This one frame perfectly embodies a huge problem with Star Trek that drives me nuts:
Monolith cultures / gadget races.
You've heard it: Klingons are the warrior race, Romulans are the deception race, Cardassians are the fascism race, Vulcans are the logic race, etc. The only ones who are afforded any sort of diversity in thought, ideology, and culture are humans.
So far so mediocre. And you could explain this away, probably, or just ignore it. Suspension of disbelief is doing some heavy lifting today.
But what you really can't explain away is "only one race uses this sort of device".
That's a sentence that's applied to everything in Trek. Weapons, warp reactors, or in this case, bomb detonators.
In our real world, the M16 and AK-47, as well as their derivatives and successors, are the two most ubiquitous rifles on the planet, and not just in countries or organisations that are allied with the US or Russia.
Volkswagen cars are being driven in every country from Germany to the US to Saudi-Arabia to China.
Countries that are in
... show moreThis one frame perfectly embodies a huge problem with Star Trek that drives me nuts:
Monolith cultures / gadget races.
You've heard it: Klingons are the warrior race, Romulans are the deception race, Cardassians are the fascism race, Vulcans are the logic race, etc. The only ones who are afforded any sort of diversity in thought, ideology, and culture are humans.
So far so mediocre. And you could explain this away, probably, or just ignore it. Suspension of disbelief is doing some heavy lifting today.
But what you really can't explain away is "only one race uses this sort of device".
That's a sentence that's applied to everything in Trek. Weapons, warp reactors, or in this case, bomb detonators.
In our real world, the M16 and AK-47, as well as their derivatives and successors, are the two most ubiquitous rifles on the planet, and not just in countries or organisations that are allied with the US or Russia.
Volkswagen cars are being driven in every country from Germany to the US to Saudi-Arabia to China.
Countries that are in a state of cold war, like US–China or US–Russia both have Porsches and whatnot driving around in them.
The notion that in the 24th century, especially with espionage going on between all the major powers, there would be any kind of device that would be used exclusively by one species… is absurd. I don't see Romulans or Klingons having any kind of ideological conviction that prevents them from using Federation tech (especially ones that aren't part of the government or armed services), nor do I see humans, whose whole gimmick is that they make friends and assimilate everyone into the Federation, strictly keeping their hands off Romulan or Klingon tech.
The idea that a culprit can be identified or tracked because of which species's design of bomb detonator or warp drive they use is absurd. That tech's bound to leak out sooner or later.
And also, you're telling me the Romulan government mandates that any terrorists who were born Romulan citizens have to use this or that type of detonator? Come on.
#StarTrek #TNG 4x07 "Reunion"
