V'ger, the Whale Probe, the Borg, the Undine are just a few of the nigh-unstoppable forces that the Alpha/Beta Quadrant races have defeated, despite the fact that they are less technologically advanced than any of those powersv or entities. The Alpha/Beta powers have a long history of overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds to defeat or overcome, sometimes humiliatingly so, powers that are much more powerful than they are.
Then, there are the other ancient races the Iconians may be concerned about. The Tkon Empire, the Preservers, the Voth and the list goes on and on. Any or all of these races could also be manipulating things to their own ends or have remnants hanging around the galaxy that could put a crimp in any Iconian plans.
Then we have the Q, the Douwd, the Organians, Trelane's people (who may or may not be Q), etc. who also may have objections to their test subjects/pets being wiped out by the Iconians. They're being cautious and testing the waters, which makes perfect sense considering the apparently crushing defeat they were dealt before.
Yeah. My big thing is, like I say, that given the stakes, if they showed up, either we'd defeat them or they'd win and the galaxy as we know it would be wiped out. There's not a third option. So the reveal has to be slow and happen through proxies, which is more emotionally engaging as well, since it means we're dealing with honest to goodness traitors in our midst, not just shapeshifters or whatever.
I know I'll certainly care more when it turns out some trusted Federation Admiral has betrayed the Federation and is working for the Iconians than some gotcha reveal that s/he's an Undine or just some Iconian showing up to nuke things.
I'd actually like to see a couple of big lore figures, either from the shows or the game, side with the Iconians over their own people.
Why is every big scary unstoppable villain always portrayed as an allegory for Satan? You know, the big bad guy behind the scenes who uses minions to sow discord, etc. Engages in subtle machinations, never simply shows up and crushes his victims in one stroke. You know the drill.
The Iconians have had 200,000 years to develop new technology since they were driven from their homeworld. From what we've seen in game, they haven't been slouches either; one-shotting Borg fleets is quite impressive. So why waste the time pitting the lesser races against one another?
Why don't they come in and say to us: "Okay guys, everything here belongs to us including the atoms in your bodies, so we're going to have to insist you stop using them", then wipe out the Federation, Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians and everything in between?
Why all the moustache-twirling? It's unnecessary. Show up and make your move, Iconians! If you're so thirsty for conquest, why don't you get off your dimension-hopping asses of air and darkness and do it?
Probably because future content is going to focus exclusively on the Iconians and this is a preview.
It's a quite old, and in this case, sinisterly foreshadowing tactic. Divide and conquer. Quite likely, they were the ones pushing the Dominion to war with us way back when, and when they saw how powerful the Alpha quadrant was, they decided to break it up. We know they're responsible for Horbus, a clear decapitation strike on the Romulan Empire (why them, I don't know. Perhaps the solution will come from their side), and they've disrupted the two other most powerful empires in the region, the Klingons and Federation, with a war between them (possibly taking coincidence and setting up multiple plans to make it happen), and Undine attacks, AND likely tickling the borg into an invasion, and advancing their assimilation technique.
Then along ~you~ come, disrupting every last one of their plans, and moving the Klingons, Feds, and Romulans closer and closer to a peace conference with every mission you take. Suffice to say, I think they're going to make things rather personal when you show up.
Just as they are the Demons of Air and Darkness, you are the Alpha Quadrant's Savior, and Angel of Hope and Retribution. Where you go, the Federation's sword of justice follows, meting out swift and precisely targeted vengeance upon those who would disrupt the peace.
At the moment, it seems they've decided to try and take you out on the ground, decapitate the federation's top ship, and break a chain of events that would lead to their downfall by perfecting a ground warrior to use against you.
In short, they're ridiculously Genere savvy, and realize just how big a threat you are.
I had a tear in my when you said
"Just as they are the Demons of Air and Darkness, you are the Alpha Quadrant's Savior, and Angel of Hope and Retribution. Where you go, the Federation's sword of justice follows, meting out swift and precisely targeted vengeance upon those who would disrupt the peace".
Why is every big scary unstoppable villain always portrayed as an allegory for Satan? You know, the big bad guy behind the scenes who uses minions to sow discord, etc. Engages in subtle machinations, never simply shows up and crushes his victims in one stroke. You know the drill.
The Iconians have had 200,000 years to develop new technology since they were driven from their homeworld. From what we've seen in game, they haven't been slouches either; one-shotting Borg fleets is quite impressive. So why waste the time pitting the lesser races against one another?
Why don't they come in and say to us: "Okay guys, everything here belongs to us including the atoms in your bodies, so we're going to have to insist you stop using them", then wipe out the Federation, Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians and everything in between?
Why all the moustache-twirling? It's unnecessary. Show up and make your move, Iconians! If you're so thirsty for conquest, why don't you get off your dimension-hopping asses of air and darkness and do it?
Maybe the same reason that the Borg never used more than 1 cube to attack Earth? If they wipe the Federation and every else out, there wouldn't be anything left to do or be entertained with.
I had a tear in my when you said
"Just as they are the Demons of Air and Darkness, you are the Alpha Quadrant's Savior, and Angel of Hope and Retribution. Where you go, the Federation's sword of justice follows, meting out swift and precisely targeted vengeance upon those who would disrupt the peace".
Pretty much. We need an RA or better rank mission where you can choose a dialogue option to make a group of enemies run away in terror just by turning in their direction and 'grr'ing menacing while waving your arms in the air. By the Admiral ranks, you are a memetic badass across the quadrant, known for being the Federation's specter of death. You're to the point where federation admirals should be asking politely if you could come help them with their problems.
The final mission of the Iconian arc should be a FA level mission, where you're granted temporary command of the Enterprise herself (whichever class she may be). At your right hand sits your ship and a Jupiter class dreadnaught, the combined federation armada spreading out as far as you can see. To your left, a Vo'quv Carrier, and the combined Klingon Defence Forces. Behind you (if he survives), Obisek, flying the Scimitar class flagship of the Free Reman peoples, allied and indebted to you for your services, his people standing behind him (and you). Above you? The Cardassian's full defense forces, shining proudly in the crowning true redemptive moment, the dominion forces below, and an innumeral armada of ships from every other race behind Obisek's back. All of it, at your command, as you face off against the Iconians to drive them out for good, with you directing the Armada into battle under the most epic music Cryptic can come up with.
To wit, Cryptic ought to play up the sheer epicness of the reputation our captains are getting. We're the best of the best. We specialize in the absurd and impossible. When no-one else CAN, we thrive, and we hold the line, this far and NO FARTHER. Not. One. More. LIFE slain without reason.
Why is every big scary unstoppable villain always portrayed as an allegory for Satan? You know, the big bad guy behind the scenes who uses minions to sow discord, etc. Engages in subtle machinations, never simply shows up and crushes his victims in one stroke. You know the drill.
The Iconians have had 200,000 years to develop new technology since they were driven from their homeworld. From what we've seen in game, they haven't been slouches either; one-shotting Borg fleets is quite impressive. So why waste the time pitting the lesser races against one another?
Why don't they come in and say to us: "Okay guys, everything here belongs to us including the atoms in your bodies, so we're going to have to insist you stop using them", then wipe out the Federation, Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians and everything in between?
Why all the moustache-twirling? It's unnecessary. Show up and make your move, Iconians! If you're so thirsty for conquest, why don't you get off your dimension-hopping asses of air and darkness and do it?
The forces of darkness do not move openly. They work through others. Use others. When the darkness was defeated long ago, they scattered, hid themselves away in secret places, and waited. Now, the dark hand is reaching out and recalling them from their sleep.
Oh wait, that is an other franchise.
And yes, it would be fun. One day you try to log in to STO and you get a message:
"STO is down permanently because the Iconinans wiped out the known universe. All your ships and items are vaporized and your captains and boffs are dead.
Sorry for the inconveniance!"
I would like to see them tie in some of the other advanced species in to this. For instance, maybe we seek out help or information from the Talosians and/or the Organians who may have been servitor species of the Iconians. Maybe the Galactic Barrier was constructed to keep the Iconians out, or protect the Iconians from a rival faction.
An over-arcing menace like the Iconians can be used to tie up a lot of loose ends.
Maybe the same reason that the Borg never used more than 1 cube to attack Earth? If they wipe the Federation and every else out, there wouldn't be anything left to do or be entertained with.
The books do a good job of answering questions like that, filling in those blanks that the TV shows never had the time or inclination to patch. The Borg had a lot of irons in the fire, conquiering the Delta quadrant and all, and plan and operate on a decades/centuries timeframe. The Cubes that attacked earth were basically "expidtionary forces" or "recon in force". Plus, they didn't expect the Federation to survive those attacks.
In the "Destiny" trilogy, the Borg attack in force. Their opening message was something along the lines of "We are the Borg. You will be annihilated. Your biological and technological distinctiveness have become irrelevant. Resistance is futile... but welcome." In other words, the Borg Queen has pretty much had it with the Federation and has decided to advance her timetable.
Without reading the thread: Because where's the story if the final boss comes up and smites you when you're level 0?
A reverse deus ex machina?
I don't know: LOTR worked with giant birds providing deus ex machina. I assume giving a smack down on the player can work too from a story persepective.
Mass Effect 2 starts with your ship blowing up and you dying
Call of Duty starts with you inhabiting a character who gets executed publicly.
Baldur's Gate has you and your adopted dad getting "waylaid by enemies" and they pwn him.
Pretty much. We need an RA or better rank mission where you can choose a dialogue option to make a group of enemies run away in terror just by turning in their direction and 'grr'ing menacing while waving your arms in the air. By the Admiral ranks, you are a memetic badass across the quadrant, known for being the Federation's specter of death. You're to the point where federation admirals should be asking politely if you could come help them with their problems.
The final mission of the Iconian arc should be a FA level mission, where you're granted temporary command of the Enterprise herself (whichever class she may be). At your right hand sits your ship and a Jupiter class dreadnaught, the combined federation armada spreading out as far as you can see. To your left, a Vo'quv Carrier, and the combined Klingon Defence Forces. Behind you (if he survives), Obisek, flying the Scimitar class flagship of the Free Reman peoples, allied and indebted to you for your services, his people standing behind him (and you). Above you? The Cardassian's full defense forces, shining proudly in the crowning true redemptive moment, the dominion forces below, and an innumeral armada of ships from every other race behind Obisek's back. All of it, at your command, as you face off against the Iconians to drive them out for good, with you directing the Armada into battle under the most epic music Cryptic can come up with.
To wit, Cryptic ought to play up the sheer epicness of the reputation our captains are getting. We're the best of the best. We specialize in the absurd and impossible. When no-one else CAN, we thrive, and we hold the line, this far and NO FARTHER. Not. One. More. LIFE slain without reason.
I've pictured this scenario (more or less) as the end game for STO. Only, at the last second, when the Iconians seem likely to prevail, the Borg and Undine show up, their differences put aside, to turn the tide in the most epic battle ever.
The books do a good job of answering questions like that, filling in those blanks that the TV shows never had the time or inclination to patch. The Borg had a lot of irons in the fire, conquiering the Delta quadrant and all, and plan and operate on a decades/centuries timeframe. The Cubes that attacked earth were basically "expidtionary forces" or "recon in force". Plus, they didn't expect the Federation to survive those attacks.
In the "Destiny" trilogy, the Borg attack in force. Their opening message was something along the lines of "We are the Borg. You will be annihilated. Your biological and technological distinctiveness have become irrelevant. Resistance is futile... but welcome." In other words, the Borg Queen has pretty much had it with the Federation and has decided to advance her timetable.
The Destiny novels were a load of bull.
With that out of the way:
Why did the Borg not wipe out the Federation in a massed attack? Certainly not because its too expensive resource wise or some such BS.
The Answer is very simple, and very logical when you think about it:
If they wipe us out now, there won't be any "us" left to develop new technologies. No more people to assimilate.
Its the same reason they did not wipe out the delta quadrant, which they could have and would have if it was i nany way efficient. But its not. The Borg came at least a far as Kazon territory, they know them, they know talaxians, vadwor and all those races that are, by voyagers description, very far out of borg space. They Have the infrastructure to travel large distances with huge amounts of ships.
They are deadly combatants. So why is all the Garbage still chilling around in the delta quadrant?
Because as long as its around, it can produce new technology, new innovations. The Borg themselves are rather stagnant, they need new ideas every now and then. If they kill everything, noone wil lbe around to give them new insights.
It is only logical that the Borg would carefully tax out especially those races that are showing promise and fast advancement.
Thanks to q they learned about the federation. And they send a ship to evaluate. That ship got destroyed. The borg witnessed it. They know how it happened. They learned. It was a tactic they have not encountered before.
So, a few years later they try out a new approach, same thing. it got thwarted. the federation made many more steps forward since that first cube.
And so the Borg will occasionally swing by, grab a few ships, learn new things and continue to do so.
The AQ is a goldmine for them, they do not want to make it crumble in on itself.
Remember how Arturis told Janeway about the Borgs Approach to assimilating his people? Waves. Not one crushing swarm like they could have used. but waves. Always leaving hope behind in their wake. Motivation for Arturis people to be at their best and come up with new stuff. stuff that will be assimilated. Until the point the well ran dry.
We do not know about it to judge Arturis race but given that they had the slipstream drive, they probably could have made a run for it, seek shelter somewhere and rebuild. Their ultimate defeat at the hands of the borg probably hints at some sort of last stand mentality and the Borg simply did their thing and made an end.
The Borg are in a way farmers. Farmers of civilizations. They NEED people who can give the ma run for their money. Because without them they will remain stagnant and whther you go by TNG ultimate user personality or Voyager alleged search for perfection: That wont happen if your race is incapable of the creative spark.
On the note of time travel:
Star tre kis supremely guilty of not keeping to its own rules regarding that topic. So its best to simply ignore all instances of this even happening.
Because: why arent all the evil people using it? Why arent we using it, when say, a huge monolithic empire from another quadrant threatens to murder us all? (dominion...)
"We will have a war with billions of deaths! Lets just skip back in time and shut the damn wormhole for good! nothing but trouble coming from there anyways...."
Or that one time when picard lost his enterprise. "oops. i better jet around one or two weeks back into the past and unfck the situation..." (curiously, he was given the chance to do JUST THAT and what did he do? He called in fat-kirk to punch an old man in the face. an old man that is older than picard and who has personally pwned picard in combat. HARD. So instead of skipping back a week or two and just shipping soran off into a holding cell he went for the moronic way. The film way.
Time travel in star trek is not used properly since there are no coherent rules. Especially when it comes to voluntary time travel. When people have the means, why don't they use it? Why don't their enemies use it? Someone WOULD use it.
It is a nice tool for a short story arc, or a one shot episode especially when it can be hand waved by use of deus ex space wedgie. If its a weird space thingy causing it, it can't be freely used. Unlike technology.
You simply cant include timetravel technology into your "main" universe storyline. Doing so invalidates everything you wrote and will write because you can always point out "my, would time travel not have been convenient here?"
You can clearly see what a mess it becomes if you try to do it (enterprise). Its a mess of contradictions that leaves no way out.
Time travel has had some clever uses over the course of Star Trek, but also many more totally stupid appearances.
In general convenient timetravel must be left out of the main universe because its existence alone causes way to many plotholes.
Just saying "Everyone agrees not to use it since its so unpredictable" does not cut it btw. Someone will always be desperate/mad/calculating enough to use it.
Star Treks incoherency on the topic makes it impossible to use timetravel as a tool without ruining the story.
Both ST:Generation and ST: First contact are prime offenders.
Both storys are rendered idiotic husks once time travel gets involved.
Didn't species 8472 tried this already, and that was after the founders had as well during the Dominion War?
They really need to think something better because its getting terribly unimaginative. I agree with the OP.:rolleyes:
They weren't the first two, either. There were the bugs from Conspiracy, the people who wiped the Enterprise-D's crew's memory and convinced them the Federation was at war, the guy with the mind control video game, the Klingon general in Undiscovered Country, the Romulans with their holo ship. Soft canon adds mirror universe sleeper agents, Romulans posing as Vulcans, psychic mind control, and probably some other shape shifters and/or body snatchers.
The entire Star Trek universe runs on the Soviet handbook - sew discord among your enemies and wait for them to conquer themselves. Nobody ever seems to want to fight the Federation on equal terms (Edit: Much less the rest of the quadrant - the Undine or Iconians would both end up facing a united front like the Dominion did if they mounted a traditional attack). Except maybe the Klingons, but even they got in on the subterfuge wagon a couple times.
They weren't the first two, either. There were the bugs from Conspiracy, the people who wiped the Enterprise-D's crew's memory and convinced them the Federation was at war, the guy with the mind control video game, the Klingon general in Undiscovered Country, the Romulans with their holo ship. Soft canon adds mirror universe sleeper agents, Romulans posing as Vulcans, psychic mind control, and probably some other shape shifters and/or body snatchers.
The entire Star Trek universe runs on the Soviet handbook - sew discord among your enemies and wait for them to conquer themselves. Nobody ever seems to want to fight the Federation on equal terms. Except maybe the Klingons, but even they got in on the subterfuge wagon a couple times.
Well, gee... fighting the Feds on their own terms works SO WELL!
Viva la getting curbstomped!
We actually do find out the feds have fought quite a few minor wars (Cardassians, a rommie skirmish in the lost era, a couple of minor quadrant powers), and it's pretty much been equivalent to US vs. Backwoodsistan. Nobody wants to fight the feds because they seem to have an unparalleled industrial base at this point. The only ones who can even try are the Borg and Undine. Notice, that despite holding the Klingons at arms length, they're still able to beat back every bush fire under the sun. Really, the only way to beat the feds is to break them up from the inside, to break them down from multiple angles, THEN hit them with the biggest hammer you can find. Otherwise you risk going splat on the mother of all industrial bases.
Logistics win wars, not tactics. Having the bestest army/armada/whatever in the galaxy doesn't help you, when it's 1000 to every one of your ships. A lesson the feds learned quite well from the dominion, and now seem to incorporate.
Well, gee... fighting the Feds on their own terms works SO WELL!
Viva la getting curbstomped!
We actually do find out the feds have fought quite a few minor wars (Cardassians, a rommie skirmish in the lost era, a couple of minor quadrant powers), and it's pretty much been equivalent to US vs. Backwoodsistan. Nobody wants to fight the feds because they seem to have an unparalleled industrial base at this point. The only ones who can even try are the Borg and Undine. Notice, that despite holding the Klingons at arms length, they're still able to beat back every bush fire under the sun. Really, the only way to beat the feds is to break them up from the inside, to break them down from multiple angles, THEN hit them with the biggest hammer you can find. Otherwise you risk going splat on the mother of all industrial bases.
Logistics win wars, not tactics. Having the bestest army/armada/whatever in the galaxy doesn't help you, when it's 1000 to every one of your ships. A lesson the feds learned quite well from the dominion, and now seem to incorporate.
This sooo reminds me of my last game in GalCiv2 where i went to take on Humanity....
sufficient to say i got curbstomped.
Also because all the races i tried goading into attacking them kinda.. er... failed. like OMGDEADfailed
But it is as you say: The federation is to big to fail.
+ Since its such an attractive lady it has less trouble attracting even more new members....
Comments
Then, there are the other ancient races the Iconians may be concerned about. The Tkon Empire, the Preservers, the Voth and the list goes on and on. Any or all of these races could also be manipulating things to their own ends or have remnants hanging around the galaxy that could put a crimp in any Iconian plans.
Then we have the Q, the Douwd, the Organians, Trelane's people (who may or may not be Q), etc. who also may have objections to their test subjects/pets being wiped out by the Iconians. They're being cautious and testing the waters, which makes perfect sense considering the apparently crushing defeat they were dealt before.
I know I'll certainly care more when it turns out some trusted Federation Admiral has betrayed the Federation and is working for the Iconians than some gotcha reveal that s/he's an Undine or just some Iconian showing up to nuke things.
I'd actually like to see a couple of big lore figures, either from the shows or the game, side with the Iconians over their own people.
Probably because future content is going to focus exclusively on the Iconians and this is a preview.
I had a tear in my when you said
"Just as they are the Demons of Air and Darkness, you are the Alpha Quadrant's Savior, and Angel of Hope and Retribution. Where you go, the Federation's sword of justice follows, meting out swift and precisely targeted vengeance upon those who would disrupt the peace".
Maybe the same reason that the Borg never used more than 1 cube to attack Earth? If they wipe the Federation and every else out, there wouldn't be anything left to do or be entertained with.
Pretty much. We need an RA or better rank mission where you can choose a dialogue option to make a group of enemies run away in terror just by turning in their direction and 'grr'ing menacing while waving your arms in the air. By the Admiral ranks, you are a memetic badass across the quadrant, known for being the Federation's specter of death. You're to the point where federation admirals should be asking politely if you could come help them with their problems.
The final mission of the Iconian arc should be a FA level mission, where you're granted temporary command of the Enterprise herself (whichever class she may be). At your right hand sits your ship and a Jupiter class dreadnaught, the combined federation armada spreading out as far as you can see. To your left, a Vo'quv Carrier, and the combined Klingon Defence Forces. Behind you (if he survives), Obisek, flying the Scimitar class flagship of the Free Reman peoples, allied and indebted to you for your services, his people standing behind him (and you). Above you? The Cardassian's full defense forces, shining proudly in the crowning true redemptive moment, the dominion forces below, and an innumeral armada of ships from every other race behind Obisek's back. All of it, at your command, as you face off against the Iconians to drive them out for good, with you directing the Armada into battle under the most epic music Cryptic can come up with.
To wit, Cryptic ought to play up the sheer epicness of the reputation our captains are getting. We're the best of the best. We specialize in the absurd and impossible. When no-one else CAN, we thrive, and we hold the line, this far and NO FARTHER. Not. One. More. LIFE slain without reason.
The forces of darkness do not move openly. They work through others. Use others. When the darkness was defeated long ago, they scattered, hid themselves away in secret places, and waited. Now, the dark hand is reaching out and recalling them from their sleep.
Oh wait, that is an other franchise.
And yes, it would be fun. One day you try to log in to STO and you get a message:
"STO is down permanently because the Iconinans wiped out the known universe. All your ships and items are vaporized and your captains and boffs are dead.
Sorry for the inconveniance!"
An over-arcing menace like the Iconians can be used to tie up a lot of loose ends.
The books do a good job of answering questions like that, filling in those blanks that the TV shows never had the time or inclination to patch. The Borg had a lot of irons in the fire, conquiering the Delta quadrant and all, and plan and operate on a decades/centuries timeframe. The Cubes that attacked earth were basically "expidtionary forces" or "recon in force". Plus, they didn't expect the Federation to survive those attacks.
In the "Destiny" trilogy, the Borg attack in force. Their opening message was something along the lines of "We are the Borg. You will be annihilated. Your biological and technological distinctiveness have become irrelevant. Resistance is futile... but welcome." In other words, the Borg Queen has pretty much had it with the Federation and has decided to advance her timetable.
I don't know: LOTR worked with giant birds providing deus ex machina. I assume giving a smack down on the player can work too from a story persepective.
I've pictured this scenario (more or less) as the end game for STO. Only, at the last second, when the Iconians seem likely to prevail, the Borg and Undine show up, their differences put aside, to turn the tide in the most epic battle ever.
Didn't species 8472 tried this already, and that was after the founders had as well during the Dominion War?
They really need to think something better because its getting terribly unimaginative. I agree with the OP.:rolleyes:
The Destiny novels were a load of bull.
With that out of the way:
Why did the Borg not wipe out the Federation in a massed attack? Certainly not because its too expensive resource wise or some such BS.
The Answer is very simple, and very logical when you think about it:
If they wipe us out now, there won't be any "us" left to develop new technologies. No more people to assimilate.
Its the same reason they did not wipe out the delta quadrant, which they could have and would have if it was i nany way efficient. But its not. The Borg came at least a far as Kazon territory, they know them, they know talaxians, vadwor and all those races that are, by voyagers description, very far out of borg space. They Have the infrastructure to travel large distances with huge amounts of ships.
They are deadly combatants. So why is all the Garbage still chilling around in the delta quadrant?
Because as long as its around, it can produce new technology, new innovations. The Borg themselves are rather stagnant, they need new ideas every now and then. If they kill everything, noone wil lbe around to give them new insights.
It is only logical that the Borg would carefully tax out especially those races that are showing promise and fast advancement.
Thanks to q they learned about the federation. And they send a ship to evaluate. That ship got destroyed. The borg witnessed it. They know how it happened. They learned. It was a tactic they have not encountered before.
So, a few years later they try out a new approach, same thing. it got thwarted. the federation made many more steps forward since that first cube.
And so the Borg will occasionally swing by, grab a few ships, learn new things and continue to do so.
The AQ is a goldmine for them, they do not want to make it crumble in on itself.
Remember how Arturis told Janeway about the Borgs Approach to assimilating his people? Waves. Not one crushing swarm like they could have used. but waves. Always leaving hope behind in their wake. Motivation for Arturis people to be at their best and come up with new stuff. stuff that will be assimilated. Until the point the well ran dry.
We do not know about it to judge Arturis race but given that they had the slipstream drive, they probably could have made a run for it, seek shelter somewhere and rebuild. Their ultimate defeat at the hands of the borg probably hints at some sort of last stand mentality and the Borg simply did their thing and made an end.
The Borg are in a way farmers. Farmers of civilizations. They NEED people who can give the ma run for their money. Because without them they will remain stagnant and whther you go by TNG ultimate user personality or Voyager alleged search for perfection: That wont happen if your race is incapable of the creative spark.
On the note of time travel:
Star tre kis supremely guilty of not keeping to its own rules regarding that topic. So its best to simply ignore all instances of this even happening.
Because: why arent all the evil people using it? Why arent we using it, when say, a huge monolithic empire from another quadrant threatens to murder us all? (dominion...)
"We will have a war with billions of deaths! Lets just skip back in time and shut the damn wormhole for good! nothing but trouble coming from there anyways...."
Or that one time when picard lost his enterprise. "oops. i better jet around one or two weeks back into the past and unfck the situation..." (curiously, he was given the chance to do JUST THAT and what did he do? He called in fat-kirk to punch an old man in the face. an old man that is older than picard and who has personally pwned picard in combat. HARD. So instead of skipping back a week or two and just shipping soran off into a holding cell he went for the moronic way. The film way.
Time travel in star trek is not used properly since there are no coherent rules. Especially when it comes to voluntary time travel. When people have the means, why don't they use it? Why don't their enemies use it? Someone WOULD use it.
It is a nice tool for a short story arc, or a one shot episode especially when it can be hand waved by use of deus ex space wedgie. If its a weird space thingy causing it, it can't be freely used. Unlike technology.
You simply cant include timetravel technology into your "main" universe storyline. Doing so invalidates everything you wrote and will write because you can always point out "my, would time travel not have been convenient here?"
You can clearly see what a mess it becomes if you try to do it (enterprise). Its a mess of contradictions that leaves no way out.
Time travel has had some clever uses over the course of Star Trek, but also many more totally stupid appearances.
In general convenient timetravel must be left out of the main universe because its existence alone causes way to many plotholes.
Just saying "Everyone agrees not to use it since its so unpredictable" does not cut it btw. Someone will always be desperate/mad/calculating enough to use it.
Star Treks incoherency on the topic makes it impossible to use timetravel as a tool without ruining the story.
Both ST:Generation and ST: First contact are prime offenders.
Both storys are rendered idiotic husks once time travel gets involved.
They weren't the first two, either. There were the bugs from Conspiracy, the people who wiped the Enterprise-D's crew's memory and convinced them the Federation was at war, the guy with the mind control video game, the Klingon general in Undiscovered Country, the Romulans with their holo ship. Soft canon adds mirror universe sleeper agents, Romulans posing as Vulcans, psychic mind control, and probably some other shape shifters and/or body snatchers.
The entire Star Trek universe runs on the Soviet handbook - sew discord among your enemies and wait for them to conquer themselves. Nobody ever seems to want to fight the Federation on equal terms (Edit: Much less the rest of the quadrant - the Undine or Iconians would both end up facing a united front like the Dominion did if they mounted a traditional attack). Except maybe the Klingons, but even they got in on the subterfuge wagon a couple times.
Well, gee... fighting the Feds on their own terms works SO WELL!
Viva la getting curbstomped!
We actually do find out the feds have fought quite a few minor wars (Cardassians, a rommie skirmish in the lost era, a couple of minor quadrant powers), and it's pretty much been equivalent to US vs. Backwoodsistan. Nobody wants to fight the feds because they seem to have an unparalleled industrial base at this point. The only ones who can even try are the Borg and Undine. Notice, that despite holding the Klingons at arms length, they're still able to beat back every bush fire under the sun. Really, the only way to beat the feds is to break them up from the inside, to break them down from multiple angles, THEN hit them with the biggest hammer you can find. Otherwise you risk going splat on the mother of all industrial bases.
Logistics win wars, not tactics. Having the bestest army/armada/whatever in the galaxy doesn't help you, when it's 1000 to every one of your ships. A lesson the feds learned quite well from the dominion, and now seem to incorporate.
This sooo reminds me of my last game in GalCiv2 where i went to take on Humanity....
sufficient to say i got curbstomped.
Also because all the races i tried goading into attacking them kinda.. er... failed. like OMGDEADfailed
But it is as you say: The federation is to big to fail.
+ Since its such an attractive lady it has less trouble attracting even more new members....