Series Seed: "Star Trek: Reflections."

[NobAkimoto]

The original concept sort of came about when watching a BBS arguement between "militant" and "pacifist" trekkies, but I thought it would also make an interesting story drama wise.

The basic concept was a post-Dominion War weakened Federation, the frontiers crumbling somewhat due to lack of ships(I've always attributed the large NCC figures to there being an immense pressing need for border patrol and anti-piracy vessels. Afterall even if the Federation is pure, doesn't mean it's neighbors are...) Earth is economically down-trodden from both the effects of the war-time economy, and the Breen attack.

It's a time of difficulty, and the impending elections for the local Earth government reflect the great unease and exhaustion suffered by the populace. Many humans are somewhat disillusioned, wondering if the Federation had abandoned them in favour of the "others."

A couple of politicians use this more isolationist policy to their advantage, calling for a "Humans First" type government and promising the revitalizing of Earth. The elections of course end in a landslide for these politicians, placing a heavily conservative government on Earth.

They take a heavy hardline approach to defense, citing that they can no longer depend on Starfleet to provide security in Sol.

Eventually they convince a great many older hard-liner Starfleet officers to their cause, eventually causing something close to a military take over of the Federation headquarters themselves.

The basic premise was to have the players be part of a group that's put in the hot seat.

Would they defend the ideals of the Federation, it's constituants or would they believe that the safety of the Federation was most important.

I know the end premise ends up sounding a bit like the Earth Civil War from B5...But at the time I hadn't really seen any of it...blast it.

[Dan Stack]

One suggestion/concern...

In a setup like this, it is easy to make those politicians "black hats" or truly evil. However, often in Star Trek, the baddies are convinced what they are doing is worth the price - Admiral Leyton's coup comes to mind, as does the conspiracy in Star Trek VI.

The setup you've described sounds like a good opportunity to force the characters to see both sides - the orphans as a result of the Dominion War, the ruins of San Francisco, etc.

But then have those politicians start making minor compromises, leading up to larger and larger ones, to the point where their idealism for Earth has been supplanted by a hatred for the Federation.

[Dan Stack]

Hey I'm replying to myself... Trek fashion would also involve having a leader of these politicians realize what he's done and assist the characters

[Re'k]

There's an adventure called "The Chaos Principle" for another RPG. A group of "loyal citizens" in the Jupiter colonies believe that their government isn't doing enough to counter the imperialist Earth threat. This group, called the Principii, organizes an assassination attempt against the Jovian president and a shooting war over a Vietnam-like Mars. This battle over Mars ends with a battleship falling from orbit, destroying the capitol city of the Earth-backed nation, population five million. The Martians tell the superpowers to get the hell out of their space, and surprisingly, they do so.

Upon seeing the newsfeeds of the disaster, the leader of the Principii realizes he's been wrong the whole time, and decides to hand himself in. Not wishing to be taken down with him, his lieutenant (a Jovian intelligence agent who's been brainwashed by the Venusian corporations and is participating in the Principii because she's been programmed to sow discord) turns on him. The leader escapes. Since the lieutenant is planning to commit further acts of terrorism (another assassination attempt) to cover up her tracks, the leader goes out to stop her, but he's intercepted by the good guys. After the traditional one-on-one battle, he tells them about what his lieutenant is planning.

This storyline could be adapted. You "humans first" government could be related to that group of fundamentalists that took over Risa for a few days. Once they rise to power on Earth, they decide to "liberate" key defense assets in the Sol system. This may be partly due to the influence of the vice-president, who has been working for/with/under the control of Romulans who wish to crack the Federation apart by way of Earth. Some kind of battle occurs between the Earth forces and Starfleet. Something very, very bad happens (park a flaming Miranda in Lake Armstrong on the Moon?) The president of Earth decides to turn himself in, but his vice-president hijacks the entire operation. Fun ensues, but in the end, the (ir)responsible parties have been dealt with and order has been restored.

[ghosty]

Sounds a bit like an alternate reality scenario I was working on. Called "Sins of the Mother" it involved the appearance of the child of the Commanding Officer returning to the past accidentally representing a Starfleet Command from 50 years in the future where the Federation had fallen. A fall which the CO may have inadvertently caused.

During the days after the Dominion War, the weakened Federation had been whracked with internal disention. Scessionists on Betazed and other worlds that had been conquered by the Dominion began to pressure their governments to withdraw from the Federation. Scessionist parties are formed and in some places are swept to power in elections. (In the game timeline, the secessionists have only began their political activities).

Some governments begin seizing Federation facilities and ordering their nationals in Starfleet to return home. Many stay loyal but an uncomfortable number leave Starfleet to train and equip their planetary militias and navies. Scessionist fever comes to the fore when scessionists seize a Federation starbase killing the Starfleet officers and crew accidentally.

The Federation responds and the question arises, can a member world secede from the Federation. The Federation Supreme Court rules in a split decision that they cannot. Starfleet ships are ordered to retake all facilities in the hands of secessionists.

The key is Starbase 327 in the Tajorian system where the killing of Starfleet personnel had taken place. The CO is ordered to retake the Starbase and to demand the surrender of all persons involved in the killing of Starfleet personnel.

A tense stand-off ensues when the Tajorians refuse and send their small fleet out to oppose the CO. What happened after that is unclear, only that the CO had fired upon the Tajorians causing them to return fire and the sparks of a civil war is born.

50 years later, the civil war is over but there is no more Federation. Earth and some of her colonies had formed the Terran Federation. The Vulcans had allied with the Romulans and are preparing for a more permanent union. Other worlds have turned insular and on worlds like Andor, even xenophobic.

The end of the Federation also spelled the end of the Klingon Empire. For years the Chancellor had more or less depended on the Federation alliance to keep his more hot-headed people in line. But with the Federation fighting itself, the Klingon Empire too falls to civil war as factions long kept in check by the Chancellor's political manuvers went to war.

It is a dark time for the Alpha Quadrant. Except for the Romulans there are no galactic powers left and the Romulans are too engrossed in their war with the Thauri. Just as the Borg luanch a new invasion intent on destroying the remnants of the Federation.

[NobAkimoto]

Well the idea was for a lot of shades of grey, with the players having the option to choose which side they side with.

The "Earth First" government has it's good points, several notes that if Earth had spent even a fraction more resources for system defense that several hundred million wouldn't be dead.(Wasn't there a quote to this effect in the DWSB?)

They're all a touch caught up in the "never again" part, and have started allowing rather lenient interpertations of the rights of law-enforcement and government.(This probably would piss some people off, but yes it's a parallel to present day US politics.)

The final idea though is that there's someone manipulating everything from the shadows...

This part though is sort of iffy, it might start to seem al ittle too cliched in that respect...