What is THE Worst continuity error in Trek history..?!

[Terok Nor]

I don't see the Borg Queen as a continuity error. The Borg only appeared a couple of times before First Contact so we knew very little about them to begin with. It's not on the scale of the Xindi taking a chunk out of Earth or Archer defeating the Borg 200 years before Q Who and none of this being mentioned later on.

What the Borg Queen is is an enormous plot hole. If she was around at Wolf 359 what did the Borg need Locutus for? Though even that can be easily reconciled by the 2 part episode Scorpion in which Seven Of Nine is used as a spokersperson for the Collective despite the fact we already knew about the Queen at that point. Maybe she only appears on special occasions.

 

[BillJ]

Into Darkness was made AFTER Enterprise. Of course they slipped it in. It doesn't take away from the fact TOS, TNG, DS9 and Voyager never made one reference to this supposedly legendary ship.

I wonder how often the Revolutionary War version of the Enterprise was mentioned in day to day life of the modern aircraft carrier of the same name?

There's a silliness to this argument. Just because 'X' wasn't mentioned before, there's no way 'X' should exist.

 

[Terok Nor]

Into Darkness was made AFTER Enterprise. Of course they slipped it in. It doesn't take away from the fact TOS, TNG, DS9 and Voyager never made one reference to this supposedly legendary ship.

I wonder how often the Revolutionary War version of the Enterprise was mentioned in day to day life of the modern aircraft carrier of the same name?

There's a silliness to this argument. Just because 'X' wasn't mentioned before, there's no way 'X' should exist.

Not at all.

Perhaps you missed all those episode where the worst events in Earth's history were rattled off like a shopping list. I heard plenty of references to WW2 and the Borg attack but not one mention was made of the Xindi and what they did which is worse than what the Borg managed to achieve.

I'd add that the NX-01 being the first starship Enterprise sent out by Starfleet would give it cause to be name checked every now and then.

 

[Nebusj]

I wonder how often the Revolutionary War version of the Enterprise was mentioned in day to day life of the modern aircraft carrier of the same name?

There's a silliness to this argument. Just because 'X' wasn't mentioned before, there's no way 'X' should exist.

Not at all.

Perhaps you missed all those episode where the worst events in Earth's history were rattled off like a shopping list. I heard plenty of references to WW2 and the Borg attack but not one mention was made of the Xindi and what they did which is worse than what the Borg managed to achieve.

Or look at how you can't watch any military movie or TV show made in America without some character eventually bringing up King Philip's War.

 

[Tim Thomason]

Not at all.

Perhaps you missed all those episode where the worst events in Earth's history were rattled off like a shopping list. I heard plenty of references to WW2 and the Borg attack but not one mention was made of the Xindi and what they did which is worse than what the Borg managed to achieve.

I'd add that the NX-01 being the first starship Enterprise sent out by Starfleet would give it cause to be name checked every now and then.

I get the issue with the name "Enterprise" which flies in the fact of all the dedication plaques and their "Xth starship to bear the name". It never specifies Starfleet or Federation, and I understand their are probably dozens of minor cargo vessels and cruise liners and whatnot named Enterprise over the years, but leaving out the NX-01 (a Starfleet starship, albeit one that probably never served the Federation) seems like an odd choice.

But I don't get the issue with the Xindi crisis never being mentioned before. I get that seven million people died in an unprovoked attack on Earth, and that that would be a big deal. It pales in comparison to the hundreds of millions in World War III and/or the tens of millions in the Eugenics Wars. Yet I always assumed that it's historical proximity to the Romulan War, and the fact that it was all one-and-done within a year (thanks Enterprise!) instead of drawing itself out into a long process of anti-Xindi conflict and sentiment, meant that it was a historical footnote at best within a couple of generations.

Space is a scary place, and millions of people died every other week in the 23rd and 24th centuries. I'm sure everyone who was alive in 2153-2154 remembered the Xindi incident appropriately, but their descendants were too busy with all sorts of new conflicts and the scary detente they had with the Romulans (who may have attacked Earth themselves and perhaps killed more than seven million during their war).

 

[The Wormhole]

I get the issue with the name "Enterprise" which flies in the fact of all the dedication plaques and their "Xth starship to bear the name".

But we already knew of at least one starship Enterprise prior to the original 1701, the ringship seen in the rec room in TMP. Therefore establishing another one doesn't rankle too many continuity feathers. And while the dedication plaques may not specify Federation or Starfleet, any time the issue was brought up in dialogue (like in Relics or Trials and Tribble-Ations) it has always been specified Federation.

The only real issue is Voyager established a ship named USS Dauntless with the registry NX-01-A. Now yes, this was a fake ship but in order to fool the Voyager crew, you'd think the original ship with the registry NX-01 was named Dauntless.

 

[T'Girl]

I wonder how often the Revolutionary War version of the Enterprise was mentioned in day to day life of the modern aircraft carrier of the same name?

If it turn out in a records search that the Revolutionary War Enterprise had encountered members the Islamic State back in the 1860's I'm sure it would have been the subject of much conversation.

The NX-01 encounter the Borg centuries prior to the E D doing so, and the NX-01's doctor devised a treatment to nanoprobes after injection. You would think Crusher would reference this treatment, even if it wouldn't have worked on Picard.

Riker had Data researched "people showering in the clothes" in Naked Now, Data was able to find a historical record.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Into Darkness was made AFTER Enterprise. Of course they slipped it in. It doesn't take away from the fact TOS, TNG, DS9 and Voyager never made one reference to this supposedly legendary ship.

I wonder how often the Revolutionary War version of the Enterprise was mentioned in day to day life of the modern aircraft carrier of the same name?

There's a silliness to this argument. Just because 'X' wasn't mentioned before, there's no way 'X' should exist.

Not at all.

Perhaps you missed all those episode where the worst events in Earth's history were rattled off like a shopping list. I heard plenty of references to WW2 and the Borg attack but not one mention was made of the Xindi and what they did which is worse than what the Borg managed to achieve.

I'd add that the NX-01 being the first starship Enterprise sent out by Starfleet would give it cause to be name checked every now and then.

Refresh my memory. How many times has this "shopping list" been given and what was the context?

WWIII killed 600 million people. Entire generations were wiped out. It was a global conflict, many of the planet's major cities and governments had been destroyed. Nuclear weapons caused Earth to be covered with an immense dust cloud, resulting in numerous nuclear winters. Sounds like a bigger deal than the Xindi attack. Xindi is memorable because it was the first attack by aliens, but it was not destruction on the same level as a nuclear world war.

How often were any of the previous sailing ships, space ships or other Enterprises "namechecked"? They only come up if relevant to the plot. Otherwise its like they don't exist. Afterwards they go back to non existence.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The only real issue is Voyager established a ship named USS Dauntless with the registry NX-01-A. Now yes, this was a fake ship but in order to fool the Voyager crew, you'd think the original ship with the registry NX-01 was named Dauntless.

Or maybe the Voyager crew either were never fooled by it, or didn't pay attention to registry numbers (how many of us know the numbers of ships that are in the present-day Navy, for example?).

 

[fireproof78]

Into Darkness was made AFTER Enterprise. Of course they slipped it in. It doesn't take away from the fact TOS, TNG, DS9 and Voyager never made one reference to this supposedly legendary ship. The writers failed so completely to reconcile Enterprise with the other shows that they resorted to having the final episode set during a TNG episode where Riker and Troi reference the series repeatedly. And even that episode doesn't fit into the continuity of the TNG episode in question.

I'm inclined to agree with you on that point. In TMP we have a pictorial history of ships named Enterprise, with the aircraft carrier, the space shuttle, the "Ring ship" and on to TOS. It prompted SFDebris to have this joke as part of his commentary:

Ilia-Probe (SFDebris Voiceover): And what of the one captained by Arhcer?
Decker (SFDebris VO): He's dead to us.

But, ENT bashing is all the rage now. I think it works well on some levels, and when it works, I enjoy it to no end. But, as far as Star Trek goes, not for me.

As for the Borg, the Queen would have been fine, in concept, and provided an interesting, if odd, opponent for Picard who has committed himself to stopping the Borg and finding some one who supports the Borg.

The Borg had potential, but became too weak too be a real threat.

Also, of interest to the Borg and NX-01 being referenced by other shows, there is a great continuity question raised by a VOY episode prior about whether or not any other Federation ships had been in the Delta Quadrant. Janeway responds with "None that I'm aware of."

Also, another continuity error is in "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges" is that the ship they are on is an Intrepid class which reused stock footage of Voyager, including registry number. Whoops

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

In TMP we have a pictorial history of ships named Enterprise, with the aircraft carrier, the space shuttle, the "Ring ship" and on to TOS.

Remember the very specific phrasing Decker used. He said "All those vessels were called Enterprise." He did NOT say "Those were all the vessels called Enterprise."

Some of them could have been, and indeed WERE, left out. You'll notice that, for example, the second carrier - CVN-65 - wasn't there...

 

[fireproof78]

In TMP we have a pictorial history of ships named Enterprise, with the aircraft carrier, the space shuttle, the "Ring ship" and on to TOS.

Remember the very specific phrasing Decker used. He said "All those vessels were called Enterprise." He did NOT say "Those were all the vessels called Enterprise."

Some of them could have been, and indeed WERE, left out. You'll notice that, for example, the second carrier - CVN-65 - wasn't there...

Good point

I just think it was a missed opportunity for the ENT writers to have the NX-01 crew lost to history trying to stop the TCW. So, not an error so much as a wasted opportunity.

That, and not really caring for the characters leaves ENT just hollow for me.

Oh, and phase pistols

 

[Nerys Myk]

In TMP we have a pictorial history of ships named Enterprise, with the aircraft carrier, the space shuttle, the "Ring ship" and on to TOS.

Remember the very specific phrasing Decker used. He said "All those vessels were called Enterprise." He did NOT say "Those were all the vessels called Enterprise."

Some of them could have been, and indeed WERE, left out. You'll notice that, for example, the second carrier - CVN-65 - wasn't there...

Good point

I just think it was a missed opportunity for the ENT writers to have the NX-01 crew lost to history trying to stop the TCW. So, not an error so much as a wasted opportunity.

That, and not really caring for the characters leaves ENT just hollow for me.

Oh, and phase pistols

That comes across as pandering to the fanonistas and amateurish writing.

 

[fireproof78]

Remember the very specific phrasing Decker used. He said "All those vessels were called Enterprise." He did NOT say "Those were all the vessels called Enterprise."

Some of them could have been, and indeed WERE, left out. You'll notice that, for example, the second carrier - CVN-65 - wasn't there...

Good point

I just think it was a missed opportunity for the ENT writers to have the NX-01 crew lost to history trying to stop the TCW. So, not an error so much as a wasted opportunity.

That, and not really caring for the characters leaves ENT just hollow for me.

Oh, and phase pistols

That comes across as pandering to the fanonistas and amateurish writing.

I think it depends on how it is handled. If done poorly, yes absolutely fannish and amateurish.

If done with an understanding of the endgame at the start of the TCW, it could be really interesting.

It doesn't have to be exactly that way, mind you, but it would have been interesting seeing humanity, so new to space travel, having to step in such a dramatic way to prevent widespread destruction, ultimately losing the ship to the TCW, saving the fledgling Federation in the process.

 

[Tim Thomason]

I get the issue with the name "Enterprise" which flies in the fact of all the dedication plaques and their "Xth starship to bear the name".

But we already knew of at least one starship Enterprise prior to the original 1701, the ringship seen in the rec room in TMP. Therefore establishing another one doesn't rankle too many continuity feathers. And while the dedication plaques may not specify Federation or Starfleet, any time the issue was brought up in dialogue (like in Relics or Trials and Tribble-Ations) it has always been specified Federation.

The only real issue is Voyager established a ship named USS Dauntless with the registry NX-01-A. Now yes, this was a fake ship but in order to fool the Voyager crew, you'd think the original ship with the registry NX-01 was named Dauntless.

I didn't say I agreed with it, just that I understand it. Purely on the basis of the dedication plaques, as the scene in TMP has no bearing on the quantity or even quality of previous Enterprises (which *have* to exist purely because it's such an historic name).

But the registry of the fictitious Dauntless also has no bearing on the quantity or quality of previous Enterprises, purely because registry numbers, like stardates, make absolutely no sense and are best ignored numerically. It's easy to say that Arturis doesn't understand how registry numbers work, but I think he understood too well, and the NX-01-A would've been appropriate. It's possible that, in Arturis' mental continuity, the Dauntless prototype was named in honor of Enterprise NX-01, but the Enterprise name was unavailable (thanks Picard), so they chose another name with a long heritage.

On many Starfleet starships, the registry number is incredibly large. Larger than the typeface of the ship name. So it makes sense that, culturally, the registry numbers became shorthand for identifying ships.

 

[The Wormhole]

The only real issue is Voyager established a ship named USS Dauntless with the registry NX-01-A. Now yes, this was a fake ship but in order to fool the Voyager crew, you'd think the original ship with the registry NX-01 was named Dauntless.

Or maybe the Voyager crew either were never fooled by it, or didn't pay attention to registry numbers (how many of us know the numbers of ships that are in the present-day Navy, for example?).

Doesn't quite work in this circumstance. We know from TATV that the Enterprise NX-01 is referred to casually by everyone in the 24th century as "the NX-01." So the Voyager crew should have been like "but NX-01 wasn't named Dauntless, that was Archer's Enterprise."

Also, remember in Flashback Janeway was able to pull a log entry from Sulu talking about "routine maintenance" being done to the Excelsior. So Voyager's computer database has Excelsior maintenance logs, but it doesn't say the registry number to Jonathan Archer's historic starship?

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

The only real issue is Voyager established a ship named USS Dauntless with the registry NX-01-A. Now yes, this was a fake ship but in order to fool the Voyager crew, you'd think the original ship with the registry NX-01 was named Dauntless.

Or maybe the Voyager crew either were never fooled by it, or didn't pay attention to registry numbers (how many of us know the numbers of ships that are in the present-day Navy, for example?).

Doesn't quite work in this circumstance. We know from TATV that the Enterprise NX-01 is referred to casually by everyone in the 24th century as "the NX-01." So the Voyager crew should have been like "but NX-01 wasn't named Dauntless, that was Archer's Enterprise."

Also, remember in Flashback Janeway was able to pull a log entry from Sulu talking about "routine maintenance" being done to the Excelsior. So Voyager's computer database has Excelsior maintenance logs, but it doesn't say the registry number to Jonathan Archer's historic starship?

Makes you wonder how Starfleet manages to log every activity on a ship and all the other ships have their stuff in their database... And the level of routine surveillance that must go on.

 

[fireproof78]

Or maybe the Voyager crew either were never fooled by it, or didn't pay attention to registry numbers (how many of us know the numbers of ships that are in the present-day Navy, for example?).

Doesn't quite work in this circumstance. We know from TATV that the Enterprise NX-01 is referred to casually by everyone in the 24th century as "the NX-01." So the Voyager crew should have been like "but NX-01 wasn't named Dauntless, that was Archer's Enterprise."

Also, remember in Flashback Janeway was able to pull a log entry from Sulu talking about "routine maintenance" being done to the Excelsior. So Voyager's computer database has Excelsior maintenance logs, but it doesn't say the registry number to Jonathan Archer's historic starship?

Makes you wonder how Starfleet manages to log every activity on a ship and all the other ships have their stuff in their database... And the level of routine surveillance that must go on.

VOY indicates that crew health and brain waves are monitored at all times.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Doesn't quite work in this circumstance. We know from TATV that the Enterprise NX-01 is referred to casually by everyone in the 24th century as "the NX-01." So the Voyager crew should have been like "but NX-01 wasn't named Dauntless, that was Archer's Enterprise."

Also, remember in Flashback Janeway was able to pull a log entry from Sulu talking about "routine maintenance" being done to the Excelsior. So Voyager's computer database has Excelsior maintenance logs, but it doesn't say the registry number to Jonathan Archer's historic starship?

Makes you wonder how Starfleet manages to log every activity on a ship and all the other ships have their stuff in their database... And the level of routine surveillance that must go on.

VOY indicates that crew health and brain waves are monitored at all times.

That's super creepy.. Eeeeeeww

 

[Nebusj]

VOY indicates that crew health and brain waves are monitored at all times.

That's super creepy.. Eeeeeeww

Yeah, but, like, Tuvok can barely go three weeks without catching a case of temporary insanity. You have to take some reasonable precautions.