Let's clear up all continuity glitches once and for all!

[sbk1234]

There's been a lot of talk about continuity problems in Trek over the years. Just for fun, without resorting to alternate universes as an excuse, let's come up with some explanations to make these no longer continuity errors.

For example, in TOS: Where No Man Has Gone Before, Gary Mitchell puts on Kirk's tombstone: James R. Kirk. We all know that his middle initial is a T, not an R. How can this be?

I figure that there was a part of Mitchell's mind that was fighting against what he was becoming. That part of his mind "tricked" the new omnipitant part into putting an R there, as kind of a code to Kirk. R for "rocks." That gave Kirk the idea to cause the rocks to fall on Mitchell, killing him.

Incidentally, that will also settle the question of why would an omnipitant being like the new, improved Gary Mitchell be killed by something as simple as a big rock.

Any others anyone wants to tackle? Come on, let's have some fun here.

 

[Alex1939]

In Enterprise "Regeneration", was the borg name ever user?

And the borg ship was destroyed, so no wreckage to search?

So the crew mentions that they were able to send a signal that will take 200 years to reach its destination.

After only this 1 incident, years before the federation was formed, I can understand that there isn't a database of records on the Enterprise-D regarding this 1 incident.

 

[Mr Silver]

Heres a classic

"How Does Khan Recognise Chekov"?

Background
=========
The character of Chekov did not appear onscreen prior to Season 2 of TOS, however in TWOK, Khan says "I never forget a face, Mr....Chekov!" Khan first appeared in TOS Season 1 episode "Space Seed"

Aftermath
========
As would be expected many fans were quick to spot this goof and set about trying to figure possible explanations in to Star Trek Canon, Ricardo Montalban would often be asked questions about how Khan recognised Chekov at conventions to which he would joke "Chekov was a security officer who made Khan wait an overly long time to use the bathroom" IIRC, Nicholas Meyer and several others involved with writing TWOK have admitted they made this mistake and put it down to an "oversight"

Possible Explanations
================

1.) Chekov was indeed onboard in his Ensign capacity, he was a relief Bridge Officer or in laymans terms "On The Nightshift", we simply didn't see him featured

2.) Chekov was onboard as a member of Security, he was later promoted to Navigator, however during the events of "Space Seed" he was one of the Security Officers who watched Khan while he was confined to quarters

3.) Chekov was onboard as a Junior Officer and one of the personell who beamed down Khan and his crew to Ceti Alpha 5 and/or dismantled the Botany Bay

 

[6079SmithW]

In "Balance of Terror" it is established that during the Earth-Romulan War communication was audio only, thus explaining why a Romulan had never been seen before. However, in the Enterprise series starfleet clearly has viewscreens and visual ship-to-ship communications. It is possible that A) the Romulans, being suspicious and xenophobic, refused to respond to any ship-to-ship visual communication or B) they simply didn't have the viewscreen technology.

 

[Skellington]

Re. the thread's proposal:

Q did it.

Solved!

 

[6079SmithW]

With regards to all inconsistencies between Enterprise and the other series, I'll paraphrase another poster (Whills, I believe) and say that Temporal Cold War agents "corrected" many historical documents and incidents.

 

[Mjuice]

In Enterprise "Regeneration", was the borg name ever user?

And the borg ship was destroyed, so no wreckage to search?

So the crew mentions that they were able to send a signal that will take 200 years to reach its destination.

After only this 1 incident, years before the federation was formed, I can understand that there isn't a database of records on the Enterprise-D regarding this 1 incident.

As far as I'm concerned "Regeneration" doesn't pose a continuity glitch. In fact it strengthens continuity. It explains why that cube in "Q Who" was so far out of the delta quadrant. Also it explains how Seven's parents could have had some knowledge about the Borg before that, that they ventured out to investigate them on the Raven.

 

[JiNX-01]

In "Balance of Terror" it is established that during the Earth-Romulan War communication was audio only, thus explaining why a Romulan had never been seen before. However, in the Enterprise series starfleet clearly has viewscreens and visual ship-to-ship communications. It is possible that A) the Romulans, being suspicious and xenophobic, refused to respond to any ship-to-ship visual communication or B) they simply didn't have the viewscreen technology.

Here's my theory:
When the war broke out, Earth didn't have a big fleet of battle starships and the Romulans came to the fight well armed and armored.

Starfleet had to get a large fleet into space quickly, so they settled for what were basically warp-capable armored tin cans hauling atomic weapons (which in the 22nd century would be the easiest and cheapest weapons to build). Sophisticated technology (such as face to face communication) would be considered a luxury.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Every single Star Trek episode and movie take place in similar, yet slightly different universes.

Problem solved!

 

[Nerys Myk]

In "Balance of Terror" it is established that during the Earth-Romulan War communication was audio only, thus explaining why a Romulan had never been seen before. However, in the Enterprise series starfleet clearly has viewscreens and visual ship-to-ship communications. It is possible that A) the Romulans, being suspicious and xenophobic, refused to respond to any ship-to-ship visual communication or B) they simply didn't have the viewscreen technology.

I fidn it unlikely that there were no viewscreens. Even in the late 1960s we were transmitting visual information from space. That 200 years later we would lauch a spacecraft without the ability to send and receive pictures doesn't make sense. Styles' ancestor saw the bird of prey painted on the Romulan ship. Either it was captured by a visual sensor and transmitted to Styles' viewscreen or he looked out a window. I find the the former is more likely.

A) the Romulans, being suspicious and xenophobic, refused to respond to any ship-to-ship visual communication

or

C) Incompatible visual technology.

is why there was no visual communication.

 

[indolover]

The Borg issue, as I can see it, is so:

- Archer and co. discover them in the Arctic or Antarctic and they send a beacon to the Delta Quadrant.

- In the 24th century, Starfleet hears rumours of some kind of cybernetic race, and sends Seven of Nine's parents to investigate. They're never heard of again, and the rumours remain just that.

- In season one of TNG, the Borg attack Federation and Romulan colonies.

- In QWho, Q sees that the Borg is planning to assimilate the Federation, and this is where official first contact from the Federation's end exists. Picard tells Starfleet Command, who in turn tell the Federation government, of the new threat.

- The events of the Best of Both Worlds happen.

- The events of First Contact happen, and some of the Borg ships destroyed by Picard and co. crash on the Earth's surface in the 21st century. They're discovered inadvertently in the 22nd century and the rest is history.

 

[Robert D. Robot]

I am really enjoying this thread. Maybe it is because I have always believed that many of these problems are solved by assuming that not everything that happened has been shown on screen. Yes, Chekov was on the Enterprise when Khan took over, we just did not see him until he got a change in his duties that brought him up onto the bridge crew.

I also enjoyed the Borg turning up on "Enterprise" and thought that the the writers presented the incident in a way that would explain why Kirk, Picard, etc., had no concrete, detailed knowledge of the Borg before they turned up in Next Generation.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

In Enterprise "Regeneration", was the borg name ever user?

No. The word "Borg" was never spoken in that whole episode.

And the borg ship was destroyed, so no wreckage to search?

There was definitely wreckage from the sphere. We saw a lot of it in the opening scenes.

 

[Robert D. Robot]

Another subject that some people claim is a problem is how the NX class looks too much like the Akira class. I say that it is the AKIRA class that resembles the NX CLASS, because it was based on the historically earlier design.

Although I know some people wanted to see a very different, unique design, I really do like the look of Archer's Enterprise (especially knowing how was inspired, in part, by the WWII P-38 Lightning Fighter), and I have no problem with a progression of historical developments that resulted in the Star Fleet designers of the Akira class deciding to REVISIT the configuration of the NX as a template.

Also, as much as I do like seeing Daedalus class ship models on people's desks and would have liked to have seen a few on "Enterprise", I just can't see that ship with the big ball on the front end working well as a hero ship. It does not "look" like it would have "all the right moves".

 

[The Wormhole]

In the 24th century, Starfleet hears rumours of some kind of cybernetic race, and sends Seven of Nine's parents to investigate. They're never heard of again, and the rumours remain just that.

Seven of Nine's parents were not "sent by Starfleet." They were civilians working independantly. They answered to the Federation Council of Exobiology, not Starfleet.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Also, as much as I do like seeing Daedalus class ship models on people's desks and would have liked to have seen a few on "Enterprise", I just can't see that ship with the big ball on the front end working well as a hero ship. It does not "look" like it would have "all the right moves".

Actually, strictly canonically speaking, we have no idea what the Daedalus class looks like. There's that model in Sisko's office, but that has not been identified with a class onscreen.

Although I agree, if the Daedalus really DOES look like that ass ugly thing with the globe, then I'm not surprised they didn't show it.

 

[F. King Daniel]

So...why have the Klingons used the exact same ships and technology in Enterprise/2150's (D7/K'tinga battlecruiser, Bird of Prey etc) as they do in DS9/2370's, and why is it so rusty and broken-down?

The old novel "Ishmael" said that Klingon tech is actually inherited from a race called the Karsids, who enslaved the primative tribal Klingons millenia ago, and then mysteriously died off 600 years ago. Supposedly the Hurq may have done the same in canon Trek, but I don't remember Klingon TV episodes so well .

 

[Myasishchev]

In "Balance of Terror" it is established that during the Earth-Romulan War communication was audio only, thus explaining why a Romulan had never been seen before. However, in the Enterprise series starfleet clearly has viewscreens and visual ship-to-ship communications. It is possible that A) the Romulans, being suspicious and xenophobic, refused to respond to any ship-to-ship visual communication or B) they simply didn't have the viewscreen technology.

Not just xenophobic, but prudent. The Andorians had been at loggerheads with Vulcans for centuries. Since the easiest way to fight an alien (whose biology you understand) without destroying the ecologies you want to take from them is a plague weapon, I would predict that Andorians and Vulcans had large anti-each-other biowarfare stocks--which would work pretty well on Rommies too. Even if they didn't, they could easily make some after war had begun, if they knew they were fighting Vulcans.

Although I agree, if the Daedalus really DOES look like that ass ugly thing with the globe, then I'm not surprised they didn't show it.

I thought the Pasteur looked pretty sweet, but maybe that's just me.

Every single Star Trek episode and movie take place in similar, yet slightly different universes.

With a lot of episodes, I think it's more like every scene.

But that's actually a pretty good analogy of how time works in the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, which has thankfully has replaced the logically inconsistent "timelines" stuff from most (but not all) earlier Trek stories, starting with the abysmal City on the Edge of Forever.

 

[The_Baroness]

Sophisticated technology (such as face to face communication) would be considered a luxury.

It's not that sophisticated, considering we can do it now with most cheap mobile phones....if it's that everyday now, I don't think it would be considered "too hi-tech" for a warp-capable spacecraft....

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The old novel "Ishmael" said that Klingon tech is actually inherited from a race called the Karsids, who enslaved the primative tribal Klingons millenia ago, and then mysteriously died off 600 years ago. Supposedly the Hurq may have done the same in canon Trek, but I don't remember Klingon TV episodes so well .

I think it's implied that the Klingons stole their technology from the Hur'q.