Yesterday, I glimpsed the last half of a STTNG episode in which the Enterprise discovers a Federation starship half-embedded in an asteriod. Turns out said starship was toying with developing a cloaking technology (makes starships invisible, for non-trekkies) when something went very, very wrong. An evil general, barking orders to Picard and showing not a whit of concern for human life, conveniently personified those who wanted to develop such a cloaking technology.
Of course, it wouldn't be Star Trek if Roddenbury didn't use the episode to moralize. (And it wouldn't be Random Observations if I didn't do the same in response.)
In this case, the cloaking technology was prohibited by "The Treaty of Algernon" which banned cloaking technologies and had "kept the peace" for lo these last several hundred years.
Oddly, though, in the Star Trek universe, it seems just about everybody else has cloaking technologies: Romulans, Klingons, probably even Borg if I remember right. Now we know why: Some Federation policy wonks signed a document in which their enemies promised to stop attacking them if only they stopped developing defensive technologies. (And, of course, in the Star Trek universe, this actually worked!)
So let me get this straight, Roddebury. The Federation are the "engligntened", peaceful ones. Romulans, Klingons and their ilk are warlike. And we've kept the peace with them only by being technologically inferior.
If this laughable premise weren't wrapped in a rather entertaining episode it would be completely unpalatable, even to sophisticated mammals such as stoats and marmots.
Consider it again: Roddenbury actually believed, with a straight face and all, that being technologically inferior to an aggressive enemy was the best way to keep peace with them. "If only they would have a technology we'd lack completely, then there will be peace!"
Yeah, that so worked with WW2 Germany and the Soviet Union.
The sad part is that some viewers undoubtedly absorbed this idiotic idea and are still walking around, believing it, not remembering when this meme stopped being Roddenbury's and started being their own.
There's no disadvantage for the Federation have not cloaking technology. In fact, as you can see, Federation starships are much more superior than others. Shielding are much more effective, as example. It's important to remember that the vocation of the Federation is for peace and respect for all species of the universe. Cloaking device is for attack. It's a weapon for war. Not developing such weapon, Federation confirm its good intentions for peace. "We have no reason to hide ourselves" in other words. Besides, if you see this episode, the cloaking developed by the "renegade" officers, was much better than Romulan and Klingon. Where did you see another cloaking that allows a ship pass through a solid rock? It demonstrates the potential of the Federation to be always a step foward from its enemies.
Live long and prosper, my friend.
Sergio
First of all: Roddenberry was dead when the episode of which you speak was written.
Second of all: You're right, the treaty puts us at a disadvantage. The point of the episode wasn't "Oh, how wonderful the treaty!" but rather that a few officers shouldn't unilaterally violate the treaty and risk war -- that embodies antidemocratic feelings.
Posted by: on January 7, 2004 03:15 AM