Great! I wish that these stories were more in-game, as cutscenes or even records like Sela's ico reputation.
10 forward? So on Odyssey the cafeteria is also on 10th deck? In TNG cafeteria was named "10F" on Enterprise, that wasn't official name of it on every Galaxy. I understand that this is next next Enterprise (tradition and so) but now I wanna see blueprints of Oddy.
Hmmm...underwhelmed here. I was REALLY wanting to see this go more in the "science-y" direction that Sunrise and the blog with Kumaarke suggested might happen, such as my proposal to attempt ignition of a gas giant in the Na'kuhl system as a stopgap measure to buy time for a proper colonization effort. Instead, it feels like now we've got headlines with the serial numbers filed off. I know that happened in Trek sometimes but I was getting REALLY geared up for some geeky stuff.
Back to the science please...things were starting out so promising with putting the science in the science fiction that I'd hate to see that go by the wayside. IMO that was the best way we were going to get an exploration feel to something in STO, so I'm very sorry to see that go.
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"Critics who say that the optimistic utopia Star Trek depicted is now outmoded forget the cultural context that gave birth to it: Star Trek was not a manifestation of optimism when optimism was easy. Star Trek declared a hope for a future that nobody stuck in the present could believe in. For all our struggles today, we haven’t outgrown the need for stories like Star Trek. We need tales of optimism, of heroes, of courage and goodness now as much as we’ve ever needed them." -Thomas Marrone
More from the Department of Sci-Fi Solutions I would have liked to see instead of going the easier/non-sci/non-exploration route...
We know from the lockbox ships and kit modules that we have a limited ability to open solar gateways. At close range this is highly destructive, but at a proper distance away from Na'kuhl (or with the use of large lenses in orbit to diffuse the incoming solar rays to a safe level and spread them over a larger area) it might be possible to temporarily "rent a sun" until a more orderly evacuation to a new system en mass can be planned and executed.
Angering the Tholians and T'Ket is an added bonus.
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I don't really like the idea of Lux Troi still being alive in 2410. She'd be positively ancient, not to mention that the actress who played her has since past on.
I don't really like the idea of Lux Troi still being alive in 2410. She'd be positively ancient, not to mention that the actress who played her has since past on.
I also didn't like her as an ambassador. She was particularly grating when it came to the Cairn, insisting that the Cairn actually get surgery to conform, instead of using a non-invasive means of bridging the communication gap such as sign language.
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The article is an interesting example of the world-building that STO works so hard at. You could make a drinking game out of all the Trek shout-outs here, with a mention of a character or race from every single ST series all in one article.
Otherwise an interesting attempt at a comment on current political issues, which is unexpected. It seems at odds with the episodes' content, though, which implied that it would be a cold day in hell before the Na'kuhl accepted any Federation assistance at all.
akalsaris13, You hit the nail on the head! This feels rather shoehorned in light of what was shown in the prior episodes. Even though the Na'kuhl really WERE getting a cold day in hell, they seemed to be giving a giant middle finger to everyone.
Dagnabbit, the sci-fi opportunities wasted...that bit with Kumaarke doing a scientific expedition really should've been capitalized on.
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I don't really like the idea of Lux Troi still being alive in 2410. She'd be positively ancient, not to mention that the actress who played her has since past on.
I also didn't like her as an ambassador. She was particularly grating when it came to the Cairn, insisting that the Cairn actually get surgery to conform, instead of using a non-invasive means of bridging the communication gap such as sign language.
I really hate that character, how the hell did she end up as an ambassador, she's the opposite of diplomatic.
Haha, that's actually one of the reasons I have the ambassador in my Foundry mission NOT act like a jerk (I still need to follow that mission up someday...I've been such a slacker). So many ambassadors in Trek act that way that it's actually rather stereotype-breaking to have one show the grace and diplomacy required by his or her job.
(Edit: You CAN tick him off with a few of the dialogue options, but you pretty much have to make a jerk of yourself for it to happen instead of the typical Trek ambassador trope of their acting that way without a very good reason. )
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I don't really like the idea of Lux Troi still being alive in 2410. She'd be positively ancient, not to mention that the actress who played her has since past on.
Shoot. I read too fast and thought they made Deanna Troi ambassador. Yeah, Lux would be pretty old.
Love these stories and they play into the real world too. Refugees looking for a new home while others are hesitant to open up or are down right hostile to the idea. Remind anyone of anything?
The Na'Kuhl leadership might hate the Federation, but I'm sure the civilians are more than happy to get away from their rapidly-dying homeworld if there are people willing to take them in. Again, a reflection of real-world events.
And I'd rather have a personal story than one filled with sci-fi technobabble any day of the week.
"Critics who say that the optimistic utopia Star Trek depicted is now outmoded forget the cultural context that gave birth to it: Star Trek was not a manifestation of optimism when optimism was easy. Star Trek declared a hope for a future that nobody stuck in the present could believe in. For all our struggles today, we haven’t outgrown the need for stories like Star Trek. We need tales of optimism, of heroes, of courage and goodness now as much as we’ve ever needed them." -Thomas Marrone
On a kinda related note, arnt the Na'Kuhl eyes supposed to be red?
Yes, but the devs messed up.
"Our history, our past, our present and our future is now forever changed. All we can do is preserve what is left and continue onwards. This is not a surrender nor defeat, we will continue the fight. This is our last hope, our last chance... for victory."
Vlasek D. Lasor - 4.19.3580 Star Trek Online: Foundry Storyline Series
I do not envy Shon. He has quite the mess to clean up.
My only beef with this storyline was the brain deadedness of our future friend hiding the Tox Uthat before using it to repair the damage that had been caused. To say nothing about the, but thou mustness of the aftermath of his death. We know where and when the thing is, it wasn't like we couldn't have gone back and gotten it.
The Na'Kuhl leadership might hate the Federation, but I'm sure the civilians are more than happy to get away from their rapidly-dying homeworld if there are people willing to take them in. Again, a reflection of real-world events.
And I'd rather have a personal story than one filled with sci-fi technobabble any day of the week.
I say both. Science fiction is the vehicle through which we meet and deal with these people.
"Rise like Lions after slumber, In unvanquishable number, Shake your chains to earth like dew, Which in sleep had fallen on you-Ye are many they are few"
All this "ripped from today's headlines" TRIBBLE was old on television dramas long ago, and it's just as stale here. An attempt to be "Trek" a la TNG, and the poorly disguised soap-boxing that comes with that approach. Plus, after our character's "glorious contribution" to the "epic" Blog War against Iconia, storytelling through blogs gets stale after a while (well written or not). This stuff should be in the game, backstory and all.
It also breaks with the narrative progression up until now. It's clear in the previous FE that the Na'kuhl basically told us, in no uncertain terms, to go TRIBBLE ourselves and die in a fire. They don't want our help. And combined with Captain Walker's comments regarding them, you get the impression that they stuck to that, and we shouldn't change things. In their eyes, the Alliance was just as responsible for their dying homeworld as the Tholians (not to mention, people from a future time period where folks are rather cavalier with time travel). And now, they want our help in a major way? They accept our offers to take them in? Sorry, I'm not seeing it. If anything, they are hostile and bitter. And they are NOT in a forgiving mood.
I was REALLY wanting to see this go more in the "science-y" direction that Sunrise and the blog with Kumaarke suggested might happen, such as my proposal to attempt ignition of a gas giant in the Na'kuhl system as a stopgap measure to buy time for a proper colonization effort.
If STO chose to make cutscenes not only for the action, but also for these "human" conversations (unlike the movies, which cut philosophical debates for more action-time) that would be so amazingly Trek. If it were Picard and Troi, they'd be talking just like this. However, I also agree with you, Gul Berat. I was expecting to see myself dig up some files on that scientist from that episode in DS9 who woke up a star. There had to be something we could do.
So how about combining the two? What if the diplomats and tactical officers were to open a proper federation, Trek dialog with the Na'kuhl, while Starfleet's finest engineers and scientists would recreate the method used by that (dead) professor. The Romulan and Klingon scientists can get involved too, and though there is still some tension between the three factions, the scientists will write history (This tension could build up with each episode for a future story arc). Tholians will try to stop you, sure, and maybe the Tholian Resistance could get an upgrade (armor based on Tholian EV-suits and the like). Maybe a final showdown where you have to win the Na'kuhl's trust by stating the purpose of the federation and the universe with their blade at your throat, while your team ignites the star using a huge Tholian ship visible from your location on the planet. You leave the Na'kuhl alone, and we scientists can go collect and analyze 150 different and unique species of flora and fauna on New Romulus for a cool accolade, title, and a cookie
The End.
PS: Getting my hopes up again... Shouldn't do that...
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and that lady in the last story may have actually worked her way in on positive terms...
Also, Like it was mentioned above, I really enjoy the fact that this story seems to correlate to events happening in our current lives. It gives us the opportunity to sit back and reflect on how much/little things change, but that our attitudes about them can change. Again, ditto the comments about it feeling like real Trek!
Good reads! Now, gimme my T6 Vesta and Odyssey already!
CM
"Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure science." - Edwin Hubble
I don't really like the idea of Lux Troi still being alive in 2410. She'd be positively ancient, not to mention that the actress who played her has since past on.
True, the actress has passed, but Lwaxana Troi is too stubborn to die. :P
Regarding Na'kuhl eyes, I actually don't think that's a dev mess-up. The Na'kuhl didn't have hair either in Enterprise. Similar to the Suliban Cabal, I suspected immediately that the Na'kuhl altered themselves in pursuit of the master race philosophy that we saw in ENT.
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(And FYI it isn't a Godwin when TRIBBLE are directly germane to the subject at hand. )
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Great! I wish that these stories were more in-game, as cutscenes or even records like Sela's ico reputation.
10 forward? So on Odyssey the cafeteria is also on 10th deck? In TNG cafeteria was named "10F" on Enterprise, that wasn't official name of it on every Galaxy. I understand that this is next next Enterprise (tradition and so) but now I wanna see blueprints of Oddy.
Well, this Enterprise is an Odyssey Class (which means it's this ship is the first of the line of that class), the second ship to replace the Galaxy class, with the Sovereign Class starship in the middle.
Thanks to captain Shon for trying to fix what our player characters broke by running away with the Tox Uthat instead of using it to fix the Na'Kuhl sun. By the way when will I finally get my demotion to crewman third class plasma conduit scrubber for that?
FKA K-Tar, grumpy Klingon/El-Aurian hybrid. Now assimilated by PWE.
Sometimes, if you want to bury the hatchet with a Klingon, it has to be in his skull. - Captain K'Tar of the USS Danu about J'mpok.
Comments
Please, give whoever wrote this my praise and a raise.
10 forward? So on Odyssey the cafeteria is also on 10th deck? In TNG cafeteria was named "10F" on Enterprise, that wasn't official name of it on every Galaxy. I understand that this is next next Enterprise (tradition and so) but now I wanna see blueprints of Oddy.
It could be placed in a sort of galactic library that anyone could visit...
arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline/#/discussion/comment/12802566
arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline/#/discussion/1203368/pve-content-a-list-of-gamewide-polishing-pass-suggestions
Back to the science please...things were starting out so promising with putting the science in the science fiction that I'd hate to see that go by the wayside. IMO that was the best way we were going to get an exploration feel to something in STO, so I'm very sorry to see that go.
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Keep these coming, Cryptic. And maybe find a way to put them in the actual game?
"Critics who say that the optimistic utopia Star Trek depicted is now outmoded forget the cultural context that gave birth to it: Star Trek was not a manifestation of optimism when optimism was easy. Star Trek declared a hope for a future that nobody stuck in the present could believe in. For all our struggles today, we haven’t outgrown the need for stories like Star Trek. We need tales of optimism, of heroes, of courage and goodness now as much as we’ve ever needed them."
-Thomas Marrone
We know from the lockbox ships and kit modules that we have a limited ability to open solar gateways. At close range this is highly destructive, but at a proper distance away from Na'kuhl (or with the use of large lenses in orbit to diffuse the incoming solar rays to a safe level and spread them over a larger area) it might be possible to temporarily "rent a sun" until a more orderly evacuation to a new system en mass can be planned and executed.
Angering the Tholians and T'Ket is an added bonus.
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I also didn't like her as an ambassador. She was particularly grating when it came to the Cairn, insisting that the Cairn actually get surgery to conform, instead of using a non-invasive means of bridging the communication gap such as sign language.
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Reminds me of this comic, actually:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/07/23/san-diego-sketchbook-on-vibroblades
Otherwise an interesting attempt at a comment on current political issues, which is unexpected. It seems at odds with the episodes' content, though, which implied that it would be a cold day in hell before the Na'kuhl accepted any Federation assistance at all.
Dagnabbit, the sci-fi opportunities wasted...that bit with Kumaarke doing a scientific expedition really should've been capitalized on.
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I really hate that character, how the hell did she end up as an ambassador, she's the opposite of diplomatic.
(Edit: You CAN tick him off with a few of the dialogue options, but you pretty much have to make a jerk of yourself for it to happen instead of the typical Trek ambassador trope of their acting that way without a very good reason. )
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Shoot. I read too fast and thought they made Deanna Troi ambassador. Yeah, Lux would be pretty old.
And I'd rather have a personal story than one filled with sci-fi technobabble any day of the week.
"Critics who say that the optimistic utopia Star Trek depicted is now outmoded forget the cultural context that gave birth to it: Star Trek was not a manifestation of optimism when optimism was easy. Star Trek declared a hope for a future that nobody stuck in the present could believe in. For all our struggles today, we haven’t outgrown the need for stories like Star Trek. We need tales of optimism, of heroes, of courage and goodness now as much as we’ve ever needed them."
-Thomas Marrone
Yes, but the devs messed up.
"Our history, our past, our present and our future is now forever changed. All we can do is preserve what is left and continue onwards. This is not a surrender nor defeat, we will continue the fight. This is our last hope, our last chance... for victory."
Vlasek D. Lasor - 4.19.3580
Star Trek Online: Foundry Storyline Series
My only beef with this storyline was the brain deadedness of our future friend hiding the Tox Uthat before using it to repair the damage that had been caused. To say nothing about the, but thou mustness of the aftermath of his death. We know where and when the thing is, it wasn't like we couldn't have gone back and gotten it.
And that is Trek at its best in its purest. A future reflection of us.
I say both. Science fiction is the vehicle through which we meet and deal with these people.
All this "ripped from today's headlines" TRIBBLE was old on television dramas long ago, and it's just as stale here. An attempt to be "Trek" a la TNG, and the poorly disguised soap-boxing that comes with that approach. Plus, after our character's "glorious contribution" to the "epic" Blog War against Iconia, storytelling through blogs gets stale after a while (well written or not). This stuff should be in the game, backstory and all.
It also breaks with the narrative progression up until now. It's clear in the previous FE that the Na'kuhl basically told us, in no uncertain terms, to go TRIBBLE ourselves and die in a fire. They don't want our help. And combined with Captain Walker's comments regarding them, you get the impression that they stuck to that, and we shouldn't change things. In their eyes, the Alliance was just as responsible for their dying homeworld as the Tholians (not to mention, people from a future time period where folks are rather cavalier with time travel). And now, they want our help in a major way? They accept our offers to take them in? Sorry, I'm not seeing it. If anything, they are hostile and bitter. And they are NOT in a forgiving mood.
If STO chose to make cutscenes not only for the action, but also for these "human" conversations (unlike the movies, which cut philosophical debates for more action-time) that would be so amazingly Trek. If it were Picard and Troi, they'd be talking just like this. However, I also agree with you, Gul Berat. I was expecting to see myself dig up some files on that scientist from that episode in DS9 who woke up a star. There had to be something we could do.
So how about combining the two? What if the diplomats and tactical officers were to open a proper federation, Trek dialog with the Na'kuhl, while Starfleet's finest engineers and scientists would recreate the method used by that (dead) professor. The Romulan and Klingon scientists can get involved too, and though there is still some tension between the three factions, the scientists will write history (This tension could build up with each episode for a future story arc). Tholians will try to stop you, sure, and maybe the Tholian Resistance could get an upgrade (armor based on Tholian EV-suits and the like). Maybe a final showdown where you have to win the Na'kuhl's trust by stating the purpose of the federation and the universe with their blade at your throat, while your team ignites the star using a huge Tholian ship visible from your location on the planet. You leave the Na'kuhl alone, and we scientists can go collect and analyze 150 different and unique species of flora and fauna on New Romulus for a cool accolade, title, and a cookie
The End.
PS: Getting my hopes up again... Shouldn't do that...
Also, Like it was mentioned above, I really enjoy the fact that this story seems to correlate to events happening in our current lives. It gives us the opportunity to sit back and reflect on how much/little things change, but that our attitudes about them can change. Again, ditto the comments about it feeling like real Trek!
Good reads! Now, gimme my T6 Vesta and Odyssey already!
CM
True, the actress has passed, but Lwaxana Troi is too stubborn to die. :P
amen
Grand Master Thotok, son of Koloth, I.K.S. Sompek==Dahar Master Shanara, I.K.S. Balth'Quv
Admiral R'Tath V'Tirex, R.R.W. Dhael Glohha'enh==Commander Ta'eth Korval, R.R.W Hachae ch'Rhian==Admiral Vranuk, R.R.W Delevhas
Preaching to the choir, monsieur. T6 Ody!
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Rings a bell but I cant remember
Grand Master Thotok, son of Koloth, I.K.S. Sompek==Dahar Master Shanara, I.K.S. Balth'Quv
Admiral R'Tath V'Tirex, R.R.W. Dhael Glohha'enh==Commander Ta'eth Korval, R.R.W Hachae ch'Rhian==Admiral Vranuk, R.R.W Delevhas
(And FYI it isn't a Godwin when TRIBBLE are directly germane to the subject at hand. )
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Well, this Enterprise is an Odyssey Class (which means it's this ship is the first of the line of that class), the second ship to replace the Galaxy class, with the Sovereign Class starship in the middle.
Sometimes, if you want to bury the hatchet with a Klingon, it has to be in his skull. - Captain K'Tar of the USS Danu about J'mpok.