Riker vs. the Empire

SWvST: the subject of the main site.

Moderator: Vympel

Kurgan
Sith Marauder
Posts: 4069
Joined: 2002-08-19 08:13pm

Riker vs. the Empire

Post by Kurgan »

Scenario (its silly, I know, but let's just go with it):

You are Commander Riker, with the powers of the Q Continuum at your disposal.

What do you do to prepare the Trek galaxy for the coming Imperial threat... or do you?

Discuss. ; )
User avatar
jegs2
Imperial Spook
Posts: 4782
Joined: 2002-08-22 06:23pm
Location: Alabama

Re: Riker vs. the Empire

Post by jegs2 »

Kurgan wrote:Scenario (its silly, I know, but let's just go with it):

You are Commander Riker, with the powers of the Q Continuum at your disposal.

What do you do to prepare the Trek galaxy for the coming Imperial threat... or do you?

Discuss. ; )
As soon as you threw in the Q part, the debate became meaningless.
John 3:16-18
Warwolves G2
The University of North Alabama Lions!
User avatar
Grand Admiral Thrawn
Ruthless Imperial Tyrant
Posts: 5755
Joined: 2002-07-03 06:11pm
Location: Canada

Post by Grand Admiral Thrawn »

Close the wormhole/portal/whatever.
"You know, I was God once."
"Yes, I saw. You were doing well, until everyone died."
Bender and God, Futurama
User avatar
Shadow
Padawan Learner
Posts: 366
Joined: 2002-07-03 10:34pm

Re: Riker vs. the Empire

Post by Shadow »

Kurgan wrote:Scenario (its silly, I know, but let's just go with it):

You are Commander Riker, with the powers of the Q Continuum at your disposal.

What do you do to prepare the Trek galaxy for the coming Imperial threat... or do you?

Discuss. ; )
If I had to stop an Imperial fleet with Q abilities, I would just erase the SW galaxy.
Kurgan
Sith Marauder
Posts: 4069
Joined: 2002-08-19 08:13pm

Post by Kurgan »

As soon as you threw in the Q part, the debate became meaningless.
It's not really a debate per se, just what YOU would do, to meet the threat. There's more than one possibility, after all.
User avatar
Darth Fanboy
DUH! WINNING!
Posts: 11182
Joined: 2002-09-20 05:25am
Location: Mars, where I am a totally bitchin' rockstar.

Post by Darth Fanboy »

I would join in the inevitable mayhem.
"If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little."
-George Carlin (1937-2008)

"Have some of you Americans actually seen Football? Of course there are 0-0 draws but that doesn't make them any less exciting."
-Dr Roberts, with quite possibly the dumbest thing ever said in 10 years of SDNet.
User avatar
beyond hope
Jedi Council Member
Posts: 1608
Joined: 2002-08-19 07:08pm

Post by beyond hope »

What I would do and what Riker would do are two every different things. I see two big problems for Riker. As a Starfleet officer, there's no way he could justify killing the multitudes of civilians in the SW galaxy, whether by erasing the entire galaxy or by erasing the Imperial armed forces. Likewise, Riker-Q couldn't just disappear the Imperial leadership so a more benevolt system could emerge: not only would the subsequent civil war cause unacceptable civilian casualties, but Starfleet officers also have strong inhibitions about interfering in the development of other cultures. Suddenly granting the Federation new technology equivalent in power to the Empire poses similar problems: an increase in their destructive power by a magnitude or more would be incredibly destabilizing to the Alpha Quadrant. Even if the Federation's leadership controlled the impulse to go wipe out their old enemies, they may soon find all the other alpha, beta, and gamma quadrant powers forming an alliance to assault the Federation out of fear. Suddenly raising the power level of all the ST powers is no better: they may be able to fend off an Imperial attack then, but warfare between them will reach a scale of destructiveness previously unheard of in the ST galaxy. After you exhaust all those possibilities, you're back to Thrawn's suggestion: use your Q powers to close the wormhole.

That brings us to Riker's second problem: who says the Q Continuum will let him intervene?
User avatar
Shadow
Padawan Learner
Posts: 366
Joined: 2002-07-03 10:34pm

Post by Shadow »

The Q Continuum does present a problem. I am just as omnipotent as all of them combined because omnipotence is absolute, however. Therefore, I would include the Q Continuum in my erasure, as well as the SW galaxy.
User avatar
beyond hope
Jedi Council Member
Posts: 1608
Joined: 2002-08-19 07:08pm

Post by beyond hope »

Shadow wrote:The Q Continuum does present a problem. I am just as omnipotent as all of them combined because omnipotence is absolute, however. Therefore, I would include the Q Continuum in my erasure, as well as the SW galaxy.
Except that the continuum has in the past stripped a member of their powers.
User avatar
paladin
Jedi Master
Posts: 1393
Joined: 2002-07-22 11:01am
Location: Terra Maria

Post by paladin »

Riker with the power of Q. I guess the Empire is getting a new Emperor.
User avatar
Vympel
Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz
Posts: 29312
Joined: 2002-07-19 01:08am
Location: Sydney Australia

Re: Riker vs. the Empire

Post by Vympel »

Shadow wrote:
If I had to stop an Imperial fleet with Q abilities, I would just erase the SW galaxy.
Proof that the Q can erase galaxies?
Like Legend of Galactic Heroes? Please contribute to http://gineipaedia.com/
User avatar
Helm
Youngling
Posts: 76
Joined: 2003-02-10 04:31am
Location: USA - MO
Contact:

Re: Riker vs. the Empire

Post by Helm »

Vympel wrote:
Shadow wrote:
If I had to stop an Imperial fleet with Q abilities, I would just erase the SW galaxy.
Proof that the Q can erase galaxies?
... you need proof of that?

I think the better question to as is would the Q even let that happen? and if it did happen (there are always rogue Q) would the Q continuum "fix" the damage that was done?

But this is a rather silly match up. It's like a mortal taking on a god. The god casts Smite Mortal Sillyness and the Godlike being wins.
Sith Lord Belial {From Ethereal-Realms.Org Star Wars Role Playing}

~Like in a world with God there is always the Devil, when there is light there will always be darkness. A pure heart is easily stained with darkness and to demons it is sweet temptation. Shadows cannot obtain light so is mesmerized by it...~
User avatar
Patrick Degan
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 14847
Joined: 2002-07-15 08:06am
Location: Orleanian in exile

Post by Patrick Degan »

What would Riker do? Basically, he'd be dumb enough to listen to one of Picard's moral speeches and decide that he is not fit to hold the powers of the Q and would give them up.

The Empire then crushes the Federation on schedule.
User avatar
Shadow
Padawan Learner
Posts: 366
Joined: 2002-07-03 10:34pm

Post by Shadow »

I just noticed that my arguement is wrong. It is tated that Qs are not omnipotent in the episode "Death Wish," by the Q called Quinn.
User avatar
Shadow
Padawan Learner
Posts: 366
Joined: 2002-07-03 10:34pm

Post by Shadow »

I meant to say "stated." It is annoying that this forum has the edit feature turned off.
User avatar
Grand Admiral Thrawn
Ruthless Imperial Tyrant
Posts: 5755
Joined: 2002-07-03 06:11pm
Location: Canada

Post by Grand Admiral Thrawn »

"The Q and the Grey" proves they aren't anyways.
"You know, I was God once."
"Yes, I saw. You were doing well, until everyone died."
Bender and God, Futurama
Kurgan
Sith Marauder
Posts: 4069
Joined: 2002-08-19 08:13pm

Post by Kurgan »

It's true, Riker would probably give up the Q powers (and he does, in fact), I just used that as a device, because it really a happened in the Trek universe.

The question is, if you were Riker, what would you do. You don't have to necessarily act "in character."
User avatar
Admiral Johnason
Sith Devotee
Posts: 2552
Joined: 2003-01-11 05:06pm
Location: The Rebel cruiser Defender

Post by Admiral Johnason »

Grand Admiral Thrawn wrote:Close the wormhole/portal/whatever.
He could just open another one.
Liberals for Nixon in 3000: Nixon... with carisma and a shiny robot body.

never negoiate out of fear, but never fear to negoiate.

Captian America- Justice League

HAB submarine commander-
"We'll break you of your fear of water."
User avatar
Vympel
Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz
Posts: 29312
Joined: 2002-07-19 01:08am
Location: Sydney Australia

Re: Riker vs. the Empire

Post by Vympel »

Helm wrote:
... you need proof of that?
Yes, I do need proof of that. I see no reason why Q's abilities should be extrapolated to infinity. It's the same kind of BS reasoning that states that the Borg adapt to anything blah blah etc.
Like Legend of Galactic Heroes? Please contribute to http://gineipaedia.com/
User avatar
beyond hope
Jedi Council Member
Posts: 1608
Joined: 2002-08-19 07:08pm

Post by beyond hope »

Kurgan wrote:It's true, Riker would probably give up the Q powers (and he does, in fact), I just used that as a device, because it really a happened in the Trek universe.

The question is, if you were Riker, what would you do. You don't have to necessarily act "in character."
Heh... with that problem out of the way, I'd make sure the arriving Imperials found themselves emerging in Borg space. That will take care of the metal-encrusted zombies once and for all. Next, sic them on the Founders.
User avatar
Darth Servo
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 8805
Joined: 2002-10-10 06:12pm
Location: Satellite of Love

Post by Darth Servo »

Use the power to teleport my self as far away from the Federation as possible :D
"everytime a person is born the Earth weighs just a little more."--DMJ on StarTrek.com
"You see now you are using your thinking and that is not a good thing!" DMJay on StarTrek.com

"Watching Sarli argue with Vympel, Stas, Schatten and the others is as bizarre as the idea of the 40-year-old Virgin telling Hugh Hefner that Hef knows nothing about pussy, and that he is the expert."--Elfdart
Kurgan
Sith Marauder
Posts: 4069
Joined: 2002-08-19 08:13pm

Post by Kurgan »

Maybe I would snap my fingers a whole bunch of times (a few thousand light years per snap) and send the Imperial invasion fleet into the middle of Vong space... and watch the results. ; )
User avatar
Tragic
Padawan Learner
Posts: 248
Joined: 2003-02-16 04:45pm
Location: New York City, U.S.A
Contact:

Re: Riker vs. the Empire

Post by Tragic »

Vympel wrote:
Helm wrote:
... you need proof of that?
Yes, I do need proof of that. I see no reason why Q's abilities should be extrapolated to infinity. It's the same kind of BS reasoning that states that the Borg adapt to anything blah blah etc.

The Q's have control over space,matter and time. I doubt it would be hard for them to erase a galaxy.
"The point of war isn't to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his" Gen. George Patton.
User avatar
Stormbringer
King of Democracy
Posts: 22678
Joined: 2002-07-15 11:22pm

Re: Riker vs. the Empire

Post by Stormbringer »

Tragic wrote:The Q's have control over space,matter and time. I doubt it would be hard for them to erase a galaxy.
But erasing a galaxy is way beyond anything they've done in canon and we know they aren't omnipotent.
Image
User avatar
Vympel
Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz
Posts: 29312
Joined: 2002-07-19 01:08am
Location: Sydney Australia

Re: Riker vs. the Empire

Post by Vympel »

Tragic wrote:
The Q's have control over space,matter and time. I doubt it would be hard for them to erase a galaxy.
Instead of vague assertions without a smidgen of canon evidence, why don't you demonstrate that the Q's can erase a galaxy :roll:
Like Legend of Galactic Heroes? Please contribute to http://gineipaedia.com/
Post Reply