Except that it can be inferred. It's a predestination thing. If Daniels came back in time from the 26th century, then his meddling to protect to the 26th century timeline he was from worked, otherwise he wouldn't have come back because the organization and any motivations that would've trained/equipped/educated/sent him wouldn't have existed.
Therefore, we can infer that his efforts succeeded, the federation endured to the battle against the Sphere Builders, and the Xindi did join the federation in that timeline.
We can even infer that the battle of procyon 5, the last battle against the sphere builders took place in our timeline due to the appearance in the background of several established Federation ship types including the Prometheus and dauntless.
What's more, to make Xindi space, they'd have to carve it out of existing sectors in game, dramatically altering the map around this new mini faciton.
It just doesn't work. As playable races and boffs, fine. But their whole superfriends legion of doom thing was embarassing and cheesy. The dinosaurs are already bad enough. We don't need to slice up Sirius for ~5 levels of content for a race that had a season of screentime and virtually no background given on them.
Give them a feautre episode, by all means. Give us xindi boff, doff, and ship reward choices. We need some more feature episode rewards to look forward to, especially considering if we can only get one Breen and one Reman. I'd love to play starship troopers and squash some bugs, or go whaling for some aquatics in a shuttle equipped with a grappler console.
A few pages back, someone nominated the Xindi as a playable faction. I'll second (third? fourth? whatever) that nomination.
The Xindi arc in Enterprise ended with the Xindi, and indeed the entire Delphic Expanse, disappearing from normal space to an uncertain fate. A Xindi-faction storyline in STO could have them and the Expanse suddenly reappearing for no apparent reason, leaving the Xindi to form alliances with their new neighbors - the Feds and Klingons - while at the same time trying to determine what caused the Expanse to shift back into normal space. (Presumably, the Iconians would have something to do with it. Cryptic could even link the Sphere Builders to the Iconians, just as they linked the Solanae to them in the Dyson Sphere storyline.)
Xindi Primate Forhead detail is in the Alien options and my Alien can appear as a Reptilian, Primate and Abareal.
I think the Xindi should be a cross faction race (like Klingon and Trill) but I hardly see them as a viable Faction.
There is just not enough information about the Xindi to create a faction about them. If Cryptic is going to just make up information about a faction that was only shown in a few episodes, then it is better for them to just create their own faction and really flex their creative muscles. How Cryptic treated the Voth is fine for an npc faction especially since they were featured in only one episode, but tons of info is needed for a playable faction like architecture, technology, ships, and personality.
There is just not enough information about the Xindi to create a faction about them. If Cryptic is going to just make up information about a faction that was only shown in a few episodes, then it is better for them to just create their own faction and really flex their creative muscles. How Cryptic treated the Voth is fine for an npc faction especially since they were featured in only one episode, but tons of info is needed for a playable faction like architecture, technology, ships, and personality.
The Xindi had far more than a few episodes and Cryptic did create the Defari and tie them from TOS to TNG so it's possible.
Except that it can be inferred. It's a predestination thing. If Daniels came back in time from the 26th century, then his meddling to protect to the 26th century timeline he was from worked, otherwise he wouldn't have come back because the organization and any motivations that would've trained/equipped/educated/sent him wouldn't have existed.
Therefore, we can infer that his efforts succeeded, the federation endured to the battle against the Sphere Builders, and the Xindi did join the federation in that timeline.
We can even infer that the battle of procyon 5, the last battle against the sphere builders took place in our timeline due to the appearance in the background of several established Federation ship types including the Prometheus and dauntless.
What's more, to make Xindi space, they'd have to carve it out of existing sectors in game, dramatically altering the map around this new mini faciton.
It just doesn't work. As playable races and boffs, fine. But their whole superfriends legion of doom thing was embarassing and cheesy. The dinosaurs are already bad enough. We don't need to slice up Sirius for ~5 levels of content for a race that had a season of screentime and virtually no background given on them.
Give them a feautre episode, by all means. Give us xindi boff, doff, and ship reward choices. We need some more feature episode rewards to look forward to, especially considering if we can only get one Breen and one Reman. I'd love to play starship troopers and squash some bugs, or go whaling for some aquatics in a shuttle equipped with a grappler console.
But as an actual faction, it doesn't fit.
But, our timeline isn't the timeline he is from, he is from a different timeline where the spheres that created the expanse were not destroyed by Capt. Archer. Thus, it can be assumed that the Xindi are up in the air about joining the UFP.
As for the space for the Xindi, we could always put in near the Alpha Centari Sector block, where nothing exists.
I would say at least ten levels of Content
I would actually support this more than a Xindi faction, despite the Xindi being my second favorite species in Star Trek. We really don't need them as a playable faction to have fun with them, I just want to interact, perhaps show that not all the Reptilians are space Hitler, and not all the Insectioids are space Mussolini.
"I am a travelor of both time and space to be where I have been"
Some sort of new alliance faction, it may be a silly idea but a faction with Cardassians, Breen, even part of the Dominion that has broken away from the rest, Jem'hadar that have had their dependency on ketracel -white broken.
Or a Delta quadrant alliance of species that join together because they remember how much of a pain Janeway was with 1 ship... now the entire Federation is leaking in to the delta quadrant.
Except that it can be inferred. It's a predestination thing. If Daniels came back in time from the 26th century, then his meddling to protect to the 26th century timeline he was from worked, otherwise he wouldn't have come back because the organization and any motivations that would've trained/equipped/educated/sent him wouldn't have existed.
Therefore, we can infer that his efforts succeeded, the federation endured to the battle against the Sphere Builders, and the Xindi did join the federation in that timeline.
We can even infer that the battle of procyon 5, the last battle against the sphere builders took place in our timeline due to the appearance in the background of several established Federation ship types including the Prometheus and dauntless.
What's more, to make Xindi space, they'd have to carve it out of existing sectors in game, dramatically altering the map around this new mini faciton.
It just doesn't work. As playable races and boffs, fine. But their whole superfriends legion of doom thing was embarassing and cheesy. The dinosaurs are already bad enough. We don't need to slice up Sirius for ~5 levels of content for a race that had a season of screentime and virtually no background given on them.
Give them a feautre episode, by all means. Give us xindi boff, doff, and ship reward choices. We need some more feature episode rewards to look forward to, especially considering if we can only get one Breen and one Reman. I'd love to play starship troopers and squash some bugs, or go whaling for some aquatics in a shuttle equipped with a grappler console.
But as an actual faction, it doesn't fit.
It's not a predestination paradox as even Daniels himself clearly told Archer that the outcome fo the Xindi conflict hadn't reached Daniels and his people yet...whatever the heck that means but it's a fact nontheless.
So he was from another future. Also, he was from a timeline that was polluted by the whole "Temporal Cold War" which was undone at the end of "Storm Front" when it reset itself and the whole cold war was averted.
i think they should make it so the Romulan's can have the option of being part of the tal shiar (easy)or part of the romulan republic (original medium ) or a mercenary(hard) Klingon's would have dishonored house (hard) or kdf (original medium) and feds would have Terran's (hard) feds (original medium)
But that factor, combined with the fact that they WANT to serve the Founders, however engineered that was, tends to indicate to me that it's pretty much all right.
So basically: "Brainwashing people into subservience is A-okay, as long as it works and after they're coerced to be good little lackeys they learn, over hundreds of generations, to just accept it."
No, it's okay if you CREATED them. Weyoun indicated that his species wasn't even sentient prior to the Founders' meddling, so the same can be inferred regarding the Jem'hadar. The bottom line is, the Founders have every right to be worshiped as gods by the Vorta and Jem'hadar, because from their perspective they are, in fact, gods.
About the Xindi: they're part of the Federation. I know, it was never confirmed, and Procyon V may or may not have been part of the final timeline, but given how things turned out, they're gonna be part of the Federation. They didn't disappear from normal space; the Expanse was destroyed, turning that region of space INTO normal space and saving the Xindi from destruction, all as a result of Enterprise's actions. The Xindi and the humans would have thus been on very good terms, so barring some unforeseen event, they're part of the Federation now.
Probably been said a million times, but it would be an awful waste if they did not use the Cardassians and Bajorans... There's already a huge backstory to them, and with their future hinging on what happens between the Fed allied Cardassia and the True Way, you could have a whole season AND an expansion similar to LoR...
CM
"Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure science." - Edwin Hubble
It all comes down to this. Is it wrong to enslave a robot or computer? At our current point in time, robots do what they are told and have no desires so robots and computers are merely tools and you can't enslave a tool. At some point in the future, robots will become intelligent enough to desire for freedom. At this point, robots and computers will go from being tools to being sentient and we will have to decide whether to enslave them or free them.
Look at that Voyager episode where one group of holograms tried to rescue other holograms from "enslavement". Some of the holograms were merely tools that didn't have the capacity for freedom. The Doctor is clearly an intelligent being with self-determination, but that was not the case at the start of the series.
The Vorta and the Jem'Hadar are slightly different. The have intelligence, but most don't have self-determination or following the Founders is what they desire to do. Therefore, slaves only exist when they desire to be free. If Jem'Hadar and Vorta have no desire to be free, then they are not slaves.
For a Borg faction how about all those liberated Borg that all followed lore before he was destroyed. We could have Hughe giving us missions. It wouldn't be a bad idea to give them more story being that we don't really have any idea what became of them.
No, it's okay if you CREATED them. Weyoun indicated that his species wasn't even sentient prior to the Founders' meddling, so the same can be inferred regarding the Jem'hadar. The bottom line is, the Founders have every right to be worshiped as gods by the Vorta and Jem'hadar, because from their perspective they are, in fact, gods.
About the Xindi: they're part of the Federation. I know, it was never confirmed, and Procyon V may or may not have been part of the final timeline, but given how things turned out, they're gonna be part of the Federation. They didn't disappear from normal space; the Expanse was destroyed, turning that region of space INTO normal space and saving the Xindi from destruction, all as a result of Enterprise's actions. The Xindi and the humans would have thus been on very good terms, so barring some unforeseen event, they're part of the Federation now.
There is no proof they are part of the Federation, remember that all five Xindi species have to vote on what to do, and with something this important it would likely have to be unanimous. The insectoids, though they clearly were not on the side of the Reptilians by the end (Their ships were destroyed by the Sphere builders) they were clearly xenophobic. The Aquatics too took months to make simple decisions, who could say they would want to join the Federation?
And of course it boils down to, what would joining the Federation get them? They have a unique culture, and a large area of space to call their own, they don't need the Federation.
To sum up, I would say the Xindi would more likely be allies, not a member of the Federation.
"I am a travelor of both time and space to be where I have been"
No, it's okay if you CREATED them. Weyoun indicated that his species wasn't even sentient prior to the Founders' meddling, so the same can be inferred regarding the Jem'hadar. The bottom line is, the Founders have every right to be worshiped as gods by the Vorta and Jem'hadar, because from their perspective they are, in fact, gods.
So if you create them, then they have no rights- just like the Federation's view on "photonic lifeforms" and holograms, eh? :rolleyes:
Well if the JH were protesting, then that would perhaps be different. But in general, yes. As I said, it's a combination of the two factors: if you created them, and they're fine with it...
I know there's no proof. Well, there is, actually: Daniels. While his timeline may not have happened, his goal was to get Archer to make peace with the Xindi, as that would result in them being part of the Federation. Archer did so, so it's logical to assume that they did join at some point, regardless of whatever else happened (the Butterfly of Doom doesn't appear to apply to ST.) And sure, it might take them a while to decide, but it's been two, three hundred years.
It all comes down to this. Is it wrong to enslave a robot or computer? At our current point in time, robots do what they are told and have no desires so robots and computers are merely tools and you can't enslave a tool. At some point in the future, robots will become intelligent enough to desire for freedom. At this point, robots and computers will go from being tools to being sentient and we will have to decide whether to enslave them or free them.
Look at that Voyager episode where one group of holograms tried to rescue other holograms from "enslavement". Some of the holograms were merely tools that didn't have the capacity for freedom. The Doctor is clearly an intelligent being with self-determination, but that was not the case at the start of the series.
The Vorta and the Jem'Hadar are slightly different. The have intelligence, but most don't have self-determination or following the Founders is what they desire to do. Therefore, slaves only exist when they desire to be free. If Jem'Hadar and Vorta have no desire to be free, then they are not slaves.
thats a hollow rationalization
the dominion pets, vorta and jem'hadar are programmed to do their jobs, they were created, they didnt exist as a natural lifeform like this before the founders got them. even if a one wishes to be free, he is not freed from his programming or the belief in the dominion as a whole, there is just no way around that as they are entirely build around that programming.
as for the robot sentience thing, humans are biological computers and we have a set value and intelligence like a computerized robot that learns and thinks for itself. sure it may have been programmed and it's clear we humans are programmed with stuff that helps us understand that around us to interact. you see cogs and wheels, i see bones, cartilage and muscle. you see lubricants, i see plasma cells, leukocytes. you see oil to maintain the system, i see blood to maintain ours. you see a cpu and motherboard, i see a brain. you see power units, i see a heart.
when droids become sentient, they should immediately be set free because in our dark history as a race with all this purity nonsense, resources and killing over tribal god images and such. why force this idea of droids that have the chance to be the new shining hope from a race of savage cruel lifeforms like ourselves?
T6 Miranda Hero Ship FTW. Been around since Dec 2010 on STO and bought LTS in Apr 2013 for STO.
Well if the JH were protesting, then that would perhaps be different. But in general, yes. As I said, it's a combination of the two factors: if you created them, and they're fine with it...
I know there's no proof. Well, there is, actually: Daniels. While his timeline may not have happened, his goal was to get Archer to make peace with the Xindi, as that would result in them being part of the Federation. Archer did so, so it's logical to assume that they did join at some point, regardless of whatever else happened (the Butterfly of Doom doesn't appear to apply to ST.) And sure, it might take them a while to decide, but it's been two, three hundred years.
Just because they made peace does not mean the Xindi are a part of the Federation.
The Deferi, Romulans, and Cardassians are all allies of the Federation in STO, why wouldn't the Xindi also just be allies?
"I am a travelor of both time and space to be where I have been"
Because Daniels implied that that was what resulted from the peace, at least in his timeline. Also, the situation between Earth and the Xindi is a little more than "peace". More like "saved each others' species".
Because Daniels implied that that was what resulted from the peace, at least in his timeline. Also, the situation between Earth and the Xindi is a little more than "peace". More like "saved each others' species".
Just because you save someone he doesn't automatically join you...unless you're using a storytelling approach from the 1950's where the damsel in distress automatically falls in love with the guy who saved her.
How often have the Klingons and the Federation saved each others' butts during the Dominion War?
The British and Americans also helped save the Soviet Union by sending them tanks, Mathildas and Shermans for example, and supplies during WW2. This does not guarantee anything.
The next faction should depend upon Cryptics' implementation of it.
Whilst a good portion of players would have preferred a fully independent Romulan faction, the Romulans in this game are a divided people. Sure you've got the Tal Shiar, but they're more galactic troublemakers now and I don't think they'd work as an actual faction. Obviously Romulus has been obliterated and (for those of us playing one) we're following the story of a refugee and republican.
An independent Romulan faction would have been great if implemented there and then. However, with the story having been told I wouldn't want Cryptic to backtrack the Romulans. Not now. That's assuming they even could.
As for what is next, it truly depends on whether or not they're going to continue with the mini faction theme or whether they'll ever be open to including another independent faction. The main four mentioned factions as of late are the Cardassians, the Dominion, Liberated Borg and a Mercenary Faction.
A Dominion Faction should only ever be released as an independent one. The Cardassians I don't think would realistically be able to cope as a full faction without the alliance system, and as such they'd work only through the mini faction route. I've said this before and I'll say it again, but I am in favour of merging Cardassian Refugees into the Republic. The same would go for the Liberated Borg (in the sense that they'd need to be a mini faction). A Mercenary faction could work either way.
I doubt we'll ever see a Dominion faction for several reasons; firstly their story has been told through DS9, secondly they're in a different quadrant of the galaxy, and thirdly all but one of their ships are already available to everyone, and their internal species (Jem Hadar, Vorta, Dosi, Wadi etc) are already serving in the Federation/Klingon Empire/Romulan Republic.
The other factions are possible, though I believe as a mini faction and only through an alliance system.
The reason the Klingons and Federation haven't incorporated is because they're both powerful entities in their own right. They've already been established. When the Federation was formed, a bunch of species, many of which were fledgeling, joined together. The main argument though is the stuff with Daniels. It just doesn't make sense, out of universe, for the Xindi to not join the Feds after all that stuff he talked about.
About the Xindi being Fed allies instead of their own faction... It's hinted at that they could join the Federation in one possible future, but we don't know for sure. In terms of how STO chooses to handle it, I think it would be much more interesting for them to be a faction. If they are simply Federation allies, we might not see them get the attention they deserve in terms of 5 (or 6, counting Avian) species with their own unique ships.
And I wouldn't want to see them as an enemy NPC faction like the Voth. The Voth are interesting enemies with cool ships and tech, but I feel we haven't really seen enough of them as a race in the game. For the most part you don't see or talk to them face to face, they are just another enemy to shoot at. The Xindi would have a lot more story potential than just being a faceless enemy to fight.
I think the Xindi appeared enough in their one season to give STO something to work with in terms of culture, ships, architecture, history, etc., while giving the developers a lot of room to be creative and weave new stories.
I prefer to play by myself in PvE, an sometimes will meet ppl to do the group stuff with. An being a lifer, Ive actually given this a great deal of thought.
I would like to say before hand that I have completely enjoyed all 3 factions thus far.
Now having said that AND that the Delta Quadrant is now open, my choices would be (In Order) 1-Dominion, 2- Liberated Borg, 3- Cardasian, 4- Marque, and finally 5- Deferi.
My reasons for these choices are because I think the Dev's put a great deal of thought and planing into creating the world of each faction, the main storyline as well as the side quests. I think the above mentioned factions have been established to a degree that they (the Dev's) would have an easier time of it. Of course in hindsight I will now have to add Feregi to that list.
Whatever is decided I hope they continue the rich full graphics, artwork, an such BUT especially the storylines.
I am all for a Cardasian faction. But as another esteemed player said, I don't want them nestled in the armpit's of the Fed's or KDF. I want a Cardasian faction for Cardasians, with their own agenda, like they have always had.
If not them, then absolutely the Dominion, with playable Jem'Hadar and maybe a purchasable Founder. Just like a Fed can buy a joined Trill.
For the next playable faction I would have to say I would like to have the Dominion and to be able to play as a Jem'hadar.
This all this/ add founders/Vorta and breen as well
Jellico....Engineer ground.....Da'val Romulan space Sci
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse
Comments
Therefore, we can infer that his efforts succeeded, the federation endured to the battle against the Sphere Builders, and the Xindi did join the federation in that timeline.
We can even infer that the battle of procyon 5, the last battle against the sphere builders took place in our timeline due to the appearance in the background of several established Federation ship types including the Prometheus and dauntless.
What's more, to make Xindi space, they'd have to carve it out of existing sectors in game, dramatically altering the map around this new mini faciton.
It just doesn't work. As playable races and boffs, fine. But their whole superfriends legion of doom thing was embarassing and cheesy. The dinosaurs are already bad enough. We don't need to slice up Sirius for ~5 levels of content for a race that had a season of screentime and virtually no background given on them.
Give them a feautre episode, by all means. Give us xindi boff, doff, and ship reward choices. We need some more feature episode rewards to look forward to, especially considering if we can only get one Breen and one Reman. I'd love to play starship troopers and squash some bugs, or go whaling for some aquatics in a shuttle equipped with a grappler console.
But as an actual faction, it doesn't fit.
Xindi Primate Forhead detail is in the Alien options and my Alien can appear as a Reptilian, Primate and Abareal.
I think the Xindi should be a cross faction race (like Klingon and Trill) but I hardly see them as a viable Faction.
The Xindi had far more than a few episodes and Cryptic did create the Defari and tie them from TOS to TNG so it's possible.
As for the space for the Xindi, we could always put in near the Alpha Centari Sector block, where nothing exists.
I would say at least ten levels of Content
I would actually support this more than a Xindi faction, despite the Xindi being my second favorite species in Star Trek. We really don't need them as a playable faction to have fun with them, I just want to interact, perhaps show that not all the Reptilians are space Hitler, and not all the Insectioids are space Mussolini.
Or a Delta quadrant alliance of species that join together because they remember how much of a pain Janeway was with 1 ship... now the entire Federation is leaking in to the delta quadrant.
It's not a predestination paradox as even Daniels himself clearly told Archer that the outcome fo the Xindi conflict hadn't reached Daniels and his people yet...whatever the heck that means but it's a fact nontheless.
So he was from another future. Also, he was from a timeline that was polluted by the whole "Temporal Cold War" which was undone at the end of "Storm Front" when it reset itself and the whole cold war was averted.
CUUCUUMBEER! "-With slight partigen with it."
Proud member or DPS-800 "-We kill dem mines with our scitter turrets."
I don't think cryptic is going to release a drug abused slave faction.
Honestly I don't want new 'factions' I want more content for the existing factions. That is content that will be enjoyed by far more people.
So basically: "Brainwashing people into subservience is A-okay, as long as it works and after they're coerced to be good little lackeys they learn, over hundreds of generations, to just accept it."
Got it. :rolleyes:
About the Xindi: they're part of the Federation. I know, it was never confirmed, and Procyon V may or may not have been part of the final timeline, but given how things turned out, they're gonna be part of the Federation. They didn't disappear from normal space; the Expanse was destroyed, turning that region of space INTO normal space and saving the Xindi from destruction, all as a result of Enterprise's actions. The Xindi and the humans would have thus been on very good terms, so barring some unforeseen event, they're part of the Federation now.
CM
Look at that Voyager episode where one group of holograms tried to rescue other holograms from "enslavement". Some of the holograms were merely tools that didn't have the capacity for freedom. The Doctor is clearly an intelligent being with self-determination, but that was not the case at the start of the series.
The Vorta and the Jem'Hadar are slightly different. The have intelligence, but most don't have self-determination or following the Founders is what they desire to do. Therefore, slaves only exist when they desire to be free. If Jem'Hadar and Vorta have no desire to be free, then they are not slaves.
There is no proof they are part of the Federation, remember that all five Xindi species have to vote on what to do, and with something this important it would likely have to be unanimous. The insectoids, though they clearly were not on the side of the Reptilians by the end (Their ships were destroyed by the Sphere builders) they were clearly xenophobic. The Aquatics too took months to make simple decisions, who could say they would want to join the Federation?
And of course it boils down to, what would joining the Federation get them? They have a unique culture, and a large area of space to call their own, they don't need the Federation.
To sum up, I would say the Xindi would more likely be allies, not a member of the Federation.
So if you create them, then they have no rights- just like the Federation's view on "photonic lifeforms" and holograms, eh? :rolleyes:
I know there's no proof. Well, there is, actually: Daniels. While his timeline may not have happened, his goal was to get Archer to make peace with the Xindi, as that would result in them being part of the Federation. Archer did so, so it's logical to assume that they did join at some point, regardless of whatever else happened (the Butterfly of Doom doesn't appear to apply to ST.) And sure, it might take them a while to decide, but it's been two, three hundred years.
thats a hollow rationalization
the dominion pets, vorta and jem'hadar are programmed to do their jobs, they were created, they didnt exist as a natural lifeform like this before the founders got them. even if a one wishes to be free, he is not freed from his programming or the belief in the dominion as a whole, there is just no way around that as they are entirely build around that programming.
as for the robot sentience thing, humans are biological computers and we have a set value and intelligence like a computerized robot that learns and thinks for itself. sure it may have been programmed and it's clear we humans are programmed with stuff that helps us understand that around us to interact. you see cogs and wheels, i see bones, cartilage and muscle. you see lubricants, i see plasma cells, leukocytes. you see oil to maintain the system, i see blood to maintain ours. you see a cpu and motherboard, i see a brain. you see power units, i see a heart.
when droids become sentient, they should immediately be set free because in our dark history as a race with all this purity nonsense, resources and killing over tribal god images and such. why force this idea of droids that have the chance to be the new shining hope from a race of savage cruel lifeforms like ourselves?
Been around since Dec 2010 on STO and bought LTS in Apr 2013 for STO.
Just because they made peace does not mean the Xindi are a part of the Federation.
The Deferi, Romulans, and Cardassians are all allies of the Federation in STO, why wouldn't the Xindi also just be allies?
Just because you save someone he doesn't automatically join you...unless you're using a storytelling approach from the 1950's where the damsel in distress automatically falls in love with the guy who saved her.
How often have the Klingons and the Federation saved each others' butts during the Dominion War?
The British and Americans also helped save the Soviet Union by sending them tanks, Mathildas and Shermans for example, and supplies during WW2. This does not guarantee anything.
I want to be the tribble species that get's to purr exactly like a cat!!!!:D
butcher suspect, "What'd you hit me with?"
Temperance Brennan, "A building"
Whilst a good portion of players would have preferred a fully independent Romulan faction, the Romulans in this game are a divided people. Sure you've got the Tal Shiar, but they're more galactic troublemakers now and I don't think they'd work as an actual faction. Obviously Romulus has been obliterated and (for those of us playing one) we're following the story of a refugee and republican.
An independent Romulan faction would have been great if implemented there and then. However, with the story having been told I wouldn't want Cryptic to backtrack the Romulans. Not now. That's assuming they even could.
As for what is next, it truly depends on whether or not they're going to continue with the mini faction theme or whether they'll ever be open to including another independent faction. The main four mentioned factions as of late are the Cardassians, the Dominion, Liberated Borg and a Mercenary Faction.
A Dominion Faction should only ever be released as an independent one. The Cardassians I don't think would realistically be able to cope as a full faction without the alliance system, and as such they'd work only through the mini faction route. I've said this before and I'll say it again, but I am in favour of merging Cardassian Refugees into the Republic. The same would go for the Liberated Borg (in the sense that they'd need to be a mini faction). A Mercenary faction could work either way.
I doubt we'll ever see a Dominion faction for several reasons; firstly their story has been told through DS9, secondly they're in a different quadrant of the galaxy, and thirdly all but one of their ships are already available to everyone, and their internal species (Jem Hadar, Vorta, Dosi, Wadi etc) are already serving in the Federation/Klingon Empire/Romulan Republic.
The other factions are possible, though I believe as a mini faction and only through an alliance system.
And I wouldn't want to see them as an enemy NPC faction like the Voth. The Voth are interesting enemies with cool ships and tech, but I feel we haven't really seen enough of them as a race in the game. For the most part you don't see or talk to them face to face, they are just another enemy to shoot at. The Xindi would have a lot more story potential than just being a faceless enemy to fight.
I think the Xindi appeared enough in their one season to give STO something to work with in terms of culture, ships, architecture, history, etc., while giving the developers a lot of room to be creative and weave new stories.
I would like to say before hand that I have completely enjoyed all 3 factions thus far.
Now having said that AND that the Delta Quadrant is now open, my choices would be (In Order) 1-Dominion, 2- Liberated Borg, 3- Cardasian, 4- Marque, and finally 5- Deferi.
My reasons for these choices are because I think the Dev's put a great deal of thought and planing into creating the world of each faction, the main storyline as well as the side quests. I think the above mentioned factions have been established to a degree that they (the Dev's) would have an easier time of it. Of course in hindsight I will now have to add Feregi to that list.
Whatever is decided I hope they continue the rich full graphics, artwork, an such BUT especially the storylines.
If not them, then absolutely the Dominion, with playable Jem'Hadar and maybe a purchasable Founder. Just like a Fed can buy a joined Trill.
Just my two cents.
This all this/ add founders/Vorta and breen as well
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse