Analysis: Trek Nebulae

[Lord Poe]

Star Trek ships sensors and abilities fare differently depending on the class of nebula they find themselves in. However, even the nomenclature must have degrees. For instance, there must be several "Mutara-class" nebula degrees by severity.

In VGR's "Flasback" Sulu's Excelsior and Kang's D7 had no trouble communicating and firing upon one another in a class 11 nebula.

There was no firing or communicationg in the class 17 nebula Voyager was in, but it didn't look like their viewscreen was impaired. And they did take sensor readings of it. But again, this depends on the class of nebula. "Mutara class" nebulas DO disrupt starship systems.

1) The original Mutara Nebula from ST2: TWOK, which disrupted sensors and shields on the Reliant and Enterprise.

2) Mutara-Class Nebula in VGR: "One" - Radiation breaks down any organic components of ship (including crew). No evidence for targeting system (or transporters) one way or the other.
The original Mutara Nebula was not teeming with radiation that would have killed the crew of Reliant or Enterprise as this large nebula radiation would have done to the crew of Voyager. The fact that the crew had to be put in suspension chambers so they wouldn't die and that the organic (neural gel packs?) computer components began to fail does not sound like the original Mutara-Class Nebula.

3) Mutara-Class Nebula in VGR: "Dark Frontier" - The Hansens discuss entering a Mutara-Class Nebula in order to hide from the Borg. They don't actually enter since it would cause a hull breach in the Raven. Again, they say the Borg would be unable to locate the ship.

4) Mutara-Class Nebula in VGR: "Counter Point" Voyager never enters the nebula. Voyager was able to locate the ships hiding in the nebula only from specific info given by the "defecting" Kashyk.

5) Paulsen Nebula in TNG: "Q Who?"- Even the much vaunted Borg cannot use sensors to find a ship

6) The "McAllister C-5 nebula" from TNG's "Chain of Command, part 2." Geordi said that a ship. (and he did say *A* ship, not just a Cardassian one) would be subject to a molecular dispersion field, and would suffer hull break down due to particle flux in the nebula after 72 hours.

Geordi specially outfitted a shuttle that could work in the nebula long enough to lay mines. As they entered the nebula, the shuttle lost primary navigation and sensors. They could only read the target ships with proximity detectors at 500m. Communication into the nebula was no problem, and mines could be remotely detonated from outside the nebula.

[Darth Wong]

2) Mutara-Class Nebula in VGR: "One" - Radiation breaks down any organic components of ship (including crew).

Why couldn't they shield against it? What is it with these fucking magic-radiation types in Star Trek? Don't these dumb-fuck writers realize that if radiation is so ultra-super-duper penetrative that nothing can stop it, then there's no reason why it should interact with organic matter, hence no reason why it should be harmful? Look at neutrinos; they are incredibly penetrative, but that's precisely because they don't interact with anything. Hence, they don't hurt you. Goddamned psudoscience-spouting dumb-fucks ...

3) Mutara-Class Nebula in VGR: "Dark Frontier" - The Hansens discuss entering a Mutara-Class Nebula in order to hide from the Borg. They don't actually enter since it would cause a hull breach in the Raven. Again, they say the Borg would be unable to locate the ship.

They thought it would cause a breach? Why would it cause a breach?

6) The "McAllister C-5 nebula" from TNG's "Chain of Command, part 2." Geordi said that a ship. (and he did say *A* ship, not just a Cardassian one) would be subject to a molecular dispersion field, and would suffer hull break down due to particle flux in the nebula after 72 hours.

Ah yes, I remember saying that this indicated limitations to the ability of shields to hold off ionized gas (eg- charged particles). Edam debated me on this (I suppose he preferred the alternative, that their shields are simply shit?)

Geordi specially outfitted a shuttle that could work in the nebula long enough to lay mines. As they entered the nebula, the shuttle lost primary navigation and sensors. They could only read the target ships with proximity detectors at 500m. Communication into the nebula was no problem, and mines could be remotely detonated from outside the nebula.

I think the single unifying pattern with regards to sensors is that they are incredibly sensitive to interference of any kind. This may be OK for scientific sensors (try to find quiet environments so you can detect all sorts of esoteric and fantastic things) but it's absolute shit for military sensors, where the enemy will be throwing interference in your face.

Ironically enough, this might actually be caused by them having a science advisor. Not to toot my own horn too much, but some scientists (as opposed to engineers) tend to lose track of practicalities. If you let scientists design technology, you'll tend to end up with something fantastic, with the minor caveat that it will almost never work in real-world conditions

[Patrick Degan]

You forgot about Voyager's infamous Coffee Nebula.

Good to the last particle.