ENT: Divergence

[PerrySimm]

SFDebris video review (12m35s)
Rating for "Affliction": 6
Rating for "Divergence": 6
Annoying Character: CGI Targ

Columbia has to mount a rescue during "Speed" in space, Trip ziplines back into drama with T'Pol, and Phlox has a very brief flirtation with the concept of medical ethics.

...

Can't disagree with the middling rating on these two. Certainly some interesting moments, and it ticked one of the larger "prequel" boxes, but at the same time, the Klingons were supposed to be a deadly serious problem in this timeframe, and less patient and understanding than even the TOS versions. This may have pushed them in that direction, but hardly enough.

[BlackoutCreature2]

So question to any theoretical physicists out there, when zip-lining between two starships going at FTL speeds, does it really matter if you're going warp one or warp 5.2? It would seem to me that, either way, if you screw up the results are going to be the same.

[clearspira]

If the STD Klingons end up being a result of the augment virus, fine. It is using existing canon in a logical way (especially as we can infer from the Klingon make-up job in the Motion Picture that the augment virus cures were slow acting). And we know from Worf's line in ''Trials and Tribble-ations'' that talking about the augment klingons is taboo so that would explain why we have never heard of them before.

I do however resent the fact that we the viewers have to infer what should already have been brought up on the show. How much controversy would have been dampened by this single throwaway line? (I also have a sneaking suspicion that this explanation for these klingons is in fact so perfect it not only won't be used, there will be something in season 2 that outright contradicts it like an ancient painting or something).

[Darth Wedgius]

So question to any theoretical physicists out there, when zip-lining between two starships going at FTL speeds, does it really matter if you're going warp one or warp 5.2? It would seem to me that, either way, if you screw up the results are going to be the same.

I don't know much about theoretical physics, but if I let my own ignorance on a subject stop me I'd never get anything said. As a very wise man once said, you can't be afraid of the wind!!1!

I think so.

Speed-wise, it might make a difference in that the difference on the usual warp speed scale between warp 1.00001 and warp 1.00002 is somewhat less than the difference between warp 5.20001 and warp 5.20002 (because going from warp 1 to warp 2 is adding 7c, and going from warp 5 to warp 6 is adding 91c), so there could be a bigger velocity difference between the ships if there are things causing minor variations in ship speed, if the irregularities are proportional to the warp factor, work and if there is no affect of the warp fields on each other.

If the courses are not exactly the same, then the ships will diverge or converge at a greater rate at a higher velocity, too.

Or the engines might be more irregular in behavior at their peak output, or the navigational deflector might push against dust clouds more irregularly, or the hamsters might get tired and trip.

[FlynnTaggart]

Section 31 in this thing really bothered me, their actions didn't make a ton of sense at times. They were colluding with the Klingons to stop the Augment virus so they kidnapped Zoidberg to fix it. They covered up the fact the Klingons were the ones wanting Phlox by using a middleman and then used Reed to help with the coverup. Then they were willing to allow Enterprise to be destroyed by a Klingon attack, later possibly allowing both Enterprise and Columbia to be destroyed by the Klingons.

Maybe I missed something but what was the point of it all? Weakening the Klingon empire seems likely but then why help them kidnap the great medicalticion Phlox? Leaving them to their own "medical sciences", which is like calling a butchers shop a doctors office, they'd have never solved it on their own. The augment virus would atleast weaken the empire if not outright tear it apart.

Using the destruction of Enterprise as a prelude to war seems really stupid as Earth would be able to defend themselves from the Klingons about as well as a kid in cardboard armor riding a tricycle would against a fully armored and mounted knight.

Allowing Phlox to cure the Klingons, especially if they remain Augments, certainly isn't going to do Earth any favors. At best the Klingons might......MIGHT owe Starfleet one but considering their views of medical science and anything not combat its likely they won't care or even give them more reason to fight Earth for being so "dishonorable". Leaving them cured but as Augments certainly doesn't help Starfleet, might cause some chaos in the Empire but would ultimately lead to an even stronger Empire in the future.

Section 31 might be underhanded as hell but ultimately they always seem to have Starfleet's best interest at heart (or atleast what they think is best) but I can't see a winning situation coming from this.

[CharlesPhipps]

I think the idea is that the Klingons when mixed with human DNA are considerably lamer.

[slochmoeller]

I'm not sure if I can really explain myself, but I felt this explanation for the Klingons was "Too Much." I can't back this up with a primary source, but it seems like the official word throughout the 80s and 90s was that the canon was that the Klingons always had the forehead ridges, and that the original series look was just the limitations of budget, (or, more accurately, probably something closer to what Tv tropes calls "Early Installment Weirdness.) Under this view, there was nothing to account for. Chuck was right in his Trials and Tribulations review that they probably felt cornered into addressing by having worf in the same room with TOS Klingons, but his Non-Answer was exactly right. Still, in the over all scheme of things, even that small line "canonizing" the change probably was a mistake. And I found this story a lame explanation.

Chuck's Specualtion about how to account for Discovery's Klingons Mark 3 is probably fair enough. I too think the Discovery Klingons would look less odd if they had their hair. But I still view Discovery as a third splinter timeline. Remember, Many Worlds is fully canon for Star Trek. (Another implication of that? There's more than one Mirror Universe.)

And speaking of discovery klingons, I wonder if/when Chuck will talk about the implication that Klingons have more than one penis. It was first hinted at subtly in the one where Lorca is a prisoner, but it gets overt near the end of the season. honor and courage indeed.

[Jonathan101]

Section 31 in this thing really bothered me, their actions didn't make a ton of sense at times. They were colluding with the Klingons to stop the Augment virus so they kidnapped Zoidberg to fix it. They covered up the fact the Klingons were the ones wanting Phlox by using a middleman and then used Reed to help with the coverup. Then they were willing to allow Enterprise to be destroyed by a Klingon attack, later possibly allowing both Enterprise and Columbia to be destroyed by the Klingons.

Maybe I missed something but what was the point of it all? Weakening the Klingon empire seems likely but then why help them kidnap the great medicalticion Phlox? Leaving them to their own "medical sciences", which is like calling a butchers shop a doctors office, they'd have never solved it on their own. The augment virus would atleast weaken the empire if not outright tear it apart.

Using the destruction of Enterprise as a prelude to war seems really stupid as Earth would be able to defend themselves from the Klingons about as well as a kid in cardboard armor riding a tricycle would against a fully armored and mounted knight.

Allowing Phlox to cure the Klingons, especially if they remain Augments, certainly isn't going to do Earth any favors. At best the Klingons might......MIGHT owe Starfleet one but considering their views of medical science and anything not combat its likely they won't care or even give them more reason to fight Earth for being so "dishonorable". Leaving them cured but as Augments certainly doesn't help Starfleet, might cause some chaos in the Empire but would ultimately lead to an even stronger Empire in the future.

Section 31 might be underhanded as hell but ultimately they always seem to have Starfleet's best interest at heart (or atleast what they think is best) but I can't see a winning situation coming from this.

They don't want to weaken the Klingon empire. They want to save it. The empire isn't exactly "friendly", but "better the Devil you know"- a Klingon empire that is collapsing, with a lethal virus at large that could mutate to affect humans or another species at any moment, and the power vacuum that might create, isn't in the best interests of anyone.

And they don't bother telling Enterprise this because Archer might object to one of his own doctors not being given any choice in the matter I guess.

[Riedquat]

I'm not sure if I can really explain myself, but I felt this explanation for the Klingons was "Too Much." I can't back this up with a primary source, but it seems like the official word throughout the 80s and 90s was that the canon was that the Klingons always had the forehead ridges, and that the original series look was just the limitations of budget, (or, more accurately, probably something closer to what Tv tropes calls "Early Installment Weirdness.) Under this view, there was nothing to account for. Chuck was right in his Trials and Tribulations review that they probably felt cornered into addressing by having worf in the same room with TOS Klingons, but his Non-Answer was exactly right. Still, in the over all scheme of things, even that small line "canonizing" the change probably was a mistake. And I found this story a lame explanation.

I'd go along with that, I put early smooth-headed Klingons in the same category as unconvincing special effects - there's always a bit of a play about TV. No-one minds in a play that you're limited from being completely realistic by the confines of the stage, and it's all filtered through trends at the time (which is why it's often pretty easy to date films supposedly set 100s of years ago just from their styles). Still, DS9 set this one up so sooner or later it needed to be addressed I suppose.

As for Discovery, so far I can put that in the "different interpretation of the same thing" bin, like two people coming up with different drawings based on a description alone. I might be more bothered if I'd actually watched Discovery.

[BlackoutCreature2]

Section 31 in this thing really bothered me, their actions didn't make a ton of sense at times. They were colluding with the Klingons to stop the Augment virus so they kidnapped Zoidberg to fix it. They covered up the fact the Klingons were the ones wanting Phlox by using a middleman and then used Reed to help with the coverup. Then they were willing to allow Enterprise to be destroyed by a Klingon attack, later possibly allowing both Enterprise and Columbia to be destroyed by the Klingons.

Maybe I missed something but what was the point of it all? Weakening the Klingon empire seems likely but then why help them kidnap the great medicalticion Phlox? Leaving them to their own "medical sciences", which is like calling a butchers shop a doctors office, they'd have never solved it on their own. The augment virus would atleast weaken the empire if not outright tear it apart.

Using the destruction of Enterprise as a prelude to war seems really stupid as Earth would be able to defend themselves from the Klingons about as well as a kid in cardboard armor riding a tricycle would against a fully armored and mounted knight.

Allowing Phlox to cure the Klingons, especially if they remain Augments, certainly isn't going to do Earth any favors. At best the Klingons might......MIGHT owe Starfleet one but considering their views of medical science and anything not combat its likely they won't care or even give them more reason to fight Earth for being so "dishonorable". Leaving them cured but as Augments certainly doesn't help Starfleet, might cause some chaos in the Empire but would ultimately lead to an even stronger Empire in the future.

Section 31 might be underhanded as hell but ultimately they always seem to have Starfleet's best interest at heart (or atleast what they think is best) but I can't see a winning situation coming from this.

They don't want to weaken the Klingon empire. They want to save it. The empire isn't exactly "friendly", but "better the Devil you know"- a Klingon empire that is collapsing, with a lethal virus at large that could mutate to affect humans or another species at any moment, and the power vacuum that might create, isn't in the best interests of anyone.

And they don't bother telling Enterprise this because Archer might object to one of his own doctors not being given any choice in the matter I guess.

Plus remember Starfleet's logic towards the Klingons after Praxis' explosion and the Khitomir Accords in "The Undiscovered Country"? They felt it was better off having a stable Klingon Empire that they could work with then have a dying Klingon Empire that might decide to lash out and see who they could take with them (with super-soldiers this time around).