DS9: Prodigal Daughter

[Riedquat]

Well, it's not a Federation World and I think that by itself is notable.

There's plenty of people from the Federation worlds who choose NOT to live in Utopiaville.

Actually makes you think about the composition of Federation territory. It has to look like Swiss cheese. Like a planetary system that wants nothing to do with the rest of the galaxy let alone the universe. Federation may have some sort of moral obligation to protect them but they are not part of the Federation even on friendly terms.

Same goes for even member world species like the Trill (are they members?). We can assume Ezri's planet is a colony of Trill. Maybe not every major colony of a species will follow its home world's example of joining the Federation.

It would make sense. If you look at space, the number of stars and so on, the idea of having hard borders doesn't make much sense anyway, even before you take into account the distances involved. Elite: Dangerous's galaxy map illustrates it rather well.

[Frustration]

It's proverbial that psychology students are trying to figure out what's wrong with them. While I'm not sure that's so literally true, 'healthy' people often have little interest in the subject.

[McAvoy]

It's proverbial that psychology students are trying to figure out what's wrong with them. While I'm not sure that's so literally true, 'healthy' people often have little interest in the subject.

Huh?

[Riedquat]

It's proverbial that psychology students are trying to figure out what's wrong with them. While I'm not sure that's so literally true, 'healthy' people often have little interest in the subject.

Sounds like a lack of self-awareness to me.

[Thebestoftherest]

It's proverbial that psychology students are trying to figure out what's wrong with them. While I'm not sure that's so literally true, 'healthy' people often have little interest in the subject.

I think that because most people are told that if you are involved with psychology in anyway, your either wasting your time, a con artists, or just an idiot. Just look at how pop culture usually present them

[clearspira]

Well, it's not a Federation World and I think that by itself is notable.

There's plenty of people from the Federation worlds who choose NOT to live in Utopiaville.

Actually makes you think about the composition of Federation territory. It has to look like Swiss cheese. Like a planetary system that wants nothing to do with the rest of the galaxy let alone the universe. Federation may have some sort of moral obligation to protect them but they are not part of the Federation even on friendly terms.

Same goes for even member world species like the Trill (are they members?). We can assume Ezri's planet is a colony of Trill. Maybe not every major colony of a species will follow its home world's example of joining the Federation.

It would make sense. If you look at space, the number of stars and so on, the idea of having hard borders doesn't make much sense anyway, even before you take into account the distances involved. Elite: Dangerous's galaxy map illustrates it rather well.

They never explain in Star Trek how you even know where the borders are anyway. Look at this screenshot from TWOK:



The Neutral Zone is just some random sphere in the middle of space!

This one from TOS Balance of Terror is better.



Although again, unless there are 500 more listening posts off-camera I don't know how you would ever realise if you've crossed over or not. I also sincerely doubt that Romulus is that close to the front line.

[Riedquat]

Both of those have their problems. The TWOK one is acknowledging that space is three-dimensional (and considering the end of that film that's just as well). But it doesn't really make much sense.

Listening posts would have to be capable of very long range FTL detection no matter how many of them there are.

[Frustration]

It's worth pointing out that the 'Romulan Neutral Zone' was established entirely by treaty, and as there are no 'natural' borders in space, it makes perfect sense for it to be a simple geometric shape.

Canon is vague, but the fan tradition is that the Zone was established to both include star systems the Romulans might want to exploit or colonize and keep plenty of room between them and other powers, so it's much, much larger than would be needed to merely enclose their original system, which was all that they'd existed on at the time of their disastrous first contact with the Federation.

[remagynona]

It's hard for me to really picture a real Neutral Zone due how much time I spent looking at the big map in Geoffrey Mandel's Star Charts book back in the day. The 2D format gave the impression that the Neutral Zone was there primarily to affect containment over Romulan expansion.

It was shown to almost completely surround the empire on all sides and even extended through a stretch Klingon Empire. The Federation meanwhile seemed to be free to expand around the Romulans in every direction and was directly abutting their rear flank despite having discontinuous borders.

Having played quite bit of Paradox Grand Strategy games it's kind of easy to sympathize with the Romulans considering how much the Federation's growth looks like tendrils of France or the Holy Roman Empire slowly blobbing their way across the map before they devour you.

[clearspira]

It's hard for me to really picture a real Neutral Zone due how much time I spent looking at the big map in Geoffrey Mandel's Star Charts book back in the day. The 2D format gave the impression that the Neutral Zone was there primarily to affect containment over Romulan expansion.

It was shown to almost completely surround the empire on all sides and even extended through a stretch Klingon Empire. The Federation meanwhile seemed to be free to expand around the Romulans in every direction and was directly abutting their rear flank despite having discontinuous borders.

Having played quite bit of Paradox Grand Strategy games it's kind of easy to sympathize with the Romulans considering how much the Federation's growth looks like tendrils of France or the Holy Roman Empire slowly blobbing their way across the map before they devour you.

I can't see the Romulans or the Klingons ever agreeing to that tbh - especially the 23rd century Klingons. It really does seem more likely that only the parts of the three superpowers that come close to one another would require a Neutral Zone.