Duck Blinds, and the watchers

[M.Robison]

TNG episode "Who Watches The Watchers" and Insurrection deal with "duck blind missions to observe less advanced cultures in accordance with the prime directive. The events that occur in the episode and the movie all but prove disasterous.

What is your opinion? Are "Duck blind" missions;

A. Acceptable and worth the risks of culture contamination or worse?

One can argue that the missions allow for a closer method of study versus observing from orbit.

The resolution to both instances mentioned above turned out to be positive, but is the road to that resolution worth it?

 

[JoeFromEarth]

I think duck blinds ending up disastrous is so rare that the disasters warrant their own episode/movie. Thus it is perfectly acceptable.

 

[nx1701g]

I think that Duck Blinds can be a good idea, provided that you just don't get caught.

 

[Anwar]

Well, so far its' failed only twice. That's not a bad record seeing how they've been doing it for over 100 years by that point.

 

[You_Guyz]

Well, so far its' failed only twice. That's not a bad record seeing how they've been doing it for over 100 years by that point.

Twice as far as we are aware.

 

[Anwar]

...Yeah, but I think the failing ratio of the blinds would be mentioned if it happened THAT often.

 

[FormerLurker]

Considering the reasons for the failures, especially in 'Insurrection', their success is probably directly related to the reason they're being used in the first place. Remember, it's policy for First Contact* missions to actually interact with the populace.



*I speak of the episode here, not the movie.

 

[Crewman47]

What I can't seem to figure out about them is how they get the Duck Blinds there in the first place without no one knowing. I mean there both inside rock cliffs and the one in Insurrection is on the edge of the Baku town, still inside a cliff. How would they get all the work done builidng the Blind to begin with without the Baku not realising?

 

[Snaploud]

What I can't seem to figure out about them is how they get the Duck Blinds there in the first place without no one knowing. I mean there both inside rock cliffs and the one in Insurrection is on the edge of the Baku town, still inside a cliff. How would they get all the work done builidng the Blind to begin with without the Baku not realising?

Transporters, forcefields, and cloaking technology (including holographic projectors) ought to do most of the work.

 

[RobertScorpio]

TNG episode "Who Watches The Watchers" and Insurrection deal with "duck blind missions to observe less advanced cultures in accordance with the prime directive. The events that occur in the episode and the movie all but prove disasterous.

What is your opinion? Are "Duck blind" missions;

A. Acceptable and worth the risks of culture contamination or worse?

One can argue that the missions allow for a closer method of study versus observing from orbit.

The resolution to both instances mentioned above turned out to be positive, but is the road to that resolution worth it?

I could see it either way..but this is an often overlooked great episode, Who Watches the Watchers. I think its one of TNG's best...

Rob

 

[Gil T.Azell]

What I can't seem to figure out about them is how they get the Duck Blinds there in the first place without no one knowing. I mean there both inside rock cliffs and the one in Insurrection is on the edge of the Baku town, still inside a cliff. How would they get all the work done builidng the Blind to begin with without the Baku not realising?

Ditto?

 

[JoeP]

What I can't seem to figure out about them is how they get the Duck Blinds there in the first place without no one knowing. I mean there both inside rock cliffs and the one in Insurrection is on the edge of the Baku town, still inside a cliff. How would they get all the work done builidng the Blind to begin with without the Baku not realising?

Ditto?

Maybe at night while everyone slept, they put them right out (like the plan in Homeward with Worf's half-brother), then use phasers & transporters to install the duck blinds? I would think the facilities are all pre-fabricated so they'd be ready to go once the area inside the rock is cleared out...

That would be my first idea, at least..

 

[T'Girl]

Transporters, forcefields, and cloaking technology (including holographic projectors) ought to do most of the work.

Duck Blinds violate the Treaty of Algeron

 

[Marten]

Are they not merely holographic?

 

[RobertScorpio]

Transporters, forcefields, and cloaking technology (including holographic projectors) ought to do most of the work.

Duck Blinds violate the Treaty of Algeron

Huh..i thought you were just joking. But you may have something there...

rob

 

[SilentP]

Are they not merely holographic?

Aye, as they're based on holographic technology, I'd say they wouldn't break the Treaty. Since 'most' civilizations that would be under observation wouldn't have the technology to scan and detect the hologram, they can get away with just using holograms.

As for creating the observation post itself, it's likely they'd just use large scale transporters to 'mine' the rock out.

 

[Marten]

Probably the treaty with the romulans specified exactly what "cloaking technology" was, making sure the Federation didn't use it by mistake.

 

[Anwar]

I think the treaty outlawed cloaks on ships and maybe military starbases. No one had a problem with the cloaked mines in DS9.

 

[JediKnightButler]

Well, so far its' failed only twice. That's not a bad record seeing how they've been doing it for over 100 years by that point.

Should "First Contact" (the 4th season episode NOT the movie) have been considered somewhat a failure too due to Riker's accidental discovery while undercover? Although I guess that culture was closer to a point where they might be considered for admission to the Federation and not in the initial stages of Federation ("Duck Blind") observation like in the aforementioned stories.

 

[SilentP]

I think the treaty outlawed cloaks on ships and maybe military starbases. No one had a problem with the cloaked mines in DS9.

I have a feeling that they were also probably were let off on a similar reason that the Defiant was loaned a cloaking device, i.e. it was in the Romunlan's interest that the mines were cloakable, so that they were better defended against the Dominion.