Just picked up
Infinity's Prism today - and I enjoyed it, although I did note a few things.
*The name 'Interstellar Coalition' sounds quite close to that of the Interstellar Concordium (
ISC) in the Star Fleet Universe - well, the various member species of the ISC do not include any 'TV empires', and have a history apart from that of the Federation (until the events of the Pacification, at least) - but I suppose that it's just a coincidence.
And the line about the Interplanetary Coalition is on page 164, but since it refers to the Diplomatic Council in particular, perhaps said Council has some reason or another to have an alternate name?
*
Places of Exile was an interesting take on a premise I had long thought would be a fun one - what would happen if
Voyager stayed in Delta - though I would have chosen an alternate point of divergence.
And ironically, the premise is not entirely different to one I was hoping to flesh out in an alternate setting, eventually.
Hard not to feel that such efforts, based around Voyager or the alternate setting, are made pretty redundant when you see work like this, however.
Can't say I'm too sold on how eagerly the Delta Coalition offered to sign up to the UFP, though.
*There's something about the premise of
Seeds of Dissent that doesn't quite chime.
For me, I think that there is just a little too much stock in the idea that 'the truth will set us free' - there have been plenty of empires in history which had self-constructed founding mythologies, but in which it hardly mattered whether or not they were charades.
It's one thing to try and argue against white-washing founding myths in countries which at least claim to represent ideals of liberty and equality - the Thirteen Colonies were far from wholly united in their revolt, the rebels were far from wholly altruistic in their policies, and far from wholly innocent in their post-independence behaviour, but at least the principle of liberty which was upheld as a couse for revolt (a principle not all that different from the concept of liberty that loyalists were happy to proclaim, and carry with them into exile to Canada and elsewhere) means that one can try to raise these issues with at least some hope of seeing them addressed.
It's quite another in an empire where the concept of personal liberty was never on the cards - and in those cases, it's often the case of the 'truth' being that an outside aggressor, or economic collapse, or virulent pandemic can cause the death knell of such empires...
...but even if a new empire takes over, how often is it the case that those wishing to be rid of the new conquerors do so out of a wish to go back to their last rulers, rather than set up a liberal democratic society?
(The main internal resistance to the Yuan Dynasty came from those who wanted to have a Han Chinese on the throne rather than a Mongol conqueror - and yet, even then, later governments were not shy of claiming the likes of Kublai as being '
Zhonghua Minzu' to suit their own needs.)
And even if everyone knew - knows - that such claims were, shall we say, less than wholly accurate, it still leaves those with the power to call the shots (literally and figuratively) in a position to enforce their will.
Yes, such repudiation of official ideologies can play a role in toppling states - but then, there are many ways to skin a cat, and the example of how Chakotay dealt with the hidebound Voth in
Places of Exile has its merits, when it comes to trying to shift ideals and policies over time.
You don't always have to shoot your way to change, and sometimes if you try to take out a Big Lie in one fell swoop, you can end up with another Big Lie in its place.
Sometimes it takes tapping away at a hundred Little Lies instead.
Oh yeah, and it's kind of a shame the wormhole hadn't been discovered - or that in alternate universe fics I've seen, the Dominion never seem to be the ones to go through it first.
Or, at least, first to make contact 'on-screen', as it were.
