Infinite Realities

[Aldaron]

First of Two...
<i>Love</i> that timeline!! Especially the little tidbits like Julian Bashir and Sarina Douglas being involved in the "conspiratorial government".

Styro...
Now you've really got me thinking. Now this is probably full of holes as I'm talking off the top of my head and haven't thought it thru yet, but what if the Crew arrive in this alternate dimension with their tales of the Borg. They show the computer records, the destruction at Wolf 359, etc. The events you speak of come to pass, with people being forced to have certain implants in case of assimilation, etc.

The Crew continue with their adventures, becoming (no doubt) more and more concerned as the Starfleet personnel around them sacrifice more and more of their "biology" to "technology". Eventually, a ship is built which utilises a computerised link between all crew members, so they each know exactly what the other is doing at any given time...

Then, something happens...I dunno, something to make the Crew chase the "Collective Ship", which is caught in some kind of [insert spatial anomaly here] and flung across time, space and dimensions, along with the Crew.

The Crew discover, of course, that they are now in the Delta Quadrant, a thousand years or so in the past, and the "Collective Ship" crew, desperate to return home, begin to forget their Starfleet morality and begin behaving like the crew of the <i>Equinox</i>, believing the ends justify the means.

Oh, and the "Collective Ship" has a female captain, of course

You <i>know</i> where I'm heading with this, don't you? All those who hate temporal paradoxes may now exit!

Thoughts, anyone?

[ghosty]

One question I omitted to ask was what kind of rules apply if the PCs decide to mess with these alternate universes. Is it the same as messing with time? Forbidden by the Temproral Prime Directive.

But canon material seems to suggest that its okay to mess about with parallel dimensions. All the Mirror Universe episodes shows Starfleet officers not only getting invovled but trying to change things in the mirror universe. I need to know because obviously many of these parallel dimensions are going to be in bad shape and the PCs may try to "save the world".

[Aldaron]

Well, Picard didn't seem too fazed about messing with the alternate reality in <i>Yesterday's Enterprise</i>, going solely on Guinan's intuition. Since he's the "school prefect" with stuff like that, I'd say that's a pretty good guide.

I don't think it's the same as messing with the timeline. Muck about with 1980, and 2370 may be very different. Here, however, we're talking about two copies of 2370, where altering one won't affect the other.

[ghosty]

While Picard does come across as a "school prefect" he's still not above breaking the rules, back chatting admirals and generally making a nuisance of himself when he feels he's in the right and face it he's broken the Prime Directive himself and besides his actions in Yesterday's Enterprise would save the Federation, so he took the greater good into consideration.

In the DS9 mirror universe episodes, Sisko and co. were sometimes a little less altuistic about messing around with mirror universe politics to help their parallel selves.

IMHO, there's no canon rule that says you can't interfer in parallel dimensions but thinking about it, won't the Prime Directive apply. The parallel universe no matter how it developed is still a culture of its own and to interfer with a culture and change its development is a PD violation.

[First of Two]

I've always believed that it's the "little tidbits" that make a good alternate universe timeline.

[ghosty]

Thanks for the detailed post First of Two but its too elaborate for what I want to do...it'll be a short story-arc four to six episodes, so some alternate dimensions will just be shock descriptions before the PCs move on.

I'm thinking of using the following (as the principal focus of each episode):

1. The Mirror Universe - my version
2. Yesterday's War
3. What if there was no Federation?
4. Worst of Both Worlds
5. Dying Federation (far future)
6. War of the Prophets (from the DS9 Mellenium novels).

[Captain Zymmer]

Originally posted by ghosty
One question I omitted to ask was what kind of rules apply if the PCs decide to mess with these alternate universes. Is it the same as messing with time? Forbidden by the Temproral Prime Directive.

But canon material seems to suggest that its okay to mess about with parallel dimensions. All the Mirror Universe episodes shows Starfleet officers not only getting invovled but trying to change things in the mirror universe. I need to know because obviously many of these parallel dimensions are going to be in bad shape and the PCs may try to "save the world".

Interesting angle. And what if some Alternate Dimension Picard showed up and argued that the Federation nees to impose a dimensional Prime Directive. "Just because it won't affect you immediatly, do not think these things will never have ramifications. Starfleet Captains must learn to control themselves and their polution of other cultures in all aspects. This dimension, time and any other dimension."

[ghosty]

Originally posted by Captain Zymmer

Interesting angle. And what if some Alternate Dimension Picard showed up and argued that the Federation nees to impose a dimensional Prime Directive. "Just because it won't affect you immediatly, do not think these things will never have ramifications. Starfleet Captains must learn to control themselves and their polution of other cultures in all aspects. This dimension, time and any other dimension."

I like the Picard bit, may find its way into the climax of the story arc.

[First of Two]

Other alternities:

A Universe in which Kahles was killed in battle, The Klingons self-destructed, and the Federation never had to fight them (and now has scant few allies against a Dominion-Romulan Alliance)

A 'Balkanized' Universe, where Federation space belongs to small empires and Alliances (The Vulcan / Betazed / Cairn / Napean "Interstellar Concordium" AKA the "Brain Trust," The Andorian / Bolian / Centauri / Trill / Tellarite "United Worlds," The "Human League," The Ferengi / Lysian / Tzenkethi "Consortium," surrounded by the large, powerful Empires of the Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians, and Breen.

When I DO get around to playing my "SliderTrek" game, I intend my crew to have an adventure ot two in each of these universes before they move on...

[Imagus]

Originally posted by Captain Zymmer

Interesting angle. And what if some Alternate Dimension Picard showed up and argued that the Federation nees to impose a dimensional Prime Directive. "Just because it won't affect you immediatly, do not think these things will never have ramifications. Starfleet Captains must learn to control themselves and their polution of other cultures in all aspects. This dimension, time and any other dimension."

Remembering the plot of Dark Mirror was the result of the Mirror universe Empire deducing the existence of the Federation from Kirk's original visit and launching a cross-time invasion...

[C5]

And why would this Federation (ours, that is) have a PD about alternate universes travel? Maybe they don't - after all, I don't remember it being ever evoqued.
However, there may be another Federation, somewhere, who has a PD concerning alternate universes. Or it may be some future of "our" Federation - a further extension to TimeFleet (TimeLineFleet?).

This could make some interesting variation for a SliderTrek game : the existence of a United Federation of Realities, whose StarFleet equivalent doesn't like the Crew's tampering with the realities.
And of course, this Federation could have its ennemies (I stopped watching Sliders a looong time ago, but IIRC, this idea is called Kromaggs in this show).
Otherwise, the UFR could appear as the villains, constantly opposing the schemes of the Crew, but eventually helping them to return home.

Well, just some Monday afternoon weird idea...

[Captain Zymmer]

Slider Trek? Slider Trek!

OMG!

That is an evil idea...all started when the player's are testing out a revolutionary personal transporter device...

Oh you wacky C5 you, my players are gonna hate you if I ever unleash this on them

[Captain Zymmer]

Originally posted by ghosty


I like the Picard bit, may find its way into the climax of the story arc.

Feel free to use at your whim

[C5]

Originally posted by Captain Zymmer
Slider Trek? Slider Trek!

OMG!

That is an evil idea...all started when the player's are testing out a revolutionary personal transporter device...

Oh you wacky C5 you, my players are gonna hate you if I ever unleash this on them

Hehehe... glad to see I seem to have the basic weirdness required to be a good Narrator...
Thanks for the compliment Captain!

[ghosty]

C5, you're getting there kid...weird is definately in the job description if you want to be a GM.