New page on main site

[CmdrWilkens]

It occurs to me, that in all fairness, we might want to also include a court martial for dereliction of duty following the loss of the Executor at Endor. Apparently no one was manning the auxiliary bridge during a combat situation.

Sure, if you want to conduct a court-martial of ashes, I suppose...

(Taking cup of ashes, identifying a few as Piett's...)

"You have failed me for the last time, Admiral Piett..."(ashes poof)

At least, that seems to be an Imperial-style court martial.
Brutal, but effective :)

Apropos Ted's idea, how about court-martialing Piett for letting
the Millenium Falcon escape at the end of TESB? Or hanging
poor Bevel by the testicles for his exhaust port weakness on
DS-1?

I think the Emperor already did something akin to the latter, or
worse...could be wrong, though.

Court Martialing Piett would be interesting but personally I think his actiosn were defensible. Also Vader was a superior officer and he was quite evidently the one holding them off, fuirthermore Piett sabotaged the hyperdrive system, fully preped his troops, and would have had them if not for blind luck...and Artoo. Alternatively a lack of delay on vader's part would have expedited things.

[Raoul Duke, Jr.]

I would love to lend a creative hand to this in some capacity; unfortunately, I'm no engineer, nor am I in the military or legal fields. I'm just your wandering outlaw journalist.

[Uraniun235]

Needs testimonial from serving GCS officers.

For humor, have Geordi try to defend Brahms because he's got the hots for her.

[LMSx]

Bah, seven, seventeen.

It still hurt.

[Patrick Degan]

If Mike wants to make this additional page a relatively brief one, I'd suggest that rather than working up a full set of proceedings from the investigation committee, he should rather do a final report type document; the Federation White Paper on the commission findings. These would include a brief but concise summary of the evidence examined, salient points of testimony from expert witnesses, conclusions of the investigation board, and of course recommendations not only for corrective action but also for sanctions and criminal proceedings against those responsible for Starfleet's worst engineering fuckups of two decades.

To go the route of doing a transcript of proceedings, it would be necessary to depict the formatting of the investigation, the main questions sought by the examination board, and testimony of witnesses as well as the results of forensic examination of evidence admitted. Investigation committees are more akin to coroners' juries or grand juries in their working than that of criminal trials, so that blueprint should be the model in this case. If Mike wants to do a full set of proceedings instead of the final report.

[Publius]

A stylistic suggestion:

The proceedings of a Federal bureaucratic organ -- even one directed by a legitimate engineer -- would doubtless be doubly tainted by obfuscatious doublespeak and excessive logorrhea; not only would the Federation Engineering Council be a Federation body, but it would also be engaged in legal proceedings, which, for better or worse, are inevitably formal and ipso facto legalistic in tone.

Knowing Mr Wong's distaste for that style, might it be better for the page to be presented as an Imperial Intelligence intercept?

Intelligence would certainly be interested in observing such an unusual response by the Federation; the added benefit would be that the page could be written in the same brief style as the rest of the site, "quoting" the more formal and cumbersome text of the actual proceedings themselves.

It would have the further benefit of allowing the analyst to interject more colourful comments on the stupidity of the design decisions in terms that would be inappropriate for the actual proceedings themselves. Whereas an investigative commission would be forced to use such vague terms as "ill-advised" or "inadequately studied and tested prior to implementation", an Imperial Intelligence analyst might comment "a remarkably bad idea" or "disastrously stupid".

Merely a suggestion, of course.

Publius

[Psycho Smiley]

I would like to second Publius' suggestion. That would make it a far more enjoyable read, and fit the tone of the site better.

[Raoul Duke, Jr.]

A stylistic suggestion:

The proceedings of a Federal bureaucratic organ -- even one directed by a legitimate engineer -- would doubtless be doubly tainted by obfuscatious doublespeak and excessive logorrhea; not only would the Federation Engineering Council be a Federation body, but it would also be engaged in legal proceedings, which, for better or worse, are inevitably formal and ipso facto legalistic in tone.

Knowing Mr Wong's distaste for that style, might it be better for the page to be presented as an Imperial Intelligence intercept?

Intelligence would certainly be interested in observing such an unusual response by the Federation; the added benefit would be that the page could be written in the same brief style as the rest of the site, "quoting" the more formal and cumbersome text of the actual proceedings themselves.

It would have the further benefit of allowing the analyst to interject more colourful comments on the stupidity of the design decisions in terms that would be inappropriate for the actual proceedings themselves. Whereas an investigative commission would be forced to use such vague terms as "ill-advised" or "inadequately studied and tested prior to implementation", an Imperial Intelligence analyst might comment "a remarkably bad idea" or "disastrously stupid".

Merely a suggestion, of course.

Publius

Okay, but even if you only quote the "formal and cumbersome" text, you still have to write what you intend to quote. Why not just go the distance?

[SPOOFE]

Publius is wise beyond his years (I'm assuming). He hit precisely on the reason why I chose to go the "goofy" route.

Okay, but even if you only quote the "formal and cumbersome" text, you still have to write what you intend to quote. Why not just go the distance?

Because most of the text would be snipped in favor of a shorthand summary by the fictional intelligence officer, with only maybe a half dozen quoted excerpts, if any.

I mean, think about it... in order to get the full effect of the "deposition", full of legalese (as Publius pointed out), you'd need to get several dozen pages, at least, to deal with only a handful of the flaws in the GCS... or even just the propulsion system on the GCS.

[Darth Wong]

How about a faux news article? Something like this, only with more detail added, or perhaps a link to a faux editorial:

Leah Brahms found guilty of violating Federation Engineering Act

San Francisco, Earth (Stardate 55872.6)
Jacob Sisko reporting

Noted physicist Leah Brahms, one of the chief designers of the Galaxy Class starship and the lead designer of the warp core system now used in 90% of Federation vessels, was found guilty of violating the Federation Engineering Act on Tuesday. According to prosecuting attorney Scott Jackson, serious flaws in the design of the warp core led to numerous preventable disasters, including the now-infamous Yamato disaster (Stardate 42609.1), in which a Galaxy Class starship exploded after contracting a computer virus. Out of more than one thousand crew members and their civilian families, there were no survivors.

"After more than thirteen years, we have finally achieved some measure of closure, but this is only the tip of the iceberg," said Peter Stein, representing the Yamato victims' families. During the trial, victims' families were stunned to hear that while Ms. Brahms possessed numerous degrees in astrophysics and particle physics, she had no engineering training whatsoever, nor did she possess a valid engineering license. "How does an unlicensed practitioner get assigned to head up a Starfleet engineering team, and why did it take so long for this to come to light?" asked Mr. Stein.

This was but one of many shocking revelations during the trial. It was also learned that despite their claims to the contrary, virtually all of the problems were foreseeable. In fact, it was revealed that Ms. Brahms' engineering team disregarded numerous safety regulations and design policies already in place, many of which date all the way back to the Klingon Cold War era.

This latest bombshell has shaken public confidence in Starfleet, as a number of increasingly vocal critics are now calling for Starfleet to open its records for public scrutiny. "How many other skeletons are hidden in Starfleet's closets?" asked one heckler as two uniformed Starfleet admirals left the proceedings. Even some politicians are now questioning why Starfleet is given a complete exemption from the Federation's freedom of information act. Even now, 3 years after the end of the Dominion War, most records of that war remain strictly classified.

"Officially, Starfleet is subordinate to the civilian government. But unofficially, Starfleet restricts [security] clearance so that no one in the civilian government need be made aware of our actions, not even [President] Inyo," said one high-ranking member of Starfleet who asked not to be identified. Government critics have long charged that Starfleet is effectively a "shadow government", making policy decisions and even using its own officers in foreign policy negotiations, with or without the input or approval of the civilian government. Some critics even point to (unsubstantiated) reports of an attempted coup just prior to the Dominion War as evidence that Starfleet has effectively marginalized the civilian government and could seize power at any time (the coup leader was rumoured to be Admiral Leyton, who is currently undergoing psychiatric treatment at an undisclosed location for what Starfleet terms a "nervous breakdown").

What do you think of this direction? A secondary article (presumably from an independent think-tank or an editorial writer) would flesh out the offenses.

[Parallax]

Oh, that is GOOD.
I agree that some sort of companion piece would make it better, though.

Good work..

[Darth Akwat Kbrana]

This could be hilarious.

[Raoul Duke, Jr.]

I want to do the editorial; come on, you guys have read Dangerous Fun... I could rip her friggin heart out.

[Darth Wong]

I want to do the editorial; come on, you guys have read Dangerous Fun... I could rip her friggin heart out.

Sure, why not? Just post it here. As I said before, I'm looking for ideas, contributions, etc. I'll eventually try to find some way to tie it all together into something interesting for my site.

[Raoul Duke, Jr.]

I'll get to work on it first thing in the morning.

[Kuja]

HURRY!

[Raoul Duke, Jr.]

Leah Brahms found guilty of violating Federation Engineering Safety Act of 2217.

San Francisco, Earth (Stardate 55872.6)

by Jacob Sisko, Associated Federation Press

Noted physicist Leah Brahms, one of the chief designers of the Galaxy Class starship and the lead designer of the warp core system now used in 90% of Federation vessels, was found guilty of violating the Federation Engineering Safety Act of 2217 on Tuesday. According to prosecuting attorney Scott Jackson, serious flaws in the design of the warp core led to numerous preventable disasters, including the now-infamous Yamato disaster (Stardate 42609.1), in which a Galaxy Class starship exploded after contracting a computer virus. Out of more than one thousand crew members and their civilian families, there were no survivors.

"After more than thirteen years, we have finally achieved some measure of closure, but this is only the tip of the iceberg," said Peter Stein, representing the Yamato victims' families. During the trial, victims' families were stunned to hear that while Ms. Brahms possessed numerous degrees in astrophysics and particle physics, she had no engineering training whatsoever, nor did she possess a valid engineering license. "How does an unlicensed practitioner get assigned to head up a Starfleet engineering team, and why did it take so long for this to come to light?" asked Mr. Stein.

This was but one of many shocking revelations during the trial. It was also learned that despite their claims to the contrary, virtually all of the problems were foreseeable. In fact, it was revealed that Ms. Brahms' engineering team disregarded numerous safety regulations and design policies already in place, many of which date all the way back to the Klingon Cold War era.

This latest bombshell has shaken public confidence in Starfleet, as a number of increasingly vocal critics are now calling for Starfleet to open its records for public scrutiny. "How many other skeletons are hidden in Starfleet's closets?" asked one heckler as two uniformed Starfleet admirals left the proceedings. Even some politicians are now questioning why Starfleet is given a complete exemption from the Federation's freedom of information act. Even now, 3 years after the end of the Dominion War, most records of that war remain strictly classified.

"Officially, Starfleet is subordinate to the civilian government. But unofficially, Starfleet restricts [security] clearance so that no one in the civilian government need be made aware of our actions, not even [President] Inyo," said one high-ranking member of Starfleet who asked not to be identified. Government critics have long charged that Starfleet is effectively a "shadow government", making policy decisions and even using its own officers in foreign policy negotiations, with or without the input or approval of the civilian government. Some critics even point to (unsubstantiated) reports of an attempted coup just prior to the Dominion War as evidence that Starfleet has effectively marginalized the civilian government and could seize power at any time (the coup leader was rumoured to be Admiral Leyton, who is currently undergoing psychiatric treatment at an undisclosed location for what Starfleet terms a "nervous breakdown").

The Strange And Terrible Journey of Leah Brahms

by Raoul Duke II

There was blood in the halls of Starfleet Headquarters this week, and angry murmurings in the streets of Paris. Not since Richard Daystrom took the walk of shame for his part in the infamous M-5 debacle have those golden halls of Enlightenment seen a comparable parade of imcometents, fools, liars and the Depraved...

I was in San Francisco covering the post-trial press conference surrounding "Skinned-Cat" Dougherty's involvement in the nasty affair with a species known as the Ba'ku and their children, whom Starfleet's best minds had somehow thought were an entirely different species. Xenobiologists are almost certainly in great demand this year.

I couldn't take any more of the Dougherty hearing. Dougherty himself was amusing enough to watch as he compulsively rubbed his hands over his surgically restored face -- I'd pay real money to see the man's nightmares on-screen -- but when captain Jean-Luc Picard took a liter-sized gulp of water, harrumphed officiously and got right down into his Statement, it was time to go.

I was lost, confused and disoriented. What kind of times were these? High-ranking military officers were falling like rotten dominoes, and it seemed that no one was safe. The infamous Captain Ben Maxwell, arguably one of the greatest heroes of the Cardassian conflict -- 10 years in New Zealand. The Maquis, many high-ranking Starfleet officers among them, hwo had threatened to rip that old scar wide open again. And now this -- Dougherty and Picard, both fighting over whose hand was deeper in the cookie jar... Could it get any worse?

I wandered until I got bored. The same architecture, the same bland colors... all a pretty face to cover up some very ugly truths. I wandered back into the conference. It wasn't until I sat down that I realized I was not in the same room I had left, and this was something Entirely Different.

"Mr. Foreman," intoned the Magistrate, "in the matter of the Starfleet Corps of Engineering Safety Board vs. Leah Brahms, how find you?"

Wait a minute, I thought. This is a trial! How the hell did I get past Security without showing my press pass?

"On the charge of Professional Negligence," replied the foreman, "The jury finds the Defendant Guilty. On the matter of willful and premeditated violation of SCESB regulations in Power Generation System Design; we the jury find the Defendant Guilty. In the matter of Willful and Premeditated Misallocation of Project Resources, we the jury find the Defendant Guilty..." the charges rolled on for another five minutes...

The feeding frenzy began shortly after His Honor's sentence. That sentence will bring Hell down upon the legal system; it had even the Vulcans walking fast and looking worried.

Peter Stein, who I later learned is pursuing a class action naming both Brahms and Starfleet itself for the Families of Yamato victims, was less than thrilled with the judge's decision. "The fat bastard needs his head scanned," Stein confided in me.

I myself couldn't help but ask, "How many more skeletons does Starfleet have hiding in its closets?" But the room was already clearing, and the last two flag officers hustling each other out didn't have an answer...[/quote]

[Raoul Duke, Jr.]

Needs some typos ironed out, but what do you think?

[Coyote]

Starfleet has an engineering council?

Yeah, they're the guys with the crack pipes, lava lamps, ouija boards and scrabble sets.

[Coyote]

Lord Wong, this would be a great idea, and it could only lead to further digging into StarFleet's past. Considering that GCS's have to be re-engineered by crew initiative for nearly every significant encounter (combat or not) could lead to the conclusion that they are just plain not designed with a realistic expectation of space travel.

It would also revel that it is amazingly easy for the crew to gain access to the most sensitive systems to engage in experimental jerry-rigging with few failsafes to interfere, and that this has apparantly been a problem since the earliest days of the GCS's design predecessor, the Constitution-class vessels.

The public would also be shocked to learn just how many times Earth, the Federation, the Galaxy and indeed all life as we know it has been saved by random luck rather than true skill or the vast amounts of money poured into the training of StarFleet personnel and the acquisition of weapons/vessels...

[Darth Wong]

Needs some typos ironed out, but what do you think?

It's cool!

[His Divine Shadow]

According to Startrek.com's library, she officially designed the warp drive system, but had "major contributions to the Galaxy-Class Starship Development Project". I think that's enough to lambast her. Consider her a scapegoat.

Are you gonna hurt Geordis sex toy?

[Robert Treder]

Perhaps the page could be a scrapbook-like deal, allowing multiple independent entries, such as news articles, technical documents, exerpts of court transcripts, propoganda leaflets, transcripts of official announcements, or even Imperial Intelligence documents.

That way, multiple styles and contributors can be accomodated. Several articles could be closely related, and some could be completely unrelated, or even focus on different cases and issues (while still being relevant to the general idea of the page).

[Publius]

From: Winston Smith, Analysis: Media
To: Marius Danton, Bureau: Destabilisation
Subject: Intercepted News Broadcast from United Federation of Planets
Confirmed: SEND; TRAN59/64; RECV
Context: 7E25; AADV; DSYS; ROPT
Phase Cycle: PSEG14451356739O29O; ICON; 00. 12BMUT; O0.3ORMUT

Marius,

Per your request, Media Branch has been monitoring civilian news channels in the United Federation of Planets, with special attention given to political and social irregularities. Recently, we have been provided with an intercept of a media scandoc, written by one Jacob Sisko, dealing with a criminal suit against one Leah Brahms, for gross negligence, depraved indifference, and a number of other charges.

We are assembling a more thorough file on the subject now; more information will be sent to your office as soon as it is made available. The full text of the article is appended to this scandoc; I have highlighted a few passages with some comments.

Noted physicist Leah Brahms, one of the chief designers of the Galaxy Class starship and the lead designer of the warp core system now used in 90% of Federation vessels, was found guilty of violating the Federation Engineering Act on Tuesday. According to prosecuting attorney Scott Jackson, serious flaws in the design of the warp core led to numerous preventable disasters, including the now-infamous Yamato disaster (Stardate 42609.1), in which a Galaxy Class starship exploded after contracting a computer virus. Out of more than one thousand crew members and their civilian families, there were no survivors.

I don’t know how your office might view this excerpt, but I simply find it amazing that such a poorly designed propulsion plant ever made it into mass production! This warp core is clearly deeply flawed, yet it was aboard a starship in full commission, with civilians aboard, despite the fact that it violates the provisions of a Federal law.

Frankly, I’m stunned. Was there no testbed? Did the designers not test the propulsion plant before they put it into production? I can only imagine what our colleagues in His Imperial Majesty’s Navy would do if someone tried to sell them such a badly-designed propulsion plant. Fortunately for us, stupidity is a capital offence.

Note to Tech Branch: a computer virus is capable of causing disastrous core failure in the main propulsion plants of 90% of Federation starships; consider developing a programme to exploit this vulnerability. Details regarding the “Yamato disaster” are on record.

"After more than thirteen years, we have finally achieved some measure of closure, but this is only the tip of the iceberg," said Peter Stein, representing the Yamato victims' families. During the trial, victims' families were stunned to hear that while Ms. Brahms possessed numerous degrees in astrophysics and particle physics, she had no engineering training whatsoever, nor did she possess a valid engineering license. "How does an unlicensed practitioner get assigned to head up a Starfleet engineering team, and why did it take so long for this to come to light?" asked Mr. Stein.

What kind of idiots do the Federation have in charge over there? Whose idea was it to allow a theoretical physicist design a warship? Do they even realise that there is a difference between pure science and applied science?

Note to Infiltration Branch: infiltration of vital operations should not be excessively difficult; the Federation’s administrators apparently don’t even bother with examining credentials.

This was but one of many shocking revelations during the trial. It was also learned that despite their claims to the contrary, virtually all of the problems were foreseeable. In fact, it was revealed that Ms. Brahms' engineering team disregarded numerous safety regulations and design policies already in place, many of which date all the way back to the Klingon Cold War era.

At this point, I’m forced to wonder if the Federation even examined Brahms’s design at all before putting it into production. If it violated their own well-established safety regulations, how did it ever get approved?

Of course, I’m sure you can see these things for yourself, Marius. Really, the surprising thing is that the Federation didn’t see them. Examine our records on one of their starships, the U.S.S. Enterprise (Registry number NCC-1701-D). How many times did that single ship narrowly avoid being blown to very small non-working parts? And how many of those times was it the result of criminally stupid flaws in the basic design?

You can read the rest of the article, and form your own conclusions. I’ll have my office forward all new information on this subject to your office; let me know if there’s anything else you want.

[Robert Treder]

(Regarding Publius's entry)

I like it. Sells me on the idea of II intercepts, which I wasn't too sure about earlier.

Things I liked:

-Use of Sourcebook encoding method. Nice touch, adds great atmosphere.
-Integration with other articles on the page. That seems to be an admirable goal for any entry to the page; it helps create depth and a more realistic scenario, and it keeps it interesting for writer and reader.
-I especially liked the 'notes' to the various departments. Those, or something similar, should be the main focus of any Imperial intercept articles.

Only thing I didn't like:

-The parts berating the stupidity of the Federation tend to be a little obvious. For continued entries in the same vein, perhaps the criticisms should be either downplayed or more insightful.

Overall, great work! If I find the time, I'll get to work on my own meagre attempt.