Date: 28 May 2013 21:43 Title: Chapter 1
Ah! Starfleet's lax security. Picard has a point though, since if for the sake of avoiding militarization and a surveillance state a major accident were to occur which could plunge the Federation into war. Then the very peace which the Federation and Starfleet seeks would be dashed because of carelessness and complacent security procedures.
It begs a far bigger question; is this paradise of the Federation so fragile then it can be easily tarnished if stronger measures were used to defend and guard it?
[Report This]Date: 21 Jul 2010 18:24 Title: Chapter 1
You ask an important question indeed but I fear it is intractable.
Picard handles the cautionary side in this vignette and has some right to do so. He, after all, did stop actual terrorists. However, his example of actual trilithium is imaginary.
I can easily think of a dozen threats to even our own 21st century world that would warrant draconic safety measures.
It is a nice aside and it shows a part of Starfleet some fans would rather not think about. I do hope you'll build this into a full-length story. It has that potential.
Author's Response:
At this time, I have no plans to flesh this out. All my 9/11 pieces, including an Ancient Destroyer piece that continuity does not allow for, were very visceral, written while my brain was still taking all this in.
BTW, this was originally written in an AU called 'Starting Over', wherein the Captain giving the closing remarks was not Picard, but Kirk, who in that reality took the center seat of the E-E after Picard died on Veridian 3.