Ship of the Week: Excelsior

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 6:35 pm

Mikey wrote:
Rochey wrote:That's incredibly stupid, as anyone with clearance could sieze the entire ship from just about anywhere.
Or without clearance - Khan, Kevin Finnigan, the MI-5, etc., etc.

Even worse is the unblockable remote login feature of Fed starships - in ST2, "The Wounded" and "Peak Performance" hostile ships were able to access the ship's main computer and either deactivate the shields (in the first two cases) or transmit false sensor data (in the latter).

Post by **Mikey** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 6:37 pm

Well, we couldn't expect the 24th century have anything like wi-fi inhibition or firewalls, could we? [/sarcasm]

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 6:42 pm

Or without clearance - Khan, Kevin Finnigan, the MI-5, etc., etc.

Or pretty much anyone who gets onto a Fed ship. Jeez, those things have crap security.

Thorin · Post by **Thorin** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 7:00 pm

Thing I didn't get - why do things always have frequencies like "1.2 MHz" or something. To take over someone's ship you need a 3 digit code! I mean, they could just guess it and get it right. Why not have it as "1.210058295737546321214901548175422590975 MHz". If it's 1.2 they could just have the computer put in about 100 codes til they get it right. Even the E-D's shield frequency was 4 digit - meaning there were 10,000 combinations.

Modern day 128 bit security have 10^26 combinations. That's to keep your credit card safe - maybe costs one person a thousand pounds.
300 years into the future, security has 10^4 combinations. That's to keep 1000 people alive and save something probably worth a trillion+ pounds.

I mean - that's not even just a lack of a firewall, that's a lack of common sense. People have 6 digit pins on their mobile phone! A million combinations. Starships have 4 digit 'pins'. It's just so dumb it's unreal. It's like they actually want someone to break in.

Post by **Mikey** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 7:05 pm

Well, where would our plot devices be if it were actually difficult to seixe control of a starship - the flagship of the Federation, no less?

Maybe they forgot about Pascal's Triangle by the 23rd century, and nobody can figure out factorials anymore.

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 7:06 pm

To nitpick - the E-D's shield frequency was just that, a frequency not a security code. The Klingons matched it and used a phase angle of 180 degrees to fire right through. Presumably the E-D was doing exactly the same with its own weapons to allow them to fire though the shields.

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 7:08 pm

Mikey wrote:Well, where would our plot devices be if it were actually difficult to seixe control of a starship - the flagship of the Federation, no less?

Maybe they forgot about Pascal's Triangle by the 23rd century, and nobody can figure out factorials anymore.

Who needs anything fancy - modern brute-force codebreakers could get through that in a few minutes.

Post by **Mikey** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 7:10 pm

I think Thorin's point remains valid, though. That particular example is not a good one, though, because the Duras sisters gained the frequency through espionage, not just guessing it or cracking it.

Thorin · Post by **Thorin** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 7:23 pm

Captain Seafort wrote:To nitpick - the E-D's shield frequency was just that, a frequency not a security code.

Your point? The fact that for each shot there is a 1/10,000 chance of the enemy getting a shot through is far too high. It's absurdly high.

The Reliant's prefix code was 16,309 - meaning there are 100,000 combinations. A modern day codebreaker can break a code with a trillion combinations - no problem. Why don't starships take up modern day PCs and just use them to find out the prefix code of another ship? It'd take [literally] a fraction of a second.

Post by **Tsukiyumi** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 7:27 pm

Thorin wrote:Why don't starships take up modern day PCs and just use them to find out the prefix code of another ship? It'd take [literally] a fraction of a second.

And then, Windows would crash...

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 8:11 pm

Why don't starships take up modern day PCs and just use them to find out the prefix code of another ship? It'd take [literally] a fraction of a second.

Uh, because this would be smart?

Deepcrush · Post by **Deepcrush** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 8:25 pm

For anyone who is concerned about what I am about to say, be very afraid.

I agree with Thorin.
There are many things that come to mind.

Why aren't the shields rotating?
Why doesn't starfleet catch on that not everyone likes them?
How much is Jim Kirks monthly child support check?
Do they all take UFP credits?
Why is the GCS less defended then the American Flag at a boy scout camp?
Why is Deepcrush agreeing with Thorin?
Why doesn't build an army?
Why aren't they mass producing ships around the clock?
Why did Rochey lose too an Excelsior? (Sorry, had to! You'll do the same when you woop me next time!)
What type of defenses does starfleet feel the need for around planetst that are 'vital'?
Would you shoot every admiral in starfleet for being about as smart as a pea?

Post by **Mikey** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 8:36 pm

Well, one down. It looks like Deep finally gave in and took that post-office job... *baclks away slowly*

Is there a way to administer thorazine over the internet?

Deepcrush · Post by **Deepcrush** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 8:37 pm

This is my new postal truck!

Don't you like it! WELL DON'T YOU!

Don't worry mikey! I don't always agree with you but you're not so bad!

Deepcrush · Post by **Deepcrush** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 9:09 pm

Why won't anyone answer my questions!
Thats it!
Every one of you is going to get The Mail!