STAR TREK: A Long Road (Voyager Fix It Quest)

DragonCobolt · May 8, 2022

The Dragon: Once per episode, at the beginning of combat place an Advantage on the field representing a cunning tactic or strategy devised by Danara Pel.

NAME	USS Voyager	PROF.	MULTIROLE
CLASS	Sovereign Class Heavy Exploration Vessel	CONST	2371
SHIELDS	13/13	RESISTANCE	6	SCALE	6
POWER	13/13	CREW SUPPORT	6	SMALL CRAFT	5

		COMMS	ENGINES	STRUCTURE	COMPUTERS	SENSORS	WEAPONS
BREACHES		0/6	0/6	0/6	0/6	0/6	0/6
		9	11	10	11	9	10
COMMAND	3	12	14	13	14	12	13
CONNING	2	12	14	13	14	12	13
ENGINEERING	2	11	13	12	13	11	12
SECURITY	3	13	15	14	16	13	14
SCIENCE	2	11	13	12	13	11	12
MEDICINE	2	11	13	12	13	11	12

TALENTS	Command Ship: Can give advantages using Command within range to Away Missions or to supporting ships. EMH: Has an EMH! Improved Warp Drive: When going to warp, roll 1cd on an effect, regain the power point. Quantum Torpedoes: Can use Quantum Torpedoes! (60 total) Secondary Reactors: +5 to Power High Resolution Sensors: +1 momentum to out of combat sensor checks.
TRAITS	Federation Starship – A highly sophisticated and advanced vessel, with holodecks, replicators, and similar comforts, primarily designed to handle multiple operations. Highly sensitive and requiring constant maintenance, the vehicle is less rugged than other interstellar craft Maquis Crew - a good chunk of the crew are former Maquis troublemakers. Expect discipline problems and unorthodox plans.
WEAPONS	Phaser Arrays Power Cost: 1-3 \| Range: Medium \| Damage: 9cd [+1 per extra power spent] Can Use Spread: Hit +1 time at ½ damage per effect OR Area: hit +1 ship per effect within close range. Versatile 2: Gain 2 bonus momentum with a successful hit Photon Torpedoes Power Cost: 0 \| Range: Long \| Damage: 6cd High Yield: If it causes 1 breach, it causes +1 breach Quantum Torpedoes Power Cost: 0 \| Range: Long \| Damage: 7cd (Vicious 1 - +1 damage on effects) High Yield: If it causes 1 breach, it causes +1 breach Calibrations: Requires 1 minor action to calibrate Tractor Beam (Strength 5) Power Cost: 0 \| Range: Close \| Damage: None Effect: If successfully established, enemies face a diff 5 check to escape.

CREW COMPLIMENT (Base Stat: 9 | Base Skill: 2)
CO: Captain Katheryn Janeway (Skilled: Command, Science | Weakness: Combat)

SPECIAL ABILITY: "We Can Be Better" - if you succeed on any diplomatic check with Janeway, Get +1 momentum

XO: Commander D-91 (Skilled: Command | Weakness: Socialization)
HELM: Lt. Tom Paris (Skilled: Conn | Weakness: Not Being A Fucking Up)
TACTICAL: Ensign Harry Kimm (Skilled: Gunnery | Weakness: Harry Kim)
SECURITY: Lt. JG Amy Strong (Skilled: Personal Combat | Weakness: Lying)

MAQUIS HEADBREAKER: C'nola (Skilled: Combat, Sneaking and Scheming | Weakness: Emotional Wreck)

SCIENCE: Tuvok (Skilled: Science | Weakness: Emotionless)
COMMS: Lt. Bian T'are (Skilled: Communications | Weakness: Combat)
MEDICAL: The EMH (Skilled: Doctor | Weakness: Kind of a Dick)
ENGINEER: B'lanna Torres (Skilled: Engineering | Weakness: Also a dick)

SECONDARY CHARACTERS
Ensign Steve (Useless Security Goon)
Ensign Becky (plural fighter jock)
Petty Officer Third Class Jessie (Hard working engineer)
Crewman Billingsly (Dude, Billingsly!)
Crewman Chandra (Concerned Crewman)
Bifurcate (bidimensional robot girlfriend of Harry Kim)
Princess Lyan Positron (runaway daughter of magician most foul and girlfriend of Harry Kim)
Soria Flyte (Pegasus girl and girlfriend of Harry Kim)
Mirror Universe Trevor (he's fine!)

NAME	MRSS Val Jean	PROF.	TACOPS
CLASS	Keldon Class Heavy Cruiser	CONST	2370
SHIELDS	12/12	RESISTANCE	5	SCALE	4
POWER	7/7	CREW SUPPORT	4	SMALL CRAFT	3

		COMMS	ENGINES	STRUCTURE	COMPUTERS	SENSORS	WEAPONS
BREACHES		0/4	0/4	0/4	0/4	0/4	0/4
		9	9	9	8	7	10
COMMAND	3	12	12	12	11	10	13
CONNING	2	11	11	11	10	9	12
ENGINEERING	2	11	11	11	10	9	12
SECURITY	3	12	12	12	11	10	13
SCIENCE	1	10	10	10	9	8	11
MEDICINE	2	11	11	11	10	9	12

TALENTS	Electronic Warfare Suite: Whenever making a Jamming or Intercept communications check, can spend 2 momentum to select +1 target (repeatable.) Fast Targeting Systems: No +1 diff for called shots Improved Hull Integrity: +1 Resistance Cloaking Device: Spend 3 power, and make a Control+Engineering + Engines + Security check with a diff of 2. If successful, gain the Cloaked Trait (impossible to detect, cannot attack, shields are down.) It takes a minor action to decloak.
TRAITS	Cardassian Ship – Durable, uncomfortable, close, cramped and cheap. Thinks creature comforts are for other people and technical sophistication is for people who haven't spent decades starving to death. The fact that the starving could have been avoided if the government were less...you know, monstrous doesn't seem to have occurred to that many of them. Okampan Crew – the crew are bright, perky, cheerful, and incredibly psychically powerful. Individually, they're all better than Vulcans, and as a gestalt? Who knows!
WEAPONS	Phaser Arrays Power Cost: 1-3 \| Range: Medium \| Damage: 7-9cd (Spread: Hit +1 time at ½ damage per effect OR Area) Versatile 2: Gain X bonus momentum with a successful hit Disruptor Banks Range: Medium \| Damage: 8-10cd (Vicious 1: Each effect adds +1 damage) Tractor Beam (Strength 3)

CREW COMPLIMENT (Base Stat: 8 | Base Skill: 1)
CO: Lt. Commander Brian Wacoche (Skilled: Commando Tactics | Weakness: Independent)
TACTICAL: Seska (Skilled: Being Seska | Weakness: Everything Else)
CONN: R'lash skilled: Piloting | Weakness: Romulan Fuckup)
ESPIONAGE: Kes (Skilled: Commando Tactics | Weakness: Naive)

Crewman Stadi - Age 23, Betazoid, born Beta Colony-5 to Zani and Talwyn of the House of Riis, survived by her sisters Tari and Batri.
R'mor - age 182, Vulcan, burn on Romulus to R'tan and Leslali, survived by his twelve nieces and nephews across the Empire

Enderminion · May 15, 2022

[X] The Middle Path (aka the "I too Like Babylon 5" route]

Star Trek 5 is neat, but not that neat, meanwhile even if theoretically safe traversing Borg space is... iffy.

Spart117MC · May 15, 2022

It's not much better flying through Dominion space. It's worse in some ways actually.

The Dominion will definitely hunt down the Voyager and Val Jean if they know that they're in their territory, there are no independent powers in their space that aren't also Dominion vassals, they most definitely can beat current cloaking tech, and they would likely interpret the presence of Voyager as some plot by the Federation leading to war with the Alpha Quadrant.

And where the Borg are straightforward in their approach the Dominion can be very sneaky. There's a decent chance that the majority of people we encounter in Dominion space will sell us out to the Dominion to save their own skin not to mention the fact that the Dominion is run by Changelings, the best of which can get around most tests people can think up.

ThatGazzer · May 15, 2022

Spart117MC said:
And where the Borg are straightforward in their approach the Dominion can be very sneaky. There's a decent chance that the majority of people we encounter in Dominion space will sell us out to the Dominion to save their own skin not to mention the fact that the Dominion is run by Changelings, the best of which can get around most tests people can think up.

but on the other hand, it'll let DC add Double Trouble to the She-Ra Stealth Crossover

slybrarian · May 15, 2022

[x] The Long Way (aka the standard Voyager "Canon")

Not really sure I feel like dealing with the Dominion, and by the stardates Voyager departed DS9 after the Defiant's mission to contact the Founders.

DragonCobolt · May 15, 2022

Adhoc vote count started by DragonCobolt on May 15, 2022 at 3:08 PM, finished with 60 posts and 32 votes.

14 people have voted
[x] The Long Way (aka the standard Voyager "Canon")
11 people have voted
[X] The Middle Path (aka the "I too Like Babylon 5" route]
- ThatGazzer
- QueenPally
- Model DC.14F
- SweetJackal
- Scrivener
- buli-buli
- Derek58
- Rivenscryr
- Enderminion
- Derpmind
- Spoit
7 people have voted
[X] The Short Way (aka the "Fucking Seriously? Star Trek V?" Route)
- Derpmind
- Spoit
- JNewbold54
- Skippy
- Parzival95
- Breadnaugt
- KarmaA
1 people have voted
[X] The Middle Path (aka the "I too Like Babylon 5" route
- KRISF
1 people have voted
[X] Long way
- Bernkastel

I'm calling it now: What can laughably be referred to as "canon" will be "stuck" too.

Aura · May 15, 2022

How long approximately will it take to reach Borg space? If we get there right away we will be fine. If it takes a decade then we'll be very interesting or very dead by the time we get there. EDIT: Or rather we will be severely reduced in our ability to keep any technology or fight space gods for fear the borg will notice us

Revan4221X · May 15, 2022

DragonCobolt said:
Adhoc vote count started by DragonCobolt on May 15, 2022 at 3:08 PM, finished with 60 posts and 32 votes.

14 people have voted

[x] The Long Way (aka the standard Voyager "Canon")

open_sketch

pheonix89

jwolfe_beta

Spart117MC

CyberFemme

Lord Ultimus

SyntheticSynthia

Revan4221X

samdamandias

Gawain

NavySeel

sciencefiction

RvengefuLobster

slybrarian

11 people have voted

[X] The Middle Path (aka the "I too Like Babylon 5" route]

ThatGazzer

QueenPally

Model DC.14F

SweetJackal

Scrivener

buli-buli

Derek58

Rivenscryr

Enderminion

Derpmind

Spoit

7 people have voted

[X] The Short Way (aka the "Fucking Seriously? Star Trek V?" Route)

Derpmind

Spoit

JNewbold54

Skippy

Parzival95

Breadnaugt

KarmaA

1 people have voted

[X] The Middle Path (aka the "I too Like Babylon 5" route

KRISF

1 people have voted

[X] Long way

Bernkastel

Click to expand...

I'm calling it now: What can laughably be referred to as "canon" will be "stuck" too.

There are many paths.

Some are called the Correct Way

Some are called the Insane Way

But here we follow the Janeway. The worst of all three options.

Rivenscryr · May 15, 2022

Well, all I can say is...

It's been a long road...getting from there to here...

Something something, faith of the heart.

KarmaA · May 15, 2022

Revan4221X said:
There are many paths.

Some are called the Correct Way

Some are called the Insane Way

But here we follow the Janeway. The worst of all three options.

We were only 8 votes off of the Jayneway too… which would have been

Edit: I'll stop with the gifs for a bit, just couldn't help myself on this one.

Skippy · May 15, 2022

CyberEnby said:
So, the thing is that people live a lot longer in ST? From a science standpoint, there's actually no reason they shouldn't have biological immortality yet. It might be a weird cultural holdover from the Eugenics Wars? But yeah, even with 70 years, I think that's basically enough to take them to retirement age or a bit beyond?

Or am I just projecting my own expectations about medical technology onto ST?

Human lifespans, and perhaps more importantly, healthspan* is definitely longer in Star Trek.

Captain Picard was still physically active and essentially regarded as in the prime of his life and career, even though he's fifty nine in the first season of TNG. Also in the first season of TNG, we see a very elderly Dr McCoy visiting the new Enterprise-D. He's meant to be one hundred and thirty seven in that episode, I believe. It seems like living to one hundred or older is not that uncommon in the Federation.

However, you can see the issue - human lifespans are longer than in the current day, maybe fifty percent or so, and people are in better health for a larger proportion of that time, but no one is living to two hundred. There's still a biological limit, and it's possible they're reaching the upper limits of what better medicine (rather than genetic engineering or transhuman prosthesis) can do. Star Trek is a very humanist setting, but it is quite hostile to transhumanism as a concept - see Khan and the Borg - to the extent it even considers "transhumanism" as a distinct concept at all, which is not a lot.

This used to cause so many arguments back on SB, back when "arguing about transhumanism" was very in vogue.

*(I.E., length of time at which someone can live a fulfilling and active lifestyle, as opposed to just being kept alive.)

EDIT: I see that @10ebbor10 already gave a much more succinct answer to this. 😅

CyberFemme · May 15, 2022

Skippy said:
Human lifespans, and perhaps more importantly, healthspan* is definitely longer in Star Trek.

Captain Picard was still physically active and essentially regarded as in the prime of his life and career, even though he's fifty nine in the first season of TNG. Also in the first season of TNG, we see a very elderly Dr McCoy visiting the new Enterprise-D. He's meant to be one hundred and thirty seven in that episode, I believe. It seems like living to one hundred or older is not that uncommon in the Federation.

However, you can see the issue - human lifespans are longer than in the current day, maybe fifty percent or so, and people are in better health for a larger proportion of that time, but no one is living to two hundred. There's still a biological limit, and it's possible they're reaching the upper limits of what better medicine (rather than genetic engineering or transhuman prosthesis) can do. Star Trek is a very humanist setting, but it is quite hostile to transhumanism as a concept - see Khan and the Borg - to the extent it even considers "transhumanism" as a distinct concept at all, which is not a lot.

This used to cause so many arguments back on SB, back when "arguing about transhumanism" was very in vogue.

*(I.E., length of time at which someone can live a fulfilling and active lifestyle, as opposed to just being kept alive.)

EDIT: I see that @10ebbor10 already gave a much more succinct answer to this. 😅

You know... this actually raises a really interesting point. After 70 years of travel through often hostile territory, recruiting new crew as we go, adapting new technologies for our use, confronting and resolving new ethical dilemmas, and growing closer as a community, would the crew of the Voyager diverge enough from the Federation that a lot of them may not want to go back? And would instead want to continue being nomads, travelling across the galaxy, helping where they can, trying to improve the universe one act of kindness at a time? Essentially becoming a Gardner ship?

That would be a really interesting long term character development arc to explore, and a really punchy climax.

Skippy · May 15, 2022

CyberEnby said:
You know... this actually raises a really interesting point. After 70 years of travel through often hostile territory, recruiting new crew as we go, adapting new technologies for our use, confronting and resolving new ethical dilemmas, and growing closer as a community, would the crew of the Voyager diverge enough from the Federation that a lot of them may not want to go back? And would instead want to continue being nomads, travelling across the galaxy, helping where they can, trying to improve the universe one act of kindness at a time? Essentially becoming a Gardner ship?

That would be a really interesting long term character development arc to explore, and a really punchy climax.

I don't know, honestly. Realistically the crew would probably need to start having children to retain enough able-bodied crew to run the ship, given the effects of old age and attrition.

Although the "70 years" thing very quickly got cut down in the show - they kept finding various shortcuts, stellar phenomena, improving the engines, etc., which shaved some time off. In the finale episode, Endgame, in the timeline where Voyager eventually makes it back to Earth by going the long way around, it took them about twenty three years, just checking Memory Alpha. (Could be off by a bit, but you get a rough ballpark.)

Bernkastel · May 15, 2022

The issues created by a 70 year trip in universe are a major problem. As had been pointed out, it amounts to devouring most if not all of the current crew's lifespans. While I think long route seems better narratively, it does seem like it would be worse option from the crew's perspective.

Rivenscryr · May 15, 2022

I guess we can always try to assimilate new technologies and recruit additional crewmembers, adding the biological and technological distinctiveness of some other civilizations to our own.

Wait...

CyberFemme · May 15, 2022

Bernkastel said:
The issues created by a 70 year trip in universe are a major problem. As had been pointed out, it amounts to devouring most if not all of the current crew's lifespans. While I think long route seems better narratively, it does seem like it would be worse option from the crew's perspective.

I think that the best way to deal with the issue is to admit that it's a Doylist conceit, and quietly sweep the plot hole under the carpet.

Rivenscryr said:
I guess we can always try to assimilate new technologies and recruit additional crewmembers, adding the biological and technological distinctiveness of some other civilizations to our own.

Wait...

The Federation Amoeba must grow. :drevil:

DragonCobolt · May 15, 2022

Don't worry, I got a plan!

Breadnaugt · May 15, 2022

Bernkastel said:
The issues created by a 70 year trip in universe are a major problem. As had been pointed out, it amounts to devouring most if not all of the current crew's lifespans. While I think long route seems better narratively, it does seem like it would be worse option from the crew's perspective.

CyberEnby said:
I think that the best way to deal with the issue is to admit that it's a Doylist conceit, and quietly sweet the plot hole under the carpet.

I don't know what DC has planned, but it may be a matter of the IC decision being one thing, but narrative factors representing the OOC decision.

"We're taking the short route, of course. Anything else would be silly."

"Captain, a number of the local civilizations have deployed warning buoys and territorial markers in this area. They are sharing data packets with anyone who makes contact."

"What's the nature of the warning?"

"Apparently the region of space ahead is dominated by a vast interstellar empire of a highly aggressive and predatory psychic insectoid species, which feed upon the fear of their victims."

"They sound unpleasant. Can we chart a course around them?"

"Based on the navigational data, it would add twenty years to the journey. The historical data suggests they were ultra expansionist until recently, before switching to an insular and highly xenophobically isolationist stance. Furthermore, the warnings include a statement from local polities, declaring they will attack any ship attempting to breach the insectoid cordon, for fear of breaking their isolationism."

"Hmm, might be best to go another route."

Spart117MC · May 15, 2022

I still think the threat of the Dominion, a major power on par with those of the Alpha and Beta Quadrant, which is hostile to any incursions into their territory, would be reason enough to make choosing between traversing the Gamma or Delta Quadrant an actual decision.

DragonCobolt said:
Don't worry, I got a plan!

That worries me.

Rivenscryr said:
I guess we can always try to assimilate new technologies and recruit additional crewmembers, adding the biological and technological distinctiveness of some other civilizations to our own.

Wait...

To quote a wittier man than I, "the means is called a combadge."

CyberFemme · May 15, 2022

Rivenscryr said:
I guess we can always try to assimilate new technologies and recruit additional crewmembers, adding the biological and technological distinctiveness of some other civilizations to our own.

Wait...

Actually, that could be a neat divergence for Seven's presence: In exchange for letting us pass through their space, Seven gets seconded to us to observe the Federation Collective, which practices a rare form of non-invasive assimilation and is thus of interest to the Borg.

Rivenscryr · May 15, 2022

I mean, the fan theory for why the Borg are so interested in the Federation is that the Federation practices this sort of assimilation of other civilizations, allowing for greater variety and creativity in how they respond to outside threats. This gives the Borg more data and more things to adapt to.

Breadnaugt said:
"Apparently the region of space ahead is dominated by a vast interstellar empire of a highly aggressive and predatory psychic insectoid species, which feed upon the fear of their victims."

Oh joy, the Prethoryn Scourge.

CyberFemme · May 15, 2022

Skippy said:
Human lifespans, and perhaps more importantly, healthspan* is definitely longer in Star Trek.

Captain Picard was still physically active and essentially regarded as in the prime of his life and career, even though he's fifty nine in the first season of TNG. Also in the first season of TNG, we see a very elderly Dr McCoy visiting the new Enterprise-D. He's meant to be one hundred and thirty seven in that episode, I believe. It seems like living to one hundred or older is not that uncommon in the Federation.

However, you can see the issue - human lifespans are longer than in the current day, maybe fifty percent or so, and people are in better health for a larger proportion of that time, but no one is living to two hundred. There's still a biological limit, and it's possible they're reaching the upper limits of what better medicine (rather than genetic engineering or transhuman prosthesis) can do. Star Trek is a very humanist setting, but it is quite hostile to transhumanism as a concept - see Khan and the Borg - to the extent it even considers "transhumanism" as a distinct concept at all, which is not a lot.

This used to cause so many arguments back on SB, back when "arguing about transhumanism" was very in vogue.

*(I.E., length of time at which someone can live a fulfilling and active lifestyle, as opposed to just being kept alive.)

EDIT: I see that @10ebbor10 already gave a much more succinct answer to this. 😅

Following up on this because this just occurred to me: The thing is, since they have replicators and transporters, they have molecular manipulation. What's stopping them from taking a scan of someone's body in their physical prime, then just resetting everything but the brain to that state every few years? And to tackle brain related aging, you could use more conventional targeted medicine as well as transplanting newer replicated neurons to replace ones that are wearing out on a case by case basis, maintaining continuity.

Ramble · May 15, 2022

[x] The Long Way (aka the standard Voyager "Canon")

Aura · May 15, 2022

CyberEnby said:
Following up on this because this just occurred to me: The thing is, since they have replicators and transporters, they have molecular manipulation. What's stopping them from taking a scan of someone's body in their physical prime, then just resetting everything but the brain to that state every few years? And to tackle brain related aging, you could use more conventional targeted medicine as well as transplanting newer replicated neurons to replace ones that are wearing out on a case by case basis, maintaining continuity.

Molecular faults within the body don't sound particularly safe

slybrarian · May 15, 2022

CyberEnby said:
Following up on this because this just occurred to me: The thing is, since they have replicators and transporters, they have molecular manipulation. What's stopping them from taking a scan of someone's body in their physical prime, then just resetting everything but the brain to that state every few years? And to tackle brain related aging, you could use more conventional targeted medicine as well as transplanting newer replicated neurons to replace ones that are wearing out on a case by case basis, maintaining continuity.

With transporters and replicators, the canon explanation is that normal replicators don't have sufficient resolution to recreate living things. I think this makes sense because you need to create it with all the chemical processes running correctly. Transporters have quantum resolution and can't hold a pattern in the buffer for very long under normal circumstances. There were a few freak one-off instances where age got reversed with the transporter, but they were pretty much all things where no one could possibly do an ethical experiment to recreate because they were things like "beamed out of an exploding shuttle." The one time we did see patterns stored outside of the buffer, it required erasing an entire station's computer to hold them for a few hours, and even then there was no editing going on.

Also, keep in mind that "neural energy" is an actual thing in Trek, which complicates things further.

10ebbor10 · May 15, 2022

On top of that, transporters seem to operate on a weird metaphysical level where the wrong settings result in splitting into a good and bad version of yourself.

Anyway, the basic problem is that you're using hard sci fi questions in a soft sci fi setting.

STAR TREK: A Long Road (Voyager Fix It Quest)

Amateur human

Minds Eye Bind

Creature of Fable

Labrador Wrestling Champion

Labrador Wrestling Champion

The Witch of Miracles

Even in Death, I'm still Tasty

Amateur human

Creature of Fable

DON'T PANIC