What about Equinox...

[2 of 10]

I was watching Equinox last night, and the thought struck me that why since Voyager destroyed the Caretakers Array, Equinox had to have been grabbed out of the AQ before Voyager. Just how long before before Voyager was never established. However, since the Caretaker was sending ships back to where they came from after it was established that the DNA was not compatible, why was'nt Equinox sent back to the AQ??

Resistance is Futile

 

[jgdst]

Hmm, I'd never thought about that.

The one thing that used to bother me about Equinox was that it did look slightly too advanced to be from before Voyager's time (though Relativity does show newer classes of ship like the Akira being built at the same time). The fact that the crew wear the same uniforms and commbadge as Voyager, as well as having an EMH, limits how long apart the two vessels were lost.

Maybe Ransom decided as soon as his crew were back aboard that they were going to make a run for it rather than try and communicate with the Caretaker. The events of Caretaker take place over a few days at least, more than time enough to send Voyager back. Obviously the Caretaker didn't send ships back immediately, so it is possible that Ransom had enough time to flee.

It was established that he'd hidden in a nebula and a planet's atmosphere in the past to elude his enemies, and employed the same tactic again when Voyager was hunting him. So maybe his first instinct was always to run.

 

[kimc]

However, since the Caretaker was sending ships back to where they came from after it was established that the DNA was not compatible, why was'nt Equinox sent back to the AQ??

I'd always wondered that myself. In "Caretaker" it was established that the caretaker had been sending ships back but only stopped at the end. I guess we're supposed to assume that the Equinox was pulled in immediately before Voyager?

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

well the Caretaker was weak at the end (and possibly failing mentally), so we can't be sure that the Caretaker was sending ships back to their original spot or just "away" somewhere. This latter option has the benefit of explaining why the Equinox never encountered the Kazon, the Borg, the Vidiians, etc.

 

[nx1701g]

I suppose it's possible that maybe the Equinox crew awoke and tried to escape?

 

[USS Phantom]

The caretaker knew he didn't have long to live so he probably didn't take the time to send a ship back from where he got it from.

 

[Candlelight]

There is a season one ep where Tuvok states there are no other Federation ships listed as missing, so the Equinox (being only a short-range vessel) would have to have been abducted only a short time before Voyager.

There is a later episode (Relativity?) which stated that Voyager was the first ship to be equipped with an EMH, so the Equinox would have to have been very close behind.

I would surmise that the Caretaker kidnapped them, realised they were unsuitable, tried to send them back but only managed a partial transit (like throwing them 3 months away at warp 8, etc). Ransom decides to head off in the opposite direction, runs into the Krowtonan Guard, etc etc.

WHY the Caretaker was still taking being from the Alpha Quadrant near the badlands after 3 failed attempts (Equinox, Maquis ship, Dreadnought) is beyond me.

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

There is a season one ep where Tuvok states there are no other Federation ships listed as missing, so the Equinox (being only a short-range vessel) would have to have been abducted only a short time before Voyager.

There is a later episode (Relativity?) which stated that Voyager was the first ship to be equipped with an EMH, so the Equinox would have to have been very close behind.

I would surmise that the Caretaker kidnapped them, realised they were unsuitable, tried to send them back but only managed a partial transit (like throwing them 3 months away at warp 8, etc). Ransom decides to head off in the opposite direction, runs into the Krowtonan Guard, etc etc.

WHY the Caretaker was still taking being from the Alpha Quadrant near the badlands after 3 failed attempts (Equinox, Maquis ship, Dreadnought) is beyond me.

but not beyond the writers....

 

[jgdst]

There is a season one ep where Tuvok states there are no other Federation ships listed as missing, so the Equinox (being only a short-range vessel) would have to have been abducted only a short time before Voyager.

There is a later episode (Relativity?) which stated that Voyager was the first ship to be equipped with an EMH, so the Equinox would have to have been very close behind.

I would surmise that the Caretaker kidnapped them, realised they were unsuitable, tried to send them back but only managed a partial transit (like throwing them 3 months away at warp 8, etc). Ransom decides to head off in the opposite direction, runs into the Krowtonan Guard, etc etc.

WHY the Caretaker was still taking being from the Alpha Quadrant near the badlands after 3 failed attempts (Equinox, Maquis ship, Dreadnought) is beyond me.

but not beyond the writers....

lol I didn't even think about that.

So, ummm... what would the Caretaker need with an intelligent missile with an identity crisis?

It has B'Elanna's voice, and she just happens to be the one Maquis crewmember who the Caretaker took special interest in. Quite a coincidence.

Obviously, that ship Seven discovers tractoring something away in The Voyager Conspiracy proves that B'Elanna is in fact a ship from the future.

As for the Caretaker taking three ships full of humans when he knows after the first batch that they're not suitable... you've got to wonder just how intelligent he actually was, haven't you?

 

[Pavonis]

...
As for the Caretaker taking three ships full of humans when he knows after the first batch that they're not suitable... you've got to wonder just how intelligent he actually was, haven't you?

Apparently humans weren't completely unsuitable for his purposes. Don't forget that the Caretaker sent 1.5 humans - Kim and Torres - off to the Ocampa rather than returning them, so something about humans or human hybrids was suitable.

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

...
As for the Caretaker taking three ships full of humans when he knows after the first batch that they're not suitable... you've got to wonder just how intelligent he actually was, haven't you?

Apparently humans weren't completely unsuitable for his purposes. Don't forget that the Caretaker sent 1.5 humans - Kim and Torres - off to the Ocampa rather than returning them, so something about humans or human hybrids was suitable.

the beginning of harry kim's misfortunes. he probably thought "things can't get worse than this!" if he only knew....

who knows what the Caretaker was thinking-- he was crazy

 

[Johnny]

I'd guess that the EMH was probably put in after Equinox was launched, got the DQ before Voyager, did some fancy hiding stuff, got into a few scuffles, etc. Voyager came along, blew up their only way of getting home, and then wet on their merry way. Equinox jumped ahead of them when they found that antimatter alien and Voyager ended up finding them when their engines failed, or whatever happened from then on...IMO.