Star Fleet Academy and Psionics

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Tatterdemalion King

There's a vast difference between the implied accuracy of memories shared in telepathic content and the problematic intelligence results of torture sessions.

---

I see what you are saying and broadly agree. However. It is stated in the series that a skilled telepath is able to focus and refine a subjects memories and take subjective memories and acertain the truth from them, to access the sub-concious as a recording device. Mind you its also clear in the series that a strong willed person/psion is able to resist and perhaps even deliberately mis-lead the telepathic reading deliberately...

I cant remember if I covered this in the Psionics sourcebook, but I know that I allowed for a non Psion to resist with an opposed presence/willpower check (plus one difficulty level)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dan Gurden

Mind you its also clear in the series that a strong willed person/psion is able to resist and perhaps even deliberately mis-lead the telepathic reading deliberately...

---

Well, that's what makes the Spock-Valeris meld dramatically interesting, in that Valeris desperately seeks Spock's approval—love?—and that it may be inferred that the most traumatic part of the meld was seeing herself through his eyes. Given the Saakona/Dukat interrogation failure, we might even infer that Valeris let Spock win.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Tatterdemalion King

There's a vast difference between the implied accuracy of memories shared in telepathic content and the problematic intelligence results of torture sessions.

---

Yup. The telepathy would be more accurate. Although in the example I used the accuracy would be determined fairly quickly. The point is that if the "extreme measure" turned out to successfully prevent the catastrophe, it might be overlooked.

Now, I'm not defending the action morally or on any other grounds. Just stating that under certain circumstances the action might be overlooked or forgiven by the powers that be. Star Fleet certainly didn't want to prosecute a group of heroes who had just saved the UFP from war, yet again, and were retiring anyway. Especially not when they just blew the lid on a major scandal involving Star Fleet's leadership.

It's not right, but it is politic.

One wonders what the JAG actually made of that case. Didn't someone say they were running a Starfleet JAG game?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Tatterdemalion King

One wonders what the JAG actually made of that case.

---

Probably no case even reach them. I doubt Valeris wanted to raise the issue and nobody else would.

Quote:

---

Didn't someone say they were running a Starfleet JAG game?

---

It would make an interesting case. But then, most of Kirk"s career would give JAG characters headaches. He was courtmartialed a few times, and in the last instance, most of the charges were dropped since he has just saved the Earth. But his tendency to bend regulations and disobey orders was almost always offset by his ability to get a favorable outcome-usually one better than what was expected to be possible.

I suspect that had he ever screwed up, there were a bunch of folk in Star Fleet ready to bury him, but who wouldn't dare touch him as long as he was such a hero. How many planets did they TOS crew save?