After consideration, I'll just spoiler tag everything.
The reason the Iconians want the "ball" back, is something you noticed if you take a look into the background that they provide everyone.
First of all, the Heart is where all the core data is stored of their civilization. There are only 12 of them at the time and not all of them can remember however much information millenniums they have. They get their Heralds to do much of the manual work for them.
In essense, they are the CEOs of what are the Iconian "business". They may run it, but they really don't have any idea of how it actually works anymore. When they get attacked, they likely have gotten complacent and ignorant of how things should be handled. In a way, T'Ket is right that they had gotten soft and didn't realize they needed to have a backbone with those other races, which got themselves and us into this entire mess.
This would also explain why it took them so long to get around to retaliating. Imagine if you will, only hundreds of Heralds survive and the few Iconians. Rebuilding to that magnitude would've probably required that long. Especially without any actual technology or talent for war.
It also points to two things I really didn't want to know. That the Herald were the 'good' Dominion, before their creators went for vengeance. Heart broke upon seeing them for the first time. The other was the fact that T'Ket likely drove the others for revenge and was/is no different than Sela.
If we're going to have an end fight of end fights for STO, I definitely think us vs. T'Ket is very likely the go to now.
My only problem with this mission is while doing replays, you have to wait to interact with the Iconians while the 2 wingnuts, Kagran and Sela, argue. We should be able to tell the to shut up, or apply duct tape to mouth.
Well excuse me for having enormous flaws that I don't work on.
Perhaps. However, at least it was explained why exactly it was there, what it was for, and why the Iconians might at least accept it as a piece offering. I don't consider that a deus ex machina myself.
I thought that it made a good, logical end to the Iconean war.
As for the ball, by the end of the story, it was clear that they didn't need it, but it served the twin purposes of giving the Iconeans their culture back, and showing that we were the Others.
I thought that it was one of the better episodes.
Well the twist nearing the end was interesting, I never saw THAT coming! Overall, a very "Star Trek" way to end the war. That being said, I do have a couple of complaints: the ending, the huge battle, and transition to "exploration".
The ending felt so rushed! This huge war that cost us dearly and all you get is a small fireworks display over Starfleet Academy as the ending!? What's worse, why is Harry Kim there and NOT Tuvok!? TRIBBLE Harry Kim, all he does is complain at you during Battle of Korfez while he just sits back and watch! The episode "Surface Tension" had a better ending, and that was for the much SHORTER and less-costly war against the Undine!
The huge battle was cool, but ultimately pointless. When everyone FINALLY shows up, the battle lasts very shortly with only some ships instead of like a huge armada battle! It's nice to see the Dominion help us, but they felt useless in the end. Hell, we don't even know what happened to them after the mission! Do they just go back to the Gamma Quadrant and leave us alone? Do they want to open negotiations for an alliance? You don't even get to speak to a Founder/Vorta! So what was the point of them, just to have Sela come back!? That could have been done so many other ways and simpler!
As for my last complaint, this is a horrible transition to the "exploring" we'll be doing in Season 11. "Well this war costs us greatly and leaves us in a vulnerable state. Let's send ships AWAY from our boarders, stretch our defenses thin, and possibly make contact with an alien species that wants to kill us!" Seriously!? REBUILDING doesn't mean go out and possibly get unwanted attention, it means focusing on the toll we took, help rebuild colonies that have been destroyed, focusing on the issues back home, and for the love of Q, GIVE ME SOME SHORE LEAVE! I think after doing pretty much EVERYTHING, you should be rewarded more than just another silly space set!
The huge battle was cool, but ultimately pointless. When everyone FINALLY shows up, the battle lasts very shortly with only some ships instead of like a huge armada battle!
I think that there are not enough ships on the Alliance's side at the end of this war to call it an armada.
As for my last complaint, this is a horrible transition to the "exploring" we'll be doing in Season 11. "Well this war costs us greatly and leaves us in a vulnerable state. Let's send ships AWAY from our boarders, stretch our defenses thin, and possibly make contact with an alien species that wants to kill us!" Seriously!? REBUILDING doesn't mean go out and possibly get unwanted attention, it means focusing on the toll we took, help rebuild colonies that have been destroyed, focusing on the issues back home
This. It makes absolutely no sense, with the shortage of ships, experienced captains and even crew members after this deadly war to send the first (we can even say only) line of defense far, far away. There are enough agressive powers in the galaxy (and i speak only of known ones) who are more than ready to attack weakened preys to avoid this kind of behavior. Exploration ? Sure. But not in season 11. In season 12, it would have make much more sense. Or... exploration to find new allies to strengthen the Alliance.
How about we refrain from complaining about the new exploration angle until we see how it actually plays out in game come season 11?
We already know there won't be a new exploration system so it can only happen via featured episodes. New Dawn will launch with two of those that will likely transition us from from the war towards the new content.
What we do know is that the exploration in season 11 will be the exploration of things we have seen in the TV series and that have not yet made their apparition in the game. The "real" exploration, as we, the players, understand it (=explore unknown star systems) will come later with a new exploration system.
Here is a question to everyone, legend says the Iconians are "Demons of Air and Darkness". Do you think that is true? Knowing what we know now about the past Iconians.
Here is a question to everyone, legend says the Iconians are "Demons of Air and Darkness". Do you think that is true? Knowing what we know now about the past Iconians.
Before the events of Midnight, this is obviously not true. It only became true after the Iconian's flight to the Andromeda galaxy. But the fact is that the coalition that did attack Iconia called them like that before the attack. We now know that it was only propaganda. Yes, they seem to appear out of thin air, but they were, before the attack, nothing like demons, they were not an evil species
So the Klingon coming straight from battle decides to stroll around peacefully like Beverly Crusher...
Other than the transition there, it was really the only end to make sense without some game breaking technology being added to the coalition... oh wait
And now we have this Elephant in the Alpha Quadrant living on Iconia again...
After consideration, I'll just spoiler tag everything.
[...]
The ball is a deux ex machina is what it is lol.
You mean a plot device.
Deus Ex would be an item or character that acts directly, for example if a surviving Preserver (or an Organian) had given you super tech or powers. The Heart is a plot device, something passive that makes the story advance simply by its existence.
/gramarnazi
I agree with swamarian though, it had both the practical purpose of giving their stuff back and the symbolical value in proving you saved them despite knowing their future actions.
Also time travel is suh-weeeeet~
Also also, there's a funny thing: holy sh** I didn't realize I was doing the campaign advertised all over the place, until I was practically finished and noticed it on my loading screen.
In my defense, the time I spent groaning at my lagtop's slowness dulled my attention and memory at several parts of my gameplay (I had no idea what was going on for most of the big battle before the portal). I really wasn't expecting to be involved in any of the advertised stuff, either; they all seemed to require stuff I don't have, like Zen.
I'm very new and still don't know how some stuff works.
A scientist of fiction. Or somesuch. I'm getting really rusty on both, dawg. :/
The Iconian finale was about as exciting as Surface Tension. Yes, it was very pretty, and involved more coding magic to make it look good. But the lack of actually showing the effects of this war completely ruined that aspect, both during and after.
We didn't have Iconians TRIBBLE with Fleet Alerts instead of the usual NPCs. We didn't have Iconians appearing in Red Alerts instead of Borg or Tholians. We didn't have Iconians even TRIBBLE up your usual Enemy Encounter or System Patrol missions instead of the regular enemies. All of this could have easily been possible with minimal effort. It wouldn't be a total change of scenery like Mass Effect, which everyone would have preferred, but it would at least be a solid nod to the fact that the Iconians are everywhere and interfering with our progress. Then after the war, Cryptic could just disable the coding so that Iconians won't appear as random encounters in place of regular enemies any more.
As to the after-effects, at least ESD got a timed makeover to go with its damage from Surface Tension. Here, we get squat. New Romulus got hit hard due to having an active and functional gate. Yet STILL no plans for a proper town or city hub as post-rebuilding progress. It's still a blasted staging zone. Qo'nos was also hit hard. Same thing; still the same little dreary hub it's been for awhile now. Both are due for some Quality of Life improvements similar to ESD. Add in their own Clubs as a bonus, which was something the Devs were considering back when Romulans and KDF had Club 47 envy.
On another note, we never did get a proper Iconian Lockbox to let us have some spoils of war, such as their ships, clothing, and weapons, all of which players were asking for up until the end. Not even in the Lobi shop as "replica" attire or salvaged equipment by the ever Lobi-hungry Ferengis.
All in all, Cryptic could have had something great, but they fumbled and dropped the ball as badly as L'Miren did.
Loosely related, the Ancient Iconian wear that was rewarded as a mission reward doesn't include their headgear or their other embellishments that they wear as energy beings, which should have been usable by Orions similar to this Risan native's attire, which is similar to some of the Iconians, or by everyone else while wearing the Iconian Resistance wear, which sort of emulates the energy being motif.
Comments
Is it a Dragon ball?
Perhaps. However, at least it was explained why exactly it was there, what it was for, and why the Iconians might at least accept it as a piece offering. I don't consider that a deus ex machina myself.
As for the ball, by the end of the story, it was clear that they didn't need it, but it served the twin purposes of giving the Iconeans their culture back, and showing that we were the Others.
I thought that it was one of the better episodes.
The ending felt so rushed! This huge war that cost us dearly and all you get is a small fireworks display over Starfleet Academy as the ending!? What's worse, why is Harry Kim there and NOT Tuvok!? TRIBBLE Harry Kim, all he does is complain at you during Battle of Korfez while he just sits back and watch! The episode "Surface Tension" had a better ending, and that was for the much SHORTER and less-costly war against the Undine!
The huge battle was cool, but ultimately pointless. When everyone FINALLY shows up, the battle lasts very shortly with only some ships instead of like a huge armada battle! It's nice to see the Dominion help us, but they felt useless in the end. Hell, we don't even know what happened to them after the mission! Do they just go back to the Gamma Quadrant and leave us alone? Do they want to open negotiations for an alliance? You don't even get to speak to a Founder/Vorta! So what was the point of them, just to have Sela come back!? That could have been done so many other ways and simpler!
As for my last complaint, this is a horrible transition to the "exploring" we'll be doing in Season 11. "Well this war costs us greatly and leaves us in a vulnerable state. Let's send ships AWAY from our boarders, stretch our defenses thin, and possibly make contact with an alien species that wants to kill us!" Seriously!? REBUILDING doesn't mean go out and possibly get unwanted attention, it means focusing on the toll we took, help rebuild colonies that have been destroyed, focusing on the issues back home, and for the love of Q, GIVE ME SOME SHORE LEAVE! I think after doing pretty much EVERYTHING, you should be rewarded more than just another silly space set!
I think that there are not enough ships on the Alliance's side at the end of this war to call it an armada.
This. It makes absolutely no sense, with the shortage of ships, experienced captains and even crew members after this deadly war to send the first (we can even say only) line of defense far, far away. There are enough agressive powers in the galaxy (and i speak only of known ones) who are more than ready to attack weakened preys to avoid this kind of behavior. Exploration ? Sure. But not in season 11. In season 12, it would have make much more sense. Or... exploration to find new allies to strengthen the Alliance.
We already know there won't be a new exploration system so it can only happen via featured episodes. New Dawn will launch with two of those that will likely transition us from from the war towards the new content.
A LOT of ships went *BOOM*! My Captain just wasn't fast enough.
Other than the transition there, it was really the only end to make sense without some game breaking technology being added to the coalition... oh wait
And now we have this Elephant in the Alpha Quadrant living on Iconia again...
You mean a plot device.
Deus Ex would be an item or character that acts directly, for example if a surviving Preserver (or an Organian) had given you super tech or powers. The Heart is a plot device, something passive that makes the story advance simply by its existence.
/gramarnazi
I agree with swamarian though, it had both the practical purpose of giving their stuff back and the symbolical value in proving you saved them despite knowing their future actions.
Also time travel is suh-weeeeet~
Also also, there's a funny thing: holy sh** I didn't realize I was doing the campaign advertised all over the place, until I was practically finished and noticed it on my loading screen.
In my defense, the time I spent groaning at my lagtop's slowness dulled my attention and memory at several parts of my gameplay (I had no idea what was going on for most of the big battle before the portal). I really wasn't expecting to be involved in any of the advertised stuff, either; they all seemed to require stuff I don't have, like Zen.
I'm very new and still don't know how some stuff works.
We didn't have Iconians TRIBBLE with Fleet Alerts instead of the usual NPCs. We didn't have Iconians appearing in Red Alerts instead of Borg or Tholians. We didn't have Iconians even TRIBBLE up your usual Enemy Encounter or System Patrol missions instead of the regular enemies. All of this could have easily been possible with minimal effort. It wouldn't be a total change of scenery like Mass Effect, which everyone would have preferred, but it would at least be a solid nod to the fact that the Iconians are everywhere and interfering with our progress. Then after the war, Cryptic could just disable the coding so that Iconians won't appear as random encounters in place of regular enemies any more.
As to the after-effects, at least ESD got a timed makeover to go with its damage from Surface Tension. Here, we get squat. New Romulus got hit hard due to having an active and functional gate. Yet STILL no plans for a proper town or city hub as post-rebuilding progress. It's still a blasted staging zone. Qo'nos was also hit hard. Same thing; still the same little dreary hub it's been for awhile now. Both are due for some Quality of Life improvements similar to ESD. Add in their own Clubs as a bonus, which was something the Devs were considering back when Romulans and KDF had Club 47 envy.
On another note, we never did get a proper Iconian Lockbox to let us have some spoils of war, such as their ships, clothing, and weapons, all of which players were asking for up until the end. Not even in the Lobi shop as "replica" attire or salvaged equipment by the ever Lobi-hungry Ferengis.
All in all, Cryptic could have had something great, but they fumbled and dropped the ball as badly as L'Miren did.
Loosely related, the Ancient Iconian wear that was rewarded as a mission reward doesn't include their headgear or their other embellishments that they wear as energy beings, which should have been usable by Orions similar to this Risan native's attire, which is similar to some of the Iconians, or by everyone else while wearing the Iconian Resistance wear, which sort of emulates the energy being motif.