The Tholian Web - Question/Thoughts

[siskokid888]

^I see the TOS version in the same way - it took hours for those ships to "spin" what looked like a really over structured web. If the Enterprise had gotten its weapons back during that time, or another Starfleet ship arrived, the Tholians would have been in trouble. In ENT, the idea that the webs were explosive were part of how they were used in conjuction with their beam weapons - the enemy ship is quickly encased, can't break through the web, can't manuver or escape, and is then a sitting duck for Tholian weapons. That makes much more sense to me.

 

[Ssosmcin]

A force field can still hold a ship back without exploding it, this was done on Trek a number of times. As for the speed of the web's creation, we know Loskene's ship was disabled and there was only one other Tholian ship in range. Had there been more than two Tholians, or if Loskene's craft been in top shape, they may very well have made the web as quickly as on ENT. The technology is vague, so there's room for play.

 

[Timo]

I find the arguments against the web somewhat misdirected. Let's say the escort carrier Guadalcanal disables the submarine U-505 and takes it as a war prize. Why should we object to the carrier launching a boat for attaching a towing cable to the sub, and insist that she instead send one of her well-established aircraft there? Different tools for different jobs!

Webs are fine for confining, immobilizing or towing. They are weapons of ambush or tools to be used against nonresisting targets. In both TOS and ENT, these application criteria seem to be met: in TOS, the target is incapable of resisting (and probably is a coveted war prize), while in ENT, the target is ambushed in a confining situation where she tries to force the Tholian asteroid dockyard. In open space, the criteria would not be met, and other tools would no doubt be used - just like the Tholians used their red death rays against the as yet unconfined Enterprise in TOS.

Perhaps the Tholians would have a web variant they can shoot towards a target in open space? Neither of the witnessed versions would be useful there, but if the Tholians really like web tech, they could have varied it further.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[siskokid888]

^Those are plausible arguments. Touche.

 

[BolianAuthor]

The web is both a container and weapon... it can totally be used as a weapon, if deployed quickly, like in ENT, allowing a ship's power to be drained, and keeping it in place, where it can be destroyed with ease...

That's how the Breen also used the technology, in DS9... the Breen energy dissipation weapon is basically the same technology as a Tholian web, only in bolt form. The Breen used the bolts to immobilize a target, and then used their disruptors to destroy it.