I'd like to also say that this is one of the best threads I've seen in a while.  It has made me think harder about some of my own Star Trek prejudices and preferences.  I am an unabashed TOS fan, mostly because in my opinion TNG made the universe too sanitary, leaving too little room to explore the darker corners.  That is why I liked DS9, and consider it the best of Star Trek from TNG onwards.

In any event, one thought comes to mind in regards to the discussion of the Maquis.  One of the core elements of Star Trek is exploration (whether it be physical exploration of space or inward exploration of ourselves), but a conventional Maquis-centered campaign would probably be somewhat limited in the physical "boldly go" kind of exploration.  But what if you set the campaign AFTER the Dominion War.  The scattered remnants of the defeated Maquis have to go somewhere, right?  Some may choose to go back to Federation space, but they would be treated with suspicion and contempt by the very people who the Maquis considered to have betrayed them, if not improisoned.

Given that choice, perhaps a large group of Maquis refugees would choose to strike out on their own to find a new home in (relatively) uncharted space?  Sort of Star Trek meets Battlestar Galactica, actually.  And perhaps a number of sympathetic Starfleet officers decide to help them or even go with them, themselves disgusted at the Federation's perceived betrayal of their ideals.

With this setup you would get exploration divorced from much of the later Star trek metaplot, and potential conflict between the ideals of the Star Fleet folks and the Maquis when they are faced with decisions on the harsh frontier.  And, of course, it is highly unlikely that any suitable worlds are not claimed by *somebody*, which would lead to a whole host of dilemmas...


TGA

hey, here's a question for the DS9 afficionados:  If I want to rent the DVDs for DS9, and want to focus just on the Maquis storyline, which seasons should I get?

It's something I could probably figure out myself with a little research, but I'd like to take a little more "boots-on-the-ground" approach, and get the information from those who know.  I know that the Maquis cropped up here and there throughout the run of the show, but I know that certain seasons really focused on the issue.

!i!

Hi!
  Anyone think about throwing Section 31 into the mix. What is their take on the Maquis. They both favor ruthlessly pursuing their agendas. What happens when their agendas are in synch, what happens when their agendas are in opposition?

Someone answer Ian...I'd like to know too

And what is Section 31 ?

Regards,
David R

Ian, David - gimme an hour or two and I'll have your answer.

 I'm sort of out of the "geeky OCD" side of fandom....but I think my old notes from that time might be hidden around here somewhere.


- Ed C.

Section 31.  We were never here.

!i!

Section 31....creates a whole new set of problems...goody, goody.

Regards,
David R

There are a number of ways you could interpret Section 31, but my initial reaction was to liken them to Delta Green -- an outlaw cabal within the ranks of the Federation, operating in isolated cells, believing itself to work in the Federation's best interests.  

Here's a question I couldn't answer from the Memory Alpha article:  Were the members of Section 31 always human?  In other words, were they a secret organisation working for the Federation, or for humanity/Earth specifically?

!i!

The Second Season of Star Trek : Deep Space Nine has the two-part episode "The Maquis" in the back half of the season. The special guest star is Bernie Casey as a starfleet friend of Sisko's.

Here is a haphazard , somewhat hurried list of relevent episodes:

ST: TNG "Journey's End" STARDATE 47751.2 (October 2, 2370)
 This is the story where the Picard is orcered to evacuate colonists from the Dorvan V colony. The colinists are shown to be culkturally like native Anericans/Indians. Many fans assumed this might be the colony where Chakotay is from.

    The Maquis, a small, but growing number of Federation citizens living near the Cardassian border who have banded together in self-defense against the Cardassians, begins to take a more militant posture. They acquire ships and weapons in increasing numbers, worrying both Federation and Cardassian authorities. The Maquis are resentful of Federation concessions to the Cardassians made in the rrecent border treaty, and feel the only way to protect themselves is to take matters into their own hands.

October 4, 2370 = Two Federation colonists in Ropal City are stoned by a Cardassian mob. Reports suggest local Cardassian authorities may have encouraged the incident.

ST : DS9 "The Maquis, Part I" 47767.7 (October 7, 2370)
Sisko uncovers a Federation terrorist group whose actions could start another war with the Cardassians.
(This is also the first public announcement of the Maquis name in the Federation - and the first time that they take credit for various activities)

ST : DS9 "The Maquis, Part II"  47808.7 (October 22, 2370)
Sisko and Gul Dukat join forces in an effort to avert a war between the Cardassians and a group of Federation colonists led by Sisko's old friend.


- Ed C.

Quote from: Ian AbsentiaHere's a question I couldn't answer from the Memory Alpha article:  Were the members of Section 31 always human?  In other words, were they a secret organisation working for the Federation, or for humanity/Earth specifically?

Good question. My players (although only two of them would be what one would consider Trekkers) have always disliked the humancentric nature of the Federation. Having a dodgy covert org which either works for humanity/Earth or works for the Federation (ideals) proper makes for some interesting conflicts.

Regards,
David R

If you haven't seen the episodes - just assume ALL My stuff might have *SPOILERS* - okay?

December 4, 2370 : Cardassian colonists living near the Demilitarized Zone attack and destroy a Juhrya freighter. The Cardassian government deplores the incident, but it is difficult to control because of similar attacks by Federation civilians who call themselves the MAQUIS. Both Cardassian and Federation authorities fear the situation may deteriorate into large-scale armed hostilities.

ST:TNG "Preemptive Strike"   SD 47941.7 (December 10, 2370)
Admiral Neycheyev assigns Leiutenant Ro Laren to a covert mission to infiltrate the Maquis near the Demilitarized Zone.

(Really GOOD episode for seeing behind-the-scenesw workings of a possible Maquis Cell)

Quote from: Ian AbsentiaSection 31.  We were never here.

!i!

And it would make perfect sense for such an organization to use the Maquis as a proxy...

You can easily draw a parallel to the current situation in Pakistan, where significant elements of the ISI supported the Taliban, and likely turn a blind eye to the activities of militants in Waziristan and Kashmir.


TGA

Quote from: The Good AssyrianWith this setup you would get exploration divorced from much of the later Star trek metaplot, and potential conflict between the ideals of the Star Fleet folks and the Maquis when they are faced with decisions on the harsh frontier.  And, of course, it is highly unlikely that any suitable worlds are not claimed by *somebody*, which would lead to a whole host of dilemmas...

I considered something like this - the Biblical symbolism is a huge draw, for me But I guess everyone wants to remain close to the heat of the conflict between the Maquis and Federation/Cardassians. I think the general feeling of the group is not to break "new ground" but rather mess about with existing material.

Regards,
David R

Quote from: Ian AbsentiaHere's a question I couldn't answer from the Memory Alpha article:  Were the members of Section 31 always human?  In other words, were they a secret organisation working for the Federation, or for humanity/Earth specifically?

A very interesting question!  One can reasonably assume that the nature of intelligence organizations, particularly one that is 200 years old, means that small cabals of specific elites (I am thinking about the domination of Yale men in the early CIA as depicted in "The Good Shepherd") can have huge influence.  In the case of Starfleet Intelligence, it is pretty clear that Earth/humanity was a dominant factor in the early Federation and Starfleet, in particular.  How else to explain the extreme predominance of Earth origin names for starships (other than the obvious explanation that all the writers were from Earth...)?

By the era of TNG, we see a major shift with a lot more non-humans represented in the Federation and in Starfleet.  I could launch into a geeky in-universe explanation involving the Preservers, Hodgkin's Law of Parallel Planetary Development, and the density of non-human species as the Federation expanded its borders in the 24th Century, but I digress...The point is that non-humans obviously have a lot more presence in the Federation of the 24th Century, and some in the "old boys club" probably don't like that very much.


TGA

Quote from: David RI considered something like this - the Biblical symbolism is a huge draw, for me But I guess everyone wants to remain close to the heat of the conflict between the Maquis and Federation/Cardassians. I think the general feeling of the group is not to break "new ground" but rather mess about with existing material.

Regards,
David R

That's cool.  I was just throwing it out there because I have been tinkering with a Star Trek game based on the premise of "Voyager Done Right", and this thread fired up some ideas that I might make use of.  As I mentioned, the 24th Century stuff for Star Trek mostly leaves me cold, so this is an interesting possibility that I never even considered.

The original idea that I was bouncing around used the setting of the 2290s (roughly the period of Star Trek VI), and the PCs would be the crew of a Constellation class starship specially put together to explore the other side of the first (mostly) stable natural wormhole discovered.  The other side of the wormhole dumps out tens of thousands of light years from Federation space (perhaps deep in the Beta Quadrant).  The dilemma would be that there is a very good likelihood that the wormhole will eventually collapse, stranding the ship on the far side with a very long journey home.  I had envisioned it being  heavy on the "strange new worlds" stuff and diplomacy.  

I had also considered the idea that the wormhole dumps out 10,000 light years away AND 100 years in the future, making the mission more of an intelligence gathering affair, with Starfleet naturally interested in finding out what the galaxy looks like in the future.  I even came up with a wacky plan for slingshotting the ship back to the 23rd Century after the mission was completed that only a covert ops planner who didn't actually have to go on the mission would love, but time travel in RPGs makes my head hurt, so I wasn't sure if I was going to go with that angle in the end.

Anyways, this thread has given me some more directions to look into.  Thanks, all!


TGA