Trek internal inconsistencies

[Xon]

Could an in universe reason for all of Star Trek's internal inconsistencies be that all the various super beings, continuously mucking about with the fundementals princibles of their universe(locally and globally), caused everything to go screwball?

[Peregrin Toker]

What a scary thought.

[Equinox2003]

It is possible I would think. For example, in Voyager we saw the
fallout of a civil war amongst the Q, it was stars collapsing I believe.
Now, if such beings such as the Q, Prophets and so on were to
often have effects in the Trek world it could serve to explain why
certain things don't add up like they should.

[neoolong]

Another explanation could be that there are many slightly different universes, and each episode happens in a different universe.

[Kurgan]

Dang ISP keeps reconnecting, so I lost my danged post.. anyway...


From TNG we know that we've "switched timelines" from the original one we saw in the first episode (the one where we see the alternate "militarized federation" where Tash Yar is still alive... forget the title.

We also know from Enterprise "Regeneration" that we're seeing a contaminated timeline from the one that was started in the movie "First Contact."

In Voyager season 4, Seven of Nine mentions FC, so that could be as well.

Unless you say only those episodes were alternate timelines, its pretty much we've been viewing an alternate timeline (or several) since at least TNG season 3 (IIRC).

That explains SOME of the contradictions, not all, but some.

[Jeremy]

Dont you mean since the end of TOS?

[BenRG]

Dont you mean since the end of TOS?

It is difficult to tell. There are several pre-TNG examples of altered timelines. The most obvious one is the post-STIV-TVH timeline with Gillian Taylor and two humpbacks suddenly dissapearing overnight... As well as the unsolved mystery of the guy who broke into the engine room of the Enterprise (CVN-65, I think). However, I don't think that this would have radically affected the course of events.

Nonetheless, they are non-causual events. I agree with Stavro's theory in 'Star Crossed'. It is quite possible that every paradox, every time journey, no matter how small its' effect on the course of history, has slightly weakened the fabric of reality. Given the number of massive time alterations that have taken place since TNG season 4, and especially those that surrounded the Voyager's trip home, I strongly suspect that Janeway's act of temporal sabotage in "Endgame" probably blew a hole straight through reality. That is what probably created the villain in 'Nemesis'. No other possible process could lead to his existence.