The Marquis: A Cop Out for the Writers

[Withers]

The Maquis: A Cop Out for the Writers

This occurred to me in reading a recent post about Janeway/Chakotay and Sisko/Kira. In further thinking on the subject the idea of the Maquis being a suitable foil for the Starfleet officers was untenable from the onset. Break it in half and look at the example of tension done well;

Kira had her reason for butting heads with Sisko in the beginning just an impulse transport away on Bajor. Her problem with him (and Starfleet) was that it seemed (in the beginning) that the Bajorans were just trading one brutal occupation for a less brutal one. That reason remained. It was omnipresent and the events of Bajor (the election of the Kai and First Minister for example) were always going to be major factors in relation to the events on Deep Space Nine. Her reasons remained constant.

Now Chakotay. His reason for being in the Maquis (the whole reason the Maquis existed in the first place) essentially evaporated during the first 30 minutes of the pilot; there would be no fighting Cardassians over border disputes in the Delta Quadrant and that was what motivated the Maquis officers to be in the Maquis. Their beef wasn't necessarily with Starfleet (outside their dogmatic adherence to the chain of Command and their somewhat lackluster support of humans under fire from Cardassians.) Even if UPN hadn't sort of insisted the conflict be dropped it wouldn't have panned out over the course of the show anyway- there wasn't anything for them to fight about. There wasn't a strong reason for the Maquis to distrust the Federation and, with the possibility of ever getting home being as limited as it was at first, the idea of retaining the "Maquis battle cry" seems futile.

They designed this conflict to dissolve. Granted, it was rushed by making the characters BFF's pretty quickly, it wasn't going to last and do anything meaningful (character development wise) anyway. I'm as quick to bash the writers of this show for their misuse of villains and failure to remain consistent but it seems as though this should have been brought front and center during the creation of the premise; why the Maquis? They aren't going to care after a while when it becomes apparent they aren't going home anytime soon and the fact that there is nothing they can do to aid the Maquis in the Alpha Quadrant from the Gamma Quadrant.

They further dropped the ball (adding water to a ship that was built sinking) by failing to make serious the idea that any of them had anything to go back and fight for anyway. I don't hate the furniture anymore. Now I'm questioning the stability of the house itself.

(This isn't unlike my Dukat post in the DS9 forum. No real point to it. Just thought I'd ramble for a while )

-Withers-​

 

[Pemmer Harge]

I don't see why conflict has to be based on irreconcilable political differences. You'd think a bunch of terrorists would be sufficiently different from Starfleet officers in terms of attitude and personality to create some friction.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I still get a shiver when ever I remember Sayid informing Hurly that he was in the Republican Guard during Gulf War I.

Doctor who's most current newest companion is a frakking Nazi.

What about one of the early Political Episodes in SG1 where a "suit" interrogated teal'c about how he murdered and enslaved thousands if not MILLIONS of people while he was the First Prime of Apothos claiming that he was untrustworthy and should be locked up?

Tension rocks.

Tom was more hated for lying about a shuttle accident than the Maquis for murdering hundreds if not possibly thousands of "people" during their little war.

Hells, Seska was hunted down and villified for doing moslty NOTHING.

She was a cop for frakks sake hunting terrorists responsible for the murder of hundreds IF NOT THOUSANDS of "people" just the same as Tuvok, who wasn't cast ina bad light at all for being her doppleganger if in occupation only.

Now if only we knew for sure which Delanney sister was working for section 31.

 

[Withers]

I don't see why conflict has to be based on irreconcilable political differences. You'd think a bunch of terrorists would be sufficiently different from Starfleet officers in terms of attitude and personality to create some friction.

It seemed irreconcilable between Sisko and Kira at first. It never really seemed that way with Janeway and Chakotay because his motives for being what he was evaporated almost instantaneously. Maybe if they'd made the Marquis a little more hard edged- Michael Eddington style, it would have worked. But as it was the two people who were in positions of any authority or power were former members of Starfleet (Chakotay was even a graduate.) If you think about it... that's no easy task; we're going to introduce conflict that immediately resolves itself without our ever having to really do anything. Genius!

-Withers-​

 

[Anwar]

I agree, it's another aspect of my "Voyager's Premise needed more work" complaint. It's why I also believe that the other crew should've been Romulans.

And hell, just to add to it Neelix should have had a group of Talaxians with him to also join the crew so we'd have a third group of opportunists who stick around simply because VOY is a tougher ship against the hostiles of the area than themselves on their own.

 

[Joeman]

"Maquis". Sorry, but that was bugging me.

I guess I never really broke it down to those levels. I always found the Maquis to be fairly useful and interesting. In particular the blending of the Maquis with the Voyager crew, and the dynamic that that created. Also on DS9 when Sisko's long time buddy (Cal Hudson) went over to the Maquis. That was intense, as was Michael Eddington's defection.

Nonetheless, what you're saying is pretty interesting.

 

[Michael]

Starfleet (outside their dogmatic adherence to the chain of Command and their somewhat lackluster support of humans under fire from Cardassians.)

I dunno, that right there sounds like pretty good material for drama and tension to me. So I wouldn't discard those points quite so easily.

What you're saying is that Voyager's lack of tension is rooted in its premise, right? But that's not how I see it. The premise of the Starfleet and a Maquis crews working together was great! It just didn't get the attention it deserved. That's why we never saw it live up to its whole potential.

Oh, and by the way, it's Maquis, not Marquis.

 

[Anwar]

But it wouldn't have made sense for the tensions to really be that bad to begin with, nor last much longer than half the first season or so. One season would've been pushing it as it is.

Make the other crew Romulans, and make the crew split more equal so the Fleeters don't outnumber them by SO much.

And for the extra bit, give Neelix a small crew of his own Talaxians to be a third group in the mix.

 

[T.D. Possum]

I don't see why conflict has to be based on irreconcilable political differences. You'd think a bunch of terrorists would be sufficiently different from Starfleet officers in terms of attitude and personality to create some friction.

I agree. The writers on all the shows always did a good job making it clear that people joined the Maquis for a wide variety of reasons. I think that Voyager's problem was that the writers tried to (were made to?) focus on so many other stories that there was insufficient time left to explore the Maquis-Starfleet dynamic.

Part of the fun of this sort of discussion is gloating about "How I Would Have Done It Better Because I'm So Smart", so, here:

I was OK with Chakotay becoming Mr. Starfleet so quickly. I think it was made reasonably clear that he only joined the Maquis to defend his home, and had no beef with the Federation or Fleet otherwise. So, he's out in the DQ, no ship, no possible way to help his people back on the homeworld - makes sense that he'd find it easy to return to the familiar Starfleet Command structure under those conditions. The only change I would make to this is to have it all spelled out more clearly. Chakotay could have summed it up in a talk to Janeway right at the start, and then referenced his story (and added bits perhaps) while he helped the other Maquis to adjust.

Torres was a totally different case. I think she joined Starfleet because she didn't like the person she was. When joining Starfleet did not magically solve all her problems, she decided to blame them for all her woes and joined the Maquis so she could fight them. Thus, unlike Chakotay, she has a genuine and strong dislike of Starfleet - albeit for reasons that exist only in her own mind - and would need more time to learn to fit in.

On more than one occasion (Coda, Scientific Method), I've noticed Torres referring to conversations between her and Janeway in which the captain seemed to be trying to help Torres straighten up, love herself, and toe the line. I don't recall seeing these conversations at all, but I can imagine them happening. So, to fix the Torres adjustment problem, I'd just have these lil' chats take place on screen over several episodes over the first season and a half. And throw in some Chakotay coaching Torres bits, too.

Paris wasn't even in the Maquis long enough to really count. So we'll just ignore him.

As for the minor characters, there's Dalby, who joined the Maquis to avenge his dead wife. I think he'd be the hardest one to bring around. It would have been nice to have seen some follow up on the Learning Curve episode - with more Chakotay being a mentor and less Tuvok pretending to be a drill instructor. I think Chakotay's leadership and friendship would have been critical to getting Dalby to accept the Starfleet way.

I guess I'll pass over the other three Maquis from Learning Curve, 'cause I didn't have a clue why they were supposed to have joined the Maquis.

I think that leaves me only with Suder. I am OK with how he was handled. I mean, what else could you do with a nutcase like that? I did think that was pretty creepy, too, watching episodes and suddenly remembering: "Oooh, they've got an only slightly rehabilitated psycho killer locked up on that ship."

There. If I had a time machine, a job at Paramount, total artistic freedom, and an infinite budget, there's how I'd've done things. I think the reason it wasn't done this way is because the writers were given a premise and told to work with it, and then given this whole other long list of things to do, too. The Maquis stories would have been interesting, but did not involve crazy looking aliens or things exploding, so they were dropped.

 

[Anwar]

And also, they were specifically ordered not to do arcs, not have sustained damage, and not to have the crews be tense to one another.

Now, if the other crew had been Romulans, there was a more even split between them, and Neelix had a crew of Talaxian mercenaries with him instead of just himself, THEN there's a recipe for crew interaction.

 

[exodus]

I think that leaves me only with Suder. I am OK with how he was handled. I mean, what else could you do with a nutcase like that? I did think that was pretty creepy, too, watching episodes and suddenly remembering: "Oooh, they've got an only slightly rehabilitated psycho killer locked up on that ship."
[/QUOTE]
Which doesn't make sense because in "Past Tense" Bashir tells Sisko there is treatment and medication for people like Suder so they can live normal lives. Nobody, not even Tuvok address how could he be a federation citizen & why has Suder never gone for such treatment.


If Picard & Sisko describe life within the Federation as "paradise" and life in Federation space is so PC, why is Be'Lanna being discriminated against or does she simply have a poor sense of humor? Be'Lanna blamed all her issues on her mother, not Starfleet. Her temper is what caused her issues at the Academy.

Dalby's wife was killed by Cardassians.
He's got no real reason to cause much conflict w/ Starfleet other than not knowing the rules.

All the Maquis on Voyager didn't have Starfleet issues, all their problem were internal.

Both Chakotay & Tom had father issues.
Be'Lanna had Klingon mom issues.
Dalby was in morning.
Suder was psycho.
The Bajorian guy just hated Cardassians.

Like Chakotay said, many joined the Maquis because they already had a chip on their shoulder and were looking for an outlet.

 

[T.D. Possum]

Which doesn't make sense because in "Past Tense" Bashir tells Sisko there is treatment and medication for people like Suder so they can live normal lives. Nobody, not even Tuvok address how could he be a federation citizen & why has Suder never gone for such treatment.

I had totally forgotten about that. Maybe Suder went off his meds and ran away? Which would still not explain why the EMH wouldn't know that he could fix Suder up with a hypospray. Hmmmm.

Be'Lanna blamed all her issues on her mother, not Starfleet. Her temper is what caused her issues at the Academy.

I agree that she did blame a lot of her issues on her parents/heritage. I think she blamed Starfleet for a lot of them, too, though.

Dalby's wife was killed by Cardassians.
He's got no real reason to cause much conflict w/ Starfleet other than not knowing the rules.

Right you are. But I picture him assigning part of the blame to Starfleet/the Federation for allowing the Cardassians to be on his planet at all.

 

[exodus]

Right you are. But I picture him assigning part of the blame to Starfleet/the Federation for allowing the Cardassians to be on his planet at all.

True, he did display allot of misdirected anger.

 

[DevilEyes]

If Picard & Sisko describe life within the Federation as "paradise" and life in Federation space is so PC, why is Be'Lanna being discriminated against or does she simply have a poor sense of humor?

People seem to be taking the whole "paradise" idea way too literally. The Federation might be described as paradise in the sense that there is no war, poverty has been eliminated, medicine has come a long way and extended people's average lifespan, everyone's basic needs can be provided for, and the state has official non-discrimination policies, but that doesn't mean that people are perfect or that there is no conflict, prejudice or racism anywhere.

 

[Guy Gardener]

It's not misdirected.

Imagine Obama (it was more likely under the last guy, but we have to play the hand we're dealt.) traded your house and your town to Cuba, Mexico or Canada for lets say... A handful of magic beans?

Those better have been some really MAGIC beans.

I watched Blazing Saddles the other day, and when Sherrif Bart rode in to town, THAT'S how the Maquis, the Equinox 5 and Tom should have been treated by the upstanding crew of Voyager.

Here's the big question?

If Suder was so bad, how come he didn't get To Sir with Loved by Tuvok in learning Curve?

Which answers the earlier question: He knows how to subdue his darker thoughts when "The Man" is watching. his parents were probably keeping him one step ahead of the Thought police just like Bashir's parents for other reasons.

In TOS there was an aslyum where they put all 8 crazy people in the federation. Trillions of people and only 8 were incurably insane. That's a pretty decent mental health ratio.

 

[Withers]

All the Maquis on Voyager didn't have Starfleet issues, all their problem were internal.

This is essentially my point. The idea that there would be a lot of conflict (more than was shown) for any significant length of time seems unlikely based on the characters that were present on Voyager. It seems like all of the Maquis problems stemmed from personal issues more than issues with, specifically, the Federation.

They needed more than just being Maquis members to have the sort of lasting conflict that can provide, after a time, satisfactory resolution. Just being in the Maquis wasn't enough.

-Withers-​

 

[Anwar]

Make them Romulans then. There's all the conflict you'd ever need.

 

[exodus]

If Picard & Sisko describe life within the Federation as "paradise" and life in Federation space is so PC, why is Be'Lanna being discriminated against or does she simply have a poor sense of humor?

People seem to be taking the whole "paradise" idea way too literally. The Federation might be described as paradise in the sense that there is no war, poverty has been eliminated, medicine has come a long way and extended people's average lifespan, everyone's basic needs can be provided for, and the state has official non-discrimination policies, but that doesn't mean that people are perfect or that there is no conflict, prejudice or racism anywhere.

If conflict, prejudice & racism still exist within the Fedration, then there should also be war. Outside of material gain, that's the basic reason for most of the worlds issues.

 

[Michael]

Which doesn't make sense because in "Past Tense" Bashir tells Sisko there is treatment and medication for people like Suder so they can live normal lives.

Yes, but he also says there's treatment and medication for schizophrenia in the 21st century. He makes it clear he is not really talking about a miracle cure only available in the future. That leaves a lot of room for people like Suder who have either never been diagnosed ill or took a pass on medication.

Make them Romulans then. There's all the conflict you'd ever need.

But what difference would that make? By your own logic the writers wouldn't be allowed to play up the tension amoung the crewmembers anyway. So, even if they were Romulans instead of Maquis, UPN would still want a series without conflict and (much) continuity, right? Right?

 

[Anwar]

Yes, but with Romulans it would've been easier for the writers to say to then "Look, these guys are REAL ENEMIES. There HAS to be tension between them!" and UPN might've budged a little.

But you're right. This is hypothetically if UPN wasn't butting in as soon as "Caretaker".