo-emitters to produce a level-3 multiphase quantum field.
It may be slightly harder to come up with *good* technobabble.
That is, *good* technobabble (imho) is still just window-dressing, but it serves the story. It's meant to convey that the crew are highly specialized professionals trying to communicate as effectively as possible in the usually little amount of time they have, using jargon. Preferably in a way that doesn't contradict established science.
*bad* technobabble is using a lot of sciency-sounding terms to obfuscate that the actual problem to be solved isn't that complicated or hard to understand at all. Unfortunately, VOY has that as well.
Of course this is just my own highly subjective criterion.
That is, *good* technobabble (imho) is still just window-dressing, but it serves the story. It's meant to convey that the crew are highly specialized professionals trying to communicate as effectively as possible in the usually little amount of time they have, using jargon. Preferably in a way that doesn't contradict established science.
*bad* technobabble is using a lot of sciency-sounding terms to obfuscate that the actual problem to be solved isn't that complicated or hard to understand at all. Unfortunately, VOY has that as well.
Of course this is just my own highly subjective criterion.
Fair enough... I think there might be a game in that, actually. Player One proposes a problem, and Player Two pops out a technobabble solution.
Me as well, I love Tuvok and B'Elanna too much which would've hurt the GOAT's status of being the ultimate Captain in Star Trek history. Kes is another character I liked a lot and I would've used her a lot as well but with my course direction the super model looking Seven of Nine would've never been included. Kes was a better character to me.Only one D!
Ah, never mind. I would never get the job no matter what.
I would write too much for the wrong character.
I don't know... DS9 did a good job spreading the love around among the characters, but Sisko's still pretty legendary.
HAHAHAHAHA. You are funny.
I sure hope it doesn't hurt the ratings, this show needs to be renewed.
Totally agreed, we must be sensitive to the show and ensure nothing we say sends it into its safe space.
A . But technically, B leads to A.
I find C quasi-implausible, specifically the part about a sizable number of Maquis leaving Voyager. Why would they leave the safety of Voyager to potentially deal with multiple hostile species and with no chance to call for backup, when their grievance was with Federation acquiescing to Cardassians specifically? Unless something happens to Voyager that throws them back several lightyears and run into those particular Maquis again.
A, though it’s the bare minimum.
Note that none are bad answers, as long as there is some character development before and after the fact. Even D works if the ensign is promoted to any of the aforementioned ranks years beforehand.
C. A simple fix.
A. It should just be extremely expensive to do over and over, and require too much resources that the ship just doesn’t have while being very far away from Federation space. So every shuttlecraft matters.
B. Its still a big deal that the crew is staying on board the ship for nearly a generation.
B
Seriously, B.
It was established in TNG that it requires the captain and first officer, and I’d like some consistency here. At least when it comes to a starship.
A would be the most egregious. At least B shows the crew’s desperation. And with C, timelines are erased all the time in Trek and no one ever asks if those timelines are good for other characters.
A combination of B & C, though A is okay too.
D. I never had a problem with what Neelix wore. And the other choices sound boring.
C would be the best, imo. Followed by A.
As for B, depends how it fits with my answer for number 23.
A. Another simple fix.
A through C. As long as its all consensual.
Again, A through C. With A and B as recurring villains, and C as a season long villain.
C. We know what the uniform was really for, but there’s no reason to make the actress uncomfortable while wearing it.
A combination of B & C. Considering that Joe Carey was killed off anyways, would it really be a big deal if B’Elanna was promoted to chief engineer that way?
C
A, though allow room for B & C to be elaborated on for future episodes to further develop the Ocampa.
C
A combination of A, B and C. Makes for some callbacks to TOS with Gary Mitchell and with the Augments, and shows what the Q knows about humans being destined to be more.
A. As the real problem was that Janeway did not duplicate Tuvix with the transporter first, and then undo the fusion. Everyone would then win in that scenario.
Tough one. Hmm...
Other: have a multi-part arc that combines A, B and C.
C. And get a bigger glimpse as to what day to day life is like on Earth in the 24th century.
A combination of A & B.
A through C.
@FederationHistorian - Nicely thought out answers. Including your single D. 
Thanks... in general, not surprised some people choose multiple answers, or even A, B, and C. Part of the point was to illustrate that the writers' most questionable decisions presented more than one sensible option.
I really enjoyed reading that quiz. Good work!
I had fun writing it.
I've never actually done this quiz. Let me try to answer realistically (that is, according to what I really think).
1- B, probably. Maquis never had a real beef with Starfleet, and they're not stupid enough to overlook that mutineering is very risky - for what? For getting to command the ship they are already on, and then they still have to travel back to the Alpha Quadrant where every (wo)men could be vital. High risk for a fairly limited reward. But yeah, there might be lots of tensions, over years.
2 - Probably A. That would already be two promotions (Lt. Jg. and Lt.) More than that seems unrealistic, too.
3 - C. That, or explaining that over the years they gradually got better and better at gathering resources and the stuff they need, making what was deemed impossible in early season 1 quite feasible in season 5. But this solution seems so obvious to me that I never really needed that exposition in the first place. In that sense, I could live with D either.
4 - A, B, and C, but B. the most. I only could explain this in terms of the same type of explanation as under 3, but the increase in capability seems too extreme.
Then again, the very first nuclear reactor (Chicago pile -1 ) generated about 0.5 watt. Two and a half years later, they unleashed atomic bombs laying waste to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Probably C. The real problem is (in my view) that not only they don't just bill warp 9.975 as 'top speed' but as 'sustainable cruise velocity', which would make A or B an explicit possibility (assuming the 5,000 c figure is correct).
I'd go for A here. This is a very grave decision, and I feel not even 2 would be enough.
Again, A.
I'd say A, and C, on ethical grounds. Possibly D as well, as messing with Q to generate human-Q offspring could have completely unpredictable galaxy-wide consequences. B would be permissible though in my eyes, as the risk they take is just their own.
B or C. (not A, to show he's outgrown his programming).
Depends upon whether he is considered part of the crew or not. If so, A. If not, I absolutely don't care what he wears.
C- that would be a nice 'evolution' in Voyager. A and B are too textbook-y and 'predictable' for me. D is too out-of-thin-air, though I do have to admit that in real life, many unpredictable romances do happen.
A or B would have been fine with me.
All of these. D. isn't really an issue, given that it's established that Ocampa are about mature by 1 year of age, so this is a case of two consenting adults.
B might be a bit problematic, but Voyager is in very special circumstances, and they might well be in it for life. It isn't reasonable to expect the captain to abstain her entire life.
All of these are fine. Though I agree that all of these would have become monotonous as well given they all brought very specific threats. The Borg had to be nerfed to give them any chance of surviving an encounter in the first place.
B or C. Seven isn't in starfleet, so A is out. D was an insult to viewers, and I even thought so when I was part of the 'prime male demographic', being 22 years old or so when I first saw her costume.
Probably a combination of B and, in time, D. Voyager is in a dire situation, and you need the absolute most competent person for the job. All lives may depend upon it some day. So the promotion would always be on the table, even if not given immediately. I choose for B, because the transgression was still in a Starfleet context, Maquis or not.
D. That's what my gut feeling and conscience would say. I couldn't live with myself otherwise.
The only way I could possibly rationalize my staying there would be the thought that perhaps at least I could get help this reality's Voyager get home, whereas I would be in no such position if I returned, purely out of guilt. But other than that, it's straight back to original Voyager.
D, most probably. The only somewhat realistic options are C and D. A and B, (and C) are Trek staples but not how evolution works. Evolution is essentially random. It's also the question as to whether we would actually evolve to being more intelligent. Is there evolutionary pressure on that in this world? I'm not convinced. (And in the Federation paradise where there is abundance, possibly even less so). Taking random directions, I think a downward evolution would be more probable than a further upward one. Guided evolution would be different of course, but we know the Federation abhors that (and it's also not in the context of the episode, where it seems it's about accelerated 'natural' evolution).
Probably A, though there is no really 'good' solution in this case.
I don't care about this one. We see them in the 'real' timeline approaching Earth, which means that A, B, and C almost certainly happened. I don't need to see it - all it could do is disappoint me in its execution.
So, counting all instances where I see D as at least acceptable (but not necessarily favoring that answer), I get a score of 11 D's. If I count only where it would be my preferred answer option, I get 3 D's.
1- B, probably. Maquis never had a real beef with Starfleet, and they're not stupid enough to overlook that mutineering is very risky - for what? For getting to command the ship they are already on, and then they still have to travel back to the Alpha Quadrant where every (wo)men could be vital. High risk for a fairly limited reward. But yeah, there might be lots of tensions, over years.
2 - Probably A. That would already be two promotions (Lt. Jg. and Lt.) More than that seems unrealistic, too.
3 - C. That, or explaining that over the years they gradually got better and better at gathering resources and the stuff they need, making what was deemed impossible in early season 1 quite feasible in season 5. But this solution seems so obvious to me that I never really needed that exposition in the first place. In that sense, I could live with D either.
4 - A, B, and C, but B. the most. I only could explain this in terms of the same type of explanation as under 3, but the increase in capability seems too extreme.
Then again, the very first nuclear reactor (Chicago pile -1 ) generated about 0.5 watt. Two and a half years later, they unleashed atomic bombs laying waste to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Probably C. The real problem is (in my view) that not only they don't just bill warp 9.975 as 'top speed' but as 'sustainable cruise velocity', which would make A or B an explicit possibility (assuming the 5,000 c figure is correct).
I'd go for A here. This is a very grave decision, and I feel not even 2 would be enough.
Again, A.
I'd say A, and C, on ethical grounds. Possibly D as well, as messing with Q to generate human-Q offspring could have completely unpredictable galaxy-wide consequences. B would be permissible though in my eyes, as the risk they take is just their own.
B or C. (not A, to show he's outgrown his programming).
Depends upon whether he is considered part of the crew or not. If so, A. If not, I absolutely don't care what he wears.
C- that would be a nice 'evolution' in Voyager. A and B are too textbook-y and 'predictable' for me. D is too out-of-thin-air, though I do have to admit that in real life, many unpredictable romances do happen.
A or B would have been fine with me.
All of these. D. isn't really an issue, given that it's established that Ocampa are about mature by 1 year of age, so this is a case of two consenting adults.
B might be a bit problematic, but Voyager is in very special circumstances, and they might well be in it for life. It isn't reasonable to expect the captain to abstain her entire life.
All of these are fine. Though I agree that all of these would have become monotonous as well given they all brought very specific threats. The Borg had to be nerfed to give them any chance of surviving an encounter in the first place.
B or C. Seven isn't in starfleet, so A is out. D was an insult to viewers, and I even thought so when I was part of the 'prime male demographic', being 22 years old or so when I first saw her costume.
Probably a combination of B and, in time, D. Voyager is in a dire situation, and you need the absolute most competent person for the job. All lives may depend upon it some day. So the promotion would always be on the table, even if not given immediately. I choose for B, because the transgression was still in a Starfleet context, Maquis or not.
D. That's what my gut feeling and conscience would say. I couldn't live with myself otherwise.
The only way I could possibly rationalize my staying there would be the thought that perhaps at least I could get help this reality's Voyager get home, whereas I would be in no such position if I returned, purely out of guilt. But other than that, it's straight back to original Voyager.
Probably B.
I think I could live with B. A and C sound too, erm, convenient. I don't have the idea that D is substantially worse than the other options though, given that we've seen many incredible technologies never again. This is not a Voyager-only failing, but a Trek wide problem.
D, most probably. The only somewhat realistic options are C and D. A and B, (and C) are Trek staples but not how evolution works. Evolution is essentially random. It's also the question as to whether we would actually evolve to being more intelligent. Is there evolutionary pressure on that in this world? I'm not convinced. (And in the Federation paradise where there is abundance, possibly even less so). Taking random directions, I think a downward evolution would be more probable than a further upward one. Guided evolution would be different of course, but we know the Federation abhors that (and it's also not in the context of the episode, where it seems it's about accelerated 'natural' evolution).
Probably A, though there is no really 'good' solution in this case.
Realistically, A. I don't have particular troubles with D. though as this is a Trek problem (see 19 also), not a Voyager problem.
It depends on how far the EMH is willing to go with this. But if he actually wants to experience life: C. In real life, people don't opt for worst case scenarios either, but they happen. The Reset Button makes it meaningless though.
I can live with all of these. In the case of D, I'll assume one of the options A or B 'really' happened even if I didn't get to see it.
I don't care about this one. We see them in the 'real' timeline approaching Earth, which means that A, B, and C almost certainly happened. I don't need to see it - all it could do is disappoint me in its execution.
So, counting all instances where I see D as at least acceptable (but not necessarily favoring that answer), I get a score of 11 D's. If I count only where it would be my preferred answer option, I get 3 D's.
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In "Latent Image", he holds the rank of Crewman, according to the EMH's files. And in "Fair Trade" he is shown to be subject to disciplinary action.
Maybe... but considering how much of the episode was about the baby, I don't think a few seconds of dialogue was too much to ask.
I would score only "D is the best choice" as points. In the rest, you might regard it as "not the load of crap Oddish obviously thinks it is, but not really ideal either".
Besides, your answers, even your solid D's (I only counted two, btw), were obviously well thought out.
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I should have had the options be JG thru LCDR, instead of offering Commander. Though Riker did get to that rank in 7 years, that was according to the incredibly stupid and unnecessary change in the timeline we got from TNG.
If it had happened in time (or in another way that made sense), the question would not have been on this quiz.
There wasn't supposed to be. All three were situations where Janeway had to make a difficult choice between an individual's right to self-determination and the collective good of the ship. And ironically, the computer program got more rights than two flesh snd blood crew!
*~*~*~*
BONUS QUESTIONS
B1. Which of the following should be considered a senior officer?
A. Lt. Ayala, Chakotay's second in command.
B. Lt. Carey, the highest ranking Starfleet engineer on board.
C. Lt. Durst, the highest ranking operations officer.
D. Ens. Kim, newly graduated from Academy, with less seniority than the four ensigns on TNG's "Lower Decks".
B2. Voyager can theoretically reach Warp 9.975 (5000c). It starts to shake at Warp 9.5 (1900c). It's stated cruising speed is Warp 8 (1000c). The Kazon ships have a top speed of Warp 5-6 (200 to 350c). What should Voyager do when it sees Kazon ships?
A. Fly away at Warp 9.975.
B. Fly away at Warp 9.5.
C. Fly away at Warp 8.
D. Fight.
B3. The crew, including 30-35 Maquis who have no allegiance to Starfleet, have the opportunity to settle with other humans on a peaceful planet in the Delta Quadrant. The alternative is a 70,000 light year (0.47 Zm if you like metric) trip with negligible chance of success, and high probability that you'll grow old on the trip. How many choose to stay?
A. 50 or so.
B. Maybe about 20.
C. Come on, at least 4 or 5.
D. None.
More later, maybe...
Although they state several times that 9.975 is a cruising speed.
B3. The crew, including 30-35 Maquis who have no allegiance to Starfleet, have the opportunity to settle with other humans on a peaceful planet in the Delta Quadrant. The alternative is a 70,000 light year (0.47 Zm if you like metric) trip with negligible chance of success, and high probability that you'll grow old on the trip. How many choose to stay?
A. 50 or so.
B. Maybe about 20.
C. Come on, at least 4 or 5.
D. None.
More later, maybe...
Well, at least that metric unit makes it sound less far, doesn't it
And it'd only take them about 2.2 gigaseconds, too!(incidentally, I find 70,000 LY should be approx. 0.663 Zm, but that aside. A single LY is fairly close to, but slightly less than 10^13 km, which is a convenient coincidence for first-order approximations).
That said, I've never really heard anyone use even 'megameter' in daily talk (as in: 'the distance between Amsterdam and Tokyo is about 9.3 megameter' ) , and my country switched over to metric over 2 centuries ago (the mega prefix is more recent though). Though I do like to outnerd my colleagues occasionally by substituting 'quarter of an hour' with 'kilosecond' (when discussing when to take some coffee and chat).
