the probe in Star Trek IV is an evolved whale floating around in outer space

[JoseNoodles]

I'm happy with the Probe just being some kind of automated intelligence that didn't register humans or other non-aquatic lifeforms as significant and so was doing all the stuff to Earth in order to turn it back into primordial soup or something. Otherwise it's actions seem kind of unnecessarily cruel and kind of against the whole point of TVH that there's no real villain driving the story and just more 'your actions in the past/present can have disastrous results in the future', in my opinion.

It's stated often that all the probe is doing is transmitting its communication signal at the Earth's oceans, but it's so powerful, at their range, it is disrupting all energy in its vicinity, on nearby ships & bases, and then ultimately, it's so forceful it's vaporizing the Earth's oceans & causing a water vapor cloud cover over the entire surface of the planet, which would spell doom for all life on it. None of this is deliberate action to cause harm. It's a side-effect of sending out their communication signal

It's sort of a pet-peeve of mine with Star Trek that there are so many advanced alien lifeforms who wield incredible power or technology, but seem to overlook things, like their whale communication system being so powerful it could decimate the Earth's environment. Same thing with the Nacene and them screwing up the Ocampa homeworld's atmosphere. So intelligent, yet still so dense. At least if it was deliberate sabotage, it would be understandable.

 

[Mojochi]

At least if it was deliberate sabotage, it would be understandable.

Where is it written that the universe must make sense, least of all certain types of sense to certain perspectives of thinking? There are many examples of life existing at the peril or detriment to others. Even individual humans ourselves destroy organisms/bacteria etc.. daily for no other reason than we exist. I have no issue accepting that some of these beings in Star Trek have blind spots to their own effect as well

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

It's sort of a pet-peeve of mine with Star Trek that there are so many advanced alien lifeforms who wield incredible power or technology, but seem to overlook things, like their whale communication system being so powerful it could decimate the Earth's environment. Same thing with the Nacene and them screwing up the Ocampa homeworld's atmosphere. So intelligent, yet still so dense. At least if it was deliberate sabotage, it would be understandable.

That's how most species on Earth probably feel about us

 

[JoseNoodles]

I just feel if you're capable of building something on the scale of the whale probe, your understanding of the universe and sense of morality should be a lot better than humans.

 

[fireproof78]

I just feel if you're capable of building something on the scale of the whale probe, your understanding of the universe and sense of morality should be a lot better than humans.

Maybe, maybe not. How they regard what is alive or the impact their actions might have may be very different. Or, the programed the probe, and the probe was just following it's directive, turning up the signal to find it's objective. Like in WALL-E.

 

[Kor]

It's stated often that all the probe is doing is transmitting its communication signal at the Earth's oceans, but it's so powerful, at their range, it is disrupting all energy in its vicinity, on nearby ships & bases, and then ultimately, it's so forceful it's vaporizing the Earth's oceans & causing a water vapor cloud cover over the entire surface of the planet, which would spell doom for all life on it. None of this is deliberate action to cause harm. It's a side-effect of sending out their communication signal

Yes, this was discussed in the "Avenging the whales" thread a few months back.

If the probe and its designers primarily recognize aquatic life, then they wouldn't be destroying that habitat on purpose.

Kor

 

[Therin of Andor]

If the probe and its designers primarily recognize aquatic life, then they wouldn't be destroying that habitat on purpose.

IIRC, the novelization has the Probe realising that it has lost contact with the humpback whales, so it starts to reset the planet so life can begin anew.

It had been been uninterested in humanoid life - seeing them (in the novel sequel, "Probe") as "mites."