The Wounded

[kostmayer]

Great episode, I especially love the scene between Picard and Maxwell in Picard's ready room. It did a great job of tackling issues of racism, and how one side percieves the other in times of war. Few questions, as always.

1. Did Worf relay the prefix codes for The Phoenix to the Cardassian Warship as ordered. If so, why didn't the Warship destroy the Phoenix? If the Phoenix so outclassed the Cardassian ship, why risk send it the codes in the first place? And why was the Enterprise only travelling at warp 4?

2. As henious as Maxwells actions were, did he infact prevent war? Was he right in thinking that Starfleet would spend so long deciding what to do it'd be too late? They certainly dragged their heels over the Dominion.

3. Does Riker have a mancrush on Picard?

[Captain Seafort]

Did Worf relay the prefix codes for The Phoenix to the Cardassian Warship as ordered.

Presumably, given that the Phoenix lost shields.

If so, why didn't the Warship destroy the Phoenix?

We saw earlier how much the GCS outclasses a Galor - the E-D only suffered minor damage despite being caught with her shields down.

If the Phoenix so outclassed the Cardassian ship, why risk send it the codes in the first place?

The Cardie was already engaged - a slim chance of being able to take out the Phoenix was better than none.

And why was the Enterprise only travelling at warp 4?

Travelling at high warp may reduce sensor effectiveness so they were travelling slower to allow maximum range.

As henious as Maxwells actions were, did he infact prevent war?

Unknown and unknowable - the war had only recently ended, the treaty had yet to be signed, and we know from "Chain of Command" that Starfleet was keeping an eye on the Cardassians. Whether that would have been done anyway or whether it was due to Maxwell's actions is the big hole in our knowledge.

Was he right in thinking that Starfleet would spend so long deciding what to do it'd be too late? They certainly dragged their heels over the Dominion.

The Dominion massively outgunned Starfleet, even more so in the early days when Starfleet was still in the depths of its TNG incompetence. They needed time to build up a proper combat fleet (and the luck of Sisko capturing a bug nearly intact) before they had a chance of taking on the Jem'Hadar.

Does Riker have a mancrush on Picard?

[kostmayer]

Presumably, given that the Phoenix lost shields.

Where is that stated, I don't recall it during the battle.

The Cardie was already engaged - a slim chance of being able to take out the Phoenix was better than none.

The Cardassian Warship was in the area, but didn't engage the Phoenix until its position was relayed to the Warship.

Travelling at high warp may reduce sensor effectiveness so they were travelling slower to allow maximum range.

They were still plodding along at Warp 4 whilst watching the Phoenix pursue the transport ship, shouldn't they have increased to maximum warp as soon as they had the position of the Phoenix?

The Dominion massively outgunned Starfleet, even more so in the early days when Starfleet was still in the depths of its TNG incompetence. They needed time to build up a proper combat fleet (and the luck of Sisko capturing a bug nearly intact) before they had a chance of taking on the Jem'Hadar.

Whole new discussion really (which has probably occured before on the board ) but I'm referring to the few weeks whilst they sat and watched the weekly convoys travel through the wormhole and head for Cardassia. Was the time Starfleet gained in preparing their forces worth the forces the Dominion was pouring into the Alpha Quadrant?

Mancrush I say

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

I think he's asking where the mancrush idea came from.

I'd like to know, too.

[kostmayer]

Just the look of admiration on his face when Picard is discussing the mission with the Cardassians. But it most likely is all in my head.

[McAvoy]

As far as the Pheonix vs. a Cardassian warship, I'd say she's superior. But that's just a guess. We don't know what that pod is or what it does. But given that her base technology is about on par with a Galaxy class, presumably she's about the same power as a Galaxy class such as the E-D.

I think it may not have prevented a war, but at least delayed one.

[Atekimogus]

Far more interesting imho is how O'Brien served first as Tactical Officer and obviously did a very good job in that position (considering Maxwells statements and the fact that at that point O'Brien, as tactical Officer, has probably more "real" combat experience than Worf, serving in a war), then went on becoming a flight controller lieutanent and finally ends up as a transporter chief.

Now O'Brien is one of my alltime favourite characters and I really don't mind that they wanted more of him but why didn't they spent 10seks thinking of a plausible career path for the character?

(Just in theory, what exactly must one do to loose his officer patent while still beeing able to serve as enlisted man? Is this possible at all?)

[McAvoy]

It's very possible for an enlisted man to perform officer duties while being enlisted. But to get demoted from a Lt. down to a Chief? Never heard of it in real life. Not saying it's not possible though.

You get the general impression that either O'Brian didn't know what he wanted to do, since he was a soldier, engineer, tactical officer, helm/conn, and transporter operator.

[Mikey]

It's eminently possible for a person to be good at being a tactical officer, yet desire to be something else... like an engineer.

As for Riker, I think it was more like "I want to be him when I grow up" than a mancrush.

[BigJKU316]

It's very possible for an enlisted man to perform officer duties while being enlisted. But to get demoted from a Lt. down to a Chief? Never heard of it in real life. Not saying it's not possible though.

You get the general impression that either O'Brian didn't know what he wanted to do, since he was a soldier, engineer, tactical officer, helm/conn, and transporter operator.

You could get what is called a Brevet appointment, basically a field appointment or temporary appointment, that is then not confirmed by the proper authorities and you would revert to your previous rank.

[kostmayer]

Maybe O'Brien didn't want to be an Officer. He was adverse to violence before the Cardassian War, and despised what he had to do during the conflict. However good a soldier he might have been, I get the idea O'Brien prefered being an engineer.

Its possible he was dithering about his career choice before the war, if I remember rightly he tells Sisko that he wasn't much of an engineer until he was forced to fix a transporter to rescue a couple of his shipmates during a crisis.

[Mark]

Going from Tac officer to Engineer isn't a great leap for somebody adverse to violence, as was just stated. However, what SHOULD boggle the mind is O'Brians constant demotions. AFAIK, no officer can be demoted to an enlisted man. Unless he was on Enterprise on TAD and was an "acting" officer, much like Wesley.

[Mikey]

Or, as was suggested, his lieutenancy was a brevet rank.

[Atekimogus]

Of course it makes sense to change the outfit if engineering is more preferable to him, yet I find it strange that in the order to do so he is demoted to an enlisted man. There are I believe quite a few instances where a crewmember switched divisions (from science to command for example) without beeing demoted.

As for his lieutenancy beeing a brevet rank, now I have no experience with that, yet I find it hard to believe that he serves a whole war as tactical officer, than goes on serving on the enterprise as Lt. and only after that starfleet decides that they won't confirm it and revert him to his previous rank.

If his lieutenancy was a field promotion I imagine it would be confirmed or denied pretty much by the end of the war and not long after he was assigned to a new unit. Might be wrong though.

Aside, as soon as he took over the engineering department on DS9 he should have been promoted to officer rank to give him the proper authority and preventing young ferengi ensigns and inexperienced doctors to boss him around. Just saying.

[Mikey]

Aside, as soon as he took over the engineering department on DS9 he should have been promoted to officer rank to give him the proper authority and preventing young ferengi ensigns and inexperienced doctors to boss him around. Just saying.

That's the biggest question mark to me. Seafort has argued that it's not odd, considering the relatively small component of actual Starfleet personnel in ops, but I still find it odd that an enlisted man was a department head on a Starfleet-administered station.